“Yá’át’ééh, nił haahoot’é?”

This is how you say, “Hello, how are you?” in a tribal language where a BMM missionary team serves. With a language like this, you might think these missionaries work in an exotic, remote location that no one has ever heard of. But have you heard of New Mexico and Arizona? That’s where this BMM team (Joe and Dawn Lee, Jerolyn Virgilio, and John and Diane Woods) serve among the Navajo people, a tribal nation right here in North America.

In 2017, when Katie Schopf’s friend Heather told her about an opportunity to volunteer at the team’s Whispering Cedars Baptist Camp in New Mexico, Katie put the idea in the back of her mind. Normally, an opportunity to help in this way would be a welcome thought. Katie’s home church in Washington State held a camp every year when she was growing up, and those summer ministries became favorite memories. The Navajo camps were similar to Katie’s church camps: they needed an intensive amount of volunteers to help with everything from cooking food to preparing crafts and conducting games, all the way to packing and cleaning up.

Katie should have jumped at the opportunity, but a memory held her back. The last time she had been to New Mexico was to attend her friend Joey’s funeral. Joey’s death in a tragic hiking accident in 2009 had been one of the most painful experiences of Katie’s life. It would be hard to revisit New Mexico again, yet with gentle kindness, God kept prompting Katie to go. Ultimately, He gave her the courage to say yes, and as a result of her choice, Katie found that God had a greater purpose than she could have imagined.

It was reassuring to Katie that, as soon as she set foot on the camp property that summer, it truly felt like home.

She loved the lessons, game time, and crafts, and she especially enjoyed building relationships with the kids and adults.

Katie knew Joey’s parents were missionaries to Native Americans and that he had grown up with kids just like the ones at camp. She was grateful for God’s help to share His love as well as Joey’s story with the teens. They leaned in and listened intently, deeply touched by Katie’s story of loss. Most of the teens carried their own heartache from the suicides of friends and family. Katie had always been drawn to kids from broken families, feeling great compassion for their struggles. The Native teens recognized that she could relate to their lives, and Katie found greater healing in her own life.

The next year when camp and VBS season rolled around, Katie was very open to going back, but she brought it to the Lord in prayer to make sure it was His leading. Again, He gave a green light to return that year and the next. In what would have been her fourth season, the COVID-19 outbreak put a halt to camp for the next two seasons. It was a difficult time period for the Native American community, which was totally locked down during those years. On the day the shutdowns happened, Jerolyn Virgillo was about to start a Bible class on one of the reservations. When she arrived, the road was barricaded to all outsiders.

During 2020–2022, the only way that Jerolyn and her coworkers, John and Diane Woods, could get Bible study materials to the people was to leave them at the barricade where someone would pick them up.

Although Whispering Cedars Baptist Camp reopened in 2022, Katie was unable to go back that summer. She found herself missing the people and her teammates. They had become friends to her, and she was becoming part of their lives also. When Katie finally returned in 2023, it felt so good to be back! She enjoyed attending Sunday church services with the BMM teams in both Arizona and New Mexico. Navajo culture is quiet and calm, and Katie’s temperament fit perfectly. Although Navajos don’t readily open up to outsiders, they felt at ease with Katie and gladly accepted her invitation to get together after church.

During that summer in 2023, Katie again saw how profoundly the Native American people needed God’s Truth. In their culture, they live in continual fear over offending the spirit world. As Katie saw the missionary team growing older, she felt heavy at the thought that someday there may be no one to reach the Native Americans of that region. After an earlier trip, Katie had already been praying, “Lord, if it’s your will, I wouldn’t mind being a missionary there.”

Her desire and conviction about the ministry only grew stronger, and in 2024 she took the step of faith to join BMM full-time. Katie plans to serve alongside Joe and Dawn Lee in New Mexico.

David and Hannah Alexander

Like Katie, short-term ministry exposed David and Hannah Alexander to camp ministry. A
two-week trip to Peru with their church in 2022 confirmed their desire to serve there full-time. Last summer, the Alexanders returned for a five-month survey trip to explore a variety of ministries across Peru. After visiting BMM’s camp near Trujillo, the Alexanders became burdened to help in this ministry, which has no full-time director. David and Hannah joined BMM in 2024, and in addition to camp ministry, they hope to restart the music program at BMM’s Trujillo seminary.

Warren and Lara Vergiels

Warren Vergiels, who serves in Brazil with his wife, Lara, spent two years as a short-termer before joining BMM full-time in 2018. Although Warren was a Brazil MK, his short-term experience expanded insights he’d gained as a child and teen. Serving alongside a Brazilian pastor during his short-term, Warren broadened his American missions understanding through the pastor’s Brazilian perspective. Warren saw more clearly how important relationships are to Brazilians: to them it’s how Christians love God and love others. Lara, a Brazilian Bible college graduate, had served in a similar internship through her Bible college. As she shared the gospel with children, she realized she wanted to serve in that way her whole life.

Sarah Weidner

From the time Sarah was 13 years old, she wondered, “Am I supposed to be a missionary?” When Romania missionaries Dave and Ruth Kimmel* came to her church, she was drawn to their work among Romania’s Roma people, a shunned social class like India’s Untouchables.

Starting at age 16, Sarah served in three Romania mission trips, two of them at the Kimmels’ church. Her last short-term trip in 2022–2023 confirmed Romania for her future. She meshed well with BMM’s Romania team, and she saw God used her in every ministry the church offered. Sarah’s music ministry also played a vital role in the Roma culture where music is cherished. Sarah joined BMM full-time in 2023.

To learn more about short-term ministry, including how you can be involved, visit bmm.org/serve.

*The Kimmels now serve with Bibles International