New European Coordinator

In April, Daniel Boyd accepted the role of BMM’s European Field Coordinator, an added role to his ministry as a full-time Netherlands missionary with his wife, Heather. Working together, Daniel and Heather will share this four-faceted ministry: 1. Recruitment—helping others see that Europe needs more workers; 2. Retainment—helping new missionaries adjust when they come to the field; 3. Encouragement—building up missionary coworkers and helping them to endure challenges well; and 4. Engagement—helping fields navigate their team dynamics.

Before accepting the position, Daniel asked the deacons at his church plant to join them in praying over the decision. Instead of seeing it as something that would take their pastor and wife away from them, they were excited, as was their entire church. By sharing the Boyds’ time, they have an opportunity to give back what they were given. As other missionaries are built up through the Boyds’ influence and care, they will be strengthened to plant churches just like theirs.

World Relief 2023

Baptist Mid-Missions’ World Relief fund has been nearly depleted in the wake of multiple crises in Europe and Asia. World Relief allows missionaries and national believers to rapidly deliver assistance during times of tragedy. This relief always goes hand in hand with a compassionate gospel message, meeting not only physical needs but also spiritual needs.

Civil unrest in an Asian Creative Access Nation (CAN) resulted in violence against Christians, whose homes and churches were looted and burned. World Relief provided basic needs, and it enabled a Christian hospital to hold medical clinics among refugees. In another Asian CAN, ongoing civil war has led to Christians being attacked and forced to flee their villages for the forest where there are no amenities. World Relief funds are helping them stay alive but are also opening incredible doors to the gospel, with people more open than ever.

For nearly two years, our Slovakia missionaries Don and LeAnne Waite have delivered relief supplies to needy people in Ukraine. People are opening up to Christ in remarkable ways. One Ukrainian couple have shared the gospel with about 200 internally displaced persons they hosted in their home. This couple nearly gave up the ministry until the Waites began helping through World Relief. This summer 16 people were saved and baptized, and many more are receiving Christ through World Relief assistance.

Will you help us continue this vital and life-changing ministry? Your gift to World Relief truly impacts eternity. Find out more at https://www.bmm.org/news/world...

In the Eye of the Storm

When tropical storms caused unprecedented damage on two BMM fields in 2023 (New Zealand and Guam), our missionaries found unprecedented opportunities to share Christ’s compassion with those affected.

After Cyclone Gabrielle devastated northern New Zealand in February, Joel and Beverly Shoaf’s church in Napier began reaching out to affected families by providing food, water, and other supplies. The storm was so powerful that it washed away major roads and train tracks and left homes buried in mud. Volunteers from Bay Baptist Church spent many Saturdays using everything from shovels to dump trucks to help people clear mud and debris from their property (photos at right). Several days after the cyclone, the Shoafs’ longtime “Food4Thought” ministry to high school students reopened with the greatest attendance they’ve ever seen. Several students have trusted Christ as their Savior.

In late May, Guam endured winds as high as 175 mph when the eye of Typhoon Mawar passed directly over the island. Rhonda Green serves on Guam and is working with many others from Harvest Baptist Church to share God’s love by helping with storm clean up and by providing supplies for daily living. Rhonda checked on all her bus kids to see how they were. When she asked if they stayed dry, they answered as only kids can: “Yes, but it flooded our house!” Rhonda was thankful the kids were all okay and thankful to be able to share Christ with many new people.

Four Generations

With Baptist Mid-Missions’ 100+ years in ministry, it’s not surprising that we’ve had two, even three generations of the same families serving with us. This summer we reached a new milestone: our first fourth-generation missionary.

One hundred years after his great-grandparents joined BMM, Brian Seymour was appointed to serve with Campus Bible Fellowship. In 1923, Arthur and Linda Seymour were recruited by BMM’s founder, William Haas, to serve in what is today Chad, Africa. Their son Dave and his wife, Ruth, served there in medical missions, and grandson Mark and his wife, Debbie, served in Chad and in BMM’s Enlistment Department. Brian’s wife, Eva, is herself a second-generation BMM missionary, the daughter of Nic and Joanne Nicodemus.

We’re proud of our long heritage of families who passed on a missions legacy to their children and grandchildren, both in service and in support of missions as laypeople. And we’re equally proud of those who courageously step out as first-generation missionaries, just as Brian’s great-grandparents did. The Lord uses people of every heritage, background, and skill set to forge unique combinations of continuity and fresh perspectives in His harvest fields.

Whatever your interests or skills, there’s a place for you at Baptist Mid-Missions!