Updated April 25, 2023

Our God has a tender heart for the hurting people of this world. World Relief equips BMM missionaries and our trusted contacts to deliver gospel-focused relief to those in need. Read updates about our ongoing efforts in an Asian Creative Access Nation, Ukraine, and Turkey-Syria. With so many current needs, your gifts are greatly appreciated by us and especially by those being helped. 

Creative Access Nation

For years, ongoing civil war has ripped apart an Asian Creative Access Nation, a country where our missionaries have conducted Bible translation and literacy ministry for years. This year the war has been intensifying. Fighting occurs daily in villages, and people's homes are being burned down. Many ethnic minorities have been killed. Those who survive have fled their homes to live in the forest, where there are no amenities. Others from their tribe have relocated to neighboring countries for safety. 

Our extensive contacts in this nation are helping persecuted ethnic minorities, a large number of whom are Christians. At risk to their own lives, our contacts have assisted many families, widows, and other individuals with packages of rice, noodles, beans, salt, and cooking oil. Others receive money for medicine, dialysis, or repairs on homes that were burned. The need is great for additional food, medicine, blankets, and tarps to make temporary homes. 

Although up to 90 percent of the persecuted peoples adhere to Christianity, there are still people to be reached. Pastors who receive World Relief funds incorporate evangelistic efforts into their distributions. Last summer, children’s camps were held, and nearly 300 kids received nutritious food and the gospel message. Forty-one children received Christ as Savior. One of our contacts wrote, “Every single pastor who distributed the funds expressed to me how thankful they and their people have been to our missionaries for their help.

Ukrainians

Efforts within Ukraine

On March 12, Slovakia missionaries Don and LeAnne Waite again departed for Ukraine with a load of supplies to take into both familiar and new areas with great needs. On their way, they passed through a town where people lined the streets with candles at their feet. They were waiting for a body to be brought for burial, a sadly common sight. Air raids continue as a daily reality, along with power outages. 

After arriving at their destination, the Waites unloaded 85 sleeping bags, flashlights/batteries, food, and hygiene items. Don and LeAnne had gotten a hold of some sweets and baking supplies. Such simple things bring great joy. Two of the people who received them said they found "heaven for bakers" in the boxes: "The Lord Himself hugged us through you." This couple regularly invites internally displaced people into their home and shares the gospel with them, many of whom have found Christ.

Don and LeAnne also visited children relocated from Mariupol. For them, they brought baby food, breakfasts, sweets, and baby clothes. Some of these children have relatives and others are orphans.  

The Waites visited a Ukrainian town where a Baptist chaplain has been hard at work among those affected by the war. He was extremely grateful both for the supplies and for the visit. When asked for prayer requests, he said to pray for victory so that there would be fewer widows and orphans, for ministers who are called of God, and for strength and health for himself in the stressful conditions. 

The chaplain and the other contacts Don and LeAnne made in Ukraine have a vital mission field among their own people. They work hard through the most difficult situations to bring aid along with evangelistic messages and Bible studies with those whose hearts have grown more spiritually tender in the past year. 

Other BMM missionaries with contacts in Ukraine reported that on Christmas Day so many unsaved people came to worship services that even their overflow area was overflowing: "People are thirsty for the truth because of the terrible situation! Pray they will find peace of soul in the midst of terrible chaos."

Through World Relief funds, a church in Ukraine has been busy traveling to needy areas to provide food. A group in eastern Ukraine that the church had previously helped decided to give back by collecting about 30,000 kilos of potatoes. The church delivered the food to people in eastern Ukraine who could not plant gardens in 2022. 

Assisting from Slovakia

On February 17, 2023, BMM Slovakia missionaries Don and LeAnne Waite returned to Poland to replenish supplies for the Ukrainians housed by a Polish church. While there, the Waites talked with a Baptist pastor visiting from Kyiv. His church went from 100 before the war down to 50 members. However, on most Sundays their numbers have swelled to 400 because of refugees. The pastor told Don and LeAnne that about 15 people have received the Lord so far, but many are listening to the message.

The Polish church that the Waites are helping is also full each Sunday. Although Ukrainian refugees are not staying permanently with the church, a large group of them has been present each Sunday, and the church has seen several people saved.

The missionaries received the following thank you notes from those who benefitted from World Relief funds:

Dear brothers and sisters in America,

I am the pastor of a church in the city of [name deleted]. We as a church are sincerely grateful to you for your help, which you provided, which enabled the brothers from churches in [name deleted] to buy and bring construction materials. We are so thankful to you, because now we have the opportunity, while winter is at hand, to restore destroyed roofs and broken windows, and we sincerely thank you for this. That which you gave is a gift for the glory of our Lord. May the Lord reward you a hundredfold. Amen.

Another sent a video showing a load of wood (heating fuel) purchased through World Relief. https://drive.google.com/file/...

Watch BMM's Ukraine video:

Turkey-Syria Earthquake Relief

Through contacts with trusted partners, BMM World Relief is helping those devastated by the tragic earthquake in Turkey-Syria. Your gifts will provide essential supplies and services and will be distributed by those representing Jesus Christ in this spiritually needy region. Give online through our World Relief Asia-Pacific project link.  

Can you help?

God never brings suffering without a desire to lead people to salvation or to cause His believers to grow. He is using our missionary teams in these pivotal locations to be a living testimony of His compassion to hurting people. Your gift to World Relief equips them to bring God’s light into their darkness.

Give to World Relief through our Projects page (choose #4).

To give by mail, make checks out to Baptist Mid-Missions Foundation with “World Relief” in the memo line. Mail to:

Baptist Mid-Missions

PO Box 308011

Cleveland, OH 44130-8011


To give by credit card over the phone, call 440-826-3930

Count on us

Our goal is to be ready to bring relief both to Christians and to unsaved people that the Lord wants to touch with the gospel. We honor your contributions by using them to the fullest extent to help those for whom they are given, and for accountability our missionaries send us detailed reports of their use of World Relief funds.

Please keep our missionaries in prayer for wisdom and endurance in their efforts. They want to effectively provide for and comfort the hurting, even while balancing existing ministries in their already-busy schedules.

Thank you for helping us help others in the name of Christ.