Barbara Chicks
October 2019

MISSIONS MOMENT 

We, as a church, support many Global Servants through our giving to International Ministries, a division of the American Baptist Churches USA. Our support comes from our Missions' fund, and also once a year through the annual World Mission Offering. Our mission fund supports several individual missionaries each month. These missionaries include Lauran Bethell, who lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and works with women and children. Mylinda Baits, who is pastoral artist and trainer, serving as a global consultant for "Training Through Restorative Arts." Melanie Baggao, who serves in Lebanon, and is now on Home Assignment. Melanie will be speaking in our church Wednesday, October 2nd, at 10:30 a.m., in the Parlor. You are all invited to come and hear her. A lunch will follow at noon. 

Katrina and Kyle Williams have been on Home Assignment the past year, after completing a 4-year term in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. They did not feel called to return to Africa, but asked to be assigned to another International Ministry (IM). They write, “As many of you know, since we have been back in the US, we have worked with IM to discern a ministry direction. IM voted to send us to Chiang Rai, Thailand, to team up with others doing some incredible work there.”

Kyle’s ministry description is as follows: Kyle will use his gifts to provide leadership, mentoring, and coaching with a staff taking part in state-of-the-art information mapping. Kyle will also join with Southeast Asia National Leadership to seek justice for oppressed populations and to strengthen human rights and dignity in Thailand.

Katrina has asked for time to focus on the children’s transition to a new country. Once things settle, she will begin to get to know what is going on in Chiang Rai, and how she can use her skills to advance the Kingdom of God there. There are plenty of opportunities that fit her gifts and passions.

Here is an example of how God works in mysterious ways: Before Kyle and Katrina were commissioned as missionaries, Kyle felt called to be a missionary in Africa, but he was currently working on a fishing boat off the coast of Alaska. Looking back, he realized that he had learned that if something went wrong on a fishing boat, there was no Home Depot where he could get the materials he needed to repair the problem. So he had to analyze the situation, find what resources he already had, and fix his fishing boat. Since then he has come to realize that these were the same skills he needed to serve as a missionary in Africa.