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Since 1950, BMA missionaries have been sent to foreign fields, leaving a legacy of faith, perseverance, and obedience to the call to serve. Sometimes those fields are fraught with danger, but the men and women of the BMA are more likely to run into the fire rather than away from it. Why? Because that’s where the lost souls are.

Such is the case with 2024 Legacy Missionary David Dickson, whom God protected when bullets were flying. 

Dickson’s parents were from Arkansas but relocated to California where they raised their family until David was fifteen. Ironically, Shelley’s family lived in California just fifteen miles from the Dicksons without ever meeting. The Dicksons moved back to Arkansas when David was fifteen and David finished high school in Walnut Ridge then began attending CBC (Central Baptist College). Shelley enrolled at CBC two years later David and the two began dating. 

His Story

David was saved at nine years old and called to preach at thirteen. But he didn’t consider mission work until John and Shirley Ladd sent a letter inviting CBC students to spend the summer with them in Nicaragua. David signed up, and that first trip led to a second one as a six-week summer volunteer. After the first trip to Nicaraugua, he knew the mission field was God’s direction for his life but wanted to confirm it. When the second trip ended, he was sure of the Lord’s calling and had been all his life. 

Her Story

Shelley’s father was a pastor, and she was saved in fifth grade as he preached a revival service. During the sermon, her aunt sitting next to her realized she was under conviction, so the two of them went outside where they talked about salvation. After the service, her father joined them and led her to the Lord. Then while attending church camp in Gary, Texas, at fifteen she felt the Lord calling her something but told her she would have to wait. When she met David at CBC she realized that God had not revealed his will to her until she met David, which was the Lord’s plan all along. 

Nicaragua

Once the couple understood God’s call on both of their lives, they were ready to get to their first mission field: Nicaraugua. Shelley attended CBC for just one semester and David wanted to drop out of college and get there faster, but CBC President Wassell Burgess encouraged him to finish his degree. Six months after their marriage in 1971, they left for Nicaragua, where Paul Robinson and John and Shirley Ladd were serving when the Dicksons arrived. 

Three of their children were born during the seven years they served there and quickly learned the Spanish language that all their children can speak fluently. At the time, there was peace in Nicaragua, no open warfare in the country. In 1977 the Dicksons moved back to the States, and he spent eleven years pastoring in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. 

While there, he realized that pastoring in the States wasn’t for him. 

The year after they returned to the U.S. all missionaries had to leave and the communists took over the country. For David and Shelley, it would seem like in just about every country they served, there was tension and unrest.   

El Salvador 1978-1979

The Dicksons dealt with the communist takeover of El Salvador and anti-American sentiment the entire year they served in El Salvador. They witnessed people shot in their doorway, bodies lying in the middle of the road, a peace-corp worker compound burned to the ground, and hostages held for a night because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

The communists were against any charity, because they would rather the people suffer and join the rebellion. One night, David and Shelley went to dinner at the home of a recent convert who worked for a charitable organization. Their children were with a babysitter at the Dicksons’ home. When the man’s house became surrounded by the military, their babysitter took the Dickson children to her home for the night. Intimidation was their motive, so in the morning it was all over. 

During the day nothing happened, but after dark, violence erupted and even the police wouldn’t go out after dark. 

Despite the danger, the Dicksons remained in El Salvador because God was blessing the church and bringing lost souls to Christ. Because of the constant nighttime gunfire, however, the children slept in David and Shelley’s room until the morning when everyone began going to market and living life as normal . . . until one final incident: 

While watching a nighttime news broadcast, the family heard gunshots and saw that in front of their house the president’s brother – who owned a bus line – had parked his buses, which the guerillas often torched. To prevent them from doing so, guards on the buses began shooting.

David’s son was with him in the living room as a guard was shot in their doorway. 

They left El Salvador two days later. 

The year after they returned to the U.S. all missionaries had to leave and the communists took over the country. For David and Shelley, it would seem like in just about every country they served, there was tension and unrest.   

Honduras 1980-1991

The Dicksons were in Honduras for eleven years as the Garifuna story, chronicled by many BMA writers through the years, continues to unfold. It has resulted in effectively winning a people and language group to Christ, and it all began with a trip to the beach in 1980.

David heard two boys speaking in a language he had never heard, and as a curious linguist, he spoke to them in Spanish, asking them questions about where they were from. In the next months and years, and with the help of professional linguist and translator Lillian Howland, David developed a relationship with the Garifuna that continues to this day. After years of learning a language that had never been fully translated or written down, the Garifuna hailed him as a hero when they once ridiculed and spat on him. 

Ricardo Herrera was among those who ridiculed David’s efforts to share the gospel and  vigorously opposed his wife’s conversion. In a rage, he went to the church with harmful intentions, but instead received new life in Christ. Ricardo became a church leader, even naming one of his sons after David. Sadly, the son died. Garifuna traditions for a proper wake include liquor and vulgar dancing to keep the ancestors happy, but Ricardo refused to allow either one. People warned him that no one would attend the wake, and without mourners, the spirits would come and take away more family members. But he told them, “They can come and take each of my children one by one and I still won’t participate.”

Brother David says, “It’s amazing to see what happens with a culture after an entire generation has heard the gospel. The adults now in church are the first generation of Garifunas to be raised in church. Seeing stable marriages and kids raised to serve the Lord  means there is no more influence of spiritism, and animistic beliefs are longer celebrated.” At first, David was ridiculed, now people yell out “God bless you!” when he walks down the street. 

Guatemala 

The Dicksons left Honduras in 1991 and served in Guatemala for a short period. It was not a fruitful time, and they never understood why God led them there. It was a time of discouragement and complete lack of visible fruit. However, while in Guatemala, they were able to work with the Garifunas there. The Dicksons left Guatemala in 1993 and went back to the States with no idea what was next.

Puerto Rico

After leaving Guatemala, David and Shelley thought that was it . . . No more mission fields. But Missions Director Don Collins told them they had not lost confidence in David and to find out what God wanted them to do next. He suggested that because of his linguistic skills, maybe David could learn Russian since the Cold War was over and missionaries were able to share the gospel there.

So they went to Russia to see Bill Gibson, who was in Czech Republic and struggling to learn the language. The two men cried together in frustration without resolving the issue of where to serve, but Bill told David about his son who lived in Puerto Rico and was an assistant manager at a WalMart in Costa Rica. Bill, Jr. told David that he couldn’t find a true Baptist church, so the Dicksons went to Puerto Rico to plant a church and discovered an entirely different church-planting experience.

They had never been part of a church of primarily middle class people. On every other mission field, David was the wealthiest and most educated. But in Puerto Rico, the church was made up of doctors, lawyers and teachers. Soon after they arrived there, WalMart transferred Bill, Jr., but within six to seven years, the church was running 700, and for two years in a row, they baptized over 100 people. Really neat to be involved in what God was doing. To minister to people who challenge you intellectually was interesting. 

The Dicksons served in Puerto Rico for fourteen years until God led him to leave the church in Puerto Rico. Normally, pastors don’t leave a church when all is well, but when David was diagnosed with his first bout of cancer, he didn’t feel like he could give the church all it needed. He was 59 and felt the Lord saying,”It’s time to go.” It had been the most successful time of ministry in his life, so to step away was difficult and didn’t make sense. 

He told the Lord, “I don’t know how you’ll beat this (cancer), but if you want me to leave, I’ll do so, but don’t let me doubt this decision.” For the next ten years, he served as Regional Coordinator of Latin America, a perfect way to serve the countries he was so burdened for.

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Honoring our legacy missionaries is a priority for BMA Global. And whether deceased or alive, learning from their lives and ministries is important to their incredible legacies. Through family testimonies, archived articles, and ministry partner stories, understanding the ongoing work in their former fields impacts future generations.

Bill and Jeanette Gibson are BMA Global’s Legacy Missionaries for 2024. 

William L. Bill Gibson was born January 17th, 1942 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a family of farmers. He and his wife Jeanette were the same age, and when they were young, their families farmed within five miles of each other, attended church together, and saved at an early age. Later on, Bill began picking Jeanette up for church services every Sunday at Big Creek Valley in Jonesboro where Bro. G.E. Jones pastored.

Bill graduated from high school in 1959 and attended CBC for one year but dropped out to join the National Guard. He trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky, then Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, while Jeanette went to Jonesboro Business College for a secretarial degree. They were married in 1961 and Bill began farming with his father while Jeanette worked in the office of a local attorney.

Not long after that, however, God called Bill to ministry, and he returned to CBC to complete his studies. Like many “preacher boys” at CBC, he pastored a local church while there, Fairview Baptist in Violet Hill, Arkansas. After graduating in 1966 he began pastoring Bethel Baptist in Forrest City, Arkansas, then served as a missionary pastor at Fellowship Mission Church in Wichita, Kansas. It was there that he felt the call to missions work in Costa Rica.

First Mission Field: Costa Rica

Bill then travelled to Costa Rica to visit missionaries Duane and Francis Heflin to see the country and seek their counsel. The visit confirmed his calling, so in 1971 they bought a Volkswagen bus and named him “Herbie.” On September 29th of that year, Bill, Jeanette, nine-year-old old Bill, Jr. and four-year-old Monica loaded the van and began the journey to San Jose.

The journey was a long one, especially for the children. But the trip was made easier when Francis Heflin gave Jeanette the idea to give the children a present to open on each day of travel. It wouldn’t be the last time that the Heflins spoke into their lives as they continued their love and care of the Gibsons for many years. 

Some of the best missionary stories are about a family’s travel to a new mission field, and the Gibsons’ story is no exception. On the way to Costa Rica, Monica became ill in Mexico City and had to to see a doctor. While she recovered for two days at a hotel, Bill junior enjoyed the hotel and pool. Two famous wrestlers were also staying there, and one of them was professional wrestler Jerry Lawler, who taught Bill, Jr. how to swim.

Attending language school was the only training offered to new missionaries in that era, so Bill and Jeanette spent their first year in Costa Rica at language school in San Jose while the children attended school with their Spanish-speaking peers. Over the years, the Gibson children were always part of their ministry. Bill preached, Bill, Jr. led singing, and Monica helped in Sunday school. They also built relationships with Costa Ricans by handing out flyers and inviting everyone they met to church. Even the children participated. During one of those outreaches when Monica was five years old, she handed a lady an invitation, but the lady said, “No thank you. I’m Catholic”, to which Monica replied, “That’s OK.  Anyone can come to our church!”

Bill was known for his genial nature and never-meet-a-stranger attitude. He willingly met people’s needs on the mission field, loading up Herbie the little Volkswagen, and going anywhere he was needed. If someone said, “I need you to go to my family’s hometown up in the mountains”, the family would load up and head to the mountains to meet their needs. If someone said, “I want you to go talk to my family” or “we would like a church”, he was faithful to meet with them. In addition to planting churches during their twenty years in Costa Rica, they also established a Bible Institute

By the time Bill and Jeanette left Costa Rica in 1992, Bill, Jr. and Monica had already graduated, moved back to the states and were married with children of their own. Herbie, the Volkswagen bus, stayed with the Heflins.

Currently in Costa Rica, there are thriving churches in the cities of Tibas, Santa Ana, Villa Colon, La Mora, Naranjo, Villareal en Santa Cruz de Guanacaste due to the missionary vision and diligence of the Gibsons.

Second Mission Field: Eastern Europe: Czech Republic

After the Berlin wall fell and communist countries opened up, Bill was one of many missionaries who seized the opportunity to share the gospel with the unreached. So in 1992, the Gibsons left Costa Rica for Czech Republic (former Czechoslovakia), basically moving from a friendly Latin culture to a cold, unreceptive one. The Gibsons had a hard time with the Czech language and the people weren’t responsive, but Bill met a man named John, and that one contact has kept the work going. 

To the States Then Back: Honduras

In 1994 the Gibsons returned to Jonesboro where Bill began pastoring Cottage Home Baptist Church. Five years later, Bill was asked to serve in the country of Honduras as Bobby Bowman was retiring from his work at the BMA Bible Institute there. Bill and Jeanette moved to Honduras where they served as administrator of the BMA Bible Institute in Sula, as well as church planter from 1999 to 2007. 

Final Mission Field: Chile

In 2007, Bill and Jeanette moved to Santiago, Chile, where they planted Metropolitan Baptist Church. One of the first people Bill met in Santiago was Pablo, their water delivery man and neighbor. He was also a pastor, and when he saw Bill’s Bible, they hit it off immediately. The Gibsons began attending the church Pablo pastored then worked together to plant a church. Pablo’s son and another young man have gone farther south in Chile to plant churches where Pablo, Sr. and his wife Miriam now serve now 

The Gibsons returned home to Jonesboro in 2012 when Bill was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He died on October 29, 2015.

The Work Goes On: Multiplication

When missionaries start a work and plant a church, there are many unknowns. Regardless of the preparation, location, and fervent prayer for success, there is always the question, “Will this plant take root?” Bill was perfectly fitted by God to be an encourager and exhorter and give sound advice to everyone he knew, particularly if there was a question about ministry. When Bill’s son-in-law, Randy Stimach, told Bill, “I’m afraid God is calling me into ministry”, Bill replied, “Well don’t be afraid. Just do it!” Those who served with him said he was always direct and to the point but loving and caring to everyone he met, never missing an opportunity to share the gospel.

Former missionary Phil Knott served with Bill in Costa Rica for many years and tells the story of the two of them handing out flyers to invite people to church for a week-long revival. When Costa Ricans heard they would also be fed, even more people came to help. Bill was footing the entire bill himself, and after the entire week, he had spent a lot of money. One person was saved during the revival. Always the optimist, Bill looked at Phil, stuck his thumb in his belt loop and said, “Whew! That was an expensive soul!”

Monica said, “My dad would have died on the mission field if he could have. At his funeral, letters came in literally from people around the world talking about the impact that both my parents had on them  They truly fulfilled the Great Commission.”

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God is In Charge in Haiti

By Michel Poirier, Missionary to French-speaking Africa

So many are asking, what about Haiti? How is it? How (are) our churches?

Here (is) what I hear: From Pastor M___ in Port-au-Prince: 

“It is not easy but God is in charge.” That’s what he tells me every week. 

For us in Quebec, Canada, we hear the pain that the people go through. If a person have to go to get food, they have to pay a toll in order to travel on the street from one place to another. In other word, if a person have to go on many streets they have to pay each time, if not they cannot go, or they get robbed. Sometimes they get shot from (an errant) bullet, and sometimes they get kill just for the (fun of it).

People are living just one day at the time, not knowing what will happen during the night. The school are almost all burn down, some hospital are invaded by the gangs who shoot patient if they feel like it, even the police are under attack and kill and cut into pieces, as a show to the other policemen. The two prison are broken down, the penitentiary of Port-au-Prince and the one at Croix des Bouquet are empty and 6,000 prisoner are at large and terrified the population of Port au Prince. The gangs are more equip than the police of Port-au-Prince. 

Most people in America dont know what is it to sleep with one eye and one ear open. If you have been on a mission trip with me in Haiti, you probably know what I mean. At another occasion we have two church family in Port-au-Prince who received the visit of a gangs, and have been asked to feed them, but the family did not have any food to give them, so the leader of the gangs told them, that they will be back the next day and if they dont have a meal prepare for them they will kill them all. 

As I receive the message I send money to the family and the gangs came back and they were satisfied and let the family alone for now. 

As for any support that come in for Haiti, it is sent to them the next day to the people that are in charge of distribution. Another question (people ask) is can they get food? Yes, but for a certain amount (of money) for protection from the gangs. 

The gangs have 80% of Port-au-Prince (under) their control. Almost 2 million people are suffering of hunger every day, and it is a battle for them to survive. The airport is close(d), there is no plane flying in or out of Port-au-Prince. The only airport to fly out is through Cap Haitian in the North of Haiti, and it is 10 hrs of difficult drive to Port-au-Prince. For anyone who want to go to Port-au-Prince from Cape Haitian, it is very dangerous because the road are control by the gangs. 

Now concerning our two churches; they are under God’s protection, they are asking to pray for them for God’s provision and protection on them and that souls might be save through the situation. 

I try to give you the information that came to me this week, but every couple days new info new prayers request comes in.

Put Haiti on your prayers list if you didn’t already.

Brother Michel & Ruth 

pasteur.poirier56@gmail.com

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Africa: A Trip For the Soul

By John Chapman

On a trip several years ago, my wife and I had lunch with a lady who was truly a world traveler, so I asked about her favorite trip. She immediately responded, ‘’Africa. It touched my very soul.”

Years later, we planned another milestone anniversary trip and had agreed on a destination. But after contacting a travel agent and beginning the process, a month went by without hearing from her or returning our calls. So I reached out to another agent. 

In our initial conversation, I told her our chosen destination and asked for help with the process. She agreed then asked a strange question: “Have you ever considered Africa?” 

I told her that was the furthest thing from our minds and not really an option, but in the next few days, the comment from the world traveler about Africa being a soul-touching trip continued to dominate my thoughts.

I knew I wanted an experience like that, so I began to pray for it. And in those months of intentional prayer we would never have guessed it would involve sickness, a level of neediness I have rarely experienced, witnessing a level of care and compassion from strangers, and two stories directly from Scripture played out in real time right before my eyes . . . with me as part of the story.

Asking for help and accepting help have always been uncomfortable for me. I know it is a form of pride that is not God-honoring, but I have not overcome it. This time, God allowed a level of helplessness in a foreign country where I had no choice but to comply.

I was totally dependent on Him and those who provided help. It is one thing to say we are totally dependent on God but another thing to truly be unable to help yourself and live out that dependence in a very humbling way. I had that experience, and in hindsight, I see what a precious and beautiful gift it was. Not only was it a “soul touching” experience, it was a “soul changing” one. I couldn’t see it in real time, but on this side, I am thankful for it.

Shortly after arriving on the African continent, I began to experience digestive discomfort but wasn’t overly concerned, but by the next morning the discomfort had escalated greatly, and I was experiencing digestive issues at an acute level. I’ll spare you the details. 

Over the next 24 hours, my condition continued to deteriorate, and the lodge where we where staying  summoned a paramedic. He provided me with medicine, but my condition only worsened.

By the following morning, it was obvious that I was in real trouble and the remoteness of our location did not allow us easy access to medical care. We considered cancelling the rest of our trip and trying to get home to the U.S. But at best, that would mean 24 hours of air travel, and I was in no condition for that. 

Once conscious, I noticed a young man across the aisle who continually watched me with a look of caring and compassion. Some may think it improper for me to point out that I am a white guy, and this young man was a black guy. But with all the racial and ethnic tensions in our world, it seems relevant to the story to me.

When the plane landed, he immediately sprang to his feet and assisted me. As I stood unsteadily, he took my by hand and said, “I’ve got you. I will help you. I won’t leave you.” It was as if God was speaking directly to me.

Deplaning involved portable stairs and walking to a bus for transport to the terminal. The sight of that young man walking backwards down those stairs while holding my hand will forever be in my memory.

He accompanied us to the airport clinic and assisted us as if he were a family member. He did not leave us until he was sure I was stable and then only long enough to retrieve his luggage. He returned and stayed with us until he was assured that we would make our connecting flight. Then in what was one of the most compassionate acts I have ever experienced, he asked to pay the bill for my care.

As I lay there receiving an IV, emotion overwhelmed me as I realized I was witnessing, in real time, Jesus’ parable of “The Good Samaritan” right before my eyes and for my benefit. Even if you have read that story hundreds of times, I encourage you to read it again remembering that it was not a real story, but Jesus’ illustration to show how things should be.

Then consider that Bible stories did not end when the Bible was complete. God is still writing those stories every day. Reading and studying the Bible is one of life’s really important efforts. But to be honest, it does not compare to experiencing the story personally. 

My prayer is that each of you would somehow experience being in the middle of a Bible story personally and that it would touch your very soul.

Several days later, we received an email from this young man checking on us. His last words of that email were, “Thank you for letting me help you.” Then I learned that his first name is “Goodwill”. All I could manage to say to God in that moment was “Are you kidding me?”

He assured me He was not.

The experience with Goodwill had left us in awe. We have longed believed that God intentionally puts people in place to help others in need. But I do not remember ever having experienced it so dramatically. Little did I know that our need was about to get even more intense and God’s provision even more dramatic.

We arrived at our second destination, an island even more remote than our first, a small Mozambique island about 45 minutes out in the Indian Ocean. There were no medical facilities there and my condition was continuing to worsen.

So we made the decision to continue the second leg of our trip, a short flight to Mozambique. That didn’t go well, and I basically “crashed” on the flight and lost consciousness. Fortunately, a flight attendant took charge, revived me, and stabilized me for the remaining few minutes of the flight.Early the next morning, it became frighteningly obvious that I needed medical care, and I needed it quickly. In an hour, the resort found a nurse who had cell phone access to a doctor on the mainland.

When he arrived, our differences could not have been any more drastic. I was an old white guy from the wealthiest and most developed country on earth. He was a young man from one of the most impoverished and underdeveloped countries in the world. I was accustomed to the most advanced medical equipment and care available. He had no equipment except a backpack with some medicine and a cell phone. He spoke little English. I spoke no Portuguese. But he cared, and that is all God needed.

I watched as he rummaged through his backpack to find medicine that might help me. Fortunately, he found some and it worked. The real story is not the medication but the care and compassion I received later from this unlikely hero:

This young man sat by my bed for over four hours until I stabilized. After that he sat with me an hour on two occasions and returned every couple of hours to make sure I had taken additional medicines on time. He worked an 18-hour day and still came to check on me at 2:30 the next morning. Then he was back again at first light.

Each time he came, he was on foot. He had no transportation. He had no computer or other electronic devices, so he wrote out his report on the back of a scrap of paper. To say I was amazed and humbled by his care would be a major understatement.

But out of all this, there is a scene that continues to bring tears to my eyes. As I mentioned, this young man had no medical equipment and no pole for suspending my IV bag. So he stood with his arm raised above his head holding that bag so I could get the help I needed. Words can never express the gratitude I felt and still feel in that moment. 

Immediately my mind went to the beautiful Old Testament story of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’ arms when he was too weary to do so. Once again, I sensed the feeling of watching a scene from a Bible story play out in real time. And again I was overwhelmed. 

I fully believe God can heal and help people supernaturally without human intervention. But I believe He most often chooses to use people as His agents to help others. I think people helping people has always been His plan for humanity. We see it in the model of Jesus. God could have accomplished His plan of redemption in an infinite number of supernatural ways. But He chose the route of coming to earth in human form, the ultimate example of man helping man.

Never in my life have I been more in awe than having God use this young man – with few resources at his disposal – to facilitate my recovery. I have been blessed, moved, and changed by the experience. Intimacy with God and love for strangers jumped to a whole new level through this trip. My desire to cooperate with God has never been higher. 

I had prayed for a “soul touching” experience. I received a “soul changing” experience and feel closer to God than ever.

My wife and I fell in love with the African people, the most welcoming, compassionate, helpful, appreciative, and friendly people we have ever met. The poverty was heartbreaking and the needs overwhelming, but we serve a God who created and maintains a universe that inspires creative ideas to address the physical and spiritual needs of these countries. But we must ask Him for that creativity.

My overriding prayer coming out of this trip is that our missionaries and others with influence on the continent would pray for fresh, creative, effective, “outside the box” visions and opportunities for spiritual and economic innovations in Africa. The model of Jesus has always been to meet both spiritual and physical needs. Our collaboration with Him must be inclusive of both.

As I have prayed over the dear people of Africa since this trip, I sense the lack of inclusiveness in Christian business leaders in the missional efforts on this continent. Join me in praying that God will reveal new and creative ways for that to happen.

By the way, the name of the nurse God sent to help and touch me at my lowest point is Fidelis, which means “Faithful”.

Wow!

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Johnny Hachem’s Story

“There’s always war in the Middle East.” 

Johnny Hachem was born in 1981 during the Lebanese Civil War that affected his home country and lasted nine years. But even after that war ended, armed conflicts occurred frequently in Beirut. He recalls glass having to be extracted from his skull, frequent uprisings, and continual gunfire. But despite the complicated politics of the region, his family encouraged his obvious musical talent. 

Born into a Christian family of musicians, he was saved at the age of twelve and showed musical talent at an early age by imitating his mother and listening to his sister’s piano teacher who was always looking for prodigies. He began playing piano in church at twelve, where his parents served as well, his father as worship leader/ Sunday school teacher and his mother as pianist. 

He says that although he attended church regularly, musical studies were his priority, and since most of his teachers were atheists, they influenced his walk with the Lord and criticized everything Christian. He respected his teachers so much that they influenced his faith negatively. During that time of trying to discover himself, he was not really living for Christ and more interested in his music and the compositions he created.

But at the age of twenty, God intervened. Johnny began teaching private piano lessons to a Christian man’s grandchildren. When the man asked Johnny to join a Bible study in his home, he agreed, and in the years that followed, the man discipled him and completely changed his life. 

With a renewed faith, a master’s degree in composition from the Lebanese Higher Conservatory of Music, and a teaching diploma, he continued giving concerts. And in 2009, he won his first international award, which opened a wide door for him, especially in Europe, to also be part of musicals, radio broadcasts, orchestras, and writing piano music. 

Once international recognition began, Johnny shared his music in festivals, competitions, and venues all over Europe and the Middle East including Poland, Romania, South Korea, The Netherlands, Japan, Qatar, Brazil, and the Caribbean. One of those competitions was in Vienna, Austria: The International Composition Competition. Three hundred 300 composers from around the world were whittled down to three in different categories. Johnny’s orchestral composition was chosen as one of the three pieces.

It was one of the highlights of his career, but personally and professionally, the dream prize was being asked to perform at Mozart’s home in Vienna. 

For the next four years, Johnny shared his music all over the globe, and in 2013, he held a concert in Ukraine, a country in which he had previously performed. There he met Tania, a Christian young lady who was involved in planting a church in her small town. She was moved by his music and introduced herself after the concert. They both felt an instant connection, and the two began a long-distance relationship. 

In 2014, they were married in Beirut and decided to live in Ukraine, where they expanded their family to four with the birth of their son Jason and daughter Katy. Johnny continued touring and serving on Regional Coordinator Charlie Costa’s team as social media director. 

But when the war in Ukraine began, they started the process of getting out of the country. With Charlie’s assistance and help from BMA Global, they received visas and other documents allowing them citizenship in America and enrolled their children in school. Johnny, who speaks Lebanese, Ukrainian, French, and Arabic, recently received his driver’s license as well and would love to visit churches and continue to do what he loves: sharing his talent and love for the Lord with others. 

Johnny and Tanya Hachem are remarkable and talented servants of God, and this article barely touches on the horrors of being in a war torn country. If you’re interested in knowing more or having him speak at your church, contact Johnny at 

hachemjohnny@hotmail.com

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Pastor Appreciation Day All Year Long

My husband John and I have the privilege of visiting pastors all over the world. It’s one of those “pinch myself” kind of honors we do not take lightly. When we’re abroad, we visit Americans and national pastors and in both cases, these men, these servants, work hard and serve their churches in every area, no matter what the job description says.

Recently my pastor called to make sure our Bible study class knew about a death in our church family. He went on to briefly mention food and the likely timetable of the funeral, etc. It was your basic heads-up . . . but it got me thinking, “What does my pastor deal with – maybe every day – that is outside his “job description” and that he might never mention to church members? It’s not like he’s keeping something from us. We can trust his judgment on certain matters, but I just wonder about his “caseload” if you will.

In many areas of the world, pastors are also construction workers and build their own churches. Some pastors make a living as fishermen, farmers, teachers, and translators. But what do they really deal with that is difficult and heartbreaking?

I know that pastors in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Myanmar deal with constant war and religious hostility. Those in wealthy countries like France, the United States, and Canada must handle the effects of complacency, progressivism, and gender issues. Pastors in Nepal, Thailand, and Papua New Guinea must undo a works-based belief system. And pastors in Central and South America labor against the poverty, corruption, substance abuse, and polygamy that destroys families.

You might say that these are extreme issues or not problems for pastors where you live, but I think that both worldwide and at home, pastors deal with some very real and difficult things we’ll never know about. Perhaps some of those issues are personal, painful, and private.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that pastors need our prayers, not our criticism; our understanding, not our complacency; our willingness, not our excuses.

I don’t know about your pastor, but mine works hard. He’s at church hours before most church members and hangs around long after the last person leaves. He shakes hundreds of hands and knows who’s new and who’s sick. He’s there for concerns, counseling, and crying. He knows when a new person steps through the door, and he knows who’s hurting.

And the same thing is true for our pastors around the world who have church under a tree, sitting cross-legged on a dirt floor, or while officials look for unlawful gatherings.

So tell me about your pastor, brag about him, let him know you are praying for him. And consider Pastor Appreciation Day all year long.

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Blessing Upon Blessing: A Valentine’s Day Story

By Cynthia Atkinson Henderson

Ours has truly been a love story. We were two young adults ready for a mate in the early 1970s and were both praying for one. We lived 150 miles apart and never met, but that wasn’t a problem for God. Once He brought us together, we knew He had answered our prayers. What a Blessing!  All who knew us said we were a perfect match. We never doubted it. Would God do anything less when answering the sincere prayers of two dedicated Christians?  

Recently a young married lady observed us and said, “There’s nothing I like better than to see an older couple walking together hand in hand.” We hear that often and it always Blesses us. Whenever given an opportunity, we mention our 50thanniversary this coming Valentine’s Day (2024).  We don’t mention it to brag, but to let people know that it can be done. 

You see, we are best friends. As two retirees, we stay busy but are either at home together, running errands together, going to appointments together or, of course, attending church together. I am so Blessed to hear my favorite pastor every Sunday, my husband John! We just enjoy each other’s company, and I guess the reason is that we have God to arrange our marriage with a God given love for one another that has only grown over the years.  

Through those five decades, all these years John and I have been Blessed with good health: no heart attacks, tumors, strokes, blockages, lung or kidney disease, etc. But last October of 2023 John was diagnosed with cancer, the first major health issue we had ever experienced. I had never been so afraid or prayed as much in my life.  I could not imagine my life without the Love of my Life. Suddenly my love for John was even deeper than I thought it could be. I tried not to show any fear but rather strength and courage from God and gave John even more hugs to reassure him of my love and support. 

After tests, x-rays and an MRI, the specialist finally met with us in November. It seemed forever waiting to meet and get the results. He told us the cancer was a small area and said it was caught early. He spoke to us in a calm, reassuring, and optimistic manner, which really helped . . . and that was such a Blessing! He said John should not need chemo, just 28 days of radiation treatments. So we drove on weekdays to the treatments from November 15 to December 27, a 100-mile round trip. Many were surprised John had no ill effects from the radiation, but we know that it’s another Blessing from God. 

We have so many family members and friends who were and are praying.  We could feel and witness the results of their prayers. What a Blessing! We thought it would be an exhausting, long-and-drawn-out ordeal, but we made each trip safely. We even had strength and energy and didn’t feel tired when returning home. 

Our two sons came at different times to help with some of the driving and anything else requiring attention. Neighbors checked on us and brought food. Then suddenly, the treatments were almost over and we were amazed! Where did the time go? What a Blessing! With that much traveling, we were so thankful to have our nice and dependable car. 

Of the 28 trips, only once did the car fail to start, and that was the only day we needed to rush home to an appointment I had. At first, I thought about calling to cancel my appointment, but I had made it several months prior and decided to wait awhile. God knew what was going on. John tried and couldn’t get the car started, so he had to call Roadside Assistance. But instead of having to wait an hour or so on him, he was just around the corner! That had never happened with us before. I just sat back and watched the miracles God was performing for us. The man soon arrived and quickly assessed the problem as a dead battery. And among the ones in his truck, he even had what we needed. It didn’t take him long to install it and we were on our way! The traffic flowed smoothly. We had just enough time for John to drop me off at my appointment with three minutes to spare. What a Blessing!

I am writing this in January of 2024, and even though John completed his radiation treatments last month, his  appointment for the treatment results is in April!  We have never stopped praying and will continue to, of course.

God graciously provided all our needs: a caring and praying family, friends and neighbors, safety, safe travels, food, inquiries, compassion, strength, energy, endurance, and many Blessings I am failing to mention. So, throughout all our lives and everything written above, including 50 years of marriage, we sometimes just sit and talk about how thankful we are and, as the hymn goes, we “Count Our Many Blessings”.

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How Then Shall We Serve

By Holly Meriweather

Soon after I began “working” at the BMA Global Ministry Center, I learned that I was actually “serving” instead. First at Lifeword then at BMA Missions (now BMA Global), I have served the people of the BMA for ten years. And I learned how to do it from the people with whom I interact every day. 

The broader picture of what that means has forced me to change my thinking. We are all meant to serve by sharing the gospel to the whole world. But for a long time, I thought that mandate was for the missionaries whose names I memorized at GMA meetings. Boy, was I wrong! The best examples of servants and servanthood come from our missionaries but also from ChangeMakers around the world that you will likely never see. 

How these co-laborers serve all over the world looks very different and is intertwined with their own cultural contexts. My husband John and I have had the honor of visiting many areas of the world to see first hand their ministries, encourage them, and have face-to-face conversations. We come back with pictures and videos and souvenirs but also with a ground-level view of their ministry and a greater understanding of that unique context. 

Although there is sometimes a language barrier, meeting and interacting with those ChangeMakers all over the world has been a special privilege. They are co-laborers building relationships and working to plant churches. They are better able to reach their own communities. Many were once in darkness about who Jesus is until someone shared the gospel. They are servants who bring people to Christ.

What that “serving” actually looks like is far different from what I imagined forty-five years ago when I memorized the names of BMA missionaries. 

In most parts of the world, worship services are much livelier and louder than in the States.  (Whatever you’re imagining, multiply it by one hundred!) Every country I’ve been blessed to visit has more from-the-heart worship than the American church. 

At a baptism service in the Middle East, each new convert gave their testimony, then the celebration begins: The whole congregation stands to their feet and sings the entire salvation song loudly with whoops and hollers. No way you can keep from tearing up, smiling and clapping. Same thing happens with the next new believer. Then the testimonies, singing, and clapping begins again. 

In the Spanish-speaking world, the Philippines, and Africa, many churches are open-air with flat out dancing and loudly miked-up musicians telling the whole area, “It’s Sunday morning! Come worship with us!” (In comparison, we don’t even go across the street to share the gospel and invite our neighbors to church.)

The comfort level of churchgoers all over the world is also very different. In Africa, church is the ground beneath your feet and the tree above you with no concern about time or  temperature. No one has a watch or strictly adheres to any schedule. 

In rural India, church is a small tarp suspended above a crumbling concrete floor, men and women separated and shoes off. The worship leader holding the microphone just a few inches away from the “congregation” turns up the volume just in case the neighbors can’t hear that church has started. Worship also includes dancing by girls young and old. 

Church is a celebration, and churchgoers don’t seem to care about their comfort level, whether it’s too hot, too cold, too loud, or too long. 

In stark contrast, the Myanmar church is a quiet indoor meeting of fewer than five people or whatever new government-restricted number officials decide. Someone is stationed at the door in case officials are looking for small gatherings that might be church meetings. If unlawful activity is suspected, worshipers are ready to hide songbooks and give an explanation for the meeting. Sometimes, they are hauled to jail. Because it’s a closed access country, I have never witnessed their worship, but the stories I read make me shudder.

Across the world, I have seen Christians serve others, share Jesus, and sing a joyful noise in ways that we complacent Americans would never consider. For our ChangeMakers, It’s just how they serve God and serve others.

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Care Givers for Our Missionaries

By Holly Meriweather

I hope you all are aware of BMA Global’s Missionary Care team and Director Jonathan Montgomery’s efforts to serve our missionaries. If you are not, let me give you just one example of what it means to those who serve around the world, sometimes in closed- or creative-access areas. 

The following is from Missionary Milan Bulak:

“Thank you for your ministry and prayers!

I am grateful to share all this (an article he wrote) with you and hope that it encourages you. As we move to another season (of ministry) may we all press on to do the work the Lord has prepared beforehand for us to do.

I am thankful for every BMA ministry, member, and church. I am a product of BMA missions as I was baptized, discipled, educated, and sent to serve by BMA. I have never been a member in different church than BMA. The Lord is using our association in a mighty way and I praise Him for that. 

I want to also thank Larry and Tammy Wood, our missionaries, for their help and love.

Holly, I hope this is not too muchEmoji. 

May the Lord bless you,

Milan Bulak

BMA Czech Republic

Central Europe”

Brother Milan was responding to my request for an article, which he sent to me in the same  

correspondence. I shared it with Jonathan and the rest of the BMA Global team, of course. But although he would not take ANY of the credit, it is Jonathan who has worked hard to not just be in touch with our missionaries but to understand and follow up on all their needs. 

Jonathan says, “The heart and focus of our Missionary Care ministry is to come alongside our missionaries with the aid, encouragement, and support they need to better allow them to carry out the mission of God. Missionary Care also strives to prepare, equip, and minister to BMA missionaries so they can be fruitful in both life and ministry.”

Recently, Jonathan has developed a new initiative of recruiting 250 missionary supporters to become Care Givers. For the ongoing growth of Missionary Care, he needs monthly supporters, which will provide encouragement and support for our global servants who minister internationally and stateside.

If you would like to donate to Missionary Care, click on the link below to give through the secured giving page of BMA Global. Your missionaries appreciate the support, and our care team is grateful for your help as we serve those who are serving others.

https://app.securegive.com/BMAMissions/main/donate/category

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GMA in Vietnam

By Speech Language Pathologist Darla Gardner 

A closed access missionary, “Rose” is in touch with her family in Southeast Asia but unable to share her location and ministry.

The program began in February of 2022 during COVID when I started teaching English to a class of boys and girls in Vietnam. The students would come to Rose‘s father’s house, log in, and I taught them English through Bible lessons and Bible-themed stories. There were about eight kids at first, and I noticed that two of them were not learning as quickly as the others. We were reading very short sentences and decoding words, but two of the kids, a boy and a girl, weren’t doing as well as the others.

That’s when I began to really understand these children who needed much more than just  learning to write and speak English.  

I had been logging in every week and getting to know these kids through a “virtual classroom,” then the next thing you know, I’m teaching two classes for two boys and a girl in Ho Chi Minh City and two boys from Malaysia, Rose’s nephews. I was also teaching eight children in Tay Ninh. But from my experience working with kids in public school, I began to suspect that they might not have proper nutrition. I could even see one of the little girls’ eyes was sunk in, and she wasn’t able to focus. 

When Rose’s mom was alive, the children ate meals before they did their lessons at her house, but that wasn’t happening. Culturally, that’s just not what men do. He opened his home and let children on the computers but didn’t notice otherwise. So I found out how much money it would be to send them meals, maybe starting with one class being fed plus food to take home over the weekend. 

After two or three months of church members (at First Baptist Church at Palmer, Texas) sending money to feed them, we noticed a difference in their learning. Then others found out about helping with nutrition for children in Vietnam and wanted to sponsor some meals, and to this day we continue to add sponsorships for children’s health. But it hasn’t stopped there. 

We also realized that one of the little boys needed his eyes checked, so we checked out the cost of a taxi ride to the doctor plus an eye exam and glasses. It was $100, so two of the boys received glasses, and now it’s the girls’ turn for eye exams, but there are plenty of people in our church who want to help with their health needs. 

I had begun forming relationships with these kids and getting to know their stories by asking them or Rose questions, and although there was a language barrier, we could communicate with them. The girls are aged ten to fifteen, so it made sense to begin introducing GMA material to them. During our virtual sessions, we pair up, a big girl and a little girl sitting together because the big girls read and understand better. We started with the Maiden step and the “I Am a Sinner” section in the GMA workbook then on to “What Must I Do to be Saved.” 

I teach three classes a week at 6 or 7 a.m. because it’s evening there. On Saturday, Sunday,  and Tuesday morning, I get to start my day by teaching three classes and three sets of kids. They’ve memorized Romans 3:23, the first five books of the Bible, and we are working our way through the Old Testament. Although we were teaching from the Bible, until Rose’s sister Sally came to the States and brought them, they had never seen a Bible! English ESV Bibles are what we’re using for the Old Testament, because a Vietnamese-English parallel Old Testament is too large and comes in two different books.

I wanted them to have the New Testament in Vietnamese so they could learn the language. For Vietnamese people, learning English is the key to success, so that was part of their enthusiasm about the Bible. We had asked people to donate their English Bibles, because they don’t have them in Vietnam, but we were able to get New Testaments in both English and Vietnamese. 

Our little group of GMA girls had just finished the Maiden step’s “Sweeter Than Honey” lesson when we received the girls’ Bibles, and we repeated the lesson so they could actually hold in their hands what I had been teaching them. I talked about how God’s words are sweet and nourishing and satisfying and explained the words of the Bible and how we can be fed through them. Granted, the Bibles are only New Testament, but we went through all the Maiden memory work because most of the lessons are from the book of Romans. 

I had the older girls read the English, then the little girls read the Vietnamese, and they were able to comprehend it better that way. We went through the entire Roman Road using their table of contents to look up verses, and we talked about each verse. They’re getting really good at using their Bibles to look up verses.

We also do sword drills using their English Bibles, which is what we’re using for Old Testament study because a Vietnamese-English parallel Old Testament comes in two different books. I wanted them to have the New Testament in Vietnamese so they could learn  the English language, which is what they really want to do.The point of our lessons, besides learning about Jesus and the gospel, is to help them pass their English test in the sixth grade then again when they turn sixteen.

All the kids who log in with us are Vietnamese, except for the ones in Malaysia who speak Chinese. English is the second language in Vietnam now, so we need to get them proficient in it. One way we help them comprehend is if I type a question or comment into the chat, then they can “get it” more easily than if I just say the word or verse. Because some of the children  come from a poor village they would never have been able to do the lessons, so their parents love for them to come to Rose’s Dad’s house to get on the computers. They ride their bikes to the house and they share two kids per laptop. So when I open up my screen, I have four screens with eight kids.

They were very nervous at first and didn’t want us to hear their English, but finally at youth camp, Sally was there, Rose’s sister, and she helped with my lesson and translated it to them. They were hesitant, but I told them, “You can do this by memorizing these words in the Bible.” The next week, I logged in and they recited Romans 3:23 for me! They were just shy and nervous about saying it wrong. I also explained the creation story, Jesus’ birth, who God is, who Jesus is and how he’s the creator of the earth. I felt like that was very necessary because I didn’t want them to think that  God is like Buddha or any other gods they might know about.

They might not be getting it all right now, but I pray that something is being comprehended and a seed planted as their English improves. As they’re exposed to more Christianity, I pray that their understanding of the gospel develops within them and God will help them somehow open their heart to understanding. 

Our church, First Baptist in Palmer, Texas, has set up an account for our church and others to donate money to feed them before their lessons begin. The money is sent to Rose, and Rose sends it to the lady in Vietnam who provides food for the students. Every day we get pictures of what they’re eating, and we buy them vitamins monthly because they have never seen a doctor. They need to be strong and healthy and their minds need to be working properly if they’re going to absorb what we’re teaching them.

You can tell that they love the girl time, and that’s what GMA is meant to be. I was in GMA when I was a little girl and sat under Darlene Carey’s teaching at camp one year. Hers is the kind of mission-minded heart I pray for. I think that’s why I work in the public school system and chose speech therapy with little kids. I deal with their parents as well, so it all becomes my ministry for the Lord. It’s unbelievable how much I love these children that I have never personally met. My heart physically aches to be with them when we have to say goodbye each day. That kind of love can only be described in one way. It is given by God. 

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