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A Meeting of the Faithful

By Holly Meriweather

Meetings get a bad rap. Consider advertisements, for example, that characterize them as  conference rooms full of bored people yawning as they listen to a leader drone on and on.  

This scenario causes us to assume the worst about meetings, particularly the kind described above. However, in the most recent meeting I attended, there were exciting and encouraging reports, tears, laughter, music, prayer and praise . . .    

It was anything but a boring meeting.

The 2024 BMA National Meeting held at Chateau on the Lake in Branson, Missouri, was more like a family reunion. And just like any gathering of that sort, it included disagreements. But mostly it was and always has been about our people, how we can better serve them and what their needs are, plus answering questions, and building relationships. 

It’s what your Lifeword and BMA Global personnel do at both the Global Ministry Center in Conway, Arkansas, and at National Meetings and conferences.

For Lifeword and BMA Global personnel, we pinch ourselves that we have the honor to serve in that way. (And – fun fact for your information – although both ministries share a building, we have few opportunities to hang out! So the National Meeting is a chance to do so.) 

But the most important aspect of the National Meeting is how God is glorified through and because of it. He is a missional God who clearly tells us in Scripture that we are not to keep our Christianity and salvation to ourselves. We all have that mandate: Go into the entire world and share the transformational power of the gospel. 

We’re ALL called to do just that, and the missionaries, church planters, and leaders who attended the meeting are the heart and soul of our association. What a blessing to see and visit with those who left their fields of service and traveled from all over the world to the National Meeting. Those bi- and tri-lingual (or more) missionaries enjoyed the fellowship and had an opportunity to visit with their brothers. Hearing other languages than English, which most of them can also speak, was a beautiful sound. And it is to those pastors and missionaries, that we offer our prayers and blessings.

The Legacy Missionary honoree ceremony was definitely the highlight of the meeting. Full disclosure here . . . Margaret Anderson and I were involved in planning and implementing the service, so maybe I’m biased. But seeing the Gibson family, especially the widow of Bill Gibson, in addition to David and Shelley Dickson receiving their legacy awards was particularly memorable. And certainly it’s the least we can do for those who served for decades both at home and abroad.

God is further glorified through those missionaries who obeyed the call to serve. In my interviews with them and their families, there is one common remark:  When they say, “We’re going home,” they are referring to their mission fields. And it wasn’t long after I began my job – first at Lifeword, now at BMA Global – that I understood that I wasn’t “working.” I was serving. It was a radical change and gave me a whole new mindset.

For me, the National Meeting is a family reunion, not the boring meeting scenario I led with. I have long since gotten over my shyness about approaching missionaries, church planters, or leaders and asking questions about how they serve. So at the next National Meeting, thank one of them then ask about their field and how they serve. Here’s a suggestion: Many of our BMA people have intentionally “adopted” missionaries they have heard about. Just a thought for those of you who desire the blessing of knowing these servants.

See you at the 2025 National Meeting in Waxahachie, Texas!

(Please don’t hesitate to contact me at holly@bmaamerica.org with any questions or concerns. If I can’t help you for some reason, I promise I will put you in touch with someone who can.) 

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Missionary Care: Serving Those Who Served the Nations

by Holly Meriweather

When missionaries are on furlough, they enjoy being with their families and visiting churches, but when they say, “We’re going home,” they are referring to their mission fields back in their countries of service.   

During a conversation with a missionary couple on furlough in the States, I apologized for “bugging” them with my questions about what’s going on in their field. Not surprisingly, they said, “No, that’s OK. We love to talk about the people we serve and what’s going on there.” But what they said next was a shock: “Our families never bring up the subject the entire time  we’re on furlough.” Much of that is understandable, given that family members are eager to spend time with the missionaries themselves and with grandchildren they have only seen on video.   

But imagine a missionary coming off the field for the last time and not being able to talk about what happened there, what the challenges were, or what kinds of feelings they have about leaving. For the fifth year in a row, BMA Global has been intentional about honoring our legacy missionaries at the national meeting, one deceased and one living. They are the ones on whose shoulders we stand. It’s a chance to be reminded of their service and sacrifice, but what if we went a step further?

Missionary Care Director Jonathan Montgomery has been planning the “Gleaners” initiative that focuses on our former missionaries, an alumni association of sorts that not only honors them but also helps them stay in touch with each other. Jonathan says, “We want our legacy  missionaries to know we still care about them and their service, plus their continued importance to our association as a whole. There is so much more that they have to give, so much wisdom they can impart to us.”

Soon you will be learning more about Gleaners and what that means as Jonathan and the Missionary Care team formalize this exciting initiative. In the meantime, pray for wisdom and discernment for those who will be part of the planning and implementation.

(If you know a legacy missionary, thank him or her for their service and sacrifice then ask about their former mission field. You will be blessed by their story, and they will be blessed by your care and concern.)

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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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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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VSM: Challenging Youth to just “BE”

By Holly Meriweather 

It was a first for VSM! An American team of eleven leaders and students served in Portugal, making it the very first Volunteer Student Missions trip to this European country. The American team represented churches in Texas and Arkansas, and the in-country leaders were Portuguese, Brazilian, and Dutch. What a milestone for BMA Global student missions. 

With the purpose of conducting leadership training that emphasized sharing the gospel, VSM students and leaders served Portugal ChangeMaker Marco Gaspar and his family. Both American and Portuguese students and leaders helped run Campo de Ferias, a four-day sports and evangelism camp led by Dutch missionaries Peter and Annie Verhoef, youth leaders at Marco’s church.

Five months before the trip, teens in the Morelena church sent a video about their community and culture and explained the camp’s format then asked the VSM team to do the same. The video explained that the camp’s goal was to “be a living testimony for Christ.” The camp was well organized and planned with very specific expectations of both the team from the States and the Morelana church’s students. 

Peter and Annie’s camp objectives included team building, discovering and using your gifts, being an authentic example through your testimony, understanding the needs of others, and working together in a multi-cultural context. Based on Annie’s degree in psychology, the couple’s camp experience, and their work with youth, the Verhoefs’ camp theme was centered on just BE-ing: BE with your team, with the kids at camp, and BE-ing in the moment celebrating connections despite language and culture barriers. 

They also encouraged VSM team members to just BE with their negative feelings and frustrations of not being able to communicate and understand culture. They were told, “We will not challenge you much in DOING and leading activities because in BEING you will learn so much more about what it means to serve and live in another country, which is the best preparation for your possible future as a missionary.” 

On all four days of camp, from 9 a.m. to noon, American and Portuguese teen volunteers received training, with camp beginning at 2:00. The Verhoefs included activities like dance, jujitsu, parkour, water games, volleyball, basketball, crafts and graffiti art. Worship music was led by Sandra and Pedro Gaspar, and most of the teen workers were from Marco’s church and had Catholic backgrounds. 

The training was on servant leadership and the fact that there is no better role model for leaders than Jesus. Several of the youth leaders were non-believers, so the gospel was intentionally shared in their training, which is another of the Verhoef’s goals: Let non-believers be impacted through their own gospel teaching of others.

BMA Pastor Advocate Heidi Sorrels said, “Serving in Portugal tested my American mindset of identifying leaders. The Verhoefs taught that leadership is not just for adults, and that young people should be given opportunities to lead. For Peter and Annie, that means intentionally including non-Christians to participate in the servant leadership training that all campers went through. Hearing the gospel in that context helps make it personal.

Please pray for students in and around Morelana and other small villages that have been impacted by Campo de Ferias. Who knows the seed that has been sown!

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Now Then We Are Ambassadors For Christ

By Holly Meriweather

My Story

In 1976, I was invited to join a group of girls at my church called GMA – Girls Missionary Auxiliary. I was excited to join: Hanging out with my friends on a Sunday night sounded like  just another chance to be with friends. My family didn’t attend church, but my parents were happy to take me to church any time I asked. They were all for me going, but it just wasn’t their thing.

Through GMA training, I learned that my life was all about Jesus. He came. He died. He had saved me at the age of seven. Now I would learn what that meant exactly. What a gift God gave me through his perfect will and plan! And it was through GMA counselors that I would be equipped to be an “ambassador for Christ.” It was the first of MANY verses I would put to memory. 

But I am not the only one who was profoundly affected by this auxiliary. 

Her Story

AJ is one of many young ladies called to the mission field because of GMA.

In middle school, she learned about the world through an improv team competition that introduced her to Mexican, Chinese, Korean, and Qatari culture. Her view of the world and people was expanded. In the fifth grade, she began GMA and learned about God’s heart for the nations through study, scripture memory, and learning about missionaries. AJ explains her calling this way: 

“It was in GMA where I really started to think about God’s purpose for me. Throughout my life, God used His Word and His people to place a burden on my heart for the lost. Recently, that burden is specifically for people who have never heard the gospel or don’t have access to the gospel. The salvation of unreached people groups has been weighing on my heart for quite some time.”

God’s Plans

AJ earned a master’s degree in speech/language pathology and worked as a speech therapist while raising support for ministry abroad. Her prayer is that God might even use her degree and experience in some way when she reaches the mission field to which she is called. She is attending a missionary training program that equips students for cross-cultural church planting ministry to unreached people/language groups. For nine months, she will receive very intensive training in all aspects of life on the mission field: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

She is so grateful for God’s work in her life and his faithfulness. With a team of prayer warriors, her home church, and the endorsement and support of the BMA, AJ is ready to begin this chapter in her life. She says,“God placed a wonder in me for cultures and languages. Little did I know, He was working to pair that with my love for Him and a desire to see people come to Christ.” 
Girls Missionary Auxiliary played a role in AJ’s calling, particularly her awareness of missionaries around the world, their unique challenges, and an understanding of cultural context. She understood what an “ambassador for Christ” meant, and  answered the call to missions. 

AJ will be back to finish out deputation when her training is complete in June 2024. She would love to contact churches to share what God is doing.Her email address is arkslp@protonmail.com.


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VSM:Not About Sun and Selfies

In our BMA Global family, ministry happens everywhere and all around the globe. And we’re not just talking at churches, worship services, and discipleship groups. Sometimes ministry happens during basketball in the park, a hula hoop game, or face painting. More organically but intentionally and relationally, just like Jesus modeled. One example of that kind of ministry is VSM (Volunteer Student Missions), and on a recent trip, thirteen students and four adults used those exact activities and others to minister in Costa Rica. 

Jairo Bonilla coordinates the work there with the help of Luis Ortega (not to be confused with Lifeword Director of Operations Luis Ortega here in the States). One of the many ways Luis serves is by managing VSM teams that host Bible schools for children. The VSM Costa Rica team was blessed to have him as a local contact, interpreter, “transportation director,” and so much more. One thing is for certain: He is a great example of godly leadership.

Well before the team left from the States, they met at VSM weekend in the spring for team-building, security training, dos and don’ts on the mission field, and cultural education. Team Costa Rica decided to use David and Goliath and Daniel in the Lions’ Den for their skits, then leaders purchased supplies for the props and decorations. In one week, they held four Bible schools at two churches and a community center.

The team spoke very little, if any, Spanish, but there didn’t seem to be a language barrier as I watched these young high school and college students find the shyest, the smallest, or the scaredest children and made them feel special. There were fist bumps, hugs, high-fives, and water balloon fights that left children breathless and laughing. And I watched the children as they listened to the story about a giant who was defeated and a lion whose mouth was shut, both because of a loving “Dios.” 

Despite the language barrier between us and the children, it was clear that the story captured their attention. Seeds were planted that day, and the gospel was shared, but only God knows what will take root. 

VSM is not a vacation. It’s the life-changing fulfillment of a calling to serve. And every student on the team understood that it was not about selfies, which there were plenty of when the children noticed our cell phones and wanted to see themselves in a photo. 

As summer winds down and VSM trips conclude, BMA Global personnel like Angela Rice and Margaret Anderson are already planning 2024 trips. If you’re considering joining one, don’t hesitate to let us know so you can experience the amazing things God can do with construction paper, a sword made out of balloons, and a plastic slingshot.

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What Actually Do We Do at Lifeword and BMA Global?

Have you ever wondered what we actually DO at “the Missions office”, now BMA Global? What about Lifeword? Have you ever wondered how they’re able to share the gospel via the  flawed and controversial social media world? 

If you come visit us on an average day, you’re likely to see a meeting in progress (impromptu or scheduled), someone packing for a conference or trip, a Zoom call in progress, and pretty much everyone using their computers. A fairly average office atmosphere, but what are we  really doing?

And more importantly at the highest level, what are we “doing” for God’s kingdom work? Both Lifeword and BMA Global have a set of guidelines to which they adhere, and they are always self-evaluating, restructuring, and praying for God’s guidance to do so. 

BMA GLOBAL

At BMA Global the values and actions that guide all they do, their approach to serving missionaries all over the world, are expressed in the following five statements displayed prominently on the wall in their downstairs wing:

  1. Motivated by the mission of God: To make his glory and love known to every nation, tribe, language and people
  2. Discipleship-based multiplication: To see the multiplication of believers and churches through discipleship
  3. Local church driven: To affirm that local congregations are both the source and the goal of multiplication
  4. Indigenous missions: To fulfill the mission of God according to indigenous principles aimed at sustainability and reproducibility
  5. Holy Spirit-led risk: To seek God and follow his leading in a courageous manner 

SEND – We mobilize churches and people to the mission field through 

·         Short-term missions

·         Student missions

·         Medical missions

·         Christmas shoeboxes

START – We plant churches that plant churches with 

·         U.S. church planters

·         International missionaries

·         ChangeMakers

SUPPORT – We provide care and support for leaders and churches through 

·         Healthy Church Solutions

·         Missionary Care

·         Training

LIFEWORD

Lifeword’s value statements are similarly displayed, but in paragraph form, in their wing upstairs:

“Lifeword produces biblically sound, culturally relevant gospel programming that is Great Commission focused and marked by excellence and creativity. Our ministry promotes an attitude of integrity and accountability along with kingdom partnerships and ministry indigeneity. We strive to be servant leaders, respecting our teammates, leading by example, and loving a lost world.

“Lifeword provides Christ-centered programming through local and mass communication media to make disciples of Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission. We are dedicated to helping local churches share the gospel of Jesus Christ with their community through the effective use of media.”

That “ministry indigeneity” means that programming originates with the many Lifeword partners around the world in almost 150 languages. The content doesn’t mean much if it’s produced by Americans instead of in the heart languages of people with whom the gospel is shared.

2 MINISTRIES – ONE MISSION

In the same way, the BMA is “global”. The emphasis is on church planting, making disciples and equipping and sending disciple makers all over the world map. 

Two ministries. One mission. 

So the answer to what we do is this: God didn’t give the responsibility of sharing the gospel around the world to a missions agency or a media ministry. He gave it to the local church.  Those of us who serve at Lifeword and BMA Global help you carry out God’s mission through our missions and media efforts.

If you’d like to understand the specifics of how we do that, please go to the websites and Facebook pages of these ministries for more information, then choose a contact number to be connected to us.

We serve and equip you, our people and churches, to fulfill God’s mission.  

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International Women’s Day 2023, Romania Style

Women’s conferences are not exclusive to America. All over the world and in different languages and contexts, women meet together, fellowship, and learn from each other. In large conference centers and tiny auditoriums, relationships are created. It’s in our DNA.

International Women’s Day 2023 was March 8, and in Oradea, Romania, a ladies conference  was organized to celebrate it. Hosted by Claudia Bagosi, Pam Risner and Candra Barnett, the theme was “Bloom Where You Are Planted” and Shelby Barker was the speaker. Most of the ladies were from Agape Church in Oradea or had been invited by their ladies.

Pam explained that, “Just like in the U.S. there are lots of mommas in Romania with young kids who are in the ‘thick’ of child rearing, and we wanted to encourage them. We also challenged ladies to invite guests, especially those who might not attend church or are unbelievers. There were about 40 Romanian women in attendance, and they seemed to have a very positive response.” 

The conference began with worship, followed by a time of teaching from Shelby then a delicious meal and painting craft. Shelby says, “I discussed what blooming is – the pinnacle of growth and flourishing – and I asked if there can be blooms in seasons of chaos instead of peace.  Sometimes we question where God has planted us (family, location, hard times, job, etc.) but I told them we are planted in certain places and times for our good or the good of others, all for the glory of God to do five things: Bless, Encourage, Challenge, Comfort, and Be an example.

“He has put me here for a reason regardless of whether I see it now or not. We have an enemy who doesn’t want us to thrive, and he is working all the time, so it’s important to take root downward and deeply in Jesus and bear fruit upward. Then I gave them six action points: 

Embrace the challenge, Lean into Him and the process, Be in the Word, Pray, praise and fast, Listen for His voice, and Share your faith.

“Finally, I asked them what their legacy would be. I told them they may think their lives don’t matter very much or have an effect on anyone, but think about this: A legacy is built on one lesson at a time, one small moment at a time, doing the right thing for the right reason for an impact lasting long after you are gone.” 

This time of encouragement included an emphasis on prayer, and the ladies broke into groups to pray for each other.  

After the conference concluded the ministry team women mentioned above attended Good Soil training, which teaches discipleship principles. Eli Semedo facilitated the training that  Roma pastors and leaders also attended. For both groups, it was a conference that emphasized worship, time in the Word, and encouragement to be part of building relationships through discipling other believers. 

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Have You Heard About the 2023 National Meeting?

The 2023 BMA National Meeting April 25-27 in Conway, Arkansas, will offer several exciting “firsts”. One of them is an opportunity to meet and share a meal with our American missionary personnel from around the world. 

On Wednesday night April 26, the meeting location will shift from Antioch Baptist Church to the Conway Expo Center (located on Highway 64 east of Conway). The first BMA “Dinner on the Grounds” Missions Celebration will include a catfish/chicken dinner, a wonderful night of worship, an inspiring message by BMA Missionary Buddy Johnson, and the opportunity to celebrate, encourage and meet all our American missionaries. 

This first-of-its-kind event is possible because BMA Global’s American missionaries from around the world will be attending the 2023 National Meeting then participating in a week of training and missionary care sponsored by BMA Global. Everyone attending the BMA National Meeting will have the opportunity to spend Wednesday evening celebrating our missionary God and encouraging our BMA missionaries. 

The cost for the dinner is $25.00/person and prepayment is required at bmaamerica.org/nationalmeeting. Plan now to be a part of this exciting evening of worship and fellowship! 

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