Texas Baptists Life Volume 10, Issue 3

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

Students and volunteers embark on a journey with Go Now Missions to share the gospel through medical missions in Brazil.

Contents

Spotlight Theme

STUDENTS ON MISSION

Every summer, middle school, high school and college students from Texas spend their holiday serving through Texas Baptists’ many missions ministries. This year, students were on mission in Louisiana, Utah, Peru and beyond. Read about how God is using these Texan students to share Christ and show love around the world.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DAVID HARDAGE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 10 YEARS OF SERVICE

Dr. David Hardage is retiring following 10 years of service as executive director. Read about his legacy and how you can be praying for Texas Baptists and Dr. Hardage in the days ahead.

SUPER SUMMER EQUIPS STUDENTS TO REACH THEIR PEERS WITH THE GOSPEL

Read how Super Summer is teaching teenagers to evangelize with their peers through this unique summer camp experience.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MINISTRIES

African American Ministries celebrated their 40th anniversary this year during the African American Fellowship Conference in Schertz, TX. See how they celebrated the past and planned for the next 40 years.

USING THE GREAT OUTDOORS TO SHARE GOD’S LOVE

A Go Now missionary spent his summer in Montana, learning how they use surrounding wildlife to share the gospel.

STUDENTS SHARE CHRIST AND SHOW LOVE THROUGH BOUNCE SUMMER MISSIONS IN LAKE CHARLES

Students are using disaster relief work to share the gospel through BOUNCE. Read about the impact they made in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: Bringing physical and spiritual care to indigenous communities in the Amazon Students and volunteers embark on a journey with Go Now Missions to share the gospel through medical missions in Brazil.

TBM VOLUNTEERS BECOME FIRST FOREIGNERS TO VISIT COLLIQUE, PERU, SINCE PANDEMIC BEGAN

Texas Baptist Men volunteers and Go Now missionaries traveled to Peru to build homes and share Christ.

MEDICAL MISSIONS IN MEXICO CITY

Read how five students partnered with River Ministry missionaries and local Mexico City churches to bring physical and spiritual healing.

AMARILLO CHURCH EMBRACES SIMPLER APPROACH TO VISITORS, SEES NEW GROWTH

Coulter Baptist Church is partnering with Texas Baptists Church Health Strategy to help visitors connect with their church faster.

COMMUNITY MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH PROVIDES FAMILIES WITH RELIEF FROM DANGEROUS SUMMER HEAT

See how a church in DeSoto blessed its neighbors by distributing fans and air conditioners to families and individuals struggling in the intense summer heat.

MISIONES MÉDICAS EN CIUDAD MÉXICO

Este verano, Misiones Go Now envió a un equipo de cinco estudiantes de medicina para ayudar a proveer cuidado físico y espiritual en Ciudad México.

Come meet with fellow ministers to be encouraged, challenged and trained to reach your community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Learn about new

that are available to assist churches to equip their congregation to share the gospel.

Tony Evans Pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Dallas, TX

Pastor, Northwest Church Houston, TX

National Next Gen Director, North American Mission Board

Pastor, Freedom Church Bedford, TX

Director, Women’s Ministry Texas Baptists

Apologetics Lead & Millennial Specialist Texas Baptists

Steve Bezner Shane Pruitt Robert White Katie McCoy Eric Herndandez

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

HELLO TEXAS BAPTISTS!

The Summer of 2022 has been awesome! Busy, but wonderful in so many ways. At the top of the list of wonderful moments would be the work of our Texas Baptists students. They have been “out and about” and have made a tremendous impact for the gospel and the Kingdom.

Our Go Now Missions program is an amazing, ongoing work. Many of the next generation of missionaries and missional leaders will come from this group of college students, who spend their holidays, semesters or even years on mission. The students go all over Texas, across the country and around the world. I’m so grateful to Brenda Sanders and the leadership she provides to this ministry. It takes a lot of work and prayer, but God continues to open doors and call out students. You’ll see in the magazine how they are making a big difference.

BOUNCE is our student-led Disaster Recover Ministry. Under the capable leadership of David Scott, this ministry is another way BGCT students are making a positive Kingdom difference. This past Spring Break and this summer, hundreds of middle school, high school and college students from churches all over Texas have served in areas seeking to “bounce back from disaster!” This ministry has been underway for over eight years. If stu dents from your church are not involved, please contact David. Again, where’s the next generation of disaster relief and recovery workers coming from? The Baptist General Convention of Texas!

There are many other ways our Texas Baptists family has engaged students in missions and ministry. This magazine

will show you so much more. Enjoy! And, please join me in praying for this work and in encouraging the students in your church, community and home to be involved. There has never been a time when raising up and training the next group of leaders for Kingdom work has been more important. I’m so glad to be a part of a state convention that prioritizes ministry from a young age and is actively doing the work of preparing, dreaming and thinking ahead.

God bless you all. I hope to see you in November at our Annual Meeting in Waco. Blessings!

HOLA, BAUTISTAS DE TEXAS!

¡El verano de 2022 ha sido maravilloso! Ocupado, pero maravilloso de muchas maneras. El primero en la lista de momentos maravillosos es la labor de nuestros jóvenes y universitarios Bau tistas de Texas. Ellos han estado de un lado para el otro y han hecho un gran impacto por el evangelio y el Reino.

Nuestro programa de Misiones Go Now es un labor maravillosa y continua. Muchos de los misioneros y líderes de la próx ima generación vendrán de este grupo de estudiantes universitarios, quienes pasan sus vacaciones, semestres y hasta años en misión. Los estudiantes van por todo el estado de Texas, por la nación, y alrededor del mundo. Estoy muy agrade cido a Brenda Sanders y el liderazgo que ella provee para este ministerio. Requi ere mucho trabajo y oración pero Dios continúa abriendo puertas y llamando a estudiantes. Usted leerá en la revista cómo están haciendo una gran diferencia.

BOUNCE es nuestro Ministerio de Recu peración en Desastres para jóvenes. Bajo

el liderazgo capaz de David Scott, este ministerio es otra manera cómo los estudiantes de BGCT están haciendo una diferencia positiva para el Reino. El pasado receso de primavera y este verano, cientos de estudiantes de escuela inter media, superior y universidad de iglesias de alrededor de todo Texas, han servido en áreas ayudando en la recuperación después de un desastre. Este ministerio ha estado en función desde hace 8 años. Si los jóvenes de su iglesia no han partic ipado, por favor comuníquese con David. Otra vez, ¿de dónde viene la próxima gen eración de obreros para la recuperación después de desastres? ¡De la Convención Bautista General de Texas!

Hay muchas otras maneras cómo nues tra familia de los Bautistas de Texas incluye a los estudiantes en misiones y ministerios. Esta revista le mostrará mucho más. ¡Disfrute! Y, por favor, ore conmigo por esta obra y al exhortar a los jóvenes y universitarios en su iglesia, su comunidad, y en los hogares para que participen. Nunca ha habido un tiempo cuando levantar y entrenar al próximo grupo de líderes para la obra del Reino ha sido más importante. Estoy feliz de ser pare de una Convención estatal que da prioridad al ministerio desde una edad temprana y está activamente haciendo la labor de preparar, soñar, y planificar por adelantado.

Dios le bendiga. Espero verle en noviembre durante nuestra Reunión Anual en Waco.

Blessings & Bendiciones,

During the May Executive Board meeting, the board passed business including approving the GC2 Statement of Faith, filling board vacancies and additional business. President Jason Burden spoke on the faithfulness of God and on staying focused on Him and His work above everything else. He drew from 1 Corinthians, reminding board members that Christians are called to live apart from the world.

Executive Director David Hardage also addressed the board, speaking in response to the 288-page document released by the Southern Baptist Convention Sexual Abuse Task Force on May 22.

“Our hearts break at the findings of the Guidepost Solutions report released by the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force. We join others across Texas and beyond in lament and earnest prayer, acknowledging the failures of the past, accepting the present report’s findings and recommendations and looking ahead with resolve to future change,” Hardage said.

CFO/Treasurer Ward Hayes brought a financial report. He shared that Cooperative Program giving was strong, at 101.6% of the prior year. In addition, 220 churches gave in 2021 who did not give in 2020, and 373 more churches increased their giving than decreased their giving during that same time.

Convención focuses on submitting to the Lord, elects officers, approves other business

The Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas (Hispanic Bap tist Convention of Texas) met on June 26-28 at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio. During the three-day event, messengers elected new officers, approved the 2023 budget and conducted other business. The event saw 816 attendees, including 150 messengers.

Sergio Ramos, church engagement officer at Buckner Inter national and member of La Promesa in Dallas, was elected president; Sylvia Ake, from Primera Iglesia Bautista in Edin burg, was elected first vice president; Lili Martinez Lara, from Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel in McAllen, was elected second vice president; and Claudia Treviño, from Iglesia Bautista El Calvario in San Antonio, was elected secretary. A budget of $407,928.91 was approved. This is an increase of $12,105.63 from the previous year’s budget.

There was also a special time of prayer for all those affected by the Uvalde shooting, the crisis in Ukraine and the families of the 51 immigrants who passed away in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio on June 27.

May Executive Board emphasizes Christ-centeredness, approves GC2 Statement of Faith and other business

Members of the Texas Baptists family responded following a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen students and two adults were killed by a gunman on May 24.

Jose Aguilar, Texas Baptists area representative for the Rio Grande Valley, worked with Department of Public Safety Chaplain Mario Samaniego to coordinate trained chaplains from around the area and to provide comfort to families and officials. He explained that in times of tragedy, it is essential that appropriately trained chaplains are available to provide the care people need.

Already on-site were, among others, Tony Gruben, pastor of Baptist Temple Church in Uvalde; Neftali Barboza, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Nueva Jerico Uvalde; Sonny Garza, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista San Diego; and a Texas Baptist Men (TBM) chaplain.

The following Wednesday, pastors and chaplains continued to arrive to minister to those in need. Among them were Bobby Contreras, pastor of Alamo Heights in San Antonio and vice chair of the Texas Baptists Executive Board, and additional chaplains from TBM.

In the weeks following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, BGCT churches and staff continued to provide

support and hope for those affected by the tragedy. This has included a training, led by Rolando Rodriguez, director of Texas Baptists en Español, for children’s ministers in Uvalde during the weekend following the shooting in partnership with Bar boza. Rodriguez gave them tools to explain God’s heart on grief and to care for the children who were impacted by the shooting.

Barboza’s church and others are focusing on creating a longterm strategy for ministering to the community, acknowledg ing that healing will not come quickly or without effort.

“It’s going to be a process,” he said. “The healing process is not going to be an overnight thing. It’s going to take months and years.”

The Christian Life Commission celebrates this ruling as a victory for the protection of the unborn. We will continue to support all policies and practices that enable a dignified and worthy life for all. Following the commands of Micah 6:8, we call on all Texas Baptists to reaffirm their commitment to making abortion unimaginable, not merely illegal.

The Christian Life Commission also works with local pregnancy centers across Texas, providing financial support and partnership.

CLC statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe V. Wade

Texas Baptists minister to families, first responders following school shooting in Uvalde

BOUNCE offers student ministry leaders the opportunity to MOBILIZE their middle school, high school and college students to be engaged in CHALLENGING MISSION SERVICE and INSPIRING TIMES OF WORSHIP. Plus, it’s all PRE-PACKAGED. BOUNCE takes care of all the details so you can focus on your students and serving others.

BOUNCE PROVIDES TWO TYPES OF MISSION OPTIONS:

Bounce Student Disaster Recovery/Community Rehab Students restore HOPE, rebuild COMMUNITIES and reflect CHRIST in areas impacted by disasters or where homes are in need of rehabilitation through hands-on construction missions.

2

Bounce Student Church Planting

By immersing students in church planting, BOUNCE seeks to give church plants and church planters a “bounce” forward in ministry momentum. Student groups serve with church plants for significant ministry that not only assists church plants and planters, but also cultivates an appreciation and love for church planting in the lives of participants.

Spring Break and Summer mission options available. Find the right mission for your group at txb.org/bounce.

angelobsm We are excited to meet you!! We’ve met some great people at orientation and are excited to meet more! If you missed us at orientation, or want to get a head start on yours, go to the link in our bio and fill out our connect form and we’ll reach out! Let us know in the comments why you’re most excited about for the fall!

Here’s a short testimony of how his trip went & how he saw God move in the Amazon Basin!

#gonowmissions

#amazonbasinministries

#techbsm #bradyisdabomb

@TXBMissions This year the Center for Missional Engagement have seen 7,577 professions of faith and 299 baptisms.

Pray with us for God to continue to move through our ministries like Church Starting, River Ministry, House Church, MAP, and more!

#txbme #GC2 #iamtexasmissions

SOCIAL

txclc Hello everyone! My name is Kobe Lloyd. I’m the guy behind all the social media posts you see from this page! I’m a senior at the University of Texas At Arlington majoring in History. It has been such a pleasure working with the TX CLC as a social media intern for the past couple of months. God is so faithful to provide!

2022

@TXBPresident A big shout-out to all of people among the #Millennials and #GenerationZ who are invested in @TexasBaptists life and looking forward to being invited to the table of leadership and service.

Tag Texas Baptists on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and use #gc2 for a chance to be featured in our next magazine.

Angelo State BSM

Center for Missional Engagement

techbsm Brady is back from his Medical Mission Trip

Texas Tech BSM July 6, 2022

Christian Life Commission July

2022

TXB President

Executive Director David Hardage announces retirement after 10 years of service

By Texas Baptists Communications

Share Christ and Show Love

David Hardage, executive direc tor of Texas Baptists, has announced plans to retire fol lowing more than 10 years of service with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT).

Hardage was appointed as executive director in January 2012 by the BGCT Executive Board. Prior to his service with Texas Baptists, Hardage served as director of development for Baylor Uni versity’s Truett Theological Seminary. He also served as the director of the Waco Baptist Association and pastored churches in Texas and Oklahoma.

Before his role as executive director, Hardage was deeply engaged in denom inational life, serving as chairman of the BGCT State Missions Commission, chairman of the BGCT Missions Fund ing Committee and trustee at East Texas Baptist University and Latham Springs Camp and Retreat Center. He also served on the BGCT Committee on Committees.

Hardage received his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University. He also earned a master of divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doc torate from Midwestern Baptist Theolog ical Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri.

Hardage’s tenure as executive director was preceded by Randal Everett, who held the post from 2008 to 2011, and Charles Wade, whose service spanned from 1999 to 2008, among others.

HARDAGE’S TENURE

During Hardage’s tenure, the min istry of the Convention was reorga nized into five ministry centers, and the Convention’s mission focused on the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, or “sharing Christ and

showing love.” Hardage oversaw the sale of the “Baptist Building” on Washing ton Avenue in downtown Dallas and the relocation of the Convention’s offices to their current location off Walnut Hill Lane in Dallas.

A hallmark of Hardage’s tenure was his weekly visits to Texas Baptists churches across the state and beyond. Within months of assuming his role, he began traveling by invitation to visit congre gations, meet with pastors and church leaders and share the story of what God was doing through the collaborative ministry of the Convention.

“My favorite part of my role has always been visiting our churches and connect ing with their pastors,” Hardage said.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when his travels were slowed, Hardage recorded 55 video greetings from his home to connect with and share support for Texas Baptists church leaders.

“I really can’t overstate his positive influ ence upon Texas Baptists,” BGCT Pres ident Jason Burden shared. “It’s not possible to say words that are powerful enough or strong enough to express my admiration for him … His grace and demeanor and his vision for Texas Bap tists over the past decade have put us in a much healthier place and a much more productive place, and I’m just thankful to God that David has given himself to serve us.”

10-YEAR SERVICE RECOGNITION

Hardage was honored for his 10 years of service at the 2021 Texas Baptist Annual Meeting in Galveston, where a video featuring past Texas Baptists executive directors and officers, current staff and pastors and institutional presidents

from around the state was shown to recognize Hardage’s contributions to the Convention.

“There’s a sweet spirit of unity and peace in the Convention right now,” Craig Christina, associate executive director of Texas Baptists, said during the service. “Brothers and sisters, that doesn’t happen by accident. That happens because of the sagacious leadership of Dr. David Hard age, who is a true peacemaker. He has a big tent vision of leading the movement of God’s people that is Texas Baptists, and we would not be where we are today without his leadership.”

Hardage’s wife, Kathleen, and children, Rebekah and John, joined Hardage onstage during the surprise recognition.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

In remarks to the Executive Board and ministry staff, Hardage expressed he is thankful for his time with the BGCT and looks forward to the days ahead.

“I’m very excited about the future for Texas Baptists,” he said. “Thank you for giving me the privilege and honor of serving our Texas Baptists family. It’s been a real blessing.”

Hardage asked for prayer as he discerns what the Lord’s will is for his next step in ministry. He will stay on with Texas Baptists through the end of the year to aid with the transition.

The five BGCT officers are responsible for forming the search committee and choosing a committee chair. The com mittee is comprised of seven Executive Board members, chosen by the BGCT chair and vice chair, and eight at-large members, chosen by the president and vice presidents.

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Super Summer equips students to reach their peers with the gospel

By Bonnie Shaw, News Manager

N o matter what age you are, you can be 6 years old to 80 years old and every age in between that, [we exist] to share the gospel and spread the good news so that every one around the world can have eternal life with Christ,” Riley, one of 502 students who attended Super Summer this year, explained between evangelism training sessions.

Riley, like all the other camp attendees, is at Super Summer because he is passionate about growing in his relationship with the Lord and sharing the gospel with his peers. Super Summer is a unique summer camp experience. Unlike other youth summer programs that take place across Texas each year, Super Summer is geared toward students who have already accepted

the Lord. It is designed to encourage students to better know and share the gospel.

The camp is designed for rising 8th graders through students about to begin their freshman year of college. First started in 1974, Super Summer hosted four sessions this year across three different Baptist university campuses. Over 149,000 students have participated in the camp since its inception.

This year, there were seven professions of faith, 21 rededications, six calls to ministry and eight other faith-based decisions.

While the primary focus of Super Summer is always equipping

students to know and share the gospel, this year the camp’s theme was “Seen, Known, Understood.” Preston Cave, Super Summer Evangelist, explained the theme was particularly relevant to teenagers and the Gen Z culture that is so focused on identity. Students will leave equipped to share the gospel in a way that highlights the beautiful relationship people can have with Jesus.

“Anytime someone encountered Jesus, they always walked away feeling seen, known and understood. So, we want to teach our students that everyone they interact with should walk away feeling like they’ve been seen, known and heard, just like Jesus would treat them,” Cave explained.

At the Rainbow Celebration, Matt Thig pin, young adult pastor at Austin Ridge Bible Church, spoke to the students about the importance of showing Christ’s love as they minister. Rainbow Celebrations happen nightly and are a time for all of the different schools to gather and wor ship together.

“That’s what Jesus has always done,” Thig pin told the students. “He looks for people. He loves people, and that’s what leads them to the gospel. They’re not a project; they’re people.”

He spoke from John 1:43-50 and encour aged students to reflect on how Jesus has

made them feel seen and known and how they can do that same ministry with the people around them.

In the Purple School, a special school for students who feel called to go into fulltime ministry, Dean Grant Byrd unpacked some of the more complex themes of evangelism, including the importance of deep intimacy with God. Having depen dence on God and devoting a concentrated time to daily prayers is essential, Byrd said, so that Christians can “live each day with a constant sense of His active pres ence and respond to Him with their heart, soul, mind and strength.”

Emmalynn Hopkins, a Purple School stu dent who has been going to Super Summer every year since 8th grade, said her favor ite part of Super Summer is connecting with fellow believers her age. Every year, Hopkins said, she leaves feeling renewed in her faith and ready to share the gospel.

“There’s so much growth that happens during this week,” she said. “It is a time that you get to learn how to share the gospel. You get to learn who God is in a much more ample way. It’s a time you get to ask questions, to share what’s going on your life, and just connect with people in such a unique and wonderful way.”

Learn more about Super Summer at supersummer.com

professions of faith

rededications

calls to ministry other faith-based decisions

Celebrating 40 years of African American Ministries

By Bonnie Shaw, News Manager

African American Ministries celebrated its 40th anni versary during the annual gathering of the African American Fellowship Conference (AAFC). This year, the conference took place at Resurrection Baptist Church in Schertz, Texas, June 23-25, focused on the “Impact” that Afri can American Ministries has made over the last 40 years and the impact it will continue to make in the years to come.

The James W. Culp Banquet took place on Thursday night. The night centered on celebrating the leaders of the past and pres ent who have built the AAFC to what it is today. The banquet is named after James Culp, who began the Texas Baptists African American Ministries in 1982.

Ten of the former presidents of the AAFC and two of the former African American Ministries directors were honored for their service and given plaques. Past ministry assistants Nebra Molix and Sharron Bradley were celebrated as well.

“You presidents that are here tonight have left a great legacy. And we will never forget that we are standing on your shoul ders,” Oza Jones, director of African American Ministries, said.

Young pastors presented the men with their awards. Jones called it a “Moses and Joshua” metaphor, with the new, emerg ing leaders honoring past leaders for their wisdom.

Delvin Atchison, senior pastor of Westside Baptist Church in Lewisville, brought the banquet’s message. He encouraged attendees to look back at the “odometer” of the ministry and reflect on the memories and all that has happened. He also reminded the audience that the best is yet to come.

“I’m excited about African American Ministries because our past is so immi nently prominent and our future is so iridescently promising,” he said.

The banquet also served as a fundraiser in partnership with Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. The 296 banquet attend ees donated over 500 pairs of shoes, which will be distributed to orphans and vulnerable children in the United States and throughout the world.

On Friday and Saturday, Timothy Woods, Sr., pastor of Hopewell Missionary

Baptist Church in Birmingham, brought the messages during the worship ser vices. On Saturday, he preached from Acts 2 about worship being a lifestyle, not an event. He pointed out that the early church did life together and showed love to their community and each other. Woods encouraged conference attendees to live similarly, focusing on witnessing to others through their daily actions.

“You can have all the spiritual gifts, but if you don’t have love, you don’t have the fruits of the spirit,” Woods said.

Worship was led by Gaye Arbuckle.

In addition to the main sessions, there were 24 breakout classes centered around topics such as leadership, reach ing the next generation and evangelism.

AAFC officers will serve for an additional year. For the 2022-2023 term, Edward

Wagner, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Killeen/Harker Heights, will serve as president; Henry Batson, pastor of Faith Fellowship in Red Oak, as vice president; Michael Joseph, pastor of Marvelous Light Church in Houston, as treasurer; Bryant Lee, pastor of Higher Expectations Community Church in Atascocita, as assistant treasurer; Quincy Randall, pastor of New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Colorado City, as secretary; and Samuel Doyle, pastor of Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Waco, as assistant secretary.

Students on Mission

Over the summer, students of all ages have been serving in their communities and beyond. They are showing the love of Christ as they host Vacation Bible Schools, rebuild disaster-torn communities, provide medical care to low-income communi ties and more.

Read how the next generation is shar ing the gospel and making an impact for Christ in the United States and around the globe.

By Bonnie Shaw, News Manager

Using the great outdoors to share God’s love

Life in Montana is centered around enjoying the beautiful nature the state has to offer. Res idents spend their leisure time kayak ing, hiking, camping and other outdoor activities. For Outdoorsmen Church, a church outside of Missoula, MT embracing that outdoors lifestyle has been key to reaching their community. Even the name of the church signals to Montanans that this church was started with them in mind.

With a summer calendar full of camps designed to embrace this lifestyle, Out doorsmen has been partnering with Go Now Missions for over 10 years to help make sure their ministries go off with out a hitch. Go Now sends Texas college students around the world to serve on short and long-term mission trips.

Johanna Zipp, whose husband Peter is the pastor of Outdoorsmen, oversees the missionaries while they serve at the church. The couple has roots in Texas and loves hosting the Texan students with a passion for missions.

“It’s a huge opportunity for us to have the extra hands. Being from Texas, we love having these Texan kids come up and experience what we have and see the need and help us serve the community,” Zipp explained.

This year, one of those students was Caleb Bowman, a rising sophomore.

Bowman was first attracted to the posi tion when he learned about the out door-centric nature of the church. An avid fisher and kayaker, he was excited to learn how to use those unique passions to share Christ with others.

“I remember thinking, those are things I really enjoy doing and would love to use them to serve the Lord,” Bowman said.

One of his biggest responsibilities while in Montana was helping the church put on their Day Camp, one of

their largest outreach events of the year. This year, 146 kids signed up, many of whom were from families who did not attend the church.

In the morning, the camp revolved around outdoor activities, includ ing archery, learning about animals and making nature crafts. Bowman explained that throughout all of these activities, he and the other leaders made connections between what the kids were doing and the Scriptures.

“You have to sneak in Jesus a little bit into these kids’ lives,” Bowman said. “When they come to the camp that may not be what they’re looking for, but we incor porate it throughout the program so they can hear about Jesus. It’s so great when they can make those connections, like ‘when I miss the target in archery, that’s what sin can look like.’ It’s awe some to see.”

There was also a devotion at the end of each day. This year the theme was responsibility, Bowman said.

While Day Camp was happening in Montana, back in Texas, First Bap tist Church of Brock, Bowman’s home church, was holding their Vacation Bible School. Each year, FBC Brock’s VBS takes up a special offering. Girls and boys compete against each other to see which group can raise the most money.

Bowman’s father, who serves as the pastor of FBC Brock, suggested they take an offering for Outdoorsmen Church, since he knew Bowman would be serving there. When asked, Zipp immediately thought of Outdoorsmen’s playground, which had become dilapidated and was torn down earlier this year.

The playground was an essential part of Outdoorsmen’s ministry to families in their community. It was used almost daily during their after-school minis try, which Zipp explained was highly valued by many.

“It’s a safe place for kids to go when par ents can’t watch them because of half days or things like that,” she explained.

So, the kids at FBC Brock got to work raising money for the kids at Outdoors men. In all, the VBS was able to raise over $1,000 for the playground.

“It’s been such a blessing for us to share our passion and this place where our hearts are at with people from our home state,” Zipp said.

For Bowman, the experience showed him that ministry takes all different shapes.

“The Lord taught me a lot about serving Him and worshiping Him and how that can look different in different places. A lot of times we think ministry just looks like going up to people and asking if they know Jesus,” he said. “But we’ve done a lot of support work and learning how we can serve people better. Things like mowing, leading archery and support can be worship and mission too.”

For more information about Go Now Missions, go to gonowmissions.org.

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Students share Christ and show love through BOUNCE summer missions in Lake Charles

By Bonnie Shaw, News Manager

I am grateful because God still has servants that are willing to be used. And it’s a blessing to know that you all have come to serve,” Bonita Karey said to a group of BOUNCE students as they laid flooring in her home.

Twenty-four students and leaders from First Baptist Church Kilgore spent the week laying new flooring and building a new roof in Karey’s home. Hers was one of many in Lake Charles, Louisiana, that were devastated by Hurricane Laura in 2020. After almost two years of being unable to live in her home permanently, Karey was able to move in at the end of the week.

Karey was one of seven homeowners whose homes were repaired by BOUNCE Student Disaster Recovery volunteers in Lake Charles this summer. A church was also repaired. Across the community, 124 students and leaders showed the love of Christ through their hard work.

Lake Charles had been hit by a series of disasters between August 2020 and May 2021, including two hurricanes, a flood, an ice storm and a storm that pro duced multiple tornadoes. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Many homeowners are still struggling to rebuild.

Across town from Karey’s house, a group of 14 students from Westwood Baptist Church in Tyler were reroofing a mobile home. Westwood Baptist first served with BOUNCE in 2021 in Waco, and the students fell in love with the sense of purpose it brought. Youth Pastor Logan Burgess explained they used to

do church camp, but they started doing missions through BOUNCE instead to create a more long-lasting impact, both in the students and in the community they work with.

“When the kids went last year, they came back with a big difference in their hearts and felt like they really made an impact,” Burgess said. “It’s the best of both worlds; you get to do missions, but it feels like camp with worship and fel lowship and being fed spiritually.”

BOUNCE was hosted by Mount Olive Baptist Church. On Wednesday night, members of the church joined the stu dents for a night of worship. Pastor Braylon Harris expressed his apprecia tion for the students’ hard work.

As the students worked, they took to heart the Great Commission message Pearce preached. First Baptist Church in Fairfield students were approached by people in the neighborhood they were working in. The neighbors were curious about why teenagers from Texas were using part of their summer break to repair homes in Louisiana.

“Whenever we are out here working and trying to spread the Word, we are dis ciples,” a student said between hauling loads of old roofing to a dumpster.

In the evenings, students and leaders gathered together to worship and listen to keynote speaker Brian Pearce, student pastor at Kingwood First Baptist Church, share about the importance of sharing Christ and showing love. He encouraged students to be Kingdom-minded and to find ways to make disciples in their own communities when they return home from BOUNCE.

“The houses you’ve been working on have been devastated by the storms. It doesn’t take much to tear down what our human hands have built,” Pearce said. “But nothing can tear down what is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.”

The group made sure to explain to anyone who asked that they were being the hands and feet of Christ and told them about Mount Olive Baptist Church so they could get connected to a com munity of believers. It is that partner ship of local churches and students from around Texas that makes such an impact during BOUNCE’s relief work.

“The task of taking the gospel to the world is too big for any one person; it takes all of us,” BOUNCE Mission Coor dinator Shawn McDonald said. “This is what cooperation looks like.”

For more information and to explore options for getting your youth group involved next summer or spring, go to txb.org/bounce or contact Director David Scott at david.scott@txb.org.

To the ends of the earth

By Meredith Poe, contributing writer

When Anna Clark, a premed biology student at East Texas Baptist University, tested positive for COVID-19 just days before she was scheduled to leave on a Go Now mission trip in January 2022, she didn’t know God would be equipping her for something bigger.

He quickly began to reveal this.

“All throughout the period of not going on the trip, God brought out different areas of my life where I needed to grow — areas of fear and where I was not fully trusting Him,” Clark said. “One area of fear was in sharing the gospel. Even though I grew up in church and had done it before, I wasn’t 100% comfort able. But God provided. There was an evangelism training on campus, and I also got to go to Beach Reach and had lots of opportunities to practice sharing my faith there. He was equip ping me to go on the next trip.”

Clark knew she would sign up for another Go Now mission trip, but the Lord still needed to reveal to her when and where He wanted her to go. He did this at Discovery Weekend — a retreat for students to help them discover the next steps God has for them in missions.

Going into Discovery Weekend, Clark still felt called to France and Italy, which was where she would have gone on her original trip. She also saw that Go Now was taking a medical mission trip to the Amazon. It interested her but was her second choice.

Bringing physical and spiritual care to indigenous communities in the Amazon

“I am a licensed vocational nurse (LVN), but being back at school, I hadn’t worked in the medical field in a little over a year. That and past experiences made me nervous to jump back in. It’s a hard line of work,” she said. “But then, I heard the Lord say, ‘Anna, you need to give me this. I want to redeem this in your life and show you what it’s like when I’m the focus.’ And so I responded, ‘Ok, Lord. I want to be where You want me to be.’”

PLANTING AND SOWING GOSPEL SEEDS

Clark followed God’s call and joined a team of six students and volunteers as they embarked on a journey to share the gospel through medical missions in Brazil

“Just to give you a little glimpse at how far into the ends of the earth we went — our trip there consisted of three plane rides, a car taxi ride, a water taxi ride and another car taxi. All that was just to the hotel we stayed at,” she said.

For a portion of the trip, Clark’s team operated a clinic in an indigenous com munity in the Amazon — a unique opportunity as special permission from the government is usually required to enter indigenous villages. However, this one was open to missionaries.

“We took another car ride until the road stopped, walked almost a mile on basi cally a sidewalk that motorcyclists used from both directions, waded through the Amazon River, then walked a little further to reach the local church where we set up the clinic,” she said.

While there, the team treated over 300 patients. They helped diagnose physical ailments like irregular heartbeats and abdominal aortic aneurysms, as well as helped their patients understand basic medical education. They also sought to diagnose their patients’ spiritual life.

The clinic was set up in four stages. The first was triage, where nurses checked patients’ vitals and medical history. Then patients moved to spiritual triage to assess their spiritual symptoms, hear the gospel and be prayed over. Last, patients saw the doctor and visited the pharmacy.

“On the second day in the village, I was working in spiritual triage and a woman and her young son came in. When I asked her who Jesus was to her, she had no idea who I was talking about,” Clark said. “I immediately shared the gospel with her. She wasn’t ready to respond, but I prayed over her. I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me, and I prayed that someone else would come along and share the gospel with her again today.”

Later that day, Clark found out the woman had received the gospel message again during her visit with the doctor, and she accepted Christ.

“It was so amazing that Dr. Lee ended up sharing the gospel with her again. I was the sower planting those seeds,” Clark said. “Dr. Lee’s main focus was always spiritual. She reminded us that we need to help them in the ways we can physi cally, but we should always be ready to share the gospel.”

When asked why she recommends other students take a Go Now mission trip, Clark said, “It’s a wonderful experience to learn about different cultures and the people God created. It is also a chance to join in and see God’s view instead of ours and grow in your faith. You also get to meet so many other missionaries. You learn who the body of Christ is and how God uses each of us.”

To learn more about Go Now Missions and the incredible impact student mis sionaries are making all over the world, visit, gonowmissions.org.

TBM volunteers become first foreigners to visit Collique, Peru, since pandemic began

By John Hall, director of Communications at TBM

Joy, hope and relief – these are just a few emotions that radiated from residents of Collique, Peru, as 15 TBM vol unteers, including a group of Go Now Missions students, became the first foreigners to visit the mountainous town in over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team sought to meet needs and share God’s love as mem bers partnered with Operacion San Andres (OSA), an organi zation that focuses its ministry in Collique – an impoverished community of more than 100,000 residents located on the north side of Lima.

Tight pandemic restrictions in Peru made a steady income and

adequate food supply nearly unobtainable for many people in Collique, explained TBM Ministry Advancement Coordinator Sabrina Pinales. In response, OSA opened 60 soup kitchens in the region. Over the course of only two days, TBM volunteers delivered a special treat to all 60 kitchens – chicken for added protein to the soups.

“Seeing people literally running to get chicken when it’s so read ily available for us at home was really cool,” said volunteer Alex Stevenson. “After delivering chickens, we always prayed over the people, and you could see how much they were touched by it. With everything we did, we explained we did it for the love of God.”

High up on the mountainside, the team also constructed two houses for families in need. With the foundations already in place, the volunteers worked together to place frames, walls, doors and windows.

One woman was so excited about her new home, she swept it daily after the team retired for the night and began painting and decorating as soon as she possibly could.

“Obviously we knew having a home would be good for someone,” Stevenson said, “but you could just see how excited she was, and that was really neat.”

Stevenson, a junior construction sci ence major at Texas A&M University, and four other college students volun teered as summer missionaries through Go Now Missions. They partnered with more experienced TBM volunteers.

“So many generations were represented –retired, young professionals, college stu dents,” Pinales said. “To see everybody come together for the same purpose and use their gifts was extraordinary.”

Volunteer Jim Kneale and his wife, Mako, were among the experienced TBM volunteers and came to appreciate the diversity.

“This was the most diverse mission trip I’ve ever been on,” Kneale said. “There was something for everyone to do. Everybody was able to participate in

some way on every project. I thought that was really important.”

When they weren’t building houses or visiting soup kitchens, volunteers interacted with children participating in the OSA Educational Enrichment and Nutrition program, which provides sup plemental educational support for chil dren ages 6-11.

Go Now Missionary Logan Baker, a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Tyler, said the kids were thrilled to see foreigners and most excited to share the English they’d learned.

“The kids are the future of Collique,” Baker said. “(OSA) knows that’s who they need to be pouring into.”

On the final day, a local pastor took volunteers into Collique and whistled loudly. To their surprise, dozens of children came running with great joy and excitement. Saturdays are for Bible study they quickly learned, and that was a good reason to be excited.

Despite the language barrier, volun teers returned home confident that God’s love was shown through their actions and service.

“Showing the love of Christ doesn’t always have to be verbally sharing the gospel,” Baker said. “There are lots of other ave nues – such as physical labor – that plant seeds for salvation down the road.”

“Everything we did, we explained we did it for the love of God.”

Medical missions in Mexico City

By Meredith Poe, contributing writer

This summer, Go Now Missions sent a team of five students studying medicine to help provide physical and spiritual care in Mexico City. The students worked in medical clinics hosted by four churches in the city and provided care alongside Texas Baptists River Ministry Director Mario Gonzalez and missionaries Dr. Angel Gamez and Cristina Lambarria.

During the week-long trip, the joint team of student missionaries and

medical professionals saw 385 patients and 46 professions of faith.

PLANTING SEEDS IN THE HEARTS OF PATIENTS

“I really like doing medical work and serving people through medicine,” said Karla Magana, a rising senior and nurs ing major at East Texas Baptist Univer sity. “On the trip, I checked vital signs. That was the channel for us to connect with people and talk to them about Jesus.

We had gospel conversations while they were waiting to be seen by the doctor.”

Magana, who has been on several Go Now trips, explained she would ask patients for prayer requests, and this would lead many of them to share their life stories and open up about their struggles. Then, she could often pray and share Christ with them.

“This one lady came in on the last day,” Magana shared. “She got to the clinic,

and she was kind of upset and rude. I checked her vital signs, but she was in a hurry. When I walked her to the wait ing room, she didn’t want to small talk. I asked if I could pray for her. From being tense, she immediately relaxed, and she looked at me and said, ‘Yes, please. I’ve been having problems with my neighbors.’”

Magana was given the opportunity to talk to the woman about faith.

“There were many stories like this from patients,” Magana said. “It was a chance to share the gospel with her. It’s all about planting seeds in people’s hearts.”

STEPPING OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONE

For premed student Isabel Perez-Sandi of Baylor University, the trip to Mexico City was her first time on mission and a learning experience.

“In my freshman year, I had been strug gling a lot with seeing how medicine and ministry intersect. I had no idea what that would look like,” said PerezSandi. “This trip was a perfect example of that, and it was a tangible experience of what that means.”

Perez-Sandi also took patients’ vitals before they saw the doctors, and she too found many opportunities for gospel conversations.

“It was nervewracking at first. I had experienced a little bit of this at Beach Reach, but I hadn’t really evangelized before,” she said.

As she gained more confidence in shar ing her faith, Perez-Sandi recalled one of her favorite moments of the trip, when she had the chance to work with Leandra Gonzalez, who led a small Vaca tion Bible School during the clinics.

“The clinic supervisor’s wife works with kids a lot, and she had this way to share the gospel through making a beaded bracelet with them. Each bead repre sented a truth in the gospel. Watching her present that and seeing the kids accept Jesus was amazing. I got to pray with them to accept Jesus in their heart. That was a great moment for me to be a part of,” she said.

Josue Valerio, director of the Texas Bap tists Center for Missional Engagement, helped lead this trip.

“It’s so refreshing to be on the frontline with college students and medical profes sionals, serving people who really need it,” he said. “Mission trips like this one help students see if full-time missions is something God is calling them to.”

This was echoed by Perez-Sandi when she shared about the eye-opening nature of her time in Mexico City.

“I prayed a lot about this trip going into it,” she said. “It wasn’t just a resume builder or a way to help my career. It was an experience to get out of my comfort zone. It opened up my heart to missions, and I’m not sure where that’ll take me, but I’m so glad I did it.”

To learn more about how Go Now Mis sions is mobilizing students to serve Christ all over the world, visit gonowmission.org.

Amarillo church embraces simpler approach to visitors, sees new growth

By Bonnie Shaw, News Manager

When guests visit Coulter Road Baptist Church, they are greeted with clearly marked parking, a diverse welcome team and a clear way to get plugged into the church. Following their first visit, guests are contacted by Pastor Michael Dickey, who thanks them for attending and asks if they have any questions. From the moment visitors walk into the church, they have a clear path to get involved and join the church.

This was not always the case though, Dickey explained. In fact, Coulter Road Baptist Church has spent the last months inten tionally simplifying and modifying their strategy for church visitors. This was done in part through a partnership with

Jonathan Smith, Texas Baptists director of Church Health Strategy, who meets with churches across Texas to help eval uate all aspects of their church and min istry and identify room for growth.

For Coulter Road Baptist Church, one of those growth areas was welcoming visitors.

Smith and the church worked to simplify the initial visitor experience with a focus on creating intentional connections with new guests. Now, when a visitor arrives, they are asked for their name and phone number. The next day, guests receive a text message from Dickey asking if they have any questions about the church. On guests’ second visit, they are connected with a group of people in similar life stages, and on the third visit, they are plugged into a small group.

Dickey explained their strategy changed to focus on what people really need when they arrive at a new church.

“Jonathan taught me something that I think I’d heard before, but it didn’t stick. He said that there are three things that people want: They want to find a friend; they want to find a future; and they want

to meet staff. And so we’ve really made that a point to do that,” Dickey said.

Since introducing their new, stream lined visitor system, they have had 10 new family units join their congregation.

Dickey has been surprised at the things that have drawn in new people. One couple, who had not been to church in a while, was driving past the church on a Sunday when they saw the church’s visitor parking signs. Even though they had not planned on attending church that day, the signs attracted their atten tion, so they stopped and joined the worship service.

Above all, though, is Coulter Road Bap tist Church’s commitment to sharing the gospel with the people who walk through their doors. The church has had seven baptisms since January, more than double the number they baptized in 2021.

Dickey encouraged other churches looking to analyze and revision their outreach strategies to get in touch with Smith and other members of the Texas Baptists staff.

“I’ve really tried to become an advocate in our churches and say, ‘Hey, reach out, if you have an issue. They have an answer. It’s made a huge difference’,” Dickey said.

As the church has honed its strategy for greeting and evangelizing new guests, they are now looking for ways to attract more members of their community. Dickey explained they are not looking for members of other churches, but to reach people who have no church home.

This summer, the church threw a Vaca tion Bible School with 105 kids in atten dance. Even after the week ended, church members have followed up with the fam ilies and created lasting bonds. They are also launching a “mother’s day out” pro gram to get to know local families.

“We are not there just for the people already in the pews. We’re there for those that aren’t here yet,” Dickey said. “It’s all about including those that aren’t here yet and reaching those that are lost.”

To learn more about Church Health Strategy or request a consultation, go to txb.org/church.

“It’s all about including those that aren’t here yet and reaching those that are lost.”

Community Missionary Baptist Church provides families with relief from dangerous summer heat

By Bonnie Shaw, News Manager

Texas is known for its long, hot summers. But this year, the heat was extreme, with temperature highs exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit more days than not since early June. Air conditioning is most peoples’ refuge against the extreme heat, but for some families, that is not an option. In 2018, a study by Zillow showed that roughly 10% of homes sold in Dallas-Fort Worth lacked air conditioning. During warm months, this can be uncomfortable, but during these extremely hot days, it can be dangerous.

Those facts led Community Missionary Baptist Church (CMBC) to hold a “Beat the Heat” event on the weekend of July 16. During the event, CMBC members gave out approximately 160 box fans to families and individuals in their community. They also delivered and installed air conditioning units in homes of high-risk individuals. The fans and units were distributed at both of CMBC’s two campuses; one in DeSoto and one in Cedar Hill.

Pastor Oscar Epps explained that, at first glance, the campuses are located in comfortable, middle-class neigh borhoods full of families who seem to be doing fine. But, he said, looks can be deceiving, and he encouraged people to check on their neighbors, who may be struggling.

“We’re in the suburbs, and because we’re in a nicer area you would never realize the need that was there. They can be right next door to you and you could never know,” Epps said.

One of the air conditioning unit recipi ents was Frank Medlock, a 97-year-old living just north of DeSoto. Church members, including Deacon Stephen Jackson, drove to Medlock’s house to deliver a portable air conditioning unit. Because of his age, Medlock is partic ularly high-risk during the continued heat of the summer.

Jackson, who has served as the church’s Outreach Ministry director for the past four and a half years, said moments like that make his job so wonderful. “The part of my job that I enjoy most is helping people and being a resource wherever I can so that the needs of our congregation and our community are met.”

Though the Beat the Heat event is over, CMBC is still distributing fans and air conditioner units at their food pantry. The food pantry, which distributes items at both church campuses, was another response to an immediate need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meeting the immediate, pressing needs of their community is at the heart of CMBC’s outreach and ministry. In

addition to the food pantry and Beat the Heat, CMBC also distributed gift cards to gas stations to families struggling to afford recent surges in gas prices, which reached their peak in mid-June.

“The Bible tells us that we are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, so whatever the need is, we are here to provide that need,” Epps said. “If that’s air conditioning, fans or food, our obligation as a church is to operate outside of our four walls.”

Next month, CMBC will host a “2nd Chance Job and Resource Fair,” which aims to help job seekers of all back grounds get a job. In addition to on-site hiring opportunities, there will also be interviewing coaches, resume writers, education resources, housing assistance and other resources designed to give people the tools they need to recover from hard times. The program will also have a record expungement with attor neys on-site to assist.

“We believe in outreach ministry and helping those that are less fortunate and those that are ‘stuck between blessings,’” Epps explained. “We want to be the move, taking care of our community.”

Misiones médicas en Ciudad México

Por Meredith Poe, autora colaboradora

Este verano, Misiones Go Now envió a un equipo de cinco estudi antes de medicina para ayudar a proveer cuidado físico y espiritual en Ciudad México. Los estudiantes trabaja ron en clínicas médicas auspiciadas por cuatro iglesias en la ciudad y proveyeron cuidado junto a los misioneros del Min isterio en el Río de los Bautistas de Texas, el Dr. Ángel Gámez y Cristina Lambarria.

Durante el viaje de una semana, el equipo de estudiantes misioneros y

profesionales médicos atendieron a 385 pacientes y vieron 46 profesiones de fe.

PLANTAR SEMILLAS EN LOS CORAZONES DE LOS PACIENTES

“Me gusta hacer trabajo médico y servir a las personas por medio de la medicina”, dijo Karla Magana, una estudiante de cuarto año, haciendo su concentración en enfermería en East Texas Baptist University. “En el viaje, tomé signos vitales. Ese fue el canal para conectar

con las personas y hablarles acerca de Jesús. Tuvimos conversaciones dirigi das hacia el evangelio mientras espera ban para ver al doctor”.

Magana, quien ha servido en varios viajes de misiones Go Now, explicó que ella preguntaba si los pacientes tienen peticiones de oración, y esto hacía que muchas personas compartieron las his torias de sus vidas y se abrieron acerca de sus problemas. Entonces, con frecuencia ella oraba y compartía a Cristo con ellos.

“Una señora vino el último día”, com partió Magana. “Ella fue a la clínica y estaba molesta y fue ruda. Le tomé sus signos vitales, pero ella tenía prisa. Cuando la acompañé a la sala de espera, no quiso hablar. Le pregunté si podía orar por ella. Inmediatamente se relajó, y me miró y dijo: “Sí, por favor, estoy teniendo problemas con mis vecinos”.

Magana tuvo la oportunidad de hablar con la mujer acerca de la fe.

“Hay muchas historias como esa de otros pacientes”, dijo Magana. “Fue una opor tunidad para compartir el evangelio con ella. Se trata de plantar semillas en los corazones de las personas”.

SALIR DE LA ZONA DE COMODIDAD

Para la estudiante de premédica Isabel Pérez-Sandi, de la Universidad de Baylor, el viaje a Ciudad México fue su primer viaje misionero y una experien cia de aprendizaje.

“En mi primer año, batallé mucho en encontrar cómo la medicina y el minis terio se conectan. No tenía idea de cómo sería”, dijo Pérez-Sandi. “El viaje fue el ejemplo perfecto de eso, y fue una expe riencia tangible de lo que significa”.

Pérez-Sandi también tomó signos vitales antes de ver al doctor, y ella tam bién tuvo muchas oportunidades para tener conversaciones girando alrededor del evangelio.

“Al principio fue estresante. Yo tenía un poco de experiencia en Beach Reach haciendo alcance en la playa durante el receso de primavera, pero en realidad no había evangelizado antes”, ella dijo.

Al sentirse más confiada al compartir su fe, Pérez-Sandi recordó uno de sus momentos preferidos durante el viaje.

“La esposa del supervisor de la clínica trabaja con niños, y compartía el evan gelio por medio de hacer un brazalete de cuentas. Cada cuenta representa una verdad en el evangelio. Al observarla presentar eso y ver a niños aceptar a Jesús fue maravilloso. Pude orar con ellos para recibir a Jesús en sus cora zones. El ser parte de esto fue un gran momento para mí”, ella dijo.

Josué Valerio, director del Centro para la Interacción Misionera de los Bautistas de Texas ayudó a dirigir a este grupo.

“Fue muy refrescante el estar al frente con los estudiantes universitarios y pro fesionales médicos, sirviendo a perso nas en gran necesidad”, él dijo. “Viajes misioneros como este ayudan a los estudiantes a considerar si las misiones a tiempo completo son algo a lo que Dios los está llamando”.

Pérez-Sandi dijo lo mismo al compartir acerca de la naturaleza reveladora de su tiempo en Ciudad México.

“Oré mucho acerca de este viaje”, dijo. “No quería que fuera una experiencia más o una manera para promover mi carrera. Fue una experiencia que me sacó de mi zona de comodidad. Abrió mi corazón a las misiones, y ahora no estoy segura hacia donde me llevará, pero me alegra haber ido”.

Para aprender más acerca de cómo las Misiones Go Now movilizan a estudiantes para servir a Cristo por todo el mundo, visite gonowmission.org.

Gathering

16-18, 2023

McAllen, TX

Celebrate and worship together

When we worship together, we witness on Earth a glimpse of the unity we will one day see in Heaven. Save the date for this joint session of the Texas Baptists Annual Meeting and African American, Hispanic and Intercultural fellowship gatherings in one place, at one time, for His purpose.

Because of your cooperative giving, our five ministry centers were able to share Christ and show love where needed most. Read the Cooperative Giving Annual Report to discover some of the amazing work our ministries were able to accomplish in 2021. Because of you, our ministries were able to impact, equip and expand the local

in these ways: