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ARCHIVED MISSIONARY FOCUS STORIES

Ch. LTC Mark Browne III (CHAPLAIN-MILITARY)
As a military chaplain with the Idaho Army National Guard, Mark Browne hasn’t had the opportunity to see active combat on a war field, but he has seen active combat within the hearts of soldiers who are in need of Christ. More...

Joe Todd (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-STUDENT EVANGELISM)
As director of Baptist Student Union (known on campus as Christian Challenge) at Montana State University, Joes first full year of work was challenging but worthwhile. Prior to returning to his native Bozeman in July 2001, Joe and his family lived and worked in student evangelism in Rapid City, S.D., for 16 years. In Rapid City, and now in Bozeman, Joe and Kareene serve as Mission Service Corps (MSC) missionaries, who serve in a mission role but raise their own salary support. More...

Rhonda Howell (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-CHURCH PLANTING)
In the mid 1990s, a World Changers mission group was placed in Rock Hill, S.C., to work on housing at the Catawba Indiana Reservation. The residents were reluctant to accept their help. Today, the community embraces the annual week of service and looks forward to seeing the young people.  More...

Mark Hobafcovich (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
At the age of 20, Mark Hobafcovich escaped his native Romania and fled to what was then known as Yugoslavia.  From there, he was granted political asylum to Australia. On his first day in Australia, February 15, 1981,  he was invited to a local church in Melbourne, Victoria  where he heard the gospel message and responded in faith to Christ.  More...

Sheila Mitchell (MISSIONARY-MINISTRY EVANGELISM)
When a woman is black and blue from physical abuse, doesn’t have a job, can’t pay her rent, is responsible for a 2-year-old child and may be pregnant with another, it’s hard for her to see that God has a plan and purpose for her life.  Yet that’s precisely the objective of North American missionary Sheila Mitchell and DaySpring Villa, a Baptist women’s shelter in Sand Springs, Okla.    More...

Trennis and Ann Killian (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Trennis is a Mission Service Corps (MSC) missionary and is a chaplain involved in casino ministry. MSC missionaries do not receive salary support through NAMB, though they may receive materials and other assistance.  Trennis is employed through his company, The Riverboat Evangelism Ministry, which provides his salary support.  This ministry is a 501c3 non-profit corporation. More...

Ed and Rachel Gillum (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Ashley was 7, the man 78.  The age gap was obvious, but Ashley’s love for her Lord bridged the gap, and she helped lead the man to Christ.  Ed and Rachel Gillum had taken their granddaughter, Ashley, to New England on a mission trip. Along with some other Christian friends, they went to visit a 78-year-old man they knew was not a Christian. "We shared our testimony with him," said Rachel. More...

Debbie Wohler (MISSIONARY-RESORT EVANGELISM)
If you happen to be in Salt Lake City, Utah, next month for the Olympic Games, look for a walking, talking, gospel-sharing snowman. Inside the snowman suit will be North American missionary, Debbie Wohler.  During the Olympics in Sydney, she dressed as a kangaroo.  More...

Norman Cannada (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
When Norman Cannada submitted his resume and inquiry letter to the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists, he hesitated to specify that his calling was to inner-city missions. He wondered if West Virginia had such a place.  More...

Durk and Phyllis Lynch (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-CHURCH PLANTING)
Durk and Phyllis Lynch are tentmakers, but not the kind that sew canvas for outdoor shelter. They make their living in the medical field, where Durk works as a family nurse practitioner and Phyllis a school nurse. But their first love is seeing Native American teens come to know Christ and live for him. More...

Don McDaniel (CHAPLAIN-MILITARY)
Soldier George Curtis was called home from Bosnia.  His 10-year-old son, Dimone, was dying.  "The doctors were skeptical about his life," said military chaplain Don McDaniel. "It was a touch-and-go, day-by-day situation."  The boy’s mother, Ethel, had to go on family leave and they were desperate for food.  The first battalion of the 121st infantry rallied to the cause and collected $1,000 for food. "We provided physical food to them," said Don. More...

Dawn Wilder (MISSIONARY-MINISTRY EVANGELISM)
Getting to her current place of service involved traveling down seemingly unconnected roads. Dawn Wilder was a beautician, a nurse’s assistant, respiratory therapist, and cosmetics salesperson.  Now she’s a North American missionary in Kansas.  She serves as a church and community ministries missionary, and her "God-can-do-anything" attitude is helping her remove the obstacles that stand in the way of reaping the harvest.  More...

Margaret Allen (MISSIONARY-MINISTRY EVANGELISM)
When Margaret Allen went to pick up the little girl for the week-long summer camp, she realized that anyone living in the neighborhood would have good reason for a crushed spirit.  When the girl came to the door, she was smiling and carrying her clothes in a brown paper sack that had been cut and shaped to look like a basket.  More... 

Jarred Parnell (MISSIONARY-MINISTRY EVANGELISM)
During his sophomore year in college, Jarred Parnell served as summer missionary at the Gano Baptist Center in Houston, Texas. "I fell in love with the ministry and the people there," he said. "I spent a second summer term at the center, and then I volunteered each week while still in college. God called me to inner-city missions through the experience." More...

William Tua (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
I am a "jack of all trades" that wears "many, many hats;" that is how William Tua (pronounced Two - uah) describes himself and the work that he does in Eastern Puerto Rico.  William is responsible for the church planting work in the eastern part of the country and in the metro areas.  He has been a church planting missionary since 1996, receiving this appointment from the North American Mission Board. More...

Donnie Simpson (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
Donnie Simpson is the church planting strategist for the Kansas City Baptist Association. He is one of our North American Church Planting Missionaries. Donnie and his wife, Dava, (yes that is right Dava,) of twenty-one years have been in Kansas City since 1980, but have served in this position for the last two years. Donnie was in the business world before God called him to full time ministry.  More...

Linda Middlebrooks (MISSIONARY-MINISTRY EVANGELISM)
For the last twenty years Linda Middlebrooks has served our Lord at the Rachel Sims Baptist Mission.  The Rachel Sims Baptist Mission is the oldest active Christian Social Ministry Center in the Southern Baptist Convention serving the needs and sharing Christ in the Irish Channel area of New Orleans where it is often difficult to minister.  Yet, Linda and the staff and volunteers of the Rachel Sims Baptist Mission are committed to being a lighthouse in this community, pointing people to Christ.  More...

Travis Alford: Transforming Oak Ridge (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-CHURCH PLANTING)
Mission Service Corps Missionaries Bring Peace and Hope to a Troubled Community. More...

Janet Chinn (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-MOBILIZATION)
Living in Hawaii and serving Jesus. Sound a bit like heaven? You could find out through a missions avenue called Mission Service Corps (MSC). MSC missionary Janet Chinn can’t guarantee your experience will be paradise, but she can promise you’ll have many opportunities to share about the promises of heaven with people in the state. More...

Rafael Rodriguez (MISSIONARY-MOBILIZATION)
Rafael and Elba Rodriguez grew up on Sol Street in Old San Juan. They started first grade together. Their families were members of the same church. There, as teenaged friends at church, Rafael and Elba began to serve God. More...

Lonnie & Belinda Riley (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Mission Service Corps missionaries Lonnie and Belinda Riley returned to their childhood home in Lynch, Ky., to settle a mother's estate in late 1998. During their visit, their hearts were burdened with the needs of the people in this Appalachian Mountain area. More...

Deborah Long (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Most people think nothing of throwing a half-eaten fast-food hamburger in the trash. Who would want the uneaten portion, anyway? Deborah Long knows the answer. Twenty years ago, Deborah was a young homeless person. More...

Janet Walker (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Janet Walker has never been afraid to walk out in faith at God’s prompting. Steps of faith have characterized her Christian journey, which began when she was 44 years old. More...

Philip Connors (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
Growing up in a Christian home in New Brunswick, Canada, Philip Connors felt God's call when he was young. At the age of 11, he was children's choir director; however, it wasn't until a year later, at the age of 12, that he gave his life to Christ.  More...

Lloyd Byers (MISSIONARY-ASSOCIATIONAL MISSIONS)
On December 8, 2002, North American missionaries Lloyd and Mary Byers were eagerly anticipating their move to Guam, packing and preparing their belongings for the journey they would take them in mid January to the country. More...

Catrina Livergood (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Catrina Livergood's journey as a Mission Service Corps missionary in American Samoa, teaching math at the Samoa Baptist Academy, actually began while she was in India. More...

Martha Sanford (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Friendship House, supported by the First Baptist Church in Garland, provides food assistance, clothing ministry, and emergency financial assistance, but it wasn't until a few years ago that Sanford and her husband, Al, began dreaming of starting a healthcare ministry. More...

Aias and Gecina De Souza (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
The International Seamen's Center buzzes with activity when ships are in port. But for Aias De Souza, director of the center, the focal point of the evening comes as everyone is asked to gather in the chapel. More...

Tommy and Elizabeth Stevens (MISIONARY-ASSOCIATIONAL MISSIONS)
About seven blocks east of the infamous OK Corral stands a small white building that for most passers-by would barely merit a passing glance. More...

Norman and Debbie Cannada (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As a sports journalist and editor for 10 years, Norm Cannada had no idea a few years ago that he would wind up living and ministering in the struggling inner-city of Charleston, W.Va.  More...

Ron and Alpha Goombi (MISSIONARY-MINISTRY EVANGELISM)
Alpha Goombi wanted to be the first Native American actress to win an Academy Award. Ron Goombi wanted to be a successful businessman. But God had other plans. More...

Taylor and Susan Field (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
You might say Taylor and Susan Field’s commitment to inner city missions was sealed with a kiss 23 years ago. More...

Don and Barbara Conley (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
In a region where the weather is always beautiful and there are no shortage of ways to enjoy it, church attendance and Christian commitment often rank low on the list of priorities, according to church planter strategist Don Conley. More...

Bobby and Gayle Pruett (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
When Bobby Pruett strolls across the sprawling campus of Colorado University in Boulder, he has his thoughts on what kind of values North America will treasure in 10 years.  More...

Walter and Sharon Mickels (MISSIONARY-MOBILIZATION)
As a former vice president in the banking industry, Walter Mickels knows the value of a good investment. For the past four years his investments in the lives of young people participating in the North American Mission Board’s World Changers program have been yielding eternal dividends.  More...

Buddy and Faye Geiger (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-MOBILIZATION)
Wherever Buddy and Faye Geiger go, they’re always at home. That’s because their home goes with them wherever they go.  More...

Kyle Woodfin ((MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
The Southern Baptist staples of food, fellowship and a focus on Christ came together perfectly last fall during a “wild game dinner” in Gainesville, Ga.  More...

Laurel Burrough (MISSIONARY-STUDENT EVANGELISM)
Laurel Burrough was serving as a journeyman with the International Mission Board in southeast Asia when missionary Dwight Huffman sent an email asking if she would be willing to serve in the town of Cochrane.  More...

Travis Payne (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-CHURCH PLANTING)
People flock to it every Sunday, but it has no steeple, no membership list, and no padded pews. The vehicles in its parking lot are the size of 18 wheelers. That’s because they are 18 wheelers. The popular place is Trucker’s Chapel, located at the Mid-Continent Truck Stop on Interstate the border between Arkansas and Texas. Truckers are able to receive fuel for both their rigs and their souls in one place. More...

Kevin Colon (MISSIONARY-CHURCH PLANTING)
Born in Puerto Rico, Kevin Colon moved with his parents to the horse-farm countryside of Kentucky when he was 8 years old. After his parents divorced several years later, a Baptist church took the family under its wing and helped them. More...

Woody Ladnier (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Twenty years ago a young man played football and studied for exams at Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa. He was a devout member of the Reorganized Latter-Day Saints church (RLDS), now called the Community of Christ. More...

Pauline White (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-EVANGELISM)
Pauline White thought she was just going to do a little light reading before bed, but instead the 72-year-old retiree opened the door to a call to missions that took her from her Florida home to the mountains of eastern Kentucky. More...

Bud and Norma Taylor (MISSION SERVICE CORPS-MOBILIZATION)
Friendships have been an important element in Bud and Norma Taylor’s 59 years of marriage, and it was a few friends who changed the course of their life in retirement. More...

Randy Pool (MISSIONARY-MINISTRY EVANGELISM)
North American missionary Randy Pool ministers in a region of poverty and hopelessness. He serves as coordinator of the Mississippi River Ministry (MRM) in Tennessee, and also serves as associational missions coordinator for the Gibson Baptist Association. More...

Gary Mathis (MISSIONARY-RESORT EVANGELISM)
Gary is part-time pastor for Canaan (pronounced KUH-nane) Valley Baptist Church and resort missionary working primarily at Timberline and Canaan Valley Resorts. He and his wife, Sandra, have served in West Virginia since 1998. More...

Dwight Huffman
When Alberta church planter/catalyst Dwight Huffman took a phone call in early January 2002 from a total stranger, he was not aware that God was about to answer his prayer for someone to take the gospel to the Northwest Territories. More...

Lewis and Verletta Schwartz
To those passing by in the next lane, Lewis and Verletta Schwartz probably look like yet another retired couple, touring the country in leisure at the helm of their motorhome. But they aren’t on vacation. As national leaders of the North American Mission Board’s Mission Service Corps (MSC) Ministry Relations team, they travel the country offering caring hearts and listening ears to hundreds of fellow MSC missionaries. More...

Terry Moncrief
The tragic automobile accident that killed his father caused Terry Moncrief to turn his back on God. After all, he reasoned, how could a loving God do that to his family? He struggled with that question, but two years to the day later, he made a profession of faith. More...

Terrell O'Brien
In the hands of a gifted artist, a lump of clay can become a masterpiece. Sculptor, pastor, and Mission Service Corps (MSC) missionary Terrell O’Brien sees the spiritual parallel in his handiwork. More...

Guy Stevens
Growing up in Oklahoma, Guy didn’t have the benefit of a Christian home. His grandmother was a believer; however, and he did attend church occasionally. “I knew what to say if someone asked me if I was going to heaven, but I didn’t know the Lord,” he said. More...

Tammy Cookson
Last October, as fires raged out of control in Southern California, North American missionary Tammy Cookson had the opportunity to counsel with devastated residents.  More...

An Van Pham
God has uniquely protected An Van Pham so that he could serve as a Southern Baptist missionary in Georgia.  More...

Michael Daily
Ministering in the midst of disaster has almost become routine for the Missouri native, a North American missionary who has served as director of church and community ministries with the Miami Baptist Association for the past 17 years. More...

Debbie Wohler
After more than two decades as a resort missionary in Lake Tahoe – known as “America’s Year-Round Playground” – Debbie Wohler remains as passionate as ever about the mission to which God has called her. More...

Mark Hobafcovich
Having risked their lives to escape from communist Romania in 1980, Mark Hobafcovich and his friends had just arrived as refugees in Australia when a stranger showed up at their door. More...

Michael Dean
Michael Dean’s Bible study for the day was about the apostle Paul’s message to the people of Athens -- how their “unknown god” had been revealed as the God of Scripture. More...

Stephanie Smith
As a professional athletic trainer and emergency medical technician, Stephanie Smith never imagined working the sidelines of a hockey game. With little knowledge or interest in the rough-and-tumble sport, the cold, icy rink generally epitomized her attitude toward it. More...

John and Kim Piepmeier
God first began working in John and Kim Piepmeier’s lives through their local church. But it wasn’t long before they were involved in full-time service – and finally to a land that is about as close to “the ends of the earth” as anywhere. More...

Gregg Farah
It was Sunday morning in Lower Manhattan, and Southern Baptist pastor Gregg Farah decided to kick-off the Sunday morning worship service by strapping on a pair of inline skates and attempting to jump over his worship leader. More...

Amy Taylor
Amy Taylor’s missionary journey began as a child growing up in Rockwall, Texas. From her earliest mission trips to her current appointment, Amy has been blessed in ways that only God could imagine.  More...

Steve Weaver
Miguel came to the Telegraph Ministry Center in Oakland looking for food. He explained that his disability check was a little short and he didn’t have enough money to buy groceries. “I heard you give away food,” Miguel said to Steve Weaver, director of the center and a North American missionary.  More...

Bob and Phyllis Foy
Can a career electrician be “called” to ministry and remain an electrician? That was the question Bob Foy used to think was answered with a simple “no.” Only preachers and missionaries were called to ministry, Right? More...

Karen Pressley
Karen Pressley had been a member of the Church of Scientology for 18 years when she fled what she now firmly believes is a dangerous cult. More...

John Draper
You are a pastor in a small, struggling church. You need encouragement. You yourself need a pastor. Who will be that person in your life? As associational missionary, John Draper is “that person” in the lives of the pastors in the Baltimore Baptist Association in Maryland. More...

Doug Rumsey
Living in small-town Seward, Alaska, is tranquil and routine during the winter, but in the summer, the busy tourist season brings 100,000 visitors from all over the world. More...

Tobey Pitman
Tobey Pitman is convinced that angels have visited the center he directs on the corner of Magazine and Common streets in New Orleans. More...

Michael Brooks
“People in the inner city are crying out for help,” says North American missionary Michael Brooks. “They are hurting, lonely, and they have little hope. More...

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