Stepping back and stepping out in faith

Church planting in Peru

Stepping back and stepping out in faith

Would you take a 17-hour bus ride, a five-hour boat journey, and an hour-long hike through dense rainforest to talk to some pastors? For BMS World Mission worker Michele Mahon, all of that was worth it – especially when you’ve been asked to speak to them about proving the existence of God!

The Awajun people of north-central Peru have started to make use of kitchen gardens — BMS' partner in Peru have been working with the Awahun people for a number of years to help them improve their livelihoods.

In 2023, Michele, along with her husband Dave and their three children, moved to Trujillo on the coast of Peru, after serving with BMS in Iquitos for five years. Dave trains Peruvian pastors and Michele is a qualified youth pastor, but they also both teach at Trujillo Baptist Seminary. And in a mostly patriarchal culture, it’s significant to see Michele being given more opportunities to teach. “It’s been nice to be able to do more upfront ministry than when I was in Iquitos because the culture is more open in terms of how they treat women on the coast,” she says.

During their time at the seminary, God also gave Michele the opportunity to teach theology to the Awahun people in the Peruvian Amazon. The Awahun are an indigenous group of fishermen, farmers, hunters, and artisans who live near the border with Ecuador. They are a strong warrior tribe and are well known in Peruvian history for resisting the Incas and Spanish when they tried to conquer them. Sadly, the wounds left by years of colonial rule run deep, and the Awahun are still often marginalised within Peruvian society.

The Peruvian Baptist Convention invited Michele to serve alongside Raquel Leon, a Peruvian mission worker who spent years working with the Awahun. Raquel and her husband Angeles started a church 35 years ago dedicated to mission amongst the Awahun. Even though Raquel is now sadly widowed, she carries on serving the Awahun. She even sells delicious roast coffee and cocoa from Awahun farmers as part of her ministry!

When the ministry first began, the team from the seminary would bring food and second-hand clothes – without necessarily appreciating what the Awahun community need. But now, the ministry is unrecognisable. “It’s based on the needs of the community and on what they want us to teach,” says Michele. Rather than bringing stuff that they might not need, the ministry is solely based on teaching the Bible and helping equip the Awahun to provide for themselves. Now, the Awahun pastors are hungry for the Word of God, regardless of whether outsiders bring food or not. Whether it’s dealing with broken relationships or questions about the end times, the Awahun know that the Bible can give them guidance and wisdom.

Michele teaching Awahun pastors in Kuyumatak about proving God's existence. — Michele's hoping to have even more opportunities to teach with the Awahun in the future – and especially hopes to connect with the women of the community,

Despite the challenging journey, Michele, Raquel and a group of Peruvian mission workers were keen to make their way to the Awahun village of Kuyumatak. The heat and mosquitoes made it hard work – but they knew that God wanted them there. Some of the pastors had such a passion for the Word of God that they walked for four days through the rainforest just to hear Michele teach the Bible!

This time the pastors wanted the team from the seminary to teach them about proofs for God’s existence. Michele spoke about how creation reveals God’s glory, and about the knowledge of God in each of our hearts, even if sin sometimes makes us deny this truth. Living in the lush rainforest, with night skies covered in brilliant stars, the team was constantly reminded of our awesome Creator. And this inspiring teaching relationship is just the start of this abundant ministry.

“I would really like to get to know the women because the teaching is concentrated on the guys, who are pastors,” says Michele. “Most of the time Awahun women are involved in cooking and looking after the children.” Back in Iquitos, Michele could not do the youth ministry that she wanted to do, as she was only allowed to teach women and children. That’s why Michele admires the humble leadership of Raquel, who continues to preach the gospel without the status that comes from having a husband. She sees it as a privilege to serve alongside women like Raquel, as the Awahun hear the gospel and find abundant life in Christ.

Thank you for all your prayers and support for Dave and Michele during their time in Peru. They would love for you to keep praying for them and their children, Ruth, Jonathan, and Phoebe, as they settle into life in Trujillo. Please also pray that God will bless the Awahun with everything they need to live life in all its fullness. They are so grateful for your prayers, as it is only in God’s strength that Dave, Michele, and their Peruvian friends can share his love freely with those around them.

Praying for this! Click here

Family photo of the Mahons with their three children — The whole Mahon family would really value your prayers as they continue to settle into life in Trujillo.

Words by Chris Manktelow

Reflections on COP28

Let (climate) justice flow like a river…

Reflections on COP28

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Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS World Mission’s Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, shows us how woman across the world are disproportionately affected by environmental issues – but are also often the ones at the frontline of the climate justice fight. As COP28 begins, read on to hear perspectives on climate change from across the world.

What do you think about climate change? How is it impacting your life? There are many ways in which you might respond to these questions, depending on where you live in the world, your socio-economic status, your political affiliation or your religious inclination. Your response may also be influenced by whether you are a woman or a man. Household surveys from Global North countries over the last ten years have shown that women tend to be slightly more concerned about climate change and more willing to make lifestyle changes than men*. Meanwhile, in the Global South, women grow and produce up to 80 per cent of food for family consumption, and they have the primary responsibility for collecting water and firewood. In addition, women in developing countries are already more vulnerable to undernutrition and have less access to medical services than men**. Environmental degradation and climate change make all of these challenges harder, and the burden falls disproportionately on women.

A woman smiling in front of some greenery — Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS' Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, has served in Peru for over ten years.

With COP28, the United Nation’s annual conference on climate change, beginning today, we have been asking women around the world about their experience of environmental problems, climate change and their effects.

Susan Blanch Alal, Justice Livelihoods Health (JLH), Uganda

How are environmental problems, including climate change, impacting your local communities, especially women?

Let me tell you about Alice, who’s been supported by JLH in Gulu. Alice says that the impact of climate change causes difficulties for a greater percentage of women than men, especially those living in the city or nearby towns. She shares how difficult it is to get firewood because of deforestation in the area, and confesses that women have been beaten by their husbands for cooking late or for asking for money for charcoal or firewood.

A Ugandan woman in a red patterned dress smiles for a photo.

Alice shares that one of the impacts of climate change is also tensions over water in her village. She says, “You will find women competing for water in a nearby borehole, because streams that women used to fetch water from to help with other domestic work have dried up, and women now mainly rely on drilled water”. The borehole water is also controlled, paid for and has hours for opening for community use, and as a result women have fought or been beaten by their husbands because of delays in collecting water. Alice says, “I remember one day when I was beaten by my husband for quarrelling at the borehole site. The lady I quarrelled with is a neighbour and she discussed the issue with her husband who reported the issue to my husband. It was a very bad experience for me and I was pregnant at that time. I imagine how many women have experienced violence due to climate change the way I have.”.

Pray with us

Please remember the wives and mothers in Uganda and around the world who are dependent on firewood and wells for the daily needs of their families, especially as these resources become more difficult to access due to deforestation and climate change. We pray for peace and collaboration in their communities.

Pray for those at risk of domestic violence, exacerbated by the pressures of climate change and poverty. Pray that God’s justice will flow, and that in the face of climate breakdown, people will still be treated with respect and dignity.

We thank God for the work of JLH in coming alongside these women in faith and in practice, helping them plant trees, construct safer stoves and even installing new community wells.

Karen Name: Naw Bah Blute Paw
Thai Name: Khun Mayuree
2nd year student in the Karen Theology Programme, Siloam Bible Institute, Thailand

How are environmental issues affecting you as a young woman and your hopes for the future?

Across Thailand and the world, natural resources and agriculture are decreasing; I see the cutting down of many trees in my home village, and even the water does not seem clean anymore.

Therefore, as a young woman, I feel it is important to preserve what God has created for us. All of us need to do our part to conserve the environment, in the best way possible.

I feel in the future that if we do not look after nature and the environment, it may not exist anymore. This is something that I think and pray about often. The added benefit of looking after the environment is the produce that we grow ourselves, which we can share with others, and it tastes delicious.
Along with my friends and fellow students at Siloam, we are trying to take care of and maintain God’s beautiful creation that he has given to us.

Pray with us

Pray for young people around the world to have hope in God for their futures and to become leaders in their communities who will pave the way in restoring the damage done to God’s creation.

We thank God for the integral training being provided to young people at the Siloam Bible Institute, helping them to see and respond to God’s love for all that he has made.

A Thai Karen woman in a pink dress smiling.

Sahara Mishra, Human Development Community Services, Nepal

A Nepali woman wearing an orange scarf and a black coat

How are environmental problems, including climate change, impacting local communities, especially women?

There are profound and disproportionate impacts of environmental problems, including climate change, on local communities in Nepal, particularly affecting women. Changes in weather patterns, water scarcity and natural disasters have disrupted agricultural cycles, livelihood diversity, health and hygiene. Women, who often play a pivotal role in agriculture, other income-generating work and household management, bear the brunt of these challenges. These environmental crises have increased their workload and exacerbated the existing gender inequalities, as women’s time for education and income-generating activities diminishes, being compelled to [invest more time] in household management.

The weather extremes, especially exposure to heat, are associated with pre-term birth, low birth weight and stillbirth. Additionally, increased natural disasters such as floods and landslides have threatened women’s safety and health, heightening the risks of their displacement, gender-based violence, losing their source of income and making them prone to trafficking and marginalisation within their own communities as well. The impact of the environmental crisis is multifaceted and multidimensional and requires gender-responsive strategies to address all the issues.

Pray with us

Women in the world, irrespective of geographical and territorial boundaries, social status or age, have been affected in many ways by environmental crises. Please join Sahara in praying that God may provide comfort, refuge and guidance to overcome the difficulties women are facing knowingly or unknowingly, through careful stewarding of creation and adaptation and mitigation responses and strategies.

Claire Bedford, BMS pharmacist, Guinebor II Hospital (G2), Chad

How have environmental sustainability initiatives impacted the local community, especially women?

The recently installed solar power system at G2 Hospital, which added on to the existing solar power available at the hospital, has enabled us to have enough energy to light and ventilate the new women’s ward that opened a couple of months ago. It’s also ensured that we can provide more consistent and reliable electricity to the maternity unit. Wonderfully, women can now always give birth with adequate lighting and they are also able to be hospitalised in a well-lit and ventilated ward. This all means a more positive and comfortable experience for women accessing healthcare at G2 Hospital.

A woman stands in the grounds of a hospital in Chad

Pray with us

Please pray that pregnant Chadian women would access pre-natal care as early as possible in their pregnancy and also come into hospital as soon as possible if there’s a problem with their pregnancy or they are in labour.

We thank God that improving the environmental sustainability at G2 Hospital also means that pregnant women and their babies can benefit from improved treatment conditions.

An important lesson that I think climate change is teaching us, is that ‘caring for the environment’ is directly related to ‘caring for people’. Or in other words, being a good steward of God’s creation also translates to loving your neighbour. ‘Green’ initiatives have often been viewed as something based primarily on a concern for the non-human elements of creation and perhaps only obliquely related to a concern for our fellow humans. Now we are beginning to grasp that what is genuinely good for ‘the environment’ is also genuinely good for us.

I hope this story will help guide your prayers for COP28. For more prayers during the course of the conference, head to the BMS Facebook page and give us a follow!

Praying for this? Click here

Words by Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator
*OECD Survey on Environmental Policies and Individual Behaviour Change (EPIC), 2022, 2011
^**USAID Climate change and Gender Fact Sheet, https://www.oecd.org/dac/gender-development/46460915.pdf

Turning lament into an anthem

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On April 21, BMS World Mission will be joining Christian Climate Action at The Big One, to stand up for God’s creation. BMS’ Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, Laura-Lee Lovering, shares her thoughts on transforming our laments for creation into action.

What if I told you that global warming, loss of biodiversity, ecological breakdown, all of these, were not the greatest threats to human existence? You might think I’m not the best fit for the title of Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator – but stick with me.

I’ve spent a lot of the last year and a half in my role – as well as the ten years before that spent serving with BMS in the Peruvian Amazon – facing the very real ways in which humanity has ship-wrecked rather than stewarded God’s creation. It’s something that is easier to deal with through compartmentalising, but which I’ve been learning to face head on with lament and repentance. It’s a crucial aspect of stewarding creation, especially for those of us in the privileged Global North, but it’s easy for repentance to become purely despair and self-deprecation. With lament there must always come hope – hope in our sovereign Lord, who has promised to conquer sin.

Laura-Lee Lovering has been serving with BMS in Peru for over ten years.

A photo of a plant in a field in Uganda.

And there has to be a connection between the groaning of creation and the sin of humanity – the humanity that God charged with stewarding the creation is different from the humanity that has destroyed it. I am in no doubt that the true existential risk to human beings is not climate change, biodiversity collapse or environmental pollution. It’s sin. Not global warming, but sin. Not the extinction of the pollinators, but sin. Not microplastics showing up in human blood, but sin. It’s because sin is at the root of so much of our reasoning and behaviour – pride, greed and laziness, for starters. Statements like “we have eight years to save the world!”, referring to the cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions that are estimated to be required by 2030 to “keep us on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees”, need to be considered most soberly, I think, by Christians across the world.

So what does that mean for us? Are we to passively sit back and wait for divine intervention to solve the environmental crises? The classic joke of the drowning man turning away two boats and a helicopter because God will rescue him comes to mind! In reality, God has already saved us in Christ and now we must take an active part in not only rejecting sin in our own lives, but also standing up for those suffering the injustices caused by sin – following in the footsteps of Jesus himself. Turning our lament for creation into a song of thanksgiving for our God, and into an anthem cry for those whose voices go unheard.

And it’s for this reason my UK colleagues at BMS will be joining Christian Climate Action (CCA) and many others at The Big One on 21 April (I’d be there myself if travel constraints allowed!). We see this as an opportunity to show that the Church’s light in the world has not gone out, nor has the salt of the earth lost its saltiness. This is our chance to stand in solidarity with those whose voices often go unheard, the oppressed, the real-life people who are suffering because of a world chained to overconsumption, greed and selfishness. And we would love it if you could join us there (not only to help us hold up our banner!). CCA is planning a pilgrimage to Parliament Square (you can find more details on their website) and the hope is to gather together 100,000 people in peaceful protest. So, if you’ve got a free day, why not consider meeting us there? And if you can’t make it on the day, you can always join me by praying while the pilgrimage is taking place. Give thanks to our God who is in control and through whose divine power we have been given everything we need to be good neighbours in a groaning world that he created for us all.

Join us on April 21st!

We would so love for you to join us in standing together for climate justice on Friday April 21. You can find out all the information about The Big One, and other ways your can get involved in the event, on the Christian Climate Action website. If you plan on joining us on the day, get in touch with Matty Fearon on mfearon@bmsworldmission.org to find out more details.

Want to join us? Click here!

COP27: where creation and lament meet

COP27: where lament meets creation

News from the climate emergency frontline

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Ahead of the global summit on climate change, BMS World Mission’s Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator Laura-Lee Lovering charts her hopes and despairs one year deeper into her role.

Download Laura-Lee's latest prayer for COP27 (Adaptation and Agriculture)

In a few days’ time, almost 200 world leaders, plus activists, non-governmental organisation representatives and perhaps even the odd surprised tourist, will congregate in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, for the 27^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP27. Around about this time last year, the UK was gearing up to host COP26 in Glasgow and I was three months into the role of BMS Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator. But how do COP27 and God’s creation intersect?

Drawing knowledge from God's word

Regardless of how you might feel about climate change and the single-issue lens on carbon emissions, the recent UN Emissions Gap Report 2022 makes it clear that the world’s governments are nowhere near to even pledging the kind of change that is considered necessary to limit global warming.

From where I sit, one year on, I will dare to say that I’m not so surprised and I don’t believe we should be. As Christians who must draw our knowledge of the human condition from within God’s creation — primarily from God’s Word — this is certainly cause for lament. But it shouldn’t diminish our hope and personal commitment.

A group of people working in a field in Peru. — Laura-Lee helped create kitchen gardens with the Awajun people of north-central Peru.

Getting back to basics

Over the last year, as I’ve started to unpack the creation stewardship role and all that it can, might or should encompass for BMS, there have been many positive moments. There were the talks I gave to my local church youth group here in Piura, Peru, which resulted in their decision to do a monthly evangelism-and-litter collection activity in the church neighbourhood. This led to an invitation to collaborate on an evening conference on “The Christian and Creation” with the Piura Baptist Youth Association. Here it became clear that many of the young people were barely aware that the Bible provided a clear foundation for environmental stewardship to counter the predominantly secular-humanist perspective they were learning in the colleges and universities.

There was the invitation to accompany Peruvian mission worker, Raquel Leon, in her ministry to the Awajun people of north-central Peru. Raquel had heard that I had done ‘environmental things’ in the low jungle of the Peruvian Amazon and thought I could assist in her integral ministry in the high jungle. So, I got back to basics, leading workshops on God’s blessing of clean water and how to keep it (and us) clean to avoid sickness, as well as God’s blessing in biodiversity and the importance of a varied diet of local fruit, nuts and vegetables to keep us healthy. I still hope to return in the next few months to follow-up with the local believers and the kitchen gardens that we created together.

A group of young people in green t-shirt — The young people from Laura-Lee's church are sharing their commitment to creation stewardship with their community.

Putting our own house in order

Then there are the UK Creation Stewardship Champions, members of our UK-based staff who volunteered to champion practical creation stewardship in our UK office back in April. As we grapple with the reality that what we in the UK consider to be a normal level of consumption of goods and energy, is one of the main drivers of environmental pollution, biodiversity loss and global warming… well, we realise that we also need to prioritise putting our own house in order.

To that end, we’ve been working on how we can improve our environmental footprint across our all UK-based operations, including our international flight mileage and energy use (which I track by calculating our organisational carbon footprint each year). We also expect to have a fully LED-lit office by the end of the year, and we hope that parts of the lawn outside the building will have been converted to wildflowers by the end of next year.

And then there have been the numerous workshops, webinars and presentations which have taken me to more places than I can count – predominantly through my laptop and the internet. One thing is clear from the many conversations: we know that we are all part of the same creation, but stewarding it well takes many different forms and we often don’t know where to start.

I’ve concluded that the best thing we can do together is to sound out the biblical principles and learn to ask ourselves the right questions: how do I impact creation and how does it impact me?

Laura Lee-Lovering inspects a fruit in the Nauta rainforest — Laura-Lee is carrying all that she has learned from her field work in Peru into online seminar rooms across the world.

Creation care and the gospel

Very recently I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to a course on “Creation Care and the Gospel” with the International Baptist Theological Seminary. It allowed me to delve into the biblical tradition of lament, specifically in the context of ecological brokenness. In human terms, lamenting is what we do when we’ve come to the end of ourselves, and hope has become a matter of faith where feelings no longer help us.

Where lament meets creation, we see that it is God who got there first upon seeing the state of the world just six chapters after he created it and declared it good. Yet even though he judged the world (and he will judge it again), he hasn’t given up hope. Instead, he carried on working and then sent his Son into the thick of things, telling us to follow him.

So, while corruption besets us on every side, outside and in, we are still called today to be witnesses in word and deed to the Creator and the Saviour of the world. Therefore, let’s not lament as the world laments, without hope. Let us lament, knowing that the God of heaven and earth laments with us, but he hasn’t given up hope and he hasn’t stopped working.

The opportunity to support Laura-Lee

You can keep sustaining all that Laura-Lee does and plans to do in her role as Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator through prayer, especially during the next two weeks of COP27. You can also support Laura-Lee financially as a 24:7 Partner. Your monthly gift can help keep alive her vital work with BMS partners around the world and allow her to keep educating the next generation of Christians in how to steward God’s creation.

Praying for this? Click here

Download Laura-Lee's prayer for COP27 to share with your church

Words by Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator.

Grains of sand

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Meet the litter picking heroes of Piura, Peru, and find out how you can join them in their mission!

When we think of Peru, we often think of lush rainforests, ancient monuments and stunning beaches. And while that’s accurate, Peruvian towns and cities struggle with the same things we do here in the UK — litter. “There’s just rubbish everywhere you look in the city,” says Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS World Mission’s Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, who moved to the city of Piura in northern Peru last year. Laura-Lee has a background in environmental science, so as well as helping BMS partners across the world embed creation stewardship initiatives into all their work, she’s keen to engage her church and community in Piura in championing creation stewardship too.

Initially, she expected some resistance. “Environmental issues are very much seen as something that’s imported from outside,” Laura-Lee explains. “It doesn’t seem crucial enough, considering the other concerns that are right in front of them.” Laura-Lee wants to encourage Peruvian Christians in understanding the biblical imperative for caring for our environment and God’s command to steward his creation. So she started small by asking the youth pastor at her church in Piura about possibly talking to the young people. And as is an ongoing theme in this story, she ended up with more than she asked for!

Laura-Lee began with running two sessions with the youth group on creation stewardship, and ended the second session by asking the young people what they thought they could do about it. After a bit of discussion, one person came up with the idea of litter picking in the neighbourhood. The suggestion perfectly met two needs, where the young people could improve their community and care for the environment at the same time. They decided to get matching t-shirts with the name of their church on them and head out once a month to pick up litter. “It’s important for me because I want the place to be clean,” says Nadia, one of the group members. “Even I can help with my ‘grain of sand’ so that everything looks better!” And the best part is, they’re doing it as proud ambassadors of their church and sharing the gospel as they go.

A group of people picking litter — These litter picking heroes are determined to help clean up their neighbourhood.

While they go out picking up rubbish, they also hand out gospel tracts and strike up conversations with passers-by about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. “We show the public that we belong to a church and that we have the responsibility to take care of the environment,” says Samuel, another member of the group. And after only a few months, they’ve already had some fruitful conversations. People have been really pleased with the impact the group are having on the community – they’ve been thanked with lots of cups of fizzy drinks from their neighbours! – and people have already shown interest in coming to church.

Even I can help with my ‘grain of sand’ so that everything looks better!

Inspired to pray? Click Here

But Laura-Lee and the litter picking heroes aren’t stopping there. Not long after the group first formed, Laura-Lee was invited to a meeting of the Piura Baptist Youth Association. She hoped she’d be asked to do some more low scale talks with local churches, but instead they asked her to plan a whole conference at the association level! It’s a big undertaking, but on 18 June they’re holding the ‘Christian and Creation’ conference, open to young people from all the Baptist churches in the Piura region. Laura-Lee will be running sessions on the theological reasoning for creation stewardship, and they’ll be joined virtually by a representative from Christian environmental charity A Rocha to share about the work they’re doing in the area. And of course, the litter picking group will also be giving a presentation on everything they’ve been doing in their local community. Their hope is that people will be inspired by the biblical imperative for creation stewardship and will be encouraged to take small steps to care for creation in their churches and communities.

A group of young people praying — Laura-Lee goes out with the group every month to provide support and pray with them.

The environmental issues faced in Peru and across the world are bigger than all of us as individuals, but the litter picking heroes of Piura would love for you to join them in their endeavours. “I would recommend that you join us. Together, as brothers and sisters, we are going to save our world,” says Nadia. So why not join them and start up a litter picking group at your church? Or why not pray for the ‘Christian and Creation’ conference this weekend? You’ll find a whole list of prayer points below. Tackling creation stewardship individually can be daunting, but if we join together as a Global Church, we might just have enough grains of sand to make a difference.

Could you pray?

Please pray for the ‘Christian and Creation’ conference on Saturday 18 June.

Invitations and flyers have been sent to all the Baptist Churches in Piura and the Christian student network that serves the universities – pray for good attendance of young people and church leaders.
Pray for good internet and functioning equipment on the day, so that Andrea Regalado, from A Rocha Peru, will be able to participate successfully via Zoom.
Pray for Laura-Lee as principal speaker, that God will use her to inspire the young people attending to take action for creation stewardship in their churches.
Give thanks for the work of the Piura Baptist Youth Association, making this and other events possible throughout the year. Pray that the association leaders would be encouraged and inspired to keep working for the building-up of young Christians in this city.

Words by Laura Durrant.

COP26: prayers for those on the edge of emergency

COP26:

Prayers for those on the edge of emergency

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Where climate change meets the most marginalised.

World leaders gather in Glasgow from this Sunday for a two-week conference – COP26 – that will shape our future and the future of the planet. As the United Nations warned in August, we are now at ‘Code Red’ for human-driven global heating.

Life on the edge where climate change meets the most marginalised is more precarious than ever. And we are convinced that addressing climate change is a matter of missiological urgency. We continue to bring you the stories we are told by the BMS World Mission workers operating on the frontline, in areas brought to their knees by the injustices of this climate emergency.

Decades of increasingly erratic rainfall renders much of Uganda’s agricultural land infertile and barely arable. Excessive unseasonal flooding and extended monsoons cuts children in Bangladesh off from schooling and vital healthcare. In Nepal increasing temperatures melt the Himalayan snow caps and extreme weather destroys live-giving harvests. In Peru, the devastation of the rainforest continues to blight communities.

The litany of stories is unceasing and accelerating. Our vision is to bring people to an experience of the abundant life that only Jesus Christ can provide. When we speak of abundant life, we think in physical terms as well as in the spiritual realm. The two are inseparably intertwined in the human experience.

As part of our commitment to this calling, in July 2021 BMS appointed Laura-Lee Lovering to the role of Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator. Laura is an environmental scientist who has been serving with BMS in Peru since 2012. These prayers of Laura’s featured here are formed not just by her Christian heart but by years of frontline experience as a scientist and at the heart of the Peruvian Amazon.

A prayer ahead of COP26

God of heaven and earth,

We praise you for the world you created, and we thank you for creating us to live and thrive together in it.

May your Spirit convict the hearts and minds of the world’s leaders attending COP26, make them conscious of their great responsibility to the generations of the present and the future and, ultimately, to you. Guide them into greater integrity and courage in their decision-making.

Unite your Church, Lord Jesus, that we would be agents of justice and hope for those who are already suffering the impacts of a changing climate, even as we repent of our part in its causes. Help us each to reflect honestly and hopefully on our own actions and teach us what needs to change.

We give thanks to you, our creator, for every good thing you have given us above and below heaven! We give thanks to you for our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in whom we have our hope.

In your holy name,
Amen.

Download the prayer and share it with your church

Laura’s prayer to make world leaders “conscious of their great responsibility to the generations of the present and the future” has never been more urgent. It is quite possibly the last opportunity to set out concrete plans to hit the targets set out at the Paris conference five years ago.

God’s intention for the earth was not for it to be exploited, but for it to produce and sustain life. To preserve God’s creation, we must limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. According to the August report from the UN, this is still possible, but only if widespread cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are made soon.

In April 2019, in collaboration with our mission workers engaged in battling the injustices of climate change, BMS signed its own Creation Stewardship Policy. As well as setting out the theological underpinning of our Christian responsibility to God’s creation, we made a number of commitments including: investing in theological and environmental education for UK based staff; implementing environmentally-conscious changes to our UK buildings and operations; and adjusting our procurement practices to reflect our commitment to creation stewardship.

As Christians living individually and corporately these commitments are a necessity – and so is prayer. Prayer is crucial in the search for long-term solutions, and we mustn’t forget the unimaginable extent of God’s love for, and power over, his creation.

A prayer for after COP26

Sovereign Lord,

We praise you as the author of history; we thank you that we can trust in your good plans and purposes for your world.

We are thankful for COP26 and the participation of the world’s leaders. We are grateful for this opportunity to have heard voices from around the world of those that are already being impacted by a changing climate.

We pray that the commitments made by our politicians and industry leaders will be upheld with transparency and integrity. May we as citizens and consumers hold our leaders to account, even whilst we commit ourselves and our churches to uphold our responsibility as stewards of God’s good creation.

For the earth is yours, Lord, and all of us in it! We praise you, God of creation, in whom we have our hope.

In your holy name,
Amen.

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Prayers by Laura-Lee Lovering.
Words by Matty Fearon.

The families you helped feed

News from this year's spring appeal

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If you gave to the BMS World Mission Feeding Families appeal, you’ve blessed the lives of countless people. BMS workers Genesis Acaye, Laura-Lee Lovering and Ruby* share the latest on how your donations have made a difference.

“I am so grateful for you,” writes Genesis. “Thank you for giving to help some of the world’s most marginalised people. Your gift is supporting families like Simon’s, who I’ve been working with here in northern Uganda.” Genesis is responding to an email we sent, asking what difference the donations to the BMS Feeding Families spring appeal have made to his work. His reply, as ever, is filled with joy at the progress of the crops lovingly cultivated by farmers he’s been supporting, and excitement for the next batch of seedlings to arrive. In the email, he tells us the story of Simon, one of the youth leaders of Pajja Baptist Church in Gulu, Uganda – and we’re hooked.

A Ugandan couple called Simon and Ketty, pictured by their house in Gulu, northern Uganda. — Simon and Ketty hoped to build a safer home for their three-year-old daughter.

Simon had long dreamt of building a house with a tin roof for his family. In his neighbourhood, it would be one of a kind. Houses in Gulu typically have grass-thatched roofs which, though beautiful and practical, are very vulnerable to wildfires. A tin roof would keep Simon, his wife Ketty and their daughter, Lakareber Faith, safe throughout the year, and especially during the dry season.

Through your incredible support of the BMS Feeding Families appeal, you raised over £39,079.97 (at the time of writing!) to help intrepid women and men like Simon to provide for their loved ones in the harshest of circumstances. In fact, more than 500 UK Christians responded to the letter we sent out, describing how raising a healthy harvest has become more and more challenging for daily wage farmers worldwide due to erratic weather patterns and the changing climate. And through BMS agricultural training that you helped fund in Uganda, Simon learnt how to grow a wide range of crops to provide for his family, protect the environment, and make his dream a reality.

“Equipped with new farming knowledge and through a lot of hard work, Simon grew and sold cabbage, soybeans and corn, and over time he raised enough money to buy iron sheets for his dream roof,” says Genesis. Simon, Ketty and Lakareber Faith have now moved into their new home. They are now better protected from erratic weather and wildfires, and they’ve inspired the rest of the village as to what is possible with the right support and skills.

“First and foremost, I want to thank the churches in UK for their support to us here in form of seeds, trainings and encouragement,” says Simon. “The trainings and support have changed me and the way I farm now… We trust God and believe that our lives will keep on improving. We will keep praying for you and pray for us too so that we can work hard and change our lives.”

Two Ugandan men laugh together in a field of crops. — "Over time [Simon] raised enough money to buy iron sheets for his dream roof,” says Genesis.

“Sometimes when you give a gift to support the work of BMS, you may not know the whole community impact. It might look small and you may not know who you are supporting. But I want to tell you that your support is actually very big. You may think your gift is only enough to help a few people — but those people will go on to help others. And so, person by person, your support is causing magnificent transformation around the world.” — BMS worker and agriculturalist, Genesis Acaye

But food shortages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis extended beyond Uganda – and so does the help that you’ve so generously given. The £39,000 total has also gone towards providing training for 40 river pastors in Peru on creation stewardship and living well. Knowledge dissemination is the key to large-scale change in the region that has been described as ‘the lungs of the Earth’. So, radio shows that your support has funded will also reach communities for an 80-mile stretch along the Amazon River. “Thank you so much for your support,” says Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS environmental scientist in Peru. “You are helping us continue working with local pastors and leaders, encouraging and equipping them to recognise the natural resources God has provided to them through the rainforest (such as food, water and medicine), and their important role as stewards of God’s good creation.”

A lady in a dark top stands against a background in the Amazon jungle. — Laura-Lee Lovering loves training pastors in Peru in creation stewardship.

A hand planting a sapling in Afghanistan. — Very little fruit is ordinarily able to grow in this area of Afghanistan.

Likewise, your giving has made a difference in the rural mountains of Afghanistan, where the winter snow melt can mean the difference between having enough to eat in the spring, or utter despair. Needless to say, there’s no supermarket to pop to for supplies when times are hard. “Thank you so much for giving so generously to the Feeding Families appeal,” says BMS mission worker and agricultural expert Ruby. Ruby is creating a ‘food forest’, with apple, pear, plum and walnut trees, and it’s already attracted the attention of families in the surrounding villages, coming to ask about how to look after fruit trees, feed and prune them. “Very little, if any, fruit is grown in this area,” explains Ruby. “So with the food forest we hope to teach people about healthy eating, as well as helping the environment by planting much-needed trees.”

Your support for the Feeding Families appeal in Afghanistan means that:

• The team will be able to run five training sessions, each for 25 local farmers, focusing on caring for fruit trees and sharing basic techniques to help the trees flourish, like composting, mulching and water management.

• Farmers will receive ‘how to’ booklets to help them grow more nutritious food.

• In the long term, families in remote villages will improve their diet and health, and have increased income through selling their excess fruit.

Thank you for supporting BMS’ Feeding Families appeal, helping precious people to adapt and thrive in a hugely difficult year. Genesis says it all, writing: “Sometimes when you give a gift to support the work of BMS, you may not know the whole community impact. It might look small and you may not know who you are supporting. But I want to tell you that your support is actually very big. You may think your gift is only enough to help a few people – but those people will go on to help others. And so, person by person, your support is causing magnificent transformation around the world. May God bless you abundantly for your gift and your prayers.”

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*Ruby’s name changed to protect identity

Words by Hannah Watson,
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.

You've done amazing things this year:

Thank you for saving lives

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You have helped more than 36,000 people in 24 countries across the globe. And you’re making a difference right now.

Yemen. Afghanistan. Chad. Nigeria. South Sudan. Bangladesh. Ghana. Mozambique. These are some of the least developed countries in the world. These are some of the places where your gifts to the BMS World Mission Coronavirus appeal are making a huge difference.

Coronavirus global response: you helped more than 36,000 people

You are part of a global effort to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19 continues to threaten livelihoods, push people further into poverty, and disproportionately impact our world’s most vulnerable communities. While the pandemic rages on, BMS will continue to respond. And we can only do that because of you.

Key facts: your response so far

You’ve helped more than 36,000 people in 24 countries across four continents
You donated more than £288,000 to the global Baptist response
You enabled BMS to give 30 relief grants so far, in our most complex and wide-reaching relief effort ever

How you have made a difference

You’ve provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline workers, given emergency food supplies, provided soap and handwashing guidance, helped to build a satellite Coronavirus hospital, provided phone credit to pastors to reach their congregations, counselled patients and frontline workers… and more! And you’re still helping right now in some of the world’s most fragile communities

Right now, you’re part of co-ordinated responses in Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Yemen, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Chad. You’re providing food parcels, hygiene supplies, face masks and medical support. You’re standing with refugee communities and displaced people who lack the basic resources they need to survive this pandemic. And you’re also helping people in South America get back on their feet by providing small grants and training for people to re-start and strengthen businesses.

The food parcel you provided for Mashura was an absolute lifeline for her whole family.

Mashura lives with her husband and three children in a small one-room house in the Satkhira District of Bangladesh. This is her story, in her own words.

“Before this pandemic, our family was doing well. I used to support my family by raising cattle and chicken. Recently, we are in a crisis of food scarcity due to this Covid-19 pandemic. Earnings are completely cut-off due to the lockdown.

“I had to sell everything because of the Coronavirus outbreak. My husband lost his work and there was not enough food for everyone. We needed help so much and we were waiting for help from someone. We prayed to God to help us.

“When this situation was going on, we heard about the [BMS-supported] project providing food items for many people in need. Thanks to the infinite grace of God, I was also included in the list of food distribution. In such a situation, after receiving this food package, my family’s food needs have been met. There is no need to go to the market with risk. Me and my family have benefited a lot.

“I would like to thank the concerned donors for their help with food during this pandemic.”

A Bangladeshi woman receives aid from BMS' Coronavirus appeal — Thanks to your support Mashura was able to feed her family.

You've provided so much across the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic

By sacrificially supporting BMS in this time of global crisis, you have partnered with Baptist organisations across the world to help where it was and is needed most.

Some of the things you made possible this year include:

Providing food and soap for 1,200 people in Uganda, who were not only facing the threat of Coronavirus but were also affected by flash floods.
Empowering 8,770 children and teachers in Mozambique to help stop the spread of Covid-19 through the provision of soap and handwashing lessons.
Ensuring medical workers in Nepal and Chad had the PPE and face masks they needed to tackle Coronavirus in their hospitals.
Providing 2,604 people in Peru with vital food parcels.
And so much more!

Coronavirus response in Bangladesh — From Bangladesh to Peru, Uganda to the Philippines, you've made a huge difference across the world by supporting our Coronavirus appeal.

Thank you for saving lives across the world during this pandemic. And thank you for enabling us to continue responding to the needs our partners are sharing with us. You really are still making a difference.

Read in-depth stories of the way your gifts to the BMS Coronavirus appeal saved lives in Afghanistan and empowered women in Mozambique on pages 8 to 11 of Engage, Issue 48.

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The accidental pastor

The accidental pastor:

One man’s incredible conversion story

Pastor Humberto’s conversion in the Peruvian Amazon is testament to God’s power to work miracles entirely independent of human intervention. Read on for the incredible story — one that teaches us that salvation comes from God alone… but that God is certainly not going to leave us on our own.

It’s a story that begins with two abandonments. One, Humberto’s slow realisation that he was considering leaving his wife just six years into their marriage – ending in her giving him an ultimatum: if he ever did go, he would never see their beloved son again. And the second, the shock of a clean break coming from left field, from a group of people who weren’t supposed to leave.

Some Christians had planted a church in Pastor Humberto’s village of Nanay, on a tributary of the Amazon river, only to announce they were making a trip further downstream. They needed a trustworthy man to look after the keys to the church while they were gone.

Their trip away ended up saving Humberto’s marriage.
He just didn’t expect that the missionaries would never come back.

Pastor Humberto holds up the keys he was handed to an empty church. He is wearing a blue t-shirt. Behind him is the green door of the church, and the blue and white painted wall. — Pastor Humberto holds the keys to the church that he never expected to run.

Humberto’s wife had been growing more and more interested in the message taught at the new church. Not willing to let go of the man she loved, she’d also begun to invite him along to meetings there with their son. While at first dismissive, Humberto soon realised that if he could prove himself as an indispensable help, could reliably open the church for morning prayer, light the candles as needed, and shut it up at night, then perhaps his wife would reconsider the ultimatum hanging over their relationship.

And when every other man in the village asked to look after the church keys claimed busyness – “my business won’t run itself”, “every day?”, “I’m needed at my farm on Sundays” – well, Humberto’s offer seemed really quite dedicated.

Two boats on a rainy river where BMS works in the Peruvian Amazon.

Pastor Humberto sits on his boat, where BMS World Mission works in the Peruvian Amazon.

But, while this story begins with two abandonments, it doesn’t end that way. The missionaries never came back – called back to their home country or preferring to begin again in a new village, Humberto never found out. But his change in character touched his wife. He heard God’s prompting to look at her again in a new light, as the wife of his youth, a woman whose inner beauty outshone all others. And his daily visits to church made peeling open the pages of a Bible, once the object of complete disinterest, an irresistible temptation. “Once I’d opened the Bible, I couldn’t close it,” says Humberto, remembering how he read all four gospels in one day. In the absence of the missionaries, a village whose hunger for God’s Word had been stirred needed a pastor. “You preach for us Humberto!” was the persistent plea.

Pastor Humberto has come a long way from his first sermon preached from the Sermon on the Mount. For a brand-new pastor and Christian, quoting the words of his new Lord seemed a good place to start. But Humberto knew that without teaching, he’d never learn to craft a sermon, confidently explain the gospel or understand large portions of Scripture. At his own admission, people from that stretch of the river haven’t received the same opportunities that others enjoy closer to the city. So, when Humberto received his first invitation to a teaching series at the BMS-supported Nauta Integral Mission Training Centre (NIMTC), there could be no-one more grateful, enthusiastic or encouraged. “There are pastors who didn’t finish primary school,” Humberto explains. “They can’t read, let alone read the Bible. Look at me – I was handed the keys to an empty church, and then – nothing. I had no preparation. That’s why Nauta’s training programme is so important.”

Could you give?

Support leadership ministries today

God changed Pastor Humberto’s life in a miraculous way. And though he began his Christian life by discovering Jesus’ call on his own, God didn’t leave him alone. He brought BMS’ leadership ministries into his life and Pastor Humberto has never looked back.

Give today, and you’ll support people around the world in their walk with Christ, whether that’s inviting them to come to him for the first time, or coming alongside them when they think they’re completely alone.

Humberto has been so encouraged by the investment shown to him by BMS supporters, but in equal measure, he’s encouraged the team out in Peru. Having quickly caught the vision for the programme, Humberto and his son have both gone through the Nauta training course. Humberto has also been invited back to encourage other pastors, sharing how the centre allowed him to develop the vision God gave him for ministry and business in his local community. Beginning with very little, Humberto was inspired by the very practical training given to pastors about how they could provide for themselves, their families and communities by running sustainable businesses. His fish farm, established after the training, provides financial blessing amongst the spiritual joys this incredible man has known since coming to Christ. And because everyone loves a love story – yes, Humberto and his wife’s marriage has flourished, united by the love of Jesus. Together, their love, enthusiasm and encouragement pour outwards, blessing those around them.

A wooden hut next to a manmade lake in the Peruvian Amazon. — Pastor Humberto's fish farm is flourishing in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon.

Pastor Humberto stands on a bridge at his property in the Peruvian Amazon. — “Here, when it rains, we have water. When the sun rises, we have light. We get by, but we have nothing here. Nothing.”

It’s hard to underestimate just what a difference BMS mission workers Laura-Lee Lovering, Dave and Michele Mahon and the rest of the team at NIMTC have made in Humberto’s life. But all of that love and support came through and from you.

Thank you for supporting BMS’ leadership ministries. And thank you for showing Christians like Humberto that God never leaves them on their own.

The Nauta Integral Mission Training Centre (NIMTC) is run by BMS World Mission workers from the UK and from Peru and is the fulfilment of a dream of many river pastors to receive theological training and Christian support. It’s hope in the jungle. Pastors like Humberto are not only trained in theology, they’re also equipped to help with the health and development of their own very rural villages, which are only accessible by boat.

Alongside in-depth Bible study and prayer, they learn about agroforestry and how to care for the environment; they learn about budgeting; and they learn basic health and hygiene skills — how to prevent illnesses and how to treat them.

Words: Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

From the corners of the world

From the corners of the world:

The incredible workers you support

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The pastor who embraced a town in mourning. The passionate teacher carving a brighter future. The man holding the doors of justice open for the oppressed. This is BMS World Mission. These are the workers your support.

A pastor who embraced a town in mourning

Pastor Amilcar is one of the kindest people you could meet. He can’t walk ten paces through the streets of Pisac, Peru without locals stopping to kiss him on both cheeks. He’s got a kind word for everybody, asking after relatives and how business is going. He’s not from this town, but Pastor Amilcar’s gentle reflection of Jesus’ love for this place has meant that, one by one, people here have come to know Christ. Taking Amilcar almost by surprise, a fledgling church has formed in Pisac, borne out of his witness. This village in the Andes is a long, meandering drive from the city of Cusco, where Pastor Amilcar faithfully leads his congregation. So why would a busy pastor embrace such an unassuming place, over an hour away?

Pisac may be a small town, but it’s got a heavy history. In 2010, a flood broke the banks of the Vilcanota river, which splices its way through the Sacred Valley of the Incas in which the town is nestled. You can feel the water’s power each time you cross the bridge connecting the two sides of the town. The flood killed 12 people, many of them parents to young children. This is why Pastor Amilcar is drawn back to Pisac. He’s committed to mourning with families who are still recovering.

“After the tragedy, people needed help. They needed clothes and food, but all these things were temporary. People really needed help that would last,” says Pastor Amilcar. That help has come in the form of sharing Jesus’ love with people in Pisac, but Pastor Amilcar knows he couldn’t do anything he does without BMS supporters. “Thank you for your love for people you don’t know. God bless you. Because of your support, families here will have their lives transformed.”

A Peruvian man. — Pastor Amilcar has spent the last ten years spreading Jesus' love in the Peruvian town of Pisac.

This is what your support of BMS’ church planting ministry looks like. It looks like life springing from the shadow of death. It looks like supporting Pastor Amilcar. It looks like embracing a town in mourning.

The passionate teacher carving a brighter future

Esther Sarker’s Facebook feed is a riot of colour. She’s always posting craft ideas, visual aids and activities for children – a kind of digital mood board for her job. Some people are born to teach, and Esther is one of them. It’s clear from the way she convulses into giggles at some of the funny things her pupils say. From the student workbooks she’s meticulously illustrated by hand. And from the compassion she radiates when she finds out that one of her pupils from a poor, rural area in Bangladesh only owns one outfit to wear to school.

A Bangladeshi woman with a Bangladeshi child. — Your support means that Esther is able to bring children in Bangladesh a brighter future.

Esther is a recent recruit to the Social Health and Education board of the Bangladeshi Baptist Church Sangha. It’s a project transforming futures for Bangladesh’s children, starting at the very youngest age, by equipping local teachers to provide preschool education to marginalised areas.

For Louise Proctor, BMS’ Educational Consultant heading up the project, Esther’s input has been indispensable. She understands the local context that Louise has had to adapt to over four years. “Esther can get more of a real picture of what’s happening,” says Louise. “She’s starting to build up relationships with the teachers, and we’re hoping that they’ll begin to open up more to her, and share their stories and difficulties.”

Esther’s faith infuses everything she does. It’s important to her that Hindu and Muslim children, as well as Christian kids, are getting to know who Jesus is through the witness of the preschools. “We can spread that light,” says Esther. “Our society has needs. And rural areas have little chance to access education. If our country wants to develop, then children are our future.” Jesus taught that space should be made for little children to come to him. And by supporting BMS education projects, you enable teachers like Esther who take that teaching seriously – teachers who love their jobs, who love Jesus, and who want to share his love with the children they teach.

The man holding the doors of justice open for the oppressed

Luis Alfredo Manjate is a man with a plan. As the Executive Director of BMS partner the Mozambican Association of Christian Lawyers, he wants nothing more (and nothing less) than to turn the Mozambican justice system around, and ensure people’s rights are upheld. Excited to have found a calling where he can marry his profession as a lawyer with his faith, Luis is passionate about working for a Christian organisation which holds the doors to justice open for widows, for orphans, for the vulnerable. And with an arresting gaze, and a smile that creeps in at the corners of his mouth when he wants to check he’s being understood, Luis is a lawyer you’d want on your side faced with any kind of trouble. “It’s a great privilege to be here in an environment where you can talk about God,” Luis says. There are cases he’s received, where, instead of turning reflexively to litigation and courthouse disputes, he’s been able to resolve the conflict by giving advice, praying for the parties involved and sharing the Word of God. For Luis, bringing justice means bringing peace.

“The support that has been given to us has meant we can make justice real to people,” Luis says, as he thanks all BMS supporters who have helped make his work possible. “The privilege we have of providing justice for people is being fulfilled.” By supporting BMS justice ministries, you’re binding up the broken-hearted and bringing peace to the oppressed. You’re sharing God’s love with people when they need it most. And you’re fuelling workers like Luis who have their hearts set on serving God and the people made in his image.

A Mozambican man — “The support that has been given to us has meant we can make justice real to people,” says Luis Manjate.

Your support is going even further…

If you’ve donated to the BMS Coronavirus appeal, then you’ve helped provide food parcels, hygiene products and other necessities to vulnerable families in Peru, Bangladesh and Mozambique. Thank you so much for your incredible generosity. If you haven’t donated yet, then give today and be part of the global Coronavirus response.

Originally published in Issue 47 of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.
Words by Hannah Watson.

A Nation in Exile

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Threatened, bereaved, kidnapped: these are the stories of resilient Venezuelan settlers in Lima, Peru. They represent just some of the people caught up in the second largest refugee crisis in the world, a mass exodus of five million, living in exile across the globe.

Smiling faces welcome people into a church full of joyful chatter. It’s nine o’clock in the morning, and the mouth-watering aroma of cornflour patties reaches every corner, wafting its way over to children who are singing and dancing to Christmas tunes. These delicious fried buns, otherwise known as ‘arepas’, leak melted cheese and tasty ham. Breakfast is served.

Arepas are a taste of home and staple comfort food for the 100 Venezuelan asylum seekers here today at the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Lima (First Baptist Church of Lima) in Peru. Working in tandem with the Peruvian Baptist Convention (CEBP), BMS World Mission workers Daniel and Regiane Clark chose this centrally located church to host a social action event dedicated to supporting Venezuelan settlers.

Every room in this large church offers a free service, thanks to Regiane’s careful planning. In the central hall is an experienced doctor, with a volunteer dentist checking people’s teeth and teaching children good oral hygiene. Upstairs sit psychologists, expert lawyers and a physiotherapist, all offering advice and a listening ear. Outside, volunteers host children’s games and even a puppet show. Everyone has given up their Saturday to serve.

And what volunteers offer their Venezuelan guests today provides a striking contrast with what they’ve left behind. “We couldn’t find any food in the supermarkets,” says Carmen Mora, a mother of three who arrived in Lima in January 2019. “You needed to get up early to join the queue. You’d stay there until 6pm – and then the food would have run out.”

A Venezuelan woman. — Arepas are a taste of home for so many Venezuelan refugees.

A male dentist in a mask. — A crowd of children watch a volunteer dentist in action.

Carmen is one of the 800,000 Venezuelans who have fled political persecution and desperate poverty to arrive in Peru, a country now home to the second largest population of Venezuelan refugees after Colombia. “The idea was to come to Peru, earn a living to send back home and then return when the situation improved,” explains Daniel, who heads up a BMS-supported Baptist Seminary in Lima. “But now they have no hope of returning to Venezuela. Or there’s nothing for them to go back to.”

Carmen decided to leave when her home’s electricity, gas and water were cut off. She gathered her children and grandchildren to take a series of buses across Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. It took a terrifying and uncertain six days. Her eldest son and her husband remained, her son wanting to complete his studies and her husband committed to working at a company he’d been loyal to for 25 years. “But then my husband started to get ill,” Carmen explains. “They said he had a type of hepatitis. But it was pancreatic cancer. With the lack of treatment there – everything was so expensive – he died.” There was no way Carmen, a Venezuelan with an unresolved refugee status, could leave Peru to attend the funeral. “But my faith in the Lord has strengthened me,” Carmen says. “Please pray for my son who stayed in Venezuela, that God would console him.”

Today might be the closest to home that people like Carmen have felt in years. “When you’re with other Venezuelans – it makes me feel at peace,” says fellow settler Barbara Marquez. Christmas has turned her thoughts back to her homeland. “I’ve laughed all day, had a chance to celebrate. This has been a rollercoaster, but I thank God for your support. It brings the feeling of heaven just that little closer to earth.”

Barbara is just 26 years old. Her dream one day is to travel, to embark on a very different type of voyage to the one she felt forced to take across Latin America. “I left my mum, my dad, my home, my whole life,” she explains. “The journey was dangerous because of the street riots. And everything was so expensive.” Barbara and her husband sold everything they had. “You want to take everything and everyone with you. Even the dog!” She laughs a little, brushing away tears. “But it was the right decision.”

A Venezuelan woman with her two young daughters. — Barbara jokingly introduces her children: “This is Victoria – she’s three and is Venezuelan. And here’s Valeria – she’s one and is Peruvian.”

And it’s events like these that have helped Barbara feel her difficult choice was the right one. Her face lights up as her three-year-old daughter brings her a large bowl of food supplies. She picks up the items one by one to show the girls; arepas, cooking oil, gelatine, lentils, pasta and milk, each accompanied by an excited exclamation: “Look!” She also took her youngest daughter, Valeria, to the doctor at today’s event. Valeria struggles with a condition called hip dysplasia. “They say her hips are aligning,” Barbara says, delighted. “God is healing her!”

But leaving the past behind hasn’t been easy. “My eldest son was kidnapped,” says Diana*, visibly shaken as she recounts the events. “They only kept him for two hours, but after that he was traumatised.” As a university student, he’d been taken away in a car and interrogated by political investigators before they decided he was no threat and released him. Her son decided to leave for Peru immediately. Diana felt like she might never see him again.

Two Venezuelan girls. — Volunteers host games that give children a chance to be children again.

Diana and her husband gave up their electrical engineering business to sell food on the streets of the Peruvian capital so they could be reunited with their son. “As a business owner it’s so hard to start again at zero,” she explains. “Many of us have studied at university. But because we don’t have any documents, we can’t find proper work.” For legal employment, asylum seekers need to have refugee status, for which the waiting list is becoming increasingly long.

But hope is emerging. The day before the event, Brazil began a process to accept Venezuelan asylum seekers as refugees. The news left Robert, a professional Taekwondo coach who has been seeking political asylum for three years reeling with excitement. He hopes that soon neighbouring countries like Peru will begin the same process.

A woman in a blue top. — “I’m so grateful to God. He’s supplying all we need to help,” says Dorcas.

The gathering is the second of its kind, and Regiane and Daniel, along with the CEBP would not have been able to organise it without your support. “It’s with your help that we’ve been able to do campaigns like this. It’s incredible that total strangers help from so far away,” says Pastor Homero, President of the CEBP’s social action projects. “There is so much need here. It’s all done in the name of the Lord. It leads people to Christ.”

Supporting hundreds of thousands of refugees is a mountain of a task for Peruvians to tackle alone. “We don’t have all the resources here,” says Dr Dorcas Gambini, a psychologist who is volunteering her time to counsel those who need support today. But when God’s people work together, he makes seemingly immovable mountains move. “You heard us and offered us help. Together we are praying and doing,” says Dorcas.

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Originally published in Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.

Women of God, past and present

International Women’s Day:

Women of God, past and present

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Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, we’re celebrating great women, past and present. With the help of BMS World Mission workers Louise Lynch in Bangladesh and Laura-Lee Lovering in Peru, we’re taking you back in time, to remember three incredible women in mission history.

Brave BMS missionaries made history in the 19th and 20th centuries, setting off courageously for places they’d only read about. Travelling for months to reach the shores of India, Bangladesh or China, many didn’t plan on making it back. We’ve heard the stories of great men like William Carey and William Knibb. But what about the women? We asked two of our mission workers, the fabulous Louise and Laura, what they made of these extraordinary, and all too often forgotten women.

Introducing…

Hannah Marshman (1767 – 1847): “Outstanding among the wives”

Noted as being “outstanding among the missionaries’ wives,” Hannah Marshman was more than just a wonderful spouse as remembered in her obituary.

Recorded as being the first female missionary in India, this passionate woman single-handedly set up a boarding school and became a pioneer of education for Bengali girls. The school went on to fund Baptist missionary work in the area. All this while becoming fluent in Bengali and having 12 children!

Hannah Marshman died in 1847, remembered as “having consecrated her life and property to the promotion of this sacred cause and exhibited an example of humble piety and energetic benevolence for forty-seven years”.

Louise and Laura, how would you feel about being remembered as a “missionary’s wife”!?

Louise: I feel for Hannah. But I think I know how she feels. Here in Bangladesh I’m normally introduced as ‘Peter’s wife’.

I like the fact that Hannah just got on and did things. You have to remind yourself that actions speak louder than words. And having said that, my contribution is respected here.

Laura: I’m a single girl, so the whole idea that I’d come under the title of someone’s appendage is mildly insulting.

But, there’s nothing wrong with just doing the work regardless of the title. That’s what really liberates people. Many women here have laboured on and not worried about the title. Time and time again, they’ve been praised. That’s inspired me. It’s about what you do and how you’re able to show God’s love.

A BMS World Mission worker smiling into the camera. — BMS worker Louise Lynch serves alongside local Baptist churches in Bangladesh.

What do you think of these women missionaries of the 19th century?

Louise: I have utter respect for the people that have gone ahead of us. We wonder how people managed to live, with the heat and the mosquitoes, trying to keep themselves healthy – let alone do anything!

And many women missionaries are talked about with fond regard in Bangladesh. They are the ones that people name.

Laura: I’m completely in awe of them! With all the diseases, they didn’t have all the vaccines, they certainly didn’t have a health insurance number to call. Some had children whilst out there, just from a biological point of view it was difficult – then you add in everything else!

I’d like to think that I would have been brave enough to go on mission 100, 200 years ago. I really respect the fact that when they went out, they went out for good.

Introducing…

A black and white picture of a woman with the words Dr Ellen Farrer above and Processed by BMS underneath.

Dr Ellen Farrer (1865 – 1959): “First in her field”

Overcoming the prejudice faced by working women of the era, Dr Ellen Farrer began to challenge society’s disapproval when she was accepted by the Baptist Zenana Mission in India as its first female doctor. The mission reached out to Hindu women from the wealthier classes, who were secluded in zenanas – private apartments to segregate female family members from the rest of society. She soon won the trust and love of these women, who preferred to be seen by a female doctor. Administering aid during a famine, fighting annual outbreaks of the bubonic plague, expanding the dispensary she worked at into a hospital and translating textbooks for nurses and midwives were just some of Ellen’s achievements during her incredible lifetime in India.

Celebrate International Women’s Day in your church!

It’s International Women’s Day next Sunday 8 March so we’ve made a great PowerPoint resource with all these amazing stories for you to share in your church! Download the PowerPoint and inspire your church family with stories of these incredible women from BMS’ past and present!

Download the PowerPoint!

Would you have any advice for women looking to go on overseas mission?

Louise: There are some real practical challenges. But I think there’s a huge advantage to being a woman in mission. You can talk to other women and have an impact on their lives. Letting women help me dress up in a sari has been a great way of opening up conversations. My advice is to walk with the people, experience their life, their frustrations. I have to manage the difficulties around some of the cultural protocols, but people here have a lovely attitude and I get given lots of opportunity.

Laura: Don’t fixate on being a woman on overseas mission. We’re not here to fight for women’s liberation, we’re here to see the kingdom of God be extended. And if through that we can show to both men and women that women have a big part to play, then great! But that’s not the main reason.

The best thing you can do is be who you are, do a good job and bless people. Let them see that God is using you. That’s the strongest message for women – and for men.

Introducing…

A black and white picture of a woman with the words Dr Ellen Clow above and Processed by BMS underneath.

Dr Ellen Clow (1901 – 1984) “Determined to make a difference”

A kick-ass surgeon and incredibly brave lady to boot, Dr Ellen Clow devoted her life to mission in China. Unperturbed by the Japanese invasion of the north of the country, it was reported that Ellen remained at The Women’s Hospital in Taiyuan where she worked despite being “menaced by soldiers and looters” in raid after raid.

Even the news that a shell had destroyed a bedroom she’d vacated earlier that day couldn’t persuade Ellen to leave, and as the hospital building shook and rattled, a patient grabbed Ellen’s hand and said, “You are good to stay with us.” Many women in the region were said to have owed their lives to her skill. Ellen’s commitment to God’s mission in China and Hong Kong was unwavering throughout her life, and she returned twice to serve overseas before her death in 1984.

Feeling inspired?

Have these inspiring women encouraged you to explore your calling overseas? Check out our current overseas vacancies and get in touch with our team today!

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Answers from God

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Lives are restored, fellowships flourish, abundant life flows. This is what happens when we speak to God. This is what happens when we pray together.

Mission is powered by prayer. That’s why we encourage you to pray with us, asking God to move mountains overseas and at home. And your prayers have been working in powerful and wonderful ways. Here are just a few stories about how God has been faithful. Thank you for praying.

1. Anointed and far from disappointed

On the road to Macchu Picchu, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, lies a small village called Pisac. BMS-supported Pastor Amilcar is planting a church against a backdrop of the majestic Andes mountains, where local Baptist pastors feel that many don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus.

A photo of Pastor Amilcar with an arrow to the mountains of Pisac. — Pastor Amilcar heads up BMS-planted church "El Puente" in Cusco. Now he's gone from the city of Cusco to the mountains to plant a church in the village of Pisac.

Remember when we asked you to pray for Pastor Amilcar? He had also been praying, for a new leader for this new church plant. But as his fellowship was so new, he wasn’t sure any of them felt confident enough to take on a leadership role.

In December, an answer to prayer emerged as a dedicated member, Joseph, expressed an interest in studying God’s Word and becoming a church leader. “The life of a pastor can be really lonely sometimes,” says Pastor Amilcar. “But now I have a partner.” Praise God!

2. Unforgotten in the floods

After floods destroyed homes, crops and livelihoods across Bangladesh last year, we asked you to pray with us for a swift recovery, that food supplies would reach those with the most need. Thanks to your prayers and support, BMS partner Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS) was able to supply food parcels in Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shiragonj and in the Hill Tract area, where mudslides devastated lives. “When we arrived, people said nobody had come to help them,” says John Karmakar, Assistant General Secretary of BBCS. “But BMS quickly sent aid.”

“Most days feel like an answer to prayer!``

We also asked you to pray for BMS workers Louise and Peter Lynch, who work with BBCS and went out to help during the recovery efforts. “The distribution of help and the delight of recipients was very moving,” says Louise. “Most days feel like an answer to prayer!”

A map of Bangladesh highlighting Dhaka and the Hill Tracts area.

Louise and Peter Lynch singing a worship song in Bangla

3. French Connexion

We know that many faithful members of the BMS family in the UK have prayed for more young people in France to be transformed by Jesus’ love since we asked you to remember them. And we’re delighted to report that that is what is happening. French Christian youth camp “Connexion” took off in October with 460 people in attendance! Action Team France, a group of four young people on a BMS gap year, were amongst the volunteers.

Four young people in fancy dress with cakes behind them. — Team France: Hamish Rice, Jennie Lockett, Ruth McCormick and Bridget Turner

The event was all about seeing young people engage with God. “People were surprised to see that we chose to spend our gap year serving God in France, when we could have just gone travelling,” says Hamish. “They were excited to see young mission workers.” The team also led last year’s Christmas service, at the church in Gif-sur-Yvette, where BMS worker Christine Kling is minister. Over a hundred people attended, filling the building to capacity. What an incredible answer to prayer!

4. Bringing the world into churches

We wanted UK churches to hear what their prayer and financial support was achieving directly from the people who were doing the work. But getting visas to visit the UK is not always easy. Sometimes we even doubted whether our workers from Uganda (Benon Kayanja and Genesis Acaye) and Mozambique worker (Carlos Tique Jone) would be allowed to visit churches in this country. So, we prayed. And we asked you to pray.

Three BMS mission workers looking at the camera and smiling. — Three incredible BMS mission workers: Carlos Tique Jone from Mozambique, Benon Kayanja from Uganda and Genesis Acaye, also from Uganda.

We waited months, weeks, without permission for all of our African friends to enter the UK. And then, in God’s time, the visas were granted, and Benon, Carlos and Genesis set off to visit churches across the UK, telling people about the amazing impact they are having through BMS work overseas. “Without you BMS wouldn’t be able to do this work,” says Genesis, who helps farmers get the most from their crops in Uganda. “Really, you are doing the work.” Genesis loves to thank BMS supporters. And we want to join the churches our overseas workers visited in thanking them!

“Thank you so much for bringing Carlos to Park Baptist Church,” says Elizabeth, the BMS representative from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. “He was an inspiration.”

5. The magnificent six

We’ve been asking you to pray for more people to serve in Chad for years, and now, we’re so happy to give you the praise report of six wonderful workers for Guinebor II, a BMS-supported hospital in Chad. Six wonderful people, all serving as long-term BMS workers in this marginalised and under-evangelised country.

With the existing G2 team, they’ll deliver healthcare to 19,000 people a year. Please continue to pray as we urgently need a second surgeon for this busy hospital.

The magnificent six are:
1. Bethan Shrubsole – developmental music therapist
2. Gareth Shrubsole – G2 hospital manager
3. Mel Spears – health specialist
4. Tom Spears – GP
5. Brian Chilvers – nurse
6. Jackie Chilvers – nurse

Three photos of three mission worker couples — Another answer to prayer is actually six answers - six mission workers for Guinebor II mission hospital in Chad.

With the existing G2 team, they’ll deliver healthcare to 19,000 people a year. Please continue to pray as we urgently need a second surgeon for this busy hospital.

Prayer warriors unite!

Want to see even more prayers answered? Join us!
We are so excited to invite you to the annual BMS Day of Prayer on Sunday 9 February. Join us as we pray for BMS projects, partners and mission workers across the world. Whatever your style of prayer, whether using Bible reflections, sung worship, using creative prayer spaces, individually or in a group, we’d love you to join us.

You can find all the BMS Day of Prayer resources you need. Let us know what you’re praying for on Twitter and Facebook. We would find it so encouraging. We’re so grateful for everyone who prays for our work and we know God will do incredible things thanks to you.

Praying for this? Click here

Words by Melanie Webb.

From 2009-2019: The lives you’ve transformed

From 2009-2019:

The lives you’ve transformed

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God’s done incredible things through your support over the past ten years. Join us as we look back on the last decade of BMS World Mission work, to revisit some of the wonderful people whose lives you’ve changed forever.

2009: Bringing the light of God to France

Two pages from a magazine next to a pen pot on a table.

Back in 2009, Engage magazine looked a little different! Way back in Issue 4 of Engage, we caught up with BMS workers John and Sue Wilson, serving in France, who introduced us to four people who had come to Christ through your support!

2010: Fighting drug addiction in Thailand

A man in front of a sign. — Our 2010 Harvest appeal video, Redemption, introduced us to Deekley, who was fighting his opium addiction to help his family.

We visited our partners the Thai Karen Baptist Convention back in 2010, to meet some people you helped raise out of addiction. Your generous gifts were used to buy medicine for recovering addicts, as well as fertiliser which helped give addicts and their families a way to grow food and fight poverty.

2011: Planting seeds of faith in Peru

A man stands in a field. — Your support helped Peruvian flood victims replant their crops in 2011.

You came with us to Peru in 2011, and we showed you the village of Yucay where 350 people lost their homes and 400 farming families lost their crops after devastating flooding. But your support for these families allowed us to provide seeds for them to plant and rebuild their lives.

2012: Celebrating the undefeated

A magazine and a leaflet on a table with a cup of coffee.

In 2012, Engage got a makeover, and we celebrated the excellence of Paralympians, along with the rest of the UK, with the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Our Undefeated resource shed light on some of the global injustices facing people with disabilities across the world. Your support also helped three Haitian athletes compete in the Paralympics!

2013: Lifting up North Korea in prayer

A country that lays heavy on many of our hearts is North Korea, one of the toughest places in the world to be a Christian. We know how much our supporters want to see release and revival in this closed nation, which is why in 2013 you joined us in prayer for North Korea as part of our Project Cyrus initiative.

Feeling nostalgic?

We’re looking for pre-2012 editions of Engage for our archives! Do you have any? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch by emailing ldurrant@bmsworldmission.org to let us know which issues you have.

Two hands and the words Project Cyrus! Pray for North Korea.

2014: Standing with women across the world

The 2010s was a decade where the struggles of women across the world were brought to the fore, which is why we launched our Dignity resource in 2014, to campaign against gender-based violence (GBV). Your support enabled us to equip and educate leaders and congregations across the world to handle the harmful impacts of GBV.

2015: Sending relief to Nepal

A house in ruins surrounded by rubble. — BMS supporters responded incredibly after the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal in 2015.

Two devastating earthquakes struck Nepal in April and May of 2015, killing over 8,000 people and directly impacting over 8 million others. You gave over £650,000 – the biggest relief response of the decade! Thanks to your generous giving, you provided trauma victims with necessary counselling, and rebuilt schools destroyed by the earthquakes.

2016: Stepping out in faith in India

A man talks among a crowd. — BMS worker Benjamin Francis is bringing the light of Christ to some of the least evangelised communities in India.

In 2016, you gave to the incredible work of BMS evangelist Ben Francis, planting churches in some of the least evangelised communities in India. Ben’s team and many other Christians living in these parts of India are faced with horrific persecution from religious extremist groups, but your support made it possible for them to continue to step out in faith.

2017: Sharing art from Syria

Another tragedy facing the world this decade was the Syrian refugee crisis. In a newly designed issue of Engage magazine in 2017, we showed you some artwork created by Syrian refugee children you supported in Lebanon. Their work might reveal the trauma they faced in their home country, but your support showed them how much UK Christians care about their future, by getting them back into school.

2018: New life in Afghanistan

A woman holding her baby. — Taban, featured in Life's First Cry, and her young daughter, Chehrah. Thanks to you, Taban didn't have to worry about losing Chehrah in childbirth.

We couldn’t talk about 2018 without mentioning Life’s First Cry. With an award-nominated feature video, we introduced you to Andisha, Taban and Laalah: three mothers from Afghanistan, all of whom have had to watch their children die in childbirth. You enabled them to learn safe birthing practices and now they all have children who are thriving.

2019: Chosen by God in Uganda

A boy holds a yellow balloon. — Innocent has Down Syndrome. Your support means that he is growing up knowing that he is loved by God.

And last but not least, in 2019 we introduced you to Innocent, the God-given boy of Gulu, Uganda. Innocent has Down Syndrome, and his mother was told to abandon him when he was young. But she knew that he was special, and now, thanks to your support, he’s able to attend a group with other children with Down Syndrome, where he can feel loved, accepted. He knows he has a part in God’s plan.

We can’t wait to see what God has in store over the next ten years, and beyond! If you want to be part of God’s work, please give to BMS work. This is your chance to make a lasting change across the world.

Words by Laura Durrant.

1. Serving in the Sahel

Head and shoulders photo of Claire Bedford

We caught up with the wonderful Claire Bedford, a BMS pharmacist serving at Guinebor II hospital in Chad, to get the low-down on what’s been going on behind the scenes at this busy BMS hospital. Claire shared how things have changed since she moved to Chad in 2016, and some amazing answers to prayer!

Catch up with Claire!

2. Pictures from the frontline: South Sudan’s Refugees in Photos

A South Sudanese farmer stands in the field of corn that he grew using seeds provided by BMS supporters.

These beautiful photos from behind the scenes of our South Sudan’s Conflict Survivors appeal show how your support is empowering South Sudanese refugees to help each other in the wake of a devastating civil war. It’s not too late to stand alongside these incredible people. You can donate today or hold a South Sudan’s Conflict Survivors service.

See the photos

3. The Good Zacchaeus

You wouldn’t expect a mission worker to take money from her neighbours, but BMS worker Laura-Lee Lovering does. Read this story to find out why, and why her local community of La Union, Peru is all the better for it.

Read the story

4. Where Christians dare to tread

A man sat cross-legged in front of a map of Bangladesh and holding a Bible.

“I ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to places where no-one knows of God, and those places get transformed by him.”

Pastor Simon* knows his calling. He delivers messages of Christian hope to those in Muslim communities in Bangladesh – despite the dangers presented by religious extremist groups. Read the full story and find out everything you need to know about Pastor Simon’s incredible faith.

*Name changed.

Be inspired by Pastor Simon

5. Are you sitting comfortably?

We couldn’t round off 2019 without mentioning legendary BMS church planter Ben Francis! We were lucky enough to film him sharing the step by step journey of a believer from ‘seeker’ to ‘disciple maker’ earlier this year. Watch it now and be inspired to share your faith.

Read the story

Even more powerful stories from 2019

The Reel Deal – check out the beautiful photos from our talented cohort of 2018/19 Action Teamers!
Cyclone Idai: Mozambique needs your prayer – we asked you to pray for Mozambique after the devastating cyclones last March – and your response was overwhelming. Thank you!
New Director for Mission appointed – we were blessed to be able to appoint Rev Dr Arthur Brown as our new Director for Mission this year.
The Girl Who Was Hiding – children who can’t see are being empowered in D R Congo thanks to foundations laid by BMS workers.
Breaking Cultural Captivity: How to Mission – at our How to Mission event in July, we learnt from World Church leaders how to conduct God’s mission in our local contexts.

All of this work has been made possible thanks to your prayers and giving. Without your support, we would have nothing to write about! And we wouldn’t be able to share God’s love across the world. If you want to help us continue to do God’s work in 2020, please sign up to be a 24:7 Partner today! It’s the best way to make sure we can be there for the most marginalised when they need it most.

Words by Laura Durrant.

Praying for the Amazon

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The Amazon is burning. Tens of thousands of fires, many deliberately started, are destroying the Amazon rainforest. We asked Laura-Lee Lovering, a BMS World Mission environmental scientist based in the Peruvian Amazon, to tell us why this rainforest matters.

A black and white image of BMS World Mission worker Laura-Lee Lovering in the Peruvian Amazon.

It’s hard to believe the Amazon is on fire. I’ve seen the news and heard the reports that the jungle is burning, and I look outside and see nothing but greenery and blue skies.
When I came to the Peruvian Amazon, I knew I was going to have to work to contextualise my ideas about creation stewardship. The only thing people knew about carbon was carbón, the solid fuel that is created when wood is slowly burned in a heap covered with soil – charcoal to us. Talking about carbon footprints and CO2 was not going to work. Even the concept of creation stewardship drew either blank stares or dismissive comments – it’s all very well for environmentalists to talk about saving the trees, fishes and animals, but what about the humans living in their midst?

The biodiversity here can sometimes be presented as something to attract tourists, excite ecologists or inspire pharmacologists. What I’ve learnt over the years is that what we call biodiversity is the grandest shopping mall for the residents of the jungle. Are you hungry? Go to the jungle. Do you need fuel? Go to the jungle. Do you need to make a bed, build a boat, construct a house? Go to the jungle. Do you need medicine? Go. To. The. Jungle. The outside world is useful for providing tools, but all the raw materials that those tools serve are provided by the jungle.

Usually, we humans fail to value a thing when we can’t see what purpose it serves. Perhaps we fail to conserve a thing when we do not give it a worthy and accurate value. The Amazon rainforest and the knowledge and ingenuity of the people who inhabit it is a luminous example to the industrialised nations and God forbid that that knowledge and ingenuity, or that rainforest, be devalued and lost. The Amazon should remind us of the diversity of natural resources with which the Lord has blessed even us, and it should inspire us to re-value these resources, even as we re-evaluate our way of living.

I’m not much for writing ‘love letters’ as such, but this is my version of one for the Amazon.

Want to support Laura-Lee as a 24:7 partner? Click here

A black and white image of a boat in the Peruvian Amazon.

At BMS World Mission we’ve begun several creation stewardship projects, such as using solar panels to power a BMS-supported hospital in Chad and teaching sustainable jungle agriculture in the Amazon itself, and have recently published our Creation Stewardship policy, which goes into more detail about our commitment to protecting the environment. We’ve written a prayer of lament for the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people who live there, which we encourage you to read and share.

We know that we need to do better to protect our planet. We are called to be stewards of creation, and yet the Amazon is still burning. We all need to do better.

As the fires in the Amazon continue to burn, please continue to pray:

Pray for Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil. Pray that he might be wise and compassionate when tackling these fires, and that he would enforce necessary policies against deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Pray for indigenous communities being affected by the fires. Pray that people will stay safe, and that they will find comfort in God in the face of extreme loss.
Pray for world leaders and international communities to come together and seek the most effective solutions to protect the Amazon for future generations.
Pray for BMS worker Laura-Lee Lovering, working in the Amazon region of Peru. Pray that she will use her passion for creation stewardship to teach others how to care for the world they live in.
Pray for BMS World Mission as we commit to doing as much as we can to protect our environment.

Click here to download these prayer points, and a prayer of lament, and share them with your church and friends.

Praying for this? Click here

Words by Laura Durrant.

BMS’ summer of sport

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How sharing Jesus through sport can get you off the bench and onto the mission field.

England’s nail-biting cricket win, another victory for the USA in the Women’s World Cup, wonderful tennis at Wimbledon and now the hair-raising netball cup final – it’s a summer of sport and I’m breathless just keeping up!

Speaking of trying to keep up, I’m about to have a Skype call with a Brazilian footballer, well known by people around the world. It would have been nice to meet in person but he’s a busy man whose schedule takes him from country to country. Was he last in India? Thailand? Peru?

Can you guess who it is?

A crowd of children sitting on steps in front of a building with a coach standing in front of them. — BMS World Mission partner, the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention (TKBC), gets ready to welcome the Brazilian footballer.

His name is Joshua. He grew up in poverty on the outskirts of a favela, a Brazilian shanty town, in Rio de Janeiro. Growing up in such a modest household, his mother motivated him to keep football as his focus. But to most of the people around him, it was just a waste of time.

Eventually, he made it – to the reserve bench. Until finally, he was called off the bench and onto the pitch.

It was the same story every match. He got the pass. Scored the goal. Cheers from the crowd.

But this time, his head wasn’t in the game. He was thinking about his church and the small sports ministry they ran. “God was calling me to use football to grow his kingdom,” he explains.

Suddenly he was losing the tackle. Didn’t score a single goal.

“I didn’t play well because it weighed so heavily on my mind. I told my coach I couldn’t play for the team anymore, that I had to follow God’s calling,” says Joshua – and although this was years ago, his eyes still show that same passion for God. “The coach told me I could earn a lot of money. But I said ‘no’ and followed the Lord.”

A group of sportsmen bowing their heads in prayer before a match in Thailand. — His saying “no” started a domino effect of people saying “yes” to the gospel across the world.

Now the meaning of victory for Joshua was entirely transformed. It looked like helping Matthew, a young man with a mouth deformity which made it difficult for him to speak. Years of feeling inadequate and unable to express himself made it hard for him to relate to others. Sport was the only place where he could fully feel like himself. By the end of Joshua’s training week, running a sports club with a gospel focus, Matthew was able to confidently speak and share the gospel with the group.

And this was in a country where Christians face societal pressures and persecution. Thanks to Joshua’s training week, young men were able to gather to play football and study the Bible together. An officer who eyed the group with misgivings all week had joined in a game by the end, and even stayed for a Bible study session.

A group of boys sat on the floor with two sports trainers in front of them with houses in the background. — “Sport opens so many doors. I can enter places where mission workers might not be welcome, just because I’m a coach,” says Joshua.

Joshua works with BMS partner JMM (Brazilian Baptist Mission), training local coaches to run sports clubs with a gospel focus. With his sporting skills, Joshua found he had a VIP pass into the heartlands of 100 per cent Buddhist communities in Chiang Mai. Working together with BMS partner the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention (TKBC), Joshua used his skills to teach local trainers how bring young people together when they often don’t have access to leisure activities.

I’m sure you can see why I describe Joshua as being well known all over the world. And I’m keen to know what’s next for this sporting evangelist…

Two boys practising headers on a field in Thailand. — Young boys are keen to join the sports clubs and now Joshua is looking to get girls involved too.

“At the moment it’s mainly boys playing football because of traditional gender roles, but I’m already seeing more girls get involved and I’d love to see more in future,” says Joshua.

In addition to looking to see more women to get involved in sports ministry, Joshua tells me he’s preparing for a trip to Peru in November – and I can’t wait to find out the score!

Are you looking to get off the bench and onto the pitch? BMS is looking for people like you to use their skills to grow God’s kingdom! BMS workers have used their talents in sport, healthcare, art and teaching to reach more people with the gospel.

See our vacancies

Words by Melanie Webb
Names changed.

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The Good Zacchaeus

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The Amazon river, the thirsty town and the missionary money collector.

The missionary smiles as she collects money from the people of La Union, Nauta. This is a thirsty community surrounded by water. Nauta sits on the banks of the Marañòn River, a tributary of the Amazon, but its water is not safe to drink. And for the neighbourhood of La Union, the water is even more dangerous. The community gets water from wells, contaminated by run-off from nearby latrines. It’s impossible to feel safe when the water you’re drinking could kill you. It’s a life lived with unavoidable risk. But the missionary pockets the money, says thank you, and moves on to the next house.

A wooden building in the Amazon Rainforest. — The people of La Union, Nauta, live with the constant risk that they will drink contaminated water.

Her name is Laura-Lee Lovering. The money collector. She’s been in Peru for eight years. She is a BMS World Mission worker serving at a community and theology facility called Nauta Integral Mission Training Centre (NIMTC). A BMS-founded centre that, apart from all the theological and practical training it provides, helps the community of La Union feel safer. Laura-Lee and our local partners knew they had to work with the people of La Union to get them clean water.

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So they dug a new well together. A clean one, one they knew would be safe to drink. For the first time, people in La Union had water piped into their homes, and they didn’t have to worry about getting ill from drinking dangerous water. A community water committee was created to ensure the new system was properly looked after by the people in the neighbourhood. And the committee elected Laura-Lee as their modern-day Zacchaeus.

Three men digging a well — The community of La Union are working together to keep their water safe to drink.

Want to share this story with your church? Why not print out a few copies to take with you next Sunday. Download this week’s story.

Alejandro runs the project like it was always his. He’s a retiree from La Union and Laura-Lee’s right hand man on the project. He knows how to fix things and he’s there every morning turning on the water and is on hand to help with the maintenance. “Just seeing his own sense of pride and ownership of the project is so satisfying,” says Laura. But you can’t fix a leaking pipe with a sense of ownership alone. And that’s where Laura-Lee the money collector comes in. To keep the project sustainable, and to make sure the people of La Union never have to go back to drinking dirty water, each participating household pays a small fee into a central pot. The money contributes to maintaining the pipes and pumps, and it’s cheaper than buying water from the shops. It builds a sense of ownership – the community is fully invested in the project. Literally.

This is why Laura-Lee goes door-to-door and collects the payments from her neighbours. She’s a good Zacchaeus, collecting money with their blessing and permission, and never taking too much. And it’s helped her get to know her neighbours. She’s not just going to collect their money, she’s laughing with them, chatting to them. Witnessing among them.

“It’s been really special to get to know the community and helping them get to know me as well,” says Laura-Lee. When she’s away, she knows the people of La Union won’t need to go back to drinking dirty water. She knows that the project is in the capable hands of the community, of people like Alejandro, and that, with the Christian community at NIMTC there, their access to living water will never run dry.

Whilst the people of La Union keep their water project going with their own funds, Laura-Lee and her team couldn’t be there without your generous giving. Thank you for sending Laura-Lee. Please share this story, and if you want to help Laura-Lee why not support her as a 24:7 Partner?

Want to support Laura-Lee as a 24:7 partner? Click here

Words and video by Laura Durrant.

The most inspiring young people you’ll meet all year: Action Team Tour 2019

Action Team Tour 2019:

The most inspiring young people you’ll meet all year

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Get young people from your church passionate about mission!
Bring them to the Action Team Tour 2019

There’s no stopping them! They’ve brought people to Jesus in Peru, they’ve inspired children in Mozambique, they’ve even moved people to meet Christ in Buddhist parts of Thailand. And now our seven amazing teams of young people are coming to a church near you – it’s the great Action Team Tour of 2019!
Inspire your young people to go on their own Christian gap year.

Team Peru – Bethan, Becky, Katie and Marika

BMS Action Teams: a Christian gap year jam-packed with adventure.

Open to 18 to 23-year-olds
A month’s training, followed by six months serving overseas
Two months in the UK visiting churches on tour

Find out more about Action Teams

We can say with absolute certainty that lives across the world have been transformed through Action Teams this year. Team Mozambique has taught vital English skills to local children. Team Kolkata has supported projects helping women find employment. Team France has shown how to live out faith boldly in a secular nation. Every single one of these young Christians has leapt out of their comfort zone.

And they’ve been used by God to leave an eternal legacy.

In inner-city Peru, where drug addiction, homelessness and poverty are rife, three people gave their lives to Christ after the Peru Action Team spent a morning on the streets sharing the good news! And in rural Thailand, BMS worker Wit Boondeekhun has amazing news: against all odds, in an almost entirely Buddhist village, a young woman called Prang has come to know Jesus. How did she become interested? Through a friendship with the Thailand Action Team!

Wow – talk about transformation! Could you see the young people in your fellowship doing great things like this? Anyone can hear these inspiring stories from our 2019 Action Teams, by catching them on tour.

Team Thailand – Anna, Jonny, Keziah and Paul — Team Thailand – Keziah, Jonny, Anna and Paul

Action Teams are hopping on trains, cars and buses to visit churches from Aberdeen to Torquay, from 22 April to 17 June 2019. They’ll spend a week with each church, sharing stories of their time overseas, and no doubt eating great food and drinking plenty of tea along the way. Sounds superb, doesn’t it?!

And the best part is, you can get involved! We’d LOVE for you (and the young people from your church) to have a chance to meet these amazing young people, so we’ve listed the tour dates for each team below. Contact the nearest church to you, and take your youth group along to hear them speak.

Don’t miss your chance to meet the teams, and prepare yourself to be inspired!