news around the world

For more information about international FWB ministry, please visit www.fwbgo.com

THP Medical/Evangelism Mission a Success

DOROPO, COTE D'IVOIRE During a two-week period in February, a team of 22 people administered 12,114 meningitis vaccinations while Ivorian workers shared the gospel with each person. The team also performed 13 surgeries, stocked the Doropo hospital pharmacy, extracted teeth, treated a variety of patients, provided Ivorian doctors with additional equipment, and participated in village evangelistic campaigns.

The Hanna Project, an NGO under the auspices of Free Will Baptist International Missions, sponsored the project and assembled the team.

The vaccination program touched over 50 villages. Two evangelists accompanied each vaccination team, sharing the gospel before and during the vaccination clinics. Over 40 people accepted Christ as Savior during the campaign. Thousands of others heard the gospel for the first time.

Civil war has crippled the country since September of 2002. The rebel-controlled northern areas have been especially affected with limited health care and the United Nations World Health Organization was near declaring a meningitis epidemic. The Hanna Project’s campaign stimulated the Ivorian government to vaccinate another 30,000 people.

NEW MALVIN CHURCH PAINTED

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY Two Americans joined 11 Uruguayans in painting and other work on the outside of the Emmanuel Free Will Baptist Church in the Malvin neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay. The 30-foot tall addition is 100 feet long and 32 feet wide.

Retiree Billy Walker (Murfreesboro, TN) and layman Chris Wojdag (Louisa, VA) spent a week (March 27-April 4) in Uruguay assisting four Uruguayan volunteers in painting the church’s façade. Another five national volunteers assisted two paid workers in laying tile, moving scaffolding, etc.

The Emmanuel congregation currently squeezes more than 40 people into approximately 120 square feet of worship space on a regular basis. They have had as many as 80 people in the small room. The new auditorium will seat 250 people.

A group from Illinois began the construction process by laying the foundation in March 2004. The congregation hoped to have the building finished and ready for a dedication service in May.

If you would like to participate in helping a mission work build or finish a church building as a professional volunteer, contact Judy Lytle (615) 760-6125, judy@fwbgo.com.

HANNA, TILLEY MINISTER IN INDIA

SONAPUR, INDIA Dr. Don Hanna (Charleston, SC) and Tony Tilley (Reform, AL) left for India on March16 to perform medical services and provide evangelistic opportunities to Indian pastors.

The two men traveled to villages four days and then saw patients on the Sonapur compound. Mr. Tilley, an RN, used interpreters to triage those who came for medical help. Dr. Hanna prescribed medications and a course of treatment. Indian believers assisted as needed. According to Mr. Tilley, trained medical personnel had never examined some of the people they treated. Indian pastors and evangelists witnessed to those waiting for treatment.

Mr. Tilley says the 12-day trip made him “feel like a small Christian.” He cited the heavy responsibilities of the pastors and the boldness of their witness in the face of opposition and persecution.

If you would like to participate in a medical mission trip as a professional volunteer, contact Judy Lytle (615) 760-6125, judy@fwbgo.com.

FIVE BAPTIZED IN URUGUAY

RIVERA, URUGUAY Pastor Casildo Trindade baptized Elpio Ferreira during the Rivera area family camp on February 26. Elpio had waited many years for this special day. During the camp he gave his testimony, urging the young people to stay close to the Lord. He emphasized how his straying caused suffering to others as well as himself.

Four people followed the Lord in baptism February 12 in Melo, Uruguay. Missionary Jaimie Lancaster, who traveled from Montevideo for the service, baptized Willman de Souza, Aidee Rosa Piminta, Maria Emilia Cruz, and Olga Glady Santo. A time of great rejoicing followed the immersions as each candidate gave his/her testimony.

CAFE Y ALGO MAS IN ALPEDRETE

ALPEDRETE, SPAIN Missionaries Tim and Kristi Johnson and Anthony and Lea Edgmon sponsored Café y Algo Más (Coffee and Something More) Sunday, April 2, in Alpedrete, Spain. The evangelistic outreach event included a merienda (coffee and snack), music, and the testimony of a Christian professional.

Thirty-nine people, nine of them unsaved, attended the event and heard Dr. Rubén Borrás share his story and the important role God plays in his life. Missionaries urge Christians to pray those who attended will want to know more about how God can work in their lives, too. To Learn more about Free Will Baptist mission work in the country of spain, visit www.fwbgo.com/spain.

CHURCHES FLOURISH IN REFUGEE CAMP

NEPALESE, BHUTANESE BORDER In the poverty-stricken no man’s land of a United Nations refugee camp in Nepal, four Free Will Baptist churches have been planted and are bringing hope to men and women who see no hope for their future on earth.

Bhutan executed an ethnic purging 15 years ago, ejecting approximately100,000 Nepalese whose families had settled in southern Bhutan about 100 years earlier. Nepal refused to recognize or give citizenship to these individuals.

The UN negotiated for a small area of land to house them. Living in cardboard shacks, demoralized, and without the ability to better their lives, hope is greatly lacking.

Soifal Das, an India pastor, recognized this mission field. Now four churches are established within the compound. Hope and joy are making their way into the lives of many.

Be sure to watch the video segment on IMpulse 2.4 titled “Hope in Exile” for more information. Visit www.fwbgo.com.