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Free Will Baptist International Missions serves churches, pastors, and people by helping them fulfill their role in establishing churches beyond North America so unreached peoples can know the joy of a relationship with the living God. To find out more about the ministry of Free Will Baptist International Missions, visit www.fwbgo.com.

Foundation Grants Expand Ministry to Samburu

Antioch, TN—David Brown, director of Free Will Baptist Foundation, recently announced the Foundation’s grant committee awarded $60,000 to International Missions for two projects directly related to sharing the gospel with the Samburu.

“We received an overwhelming number of grant requests,” Brown stated. “The grant committee spent hours in deliberation as we reviewed 39 requests totaling $1.9 million. We had to make some hard decisions. At the end of the day, the committee was pleased to grant IM $30,000 each for two projects.”

The Foundation granted $30,000 for the purchase of solar MP3 players for the Samburu in Kenya. The Samburu—a traditional, primitive tribe in a remote area of Kenya—are predominately non-literate. Eddy and Amanda Simmons, missionaries in the bush area, load the players with portions of Scripture. They currently use the MP3 players to disciple new believers. This grant will enable the Simmons to share the gospel orally in more villages.

The Foundation awarded an additional $30,000 grant to help in the translation of Old Testament Scripture. The Simmons partnered with Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Bible Translation League of Kenya to translate 80-100 Old Testament Bible stories into the Samburu language. These organizations recently completed the translation of the New Testament and hope to release both audio and written versions by the end of 2018. The grant will allow them to pursue translation of foundational Old Testament stories.

“The eternal impact of these funds is immeasurable,” gratefully expressed Clint Morgan, general director of International Missions. “As the Simmons and their Samburu ministry partners have faithfully shared the gospel, more than a thousand Samburu have come to know Christ as Savior. These grants will help ground new believers in the Scripture and assist them in sharing what they’ve learned with family and friends in their villages. What a blessing the Foundation is to the Samburu people of Kenya!”

International Missions submitted six grant requests totaling $646,000. The Foundation considers requests for ministry grants each year during their annual April board meeting.

Snapshots Around the World

Brazil: Kenneth and Rejane Eagleton participated in a two-day missions conference at Campo Limpo FWB Church in Conselheiro Lafaiete, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on June 30 and July 1. Pastor Tiago and his wife Samyra lead the congregation. At least six people accepted Christ as Savior. Monthly faith promise commitments totaled around $500. Most of these will help a Cuban missionary family minister in Uruguay.

Côte d’Ivoire: Pastor Silas N’Guettia, of the Yopougon FWB Church, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (West Africa), baptized 16 people (pictured below) on Sunday, July 15.

Côte d’Ivoire: On Saturday, June 23, the Free Will Baptist congregation in Korowita, Côte d’Ivoire (pictured below) , dedicated a new church building. Begun in February 2015 with five people, the congregation now sees 80 people attending each week. Pastor Alexis Hien oversees this congregation as well as 12 others in the area.

Panama: Tuesday evening, July 3, the Free Will Baptist churches from the Azuero region in Panama gathered for a unity service (below). Members from Las Tablas, Las Palmitas, Parita, Chitré, and Los Sauces met at the Buenas Nuevas FWB Church in Chitré. Carlos Denis of Panama City, president of their national association, also attended. The churches celebrated their unity with each other and the Lord by participating in the Lord’s Supper.