Our students at Southern Seminary want to extend their gratitude for the scholarships they received from the Kentucky Baptist Convention through the Partnership Missions Department. Enclosed are letters from the recipients about their mission trips.
W. Michael Clark
Instructor of World Religion
(Below are excerpts from the letters. Country names have been censored for security reasons. )
I am currently pursuing a degree in missions from SBTS. Earlier this summer I was able to go on a mission trip to Utah. While on this trip, I was able to learn about Mormon beliefs. I was able to share some of my own faith and question the lies they believe. Thank you for your generous support that helped give me an opportunity to participate in a mission trip.
Sarah
I just wanted to personally thank you for supporting me for my mission trip to Utah. I had the opportunity to not only learn much about Mormonism, but I had the opportunity to share the gospel with over 30 Mormons in 5 days. On one such encounter, the two people I talked with gave me their e-mail address and were interested in knowing more about Christianity.
Donald
Thank you for your kind support and scholarship assistance donated for our mission trip to XXXXXX. We supported the St. Adolphe and St. Boniface mission. Everyone on the team worked hard and long without complaint providing the needed support to the missionaries by assisting in reaching those neighborhoods for Christ. In addition, we had several opportunities to share the good news with people of peace. I believe our presence and support made a dent in that community to further the gospel.
Brian & Lee
Thank you for your generous gift toward the SBTS’s Great Commission Center mission trip to XXXXXXX XXXX. [It] is a spiritually dark place where people are in desperate need of hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Satan’s stronghold on the people of XXXXXXX XXXX is evident, and the need for taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth has never been more necessary.
Nicholas
I would like to personally thank the KBC for the financial contribution toward my mission trip to XXXXX this summer. It was truly a great experience and the hand of the Lord was upon our team during the trip. During the trip our team was able to share the gospel and give out many Bibles to the people in India. There was one afternoon that stood out in my mind. I noticed some young men standing by the entrance of the store we were in. They were students and all of them were either Hindu or Buddhist. I had just enough Bibles left in my bag to give them each one and I explained the story of the Bible from Creation, Fall and Redemption. I urged them to turn from worshiping idols and turn to Christ. And they were all eager to hear the gospel and had many questions. I hope and pray that the Lord works through His Word and Spirit so that these young men and many others in India will believe in Christ and turn from idols to serve the Living God.
Timothy
I’m writing to thank you for your generosity in supporting me on my trip to XXXXXX. The trip has already been personally fruitful as I’ve had occasion to reflect on how I can be involved in global missions in the future. I trust and pray that it is fruitful in the lives of the many citizens of XXXXXX we spoke with on our trip. Among the many conversations we had, one in particular stands out. In one city in the southeast, I met Lbrahim, the owner of a small shop. I asked him about his family and about life in his city and, after a few minutes, he offered me la bottle of water and settled in to talk. We talked about our lives and also about the gospel. At one point, he told me that his hair was standing on end and he had made such a strong connection with me. I gave him a New Testament and a picture of my family. Please pray that Lbrahim and the many others we talked to would read the New Testaments and come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Flynn
Let me begin by thanking you for the generous donation towards my trip to XXXXX XXXX. God always provides richly and I thank Him (and you) for your giving heart towards this mission. The trip was richly rewarding for me as I consider God’s calling in my life towards foreign missions. Getting to work alongside one of our missionaries in the IMB was immensely helpful and rewarding. While we were there we conducted street evangelism with Buddhist and Hindu tourists and shop owners. We also had the opportunity to visit more than one Buddhist Temple and spend many hours talking with monks about the Gospel of Christ. But what was the most enriching and fruitful was the training we conducted for new believers and pastors who predominantly come from Buddhist background. I was thankful to be a part of it. I was also thankful for the opportunity to confirm God’s calling in my life as my family and I pursue foreign missions.
Jeremy
It is with a joyful and excited heart that I write to express my gratitude for the generous contribution you gave towards my recent missions trip to XXXXXX. I am joyful because of how exceedingly gracious and merciful the Lord was to us while in the country. I am excited because of how this trip has changed my perception of foreign missions work. XXXXXX has a desperate need for the gospel, and while on our trip the Lord afforded us many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ., This came primarily through visiting local merchants in various cities in the eastern region and engaging with them in conversation. The trip has not only increased my awareness of the impact the local church can have on foreign missions, but has helped form a vision for missions in my future as a pastor. Spending time with [missions] workers in XXXXXX. I learned that forming long-term partnerships with missionaries could provide much-needed support for those abroad as well as foster a culture of missions within a local congregation.
Ward
I want to thank you very much for the generous scholarship you gave me for my recent mission trip to XXXXX XXXX. I am very appreciative of your help. While on the trip we had the opportunity to share the Gospel with many Buddhists and Hindus. On one occasion we were honored to eat lunch with Buddhists at a monastery and we shared the gospel with them for over 45 minutes. Working with the long term missionary on the ground we led several two day believers trainings aimed at helping believers grow in their understanding of the gospel and how to share the gospel with their own people. We also led a three day pastors conference. The trip was a wonderful experience. I trust by God’s grace we made a positive contribution to the work of the long term missionary on the ground.
BJ
Thank you so much for your support given to see God move in XXXXX XXXX! I was blessed on this trip to see the Lord call a young man out of Hinduism and into saving faith with Christ. Many believers were challenged and encouraged to know God’s Word and share it with their neighbors as we were able to teach a women’s training. May Christ be glorified in XXXXX XXXX and around the world! Thank you for allowing me to go and be used by God as His servant.
Stephanie
Thank you so very much for your financial and prayer support for my recent missions trip to XXXXX. Your contribution brought great encouragement to me in my efforts to raise support. It was exciting to learn that the Kentucky Baptist Convention is concerned with the Seminary’s short-term trips. The overall goal of the journey was to invest in national believers so that they could live as more mature Christians and minister to the unbelievers around them. The missionaries we were working with wanted us to truly challenge the women to share their faith with others. Therefore, the first day of the teachings were completely focused on discussing the Gospel and methods of evangelism. On the second day, we focused on different aspects of the Christian life. It was humbling to see the women’s excitement over learning so many new things. Though it was encouraging to see God using us to minister to believers so that they can better minister to unbelievers in the long-term, my own experience in witnessing had a profound impact on me. The trip was used by God to greatly boost my desire to do missions work as a career, especially with the [Mission Sending Agency] I hope and pray that God will continue to use it [this trip] in my life and the lives of others so that His message can be further proclaimed around the world.
Jessica
