ROCKVILLE, Va. (BP)–Jim West didn’t like what he saw in Hong Kong’s darkening sky. Rising winds carried the rumble of thunder to his ears; raindrops wet his face. A massive typhoon was approaching East Asia’s mainland.
This wasn’t the day for a storm. West was preparing to baptize an elderly woman who recently had given her life to Jesus. But as her frail body was placed into a small plastic swimming pool, West said something miraculous happened.
The rain stopped, the wind died and the clouds parted — as if the storm itself had paused to bear witness to the woman’s public profession of faith. Instead of darkness, she found herself bathed in a circle of bright sunlight as West gently dipped her below the surface of the water, baptizing her in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“We knew God had visited us that day,” West recalled.
This was just one of dozens of memories shared at the International Mission Board’s emeritus recognition service July 16 at the Missionary Learning Center in Rockville, Va. Fifty-four retiring Southern Baptist missionaries — many of whom spent 30 years or more on the mission field — were honored for their commitment to spreading the Gospel. Together, their combined experience totals 1,476 years of service.
“This is a very elite group,” IMB president Jerry Rankin told the audience, pointing out many others with the same call and passion for missions would like to have served until retirement but were unable to do so.
“We may make the presumption that you made it all the way to retirement because you had it easier than they did — no, that would be a misperception,” Rankin said.
“I suspect that you’re here because you learned a long time ago that the key to victory is praising the Lord and thanking Him. Yes, you’ve experienced hardship and adversity. You’ve gone through those times of fruitless ministry and doubt about your calling and God’s faithfulness. But you kept laying on the altar a sacrifice of praise to God, thanking Him for the privilege of being there, serving Him and touching a lost world.”
Many of the missionaries spoke about those hardships — including persecution. Ron and Sue Ballard witnessed hatred for the Gospel firsthand during their 17 years of service. As church planters in Mexico, they recalled encountering a gruesome sight following a day of prayerwalking. A crucified iguana had been nailed to their gate on an upside-down cross.
“The next morning, we were blinded by an enormous yellow upside-down cross, the numbers 666 and a message painted on the gate: ‘I am God — Satan,’” Sue explained.
“In spite of Satan’s schemes, a church was planted,” Ron said.
Other missionaries told stories of God’s protection. While working in East Africa, Charles and Cheri Orange remember a terrifying experience at a beach near their home.
Charles had taken his son on a walk while Cheri read a book on the sand. She remembers suddenly hearing a voice: “Look behind you.” Ignoring the voice at first, Cheri heard it again: “Look behind you, NOW!” To her horror, she turned to see a man sneaking up behind her carrying a raised butcher knife. The man ran away as Cheri began screaming.
“Satan didn’t want us in East Africa, and I believe he would have taken us out if the Lord’s hand hadn’t protected us,” Charles said.
There were also many memories of God’s victories.
Early during their 32-year ministry in the Dominican Republic, Paul and Peggy Siebenmann met a young man named Manolo. He was a dropout and drug addict but wanted help with a free Bible correspondence course.
“By his fifth lesson, he had accepted Jesus,” Paul told the crowd. “Wow — what a change. Soon he enrolled 30 of his friends.”
Paul said Manolo went back to school and began preparing for a life devoted to ministry, eventually graduating from seminary. Today, the church where he serves as pastor has founded 26 missions and has trained more than 100 people for missionary service.
“Our greatest joy has been training others to do much more for the Lord’s work than we ever could,” Paul said.
“Just one Manolo is worth a lifetime of missionary service,” Peggy added.
During the service, retirees also took time to reminisce about their call to missions. Many spoke about feeling God’s pull as children through involvement in Girls in Action or Royal Ambassadors programs. In addition to recognizing their years of faithful service, Rankin also thanked the missionaries for sacrifices they made along the way.
“You didn’t go to the mission field seeking an affluent lifestyle or a comfortable living; you didn’t go and persevere until retirement because of an affluent pension that awaited you,” Rankin said. “Many years ago you had to come to the point of realizing ‘It’s not about my joy; it’s not about my success; it’s not about my personal fulfillment.’
“You’ve given your life as a living sacrifice to the Lord,” he said.
Though they’re now officially retired, many of the missionaries said their ministries are far from over.
“Many people have asked us what we will do in our retirement,” said Steve and Barbara Springer, who served as missionaries in Western Europe for 26 years. “Our answer is that we will never retire from ministry and missions. That call from God is as real today as it was when we were first appointed.”
Kenneth Lawson, who served in Italy for 23 years, agreed.
“My only sadness is that life here is so short and often uncertain,” he said. “I would go again — anywhere — if I but had the chance. For now, I will work and witness as I have opportunity with those around me.”
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