We began a lifetime commitment to mission work with our first foreign campaign to Ghana in 1983, but I'm not sure I could answer the question "why?". That 6-week trip was a worst-case scenario . . . an attempted coup . . . closed borders . . . military checkpoints . . . serious curfews - the kind where they announce "we shoot first then ask questions" . . . listening to nightly machine gunfire and daily radio battle updates . . . dysentery. . . drought . . . famine . . . water rationing . . . no gasoline in the country so we walked . . . even a cholera epidemic.
I still think of it as the Campaign to Gehenna!
But by the end of it we were hooked and it had to be because of the people. The people of Ghana were loving and kind and thrilled to hear the Gospel. There are no words to describe the joy of teaching someone the plan of salvation and then watching them become a babe in Christ. Besides, we figured that if we could survive Ghana, then with God's help we could survive anything.
We spent 5 years in Samoa then returned to the States so that Jimmie could return to school. He did located preaching and campaign work while earning first a BA in Bible, then a MA in Christian Doctrine and Apologetics. I stayed busy homeschooling our daughter. But we were actively looking for another mission field when Truth for the World called Jimmie in 1998 to direct its Bible Correspondence Course program. He did not hesitate for an instant. His decision to leave that effort in 2010 was considerably more difficult and only reached after much heartbreak and prayer.
But Jimmie's focus was always on winning souls for Christ so when International Bible Teaching Ministries called, once again he did not hesitate. The scope and amazing potential of this work is truly exciting so it was disappointing that Jimmie was not able to remain with it longer. God called him home in 2012.
But Jimmie's focus was always on winning souls for Christ so when International Bible Teaching Ministries called, once again he did not hesitate. The scope and amazing potential of this work is truly exciting so it was disappointing that Jimmie was not able to remain with it longer. God called him home in 2012.
God helped Jimmie and I to survive a lot over the years - from South Pacific hurricanes to disasters in the brotherhood - and we remained committed to His cause. I am still committed to continuing the mission work that Jimmie loved.
- Linda
