The International Mission
Board report Nov. 9 came as a personal testimony from missionaries seeking to
live out the Great Commission in a South Asian country void of almost any gospel
witness.
Thanks to a live Skype
connection, James and Sharon* shared with messengers about how God called them
to minister in Nepal as church planters once James graduated from Southeastern
Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest.
They then returned stateside for a
few years and are now back in South Asia, this time in a different country to
focus on unreached people groups.
The state where James and
Sharon live has a population of 70 million. One percent is Christian. Out of
54,000 villages and towns, 8,000 have a Christian presence and that presence
may only be one believer.
“It’s a very, very dark place,” James said. Yet, the
couple feels “honored to have been sent out.”
James and Sharon spoke about
the importance of the Great Commission not just to their calling to South Asia
but to their teaching in their country.
“We go out and we encourage and work
alongside brothers and sisters to help make new disciples,” James said.
James said they often use
storytelling as a means to share the gospel, and a story they like to tell is
of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus’ feet and then wiped His feet with her
hair. It is an example of an extravagant love and devotion to Jesus.
“That love
is the basis of discipleship,” James said. “Being a disciple is being obedient
to what we know-no matter how much it is.”
Sharon thanked North
Carolina Baptists for supporting international missions.
“This is from our
heart,” she said. “We are so thankful for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
and the Cooperative Program. That’s what makes living here easier for us. The
offerings your churches give, we do not take that for granted.”
*Names changed for security
reasons