International Missionaries We Support

*Assigned to our church by American Baptist International Ministries

Rev. Ruth Mooney,
an Pedro, Costa Rica

Rev. Mario Morales,
Bolivia

Rev. Glen and Rita Chapman,
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rev. Dao Berto and Dillia Zalaya,
Azacualpa, Honduras

Kristi Engel,
Dominican Republic

Joel Hoefle and Trish Magal,
Chiang Rai, Thailand

Jeff and Annie Dieselberg,
Bangkok, Thailand

Rev. Dr. Adalia & Rev. Raymond Schellinger, Mexico

Local First Baptist Church Missionaries

2011

Keith and Wini Dewey joined others from churches in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Colorado on a mission to Managua, Nicaragua to provide water filtration to the villagers in La Pimienta, Nicaragua.

The team worked with American Baptist missionaries, David and Laura Parajon, through their organization AMOS (www.amoshealthandhope.org). AMOS strives to work holistically with remote villagers to facilitate the process of empowerment so that Nicaraguan villagers can take action in a way that improves the health of every member of their community. The villages are too far from government-provided hospitals and health providers to get needed medical care without individuals having to travel several hours on foot for services. The AMOS organization and team of doctors and nurses provides the funds, training, and support to health promoters, elected by individual villages as the first responders for medical care. Each health promoter keeps careful medical records on each member of their community, which AMOS staff use to study the health concerns of the region and provide the medical training and support to the remote health promoters.

Clean, safe drinking water is a concern that affects many villages where flooding, earthquakes, and remote access makes safe wells difficult to maintain. While in Nicaragua, the team worked with the villagers from La Pimienta to build the simple gravity-flow water filters from plastic tubs, PVC tubing, rock, charcoal, and sand. The water filters are placed in individual homes and maintained by the homeowner. AMOS provides water testing and training to insure that the filters remain clean and safe for use. Members of First Baptist Church donated several hundred dollars to support the mission team and help provide the supplies needed for building the water filters.

2012

In late January, a team from First Baptist joined 34 other people from Maine, Illinois, North Carolina, & Keokuk, IA, to provide work assistance and medical support to the people in La Romana and the San Pedro areas of the Dominican Republic. Team members worked on the third floor construction of the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana. They sifted sand, hauled it up three floors, mixed it with concrete, and helped lay concrete blocks on the walls of the hospital. Dave Palmer, and Keith and Wini Dewey were able to go out with the medical team to a batay near San Pedro and assisted them by counting meds, playing with the waiting kids, and dispensing reading glasses. During this trip, the medical team provided de-worming medication to about 1000 children and adults, and gave medical support to about 600 individuals.

The prayers and support from members of First Baptist made this a very successful trip. FBC provided more than two large suitcases full of medications, toothbrushes, and pens and pencils for the mission in La Romana. Additional funds provided by First Baptist Church members helped with the construction of the Good Samaritan Hospital.

The team appreciates the opportunity to represent FBC as members of the support team for American Baptist missionary Kristy Engels’ ministry in La Romana. Through her work, many teams provide the support to thousands of Haitian immigrants living in the poorest of conditions in the Dominican Republic. Please continue to support her and those teams with your prayers.

2014

In December, Marcia Street, Susan and Dwayne Price, and a group of others from the Mid-American Region traveled with Executive Minister, Rev. Dr. Marshall Peters, to various refugee camps in Thailand. The group shared their incredible experiences in worship on Mission Sunday, April 19, during the morning worship service with a Mission Fair that followed.