For more information, contact the office of
Mission Support
West Virginia Baptist Convention
PO Box 1019
Parkersburg, West Virginia 26102
Phone: 304-422-6449
John E. Simmons, Associate Executive Minister
Lisa Simmons, Associate of Mission Support
[email protected] 304-273-9693
Joan Hall, Administrative Assistant
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Contact Joan at [email protected] if you do not want to receive this mailing.
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Mission Matters December 2017
CHRISTMAS 2017
This issue
Christmas Greeting
WMC 2018 Deadline
Debbie Mulneix
Juan & Denise Aragon
Keith & Debbie Myers
J.D. & Rhonda Reed
Rick & Anita Gutierrez
Fund for Puerto Rico
MSMO
Find it on the Web @
www.wvbc.org
www.abc-usa.org
www.abcusamissions.org
www.onegreathourofsharing.org
www.internationalministries.org
www.abhms.org
www.judsonpress.com
www.stewardshipresources.org
Mission Matters is a
periodic update from
the offices of
Mission Support
of the WVBC.
Our mission is to empower local churches to be Christ honoring communities of faith, and to help them fulfill their mission by enabling them to do together what they cannot do alone.
CHRISTMAS WITHOUT GIFTS
Lisa and I were privileged to work as missionaries in Thailand with the Thailand Lahu Baptist Convention. The Lahu people are “hill tribe” people who live in the mountains of Southwest China, Burma and Northern Thailand. They have maintained their culture, language and village lifestyles that have been passed down for generations.
Through the work of missionaries, many of the Lahu people have be-come Christians, The Christian Lahu take evangelism seriously and use Christ-mas as an opportunity to share Jesus with villages that are not Christian.
For the Lahu, Christmas is not a time for giving gifts – it is a time for sharing Jesus!
Each December the evangelism department plans a week-long event in a remote village that does not have a church. The students from the Bible school work with their teachers and leaders to plan and prepare the event. Advance work is done so that the village is ready to receive guests and participate in the activities. There is lots of “sport” – games with prizes of soap and blankets. There is a medical clinic with free screenings and medi-cines. Special food is prepared each day and the village and guests eat together and get to know one another. There are programs for the children, youth and adults with the climax being an outdoor worship service that introduces the people, with no knowledge of Jesus, to Him as they hear the message of Christmas for the first time.
The Lahu do not exchange gifts at Christmas. Their church and family celebrations focus on the story and the gift God gave to them through Christ.
****************** In this issue of “Mission Matters,” you will read Christmas greetings from our missionary partners. We have asked each missionary to share some-thing unique about the way the people where they serve celebrate Christmas. I hope you will enjoy learning about the different Christmas traditions from around the world. As you celebrate God’s gift this Christmas remember – it should not be
about the traditions, the bargains, the gifts, the food, or even the Christmas
productions at church – let it all be about sharing Jesus!
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:10
Dear Friends,
“We greet you in the precious name of Jesus.” This greeting is the traditional greeting amongst our
local Baptist churches anytime a person speaks to a group. Every speaker will say this as they go before the
gathering. South Africa has many Christmas traditions brought over by the English Colonists who came to
settle amongst the Zulus in KwaZulu-Natal. The one that seems to have crossed over most strongly to the Zulu
people is the tradition of door-to-door caroling. The way it works is very similar to how it probably worked in
the Christmas traditions which Charles Dickens wrote about in his beloved story “A Christmas Carol.”
Groups of about 5-10, usually young men and
sometimes a few women will travel around to working
class areas to sing traditional carols in English or Zulu.
They sing very loud and well. No matter what you are
doing you will hear them. They come in the evening or
on weekends when people are more likely to be at
home and able to appreciate the carols. You come out-
side as soon as you are able and join in with the singing
of one or two carols. They might ask if you have a special request. There is sometimes an accompanying
horn player if the talent pool is deep enough. Your neighbors will also join you in the best spirit and circum-
stances. After you have been listening and singing together for about 5 to 10 minutes, you will offer cold
drinks as it is HOT at Christmas, in Durban. You will also give about 50 cents to each of the carolers. So will
each of your neighbors who joined in. Thus if ten people came you would give about five dollars. In a typical
evening the week before Christmas, anywhere from one to three groups of carolers might arrive.
Who are these carolers besides talented and cheerful young singers? They have come by taxi bus from
the township areas where people are very poor. They paid about $1.50 to make the round trip. The money
they are given for caroling will help them with real needs at Christmas. This tradition is one of many in which
working people will provide a small tip of appreciation for those who are poorer. There are also traditions of
a month’s extra pay at Christmas for workers, and food hampers for the family of domestic workers who are
on holiday at Christmas. This is the time of year that people will return to rural areas. The caroling tradition
brings the precious reminder that Jesus Christ came and died for all of us and we can join our voices with
those who are not blessed with work or comfortable housing. The power of singing together lifts all our spir-
its as we proclaim Jesus Christ the Lord is born!
Come let us adore Him!
Rick, Anita, Marc, Paul Gutierrez
Rick & Anita Gutierrez Family South Africa
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February, March, April, May July 3 - 9, 2018
Maligayang Pasko (Joyful or Happy Christmas)
Christmas season in the Philippines runs from September through December.
Yes, I, said September!! I must admit that the first year I was there, I was shocked when I
was shopping on August 28 and the store had a full Christmas tree, lights, bulbs and all
the trimmings. And Christmas music playing continually! I was more surprised, though,
when I started to appreciate the early celebrations. It seems that our Christmas season
is so rushed here in the US. All our celebrations and preparations are done in just a few
weeks. Starting earlier gives you the luxury of slowly preparing. I love to hear the songs
and carols in the mall, and I heard some older ones in Manila that I had not heard for years. I realized that
this time is well spent, preparing for the coming of Christ.
One tradition of the Philippines, the Parol (pronounced pah-roll), derives
its name from the Spanish word for lantern, farol. It was used in the Catholic
Christmas traditions. The first parols were crafted with bamboo strips covered
with papél de japón (Japanese paper) and illuminated by a candle. Over the
years, parols have evolved from the five-pointed star to more elaborate illuminat-
ed capiz shell lanterns you commonly see today. Sometimes displayed singly and
sometimes with scores of others hanging from trees, it has become an iconic
symbol of the Philippine Christmas and is as important to them as the Christmas
tree is to Western cultures. Its annual debut on houses and streets signals the
coming of the Christmas season, and they are traditionally removed only after
Epiphany.
As we enter these last few days of preparation, of finding “perfect” gifts, and delicious new recipes for
brussel sprouts (?), may we always remember that our true purpose is to tend, care for and share our person-
al Light from Christ.
“….Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life….
Philippians 2:15-16a
We are the care-takers of the Light of Christ.
Are we busy preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ or for Christmas?
Thank you all for your continued partnership of prayer and gifts with me and the people of Asia.
I am truly blessed. May your Christmas season bring you and others closer to the Light of Christ.
Love to you all,
Debbie Mulneix
Debbie Mulneix Regional Missionary to Asia and SE Asia
Christmas greetings to you all! Christmas is one of our family’s
favorite times of the year. As we try to do every year, we wanted to
take a minute and bring you a Christmas greeting and share how we will
be celebrating this year, but first…
…we want to make sure to take this opportunity and say thank you to all
the churches and individuals that support our family so that we can follow God’s call on the mission field.
We also want to bring a Christmas greeting from Carmen, Richard and the girls at the House of Hope in Co-
chabamba. They send their love and hope that you all will come down and visit someday soon. Many of you
have sent Christmas gifts or helped us get gifts for the children that we minister to. We want to say a special
thank you for helping us share some Christmas joy to them as well.
Christmas can be quite an amazing time here in Bolivia. Usually Christmas Eve is when families
focus more of their attention to celebration. Oftentimes the family will attend an evening Christmas Eve ser-
vice (sometimes late-night, called a “Misa de Gallo” or The Rooster’s Mass),
but the real celebrations come later. The best part of Christmas eve is at mid-
night, when for around 45 minutes people all over the city set off fireworks to
celebrate the coming of Christ, and they are serious about their fireworks.
These are the fireworks that you need a license to use in the US. They set
them off in parks, at churches, on the streets, everywhere! Then they head
back in the house and have a huge dinner and open their presents. Often around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. they will
go to bed happy and full.
For our family, we do something similar. We go to Christmas Eve service at the international
church where we do a traditional “Lessons and Carols” type service filled with music and the story of Christ’s
birth. Then we invite our friends and fellow missionaries back to our house to dine on Chinese food (giving
homage to the movie, “A Christmas Story”) and then we all go outside and watch the fireworks at midnight
before everyone heads home. We also usually light the Christ candle in our family nativity at that time. Ad-
vent Season and the lighting of the candles isn’t a common thing here, but we still do it as a family. Christ-
mas day is filled with leftovers, rest and thankfulness.
No matter how you celebrate this year,
may you have a blessed
Advent and Christmas season.
J.D., Rhonda, Grace, Abie and Nathan.
J.D. & Rhonda Reed Family Bolivia
“Where are you?” This has been a question we have asked ourselves a lot in
the past six months of our first U.S/Puerto Rico assignment. As well, this was the first
question asked in Genesis when God came to the garden after Adam and Eve had taken
of the forbidden fruit. It was a profound theological question of love that God was ask-
ing. The question resonates personally with our journey because it demands a con-
sistent examination of both our physical location and our spiritual relationship with
God, self, others and the rest of creation. Physically we have reconnected with dear
friends, family and churches that have been a deep-rooted foundation in our lives. We
are grateful for the faithful prayers and financial support that have been given for the ministry in Mexico by our churches
in West Virginia.
During our travels the last few months, Deb and I have had time to reflect on the past four years of ministry in
Mexico. We faced various challenges with being immersed in seven different cultures/languages (Mazahua, Mixteca,
Totonaca, Náhuatl, Popoloca, Tseltal and Tsotsil), learning how to navigate the roads and terrain of southern central Mex-
ico, and building relationships have been the main focus of ministry. We have learned first-hand the relationship is the
cornerstone of our ministry. It is the trump card to going forward and con-
tinuing with demonstrating the commission of Jesus. This idea became evi-
dent early. Our first visit to one of our churches in CICEM we met with the
Pastor (Jose) and the elder board. We asked them what they wanted from
us and how we could be of the greatest help. Thinking the answer was go-
ing to be elaborate, I had my pen and paper ready; however, Pastor Jose
simply said, “Show up.” I thought, “That’s it?” In essence, what the Pastor
was saying was to “show up” and show us the value you place on us. “Show
up” and show us your motives. The indigenous community of Mexico has
been taken advantage of in many ways over their history. Pastor Jose gave us the road map to the call in our Christian
lives. To show up in people’s lives without a motive; only with the intention of hearing their story and investing in them as
a person. As we were preparing to leave Mexico for our home assignment, we paid a final visit to Pastor Jose. During this
visit, he gave us our next assignment when we return in June of 2018. This is when I needed my notebook to take notes.
We have gained the trust of his church and now entrusted to develop a youth leader program for their leaders.
Family update:
This past August, Deb and I entered a new phase in life as “empty nesters”. Boyden is in his second year of col-
lege at BIOLA (Bible Institute of LA) studying Micro-biology. He is working part time as teacher assistant in Chemistry, is
part of the GSP (Global Student Program) and plays on the intermural Rugby team. Baillie is in her first year of college at
BIOLA as well. She is studying nursing, is part of the GSP and sings in a glee group. Both are doing well with adjusting
back to life in the US; both academically and socially. Each of them played an integral role in our ministry in Mexico. Deb
and I are excited that Boyden and Baillie will be able to join us for this Christmas season.
We are excited to welcome Juan and Dense Aragon as part of the ministry team to our CICEM churches. They
arrived this past September. CICEM is made up of 37 different churches across four states (Mexico, Puebla, Oaxaca and
Chiapas) in southern central Mexico. We will be working together to empower the leaders of the indigenous church of
Mexico.
Interestingly enough, the first question in the New Testament is, “Where is He?” in reference to the Christ
child. This Christmas season hopefully we are challenged by both of these question in our lives. On behalf of our family
and the churches of CICEM, we want to say thank you and wish each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Dear friends,
Christmas greetings from Chiapas! During December, temperatures in
San Cristobal range anywhere from the mid 30’s to low 50s – we really miss
our central heating system! It’s hard to believe three months have passed
since our arrival to Mexico.
As you may imagine, these first three months our family has been do
ing a lot of adjustments: unlearning what we knew as normal, learning to live
in and finding ways to integrate into our host culture. When we arrived in
Mexico, our Area Director, Adalia Gutierrez Lee, emphasized how crucial it is for our family to set a firm foundation to
have a healthy ministry, and that’s what we’ve been working on these first few months.
Juancito and Ziba are about to finish their first quarter in school. Juancito had a rocky start as he got sick, struggled
with language and missed his friends and school in Ravenswood. But we have seen the Lord answering our prayers as he’s
slowly going back to being himself: extrovert, talkative and curious. He’s made new friends in school, is already reading in
Spanish and quickly learning to use Mexican slang!
We’ve nicknamed Ziba “the 4x4” – she’s an all-terrain little girl. She enjoys school, singing and loves trying new
foods and being helpful. She has fun pretending she’s a street seller knocking on our door to sell us water, fruits and vege-
tables. She’s made significant improvements in her language skills, prays in Spanish and
from time to time surprises us with new Spanish phrases.
With her charm and smile, Denise has been a trailblazer connecting our family with
people in our neighborhood, school, sport events and church. We’ve connected with mis-
sionary families who are either serving in Mexico or learning Spanish in preparation for ser-
vice in South America.
The weekend from December 8-10, our family along with Noé Trujillo and Lazaro Gonzalez from CICEM traveled to
the highlands to meet the churches we will serve. On Friday night and Saturday morning, the Tsotsil churches welcomed
us in the community of Carmen Grande, over 200 people celebrated the beginning of our ministry with music, singing and
food. On Sunday morning, the Tseltal churches assembled in the town of Yajalón to continue the celebration. We felt
God´s presence and love through their words of blessings, hospitality and warmth. We’re excited to see how the Spirit will
lead us to impact these communities with the gospel.
For over 400 years, Mexican people have celebrated the Christmas tradition of “Las Posadas,” Spanish for lodging,
which refers to the inn in the story of the nativity of Jesus. In this tradition established by Catholic friars, two people dress
up as Mary and Joseph. Some houses are selected as an "inn" (thus the name "Posada"). The head of the procession will
have a candle inside a paper lampshade. At each “inn,” the resident responds by singing a song and Mary and Joseph are
finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and
kneel around the Nativity scene to pray.
As we celebrate the Gift of God this Christmas, we thank the American Baptist Women’s Ministries of West Virgin-
ia for providing the generous gift to purchase the 4x4 pickup truck that will take us across the highlands to equip God´s
people to make disciples. Also, our profound gratitude for the faithful prayers and financial support from every church in
our WVBC family. Your prayers and gifts enable us to respond to God´s call..
Juan, Denise, Juancito and Zeba Aragon
Keith & Debbie Myers Family Mexico Juan & Denise Aragon Family
Mexico
Tri-annual CICEM National Assembly in San Juan Atzingo, Puebla, Mexico.