Caring for our missionaries is a top priority that begins with the missionary’s sending church and continuing throughout the Mission Office.

Recently, a BBFI missionary experienced the horror of being robbed after visiting a bank and exchanging a large amount of ministry funds.  Adding to the stress of the day was the fact that he was helping a fellow missionary and the funds stolen did not even belong to him. The missionary reported that after he had exchanged some cash he was followed by four men on two motorcycles for about 45 minutes.  The motorcycles then pulled up on either side of his vehicle and smashed both rear windows, reached in and grabbed his backpack containing the cash and other valuables which was on the floorboard behind his seat. It was all over in a matter of seconds and fortunately he was not harmed.

It is in times like this that, first of all, we recognize that God is in control and we thank Him for his protection over us.  Secondly, we are thankful for sending churches that immediately rally to help their missionary in times of need, and that the Mission Office is trained and ready to respond.  Immediately, this missionary’s sending church responded to the need, and as soon as the Mission Office learned of the incident we were able to offer both security and financial assistance by utilizing funds from the Missionary Care Offering.

The Missionary Care Offering is funded by churches and individuals and its purpose is to help provide security training and resources as well as assistance to missionaries in certain cases much like the one mentioned above.

Regarding personal security, if you are involved in an incident, please notify Steve Bender in the Mission Office as soon as possible that I may offer assistance in whatever form that may be needed.  I may be reached in the Mission Office at 417-862-5001 or on my cell phone at 417-840-9732.  In order to help you, we monitor several sources of social media but inevitably we miss some important items.  In the event you have an emergency, we appreciate and welcome direct contact from you.  As always, we continue to pray daily for your safety.

-By Steve Bender