Because of Dr. Boonstra’s careful and wise stewardship, the BBFI Mission Office was stabilized, placed on a firm foundation, and has continued to flourish through the years. It was an important time for our Fellowship and his leadership put us on firm ground to spread the Gospel worldwide. Many churches with faithful members joined together in a greater way to fulfill the Great Commission.

One of Dr. Boonstra’s efforts to bring people together for world missions was to use the Kenyan term – Harambee. It’s a Swahili word meaning “Let’s all pull together.” It was a term the first president of Kenya used to achieve unity and success among the great diversity of 40 tribes. He created a symbol to unify the nation. He took a cow’s or horse’s tail, attached it to a wooden handle and called it Harambee. The President went to every tribal group with the same message. Harambee! became his rallying cry, “Let’s all pull together.” Dr. Boonstra wrote:

The BBFI began in May 1950. I was at that beginning meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1972, I was called from the pastorate in Denver to a position in our Mission Office, doing missions administration and missions evangelism in local churches.

I adopted a phrase, based on 1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God,” as a theme to my ministry. “Think what we can do together – Harambee!”

He said: Let’s all pull together, pray together, promote together, participate together. Remember when we work as a team, T.E.A.M. = Together Everyone Achieves More!

Think what we can do together – Harambee!

Carl Boonstra believed in, and championed, Faith Promise Mission Giving. He went all over the USA promoting this biblical concept of giving to missions. His challenge encouraged so many to give, pray and even go. He always challenged churches with this motto: The local church must remain faithful so the faithful missionaries can remain.

Today, the Mission Office is thankful for his forethought concerning finances. He was a very tight “Dutchman” who made important decisions back in the 1970’s and we are still reaping the positive impact of those decisions today.

He set up the investment funds that help with missionary projects, disability for the missionaries, medical reserve fund, and the Mission Office reserves. He started the Missionary Projects Offering that worked with churches and missionaries to see thousands of churches built and over one hundred homes built or purchased for missionaries to live in across the globe.

Dr. Carl Boonstra has been a part of every mission building of the BBFI starting with the building connected to the G.B. Vick Memorial Library on the campus of Baptist Bible College, the old High Street Baptist Church building on High Street, the current Mission Office building, and now with the new building. He set up the funds years ago that are making this new building project possible today.

On a personal note:

The Boonstras have had an impact on my family from the beginning when my parents were still single. He encouraged my dad, Richard Konnerup, to go into the ministry. My parents did their missionary internship under Dr. Boonstra when he was the pastor of East Side Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Boonstra led my dad’s parents,  grandparents, to the Lord. He visited our family in both Ethiopia and Kenya. He visited me at boarding school in Kenya when I was in high school at the Rift Valley Academy. I also remember when he and Mrs. Boonstra came back from a trip to Europe to attend my wedding. I always admired his passion for people to be saved and then for world missions.

When he was transitioning out as the Mission Director in 1987 when Pam and I were approved as BBFI missionaries, he personally led us through the approval process. We were even invited to stay in the apartment at their home during that time. All these things have made a huge impact upon me and my family.

Dr. Carl Boonstra served one year as Assistant Director of Missions, 14 years as Director of Missions (1972-1986), followed by three years as Mission Consultant and Field Representative of the BBFI. He has preached missions in over 1,500 churches and has traveled to more than 75 countries of the world – multiple times to some places.

It is with great honor that I now have the privilege to build upon his efforts. We celebrate his life and the impact he has had on world missions. I think we would all agree that he was a statesman for world missions.

I believe an appropriate passage of scripture for today would be 2 Timothy 4:7-8:

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

He fought the good fight. Dr. Boonstra finished his course. He also kept the faith. He was faithful to God’s Word. Lastly, he looked beyond the moment that would bring the end of his life on earth. He looked to Heaven and its rewards that awaited him. No doubt he heard those special words upon arrival into heaven – “well done though good and faithful servant.” We would say to him today – mission accomplished!

-by Jon Konnerup