During an era when we find decreasing personnel tenure particularly within nonprofits, six BBFI missionaries have stayed true to the call God placed on their lives over fifty years ago. While success is not best determined by numbers, the ministries of each of these missionaries have great length and breadth whose extent will only be made known inside heavens economy. These veteran missionaries, whom we recognized during the May Fellowship meeting, depict what we admirably consider as heroes of the faith.

John and Karry Barnes (Costa Rica)

John and Karry Barnes have served as missionaries for 51 years in Costa Rica. The Barnes ministry In Costa Rica has prospered and been enormously blessed by God resulting in the establishment of an aggressive camp and retreat ministry with an average of 10-12,000 attendees a year. They also established a Bible college which offers an undergraduate degree as well as a Masters program. There are well over 600 graduates, many now serving in several different countries.  What is most exciting, over 40 congregations have been established under the ministry of John and Karry with five in the Republic of Panama, three in the country of Cuba and 33 plus in Costa Rica, the newest being their 2020 COVID baby churches. Apart from the enormous blessing of God Bro Barnes notes that an important and vital factor in the growth of their ministry since the 70’s is their long term commitment to the mission of planting churches and raising national leadership plus the commitment of their sending church, Kelview Heights Baptist in Midland, TX as well as  the churches of the Baptist Bible Fellowship and the BBFI Mission Office who have all come together to form a powerful team. John and Karry feel their ministry is about to peak again and both are looking forward to many more years of service and  growth specifically in Costa Rica and Latin American in general.

Paul and Alexis Dedyan (France)

Arriving in France in July 1971, the Dedyans found an apartment in a suburb of Paris, and later acquired property in Champigny, a suburb in the Paris metropolitan area with a population of about 90,000. Services were started in June 1972 where they were able to see a total of about 800 souls accept Christ as their Savior through the ministry there. After leaving this church in the hands of a national pastor in August 1987, they moved south to Cahors, the county seat of one of the most neglected regions of France where they built a new church, Bible Baptist Church of Cahors.  During their nine years in Cahors, about 120 people accepted Christ, 60 were baptized, and an average attendance reached about 45. The Bible Baptist Church of Cahors has become a lamp in the darkness and many people have had the opportunity to hear the Gospel because of the existence of this church. In late 1974, they were able to acquire two and a half acres in southern France where a beautiful campground covering thirteen acres was developed and used to see about 450 people accept Christ as well as many others who have made important decisions about serving the Lord.

David and Edna Howell (Brazil)

With an approval in May 1971, David & Edna Howell arrived in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil in August of 1973 and immediately started language school. Their lives have been filled with assisting other missionaries, helping several national pastors start new churches, and teaching in the Bible institute in Campinas. From their first rural church, they were able to start several preaching points among the area farms turning each one over to a national pastor. When the Brazilian economy fell leaving them with only 50% of their support due to exchange rates, they turned their attention from starting new churches to assisting existing churches who were without pastors and in danger of closing. The Lord has blessed their efforts in seeing two churches established and the start of ten other churches through fellow missionaries and national pastors. They have led in the construction of 11 buildings, 15 preaching points, with 6 interns and 4 students who have attended the Bible Institute.

Jim (deceased) and Becky Lee (Mexico)

After graduating from Baptist Bible College, Jim accepted the pastorate at Ozark Baptist Temple in Warsaw, MO until May 1971 when the Lees were approved as missionaries to Mexico. Upon arriving in Queretaro, Mexico in 1973, they began language study and soon thereafter assisted fellow missionary, Marvin Hooge, in starting a church. Within their first year, the Lees took on full responsibility for leading the new church. Soon they added teaching Spanish in the local language school where, along with missionary Georgia Webb, taught 250 missionaries. When a watchmaker started an ACE school for his children and missionary kids but left a year later, the Lees worked with other missionaries in assuming the leadership where Becky taught for 16 years. In 1980, the Lees began a new work which grew to be very strong. There, a Bible Institute was started along with another church. Throughout their 50 years in ministry, they have seen many people come to know Jesus and God has called pastors and pastor’s wives who have gone out to work with the Indians in Chihuahua, in Spain and in the United States. Although Jim passed from this life in December 2020, Becky desires to return to her ministry in Mexico.

Larry and Sharon Lilly (Mexico)

While serving in the US Air Force, Larry received Christ as Savior and a year later surrendered to preach the Gospel. Upon marrying Sharon and graduating from Baptist Bible College, he accepted the position as associate pastor of Central Baptist Church in Lufkin, TX. During the next two years the fires of missionary work began to burn in his heart, and in 1968, he surrendered to be a missionary. Upon arrival in Mexico in 1971, they began language study and soon thereafter took on the responsibility of the Gethsemane Baptist Mission in the city of San Luis Potosí. In 1973, they moved to Morelia, Michoacán, 750 miles into the interior of Mexico where the Bible Baptist Church of Morelia was started. In 1984 they moved to Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico, with over 5,000,000 in population at that time.  They then started the Bible Baptist Mission of Guadalajara and labored in five village works with a national pastor. In 1988, they moved to Ciudad Mante, to begin working as Sub-Director in the Baptist Bible Institute and a year later, became Director of the Bible College. Since 1962 there have been 60 graduating classes with more than 900 full-time students graduated who are now serving the Lord preaching and teaching the Gospel in Mexico and other parts of the world.

Craig and Fran Lingo (Colombia)

After fifty years of service, Craig and Fran can attest to the faithfulness of their great God who called them to Colombia, and who did the work.  One by one, God brought the people across their path who were to be saved.  He banded them together into churches that thrived and grew, and on occasions God would thrust some of the people out to far reaching parts of the city, country and world to start new communities of faith…there is no way to measure the work that God has done and will continue to do until He returns. Today you would find as a result of their lifetime of ministry, thriving churches that are the hub of all of the other activities, a Bible Institute with eight students, an Apprenticeship Program for up-and-coming pastors, an Evangelistic Camp Ministry that during normal times (non COVID) will preach the gospel to as many as 500 unsaved young people at a time, 17 churches that are cooperating in this program providing over 300 volunteers, and a Discipleship Training School that is currently training 19 young people in a four-month program focusing on the spiritual disciplines. All of these activities are in the hands of capable Colombian leadership.

With these heroes of the faith in the latter years of their ministry, will you pray with us that God will send forth more laborers into His harvest? Visit project938.world to see how you and your church can participate.