Baptist Press Stories for Sep. 12 2012 --------------------------------------- India orphans find home, Christ, through IMB OneLife initiative http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38695 OneLife brings wells, Living Water to India http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38696 Hobby Lobby files suit against abortion mandate http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38697 IMB honors emeriti missionaries for service http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38698 Earthquake traumas continue for Iranians http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38699 MOVIES: 7 marvelous movie moments http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38700 --------------------------------------- India orphans find home, Christ, through IMB OneLife initiative By Don Graham Sep. 12 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38695 BIHAR STATE, India (BP) -- Ajay Kumar stands straight as a rod in a line of green-sweatered boys during a school presentation near Katihar, India. The show is serious business, complete with singing and an audience of honored American guests. But when the teacher calls Ajay's name, the 9-year-old's solemn face slips into a wide, infectious grin. This is his moment, and he knows it. Ajay steps forward, takes a deep breath and begins his monologue. "When I was at home, there was no one to love me," he says. "Both of my parents remarried and abandoned me. So our village used me to look after their dogs and buffaloes."
These aren't lines from a play -- it's real life. Ajay is an orphan. His "school" is Compassion Children's Home, an orphanage run by his teacher/foster father/orphanage director, Mukesh Soren. The visiting Americans are a volunteer team from The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., led by Summit's worship leader and Christian recording artist, Matt Papa. Papa's untamed shock of red hair, scruffy beard and bright blue eyes stand out among the jet-black locks of the presentation's largely Indian audience. But Papa doesn't mind the extra attention, especially from the orphans. Indeed, he's traveled halfway around the world because these are his children. Papa, 28, is part of OneLife, an International Mission Board initiative that develops student advocates in support of global causes. Three years ago, Papa helped Mukesh and his wife, Jasmine, start the orphanage, which is now part of OneLife's "One Orphanage" project. It's Papa's job to drum up support for the orphanage by raising awareness, money and recruiting student volunteers. He knows the need is dire. [QUOTE@right@180="The question that God taught me to ask was, 'God, are you using me for Your kingdom or am I using You for mine?'"]India is the world's second-largest country, home to more than 1.2 billion people. More than 31 million of them are orphans, according to UNICEF. "The thing that has always struck me about India is the combination and culmination of spiritual and physical poverty," Papa says. "A lot of these children are condemned forever to beg for money. That's all they can do and that is all they will ever be able to do." Most of the orphans share similar stories. Besides being forced to beg, many, like Ajay, were treated as virtual slaves by neighbors or relatives, paid only with enough food to keep them alive. Few knew how to read or write; most had no education at all. "There is no one to hug them. There is no one to show them the right direction," Mukesh says. "And in India, at the age of 6 or 7 years old, they use drugs. They drink alcohol. And they spoil their lives." As the presentation continues, Papa listens intently to the orphans' testimonies, his face full of compassion. Some of their backgrounds he knows; others he's hearing for the first time. "Jai Masih ki (praise to the Messiah)," begins Sabita Kumar, 11, whose beautiful brown eyes sparkle with life. "I have no mother. When I was a small girl my father left us because of a mental problem," she says. What Sabita doesn't explain, Mukesh later tells Papa, is that the child's father "went mad" and attempted to murder Sabita and her brother and sister. "My life was totally insane," Sabita says. "I had to feed myself ... so my aunt forced me to sell alcohol. "[But] when I came here there was new hope for me," she explains. Sabita suddenly had clean clothes and good food to eat. She quit selling alcohol and began going to school. "At that time I did not know a single letter," she admits. Sabita can now read and write. Above all, she finally has a family that loves her. "They are my parents," she says of Mukesh and Jasmine. Her fellow orphans are "my sisters and brothers." Eternal Homes But Mukesh and Papa aren't satisfied with providing only earthly homes for these children. Both men are deeply invested in the orphans' eternal futures, too. "Jesus has a purpose and a plan for their lives," Mukesh explains. "They have to know that Jesus is the Way, Truth and the Life ... that through Jesus only, we have salvation." Says Ajay, "They teach us Bible stories, the Word of God and how to live a good life. Jesus came to this world for my sins and He shed His blood to save me." Mukesh knows that following Jesus is a decision the orphans must make in their own time and of their own free will, a decision that he says is independent of their opportunity to call the orphanage home. But they will hear the Gospel, he says. And if they accept Christ's free gift, they will be discipled to share that gift with others. "One day they will become the great leaders or singers or pastors or teachers of this nation," Mukesh says, his voice brimming with hope and conviction. "... And these children will change India." Forging a partnership About five years ago while Papa's band was touring India, he hired Mukesh as a translator. The two stayed in touch via Facebook. Then, during a trip to India two years later, Papa reconnected with Mukesh and discovered why God had brought them together -- both men have a heart for orphans. "James 1:27 gripped my heart," Papa explains, quoting the verse from memory: "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God is caring for orphans and widows in their distress and keeping one's self unstained by the world." At nearly the same time, halfway around the world, God was tugging at Mukesh's heart from Matthew 9:36, where Jesus is preaching and healing across Galilee: "When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd." (HCSB) Orphans were the shepherd-less "sheep" to which Mukesh was ultimately drawn, in part due the influence of his wife, Jasmine, who was orphaned at age 12. "I praise God for Matt Papa and his team," Jasmine says, restraining tears. "When I was not married to Mukesh, I was an orphan like them. ... And I was praying to [one day] serve the needs of orphans. God listened to my prayer." With Papa's promise of financial support, Mukesh and Jasmine launched Compassion Children's Home in January 2009, using their own home as the orphanage. They've since taken in seven orphaned children, six boys and one girl, all under age 12. Mukesh vividly remembers rescuing Ajay, one of the first children to find a new home at the orphanage. "I went to Ajay's village and I began to search for him," Mukesh says. But Ajay wasn't there. Neighbors had sent him to gather food for the cows. He was cutting grass when Mukesh finally found him; his clothes and skin filthy, his hands raw from work. "Tears poured from my eyes ... because the village people were using Ajay for their benefit," Mukesh says. "When I saw him it broke my heart. I understood what could have happened in my life if I didn't have an earthly mom and dad." Ajay, only 6 years old at the time, told Mukesh he was using drugs and drinking. "But when Ajay came to the orphanage, and when he found God's love, and when we hugged him and told him that God has a purpose and a plan for you ... he understood," Mukesh says. Ajay is now "the most handsome and smiling face in the children's home." Making room On the outside, Compassion Children's Home is a drab concrete cube with a half-finished second story. But Jasmine's touches have made the inside bright, clean and relatively comfortable. There are soft beds for the boys, clean water via a hand-pumped well and hot, nutritious meals -- even a soccer field. But with seven children, the orphanage is already near capacity. That's one of the reasons Papa has come. He's personally financing the construction of a new orphanage that will house roughly 30 orphans, 15 boys and 15 girls, including five widows to care for them. A planned second phase of construction promises to create room for 50 more -- roughly 80 children total. It's a drop in the bucket when weighed against India's 31 million orphans, but Papa says that's not the point. "Jesus took 12 and changed the world. ... And whether or not they go on to be huge world changers, they are 30 souls who need the Gospel." Papa has designated $25,000 of his own money to fund construction, and he's eager to see what his investment has bought him. The day after the children's presentation, Papa and the team from The Summit Church head to the orphanage site, a vacant lot between farmers' fields off a quiet dirt road. Construction began months ago. By now, the building's foundation should be complete as well as the reinforced concrete columns that will support its second story. "One of my albums that I made a little while back, a [record] label picked it up and my wife, Lauren, and I got a chunk of money that we weren't expecting," Papa explains. They began to pray about how the Lord wanted them to use it. He told them to build an orphanage. "The question that God taught me to ask was, 'God, are you using me for Your kingdom or am I using You for mine?'" Papa says. "As Christians we are blessed to be a blessing. ... Find your standard of living. And when God blesses you, don't change it. Change how much you can give to bless others." "Ministry is messy" Though he knows a lot about music, Papa admits he has zero experience starting orphanages -- particularly in India. "It's totally outrageous. ... I'm thinking some days, 'What am I doing?'" he says. "I'm 28 years old, and my wife and I have yet to adopt a child, much less build an orphanage." As the SUV rolls to a stop in front of the construction site, it's clear that inexperience has cost him. Papa stares at a heap of bricks and mangled rebar -- the remains of some of the building's support columns, none of which remain standing. There's no foundation, either. His discouragement and frustration are obvious, but Papa remains upbeat. "Ministry is messy," he says. "If somebody were to drive by this place right now they would see twisted rebar. Bricks piled up. Uneven ground," Papa says. "But I see children who have been abandoned. Who have been forsaken. ... I see them here, loved on, cared for, safe, protected and, most of all, discipled and growing and seeking God." The damage isn't a complete surprise. Papa says there have been "hiccups" from the beginning -- from stolen building materials and crooked contractors to a freak storm that toppled some of the columns. Thankfully the mess has cost Papa only about $5,000 of the $25,000 he's planned to spend. "Hudson Taylor said, 'Every work of God has three phases: it's hard, then it's impossible, and then it's done,'" Papa says. "I would rather be doing something for Jesus and maybe messing up every now and then than just sitting on my butt doing nothing. We felt compelled to jump out there and take a leap of faith." Still, there are even bigger hurdles. Once the orphanage is finished, Papa and Mukesh have to figure out how to sustain it. Though Papa's band provides most of the financial support for the seven children Mukesh and Jasmine have now, the band can't support 30, much less 80. That's why Papa doesn't want the ministry to depend on donations. "How is this going to be a self-sustaining model?" he wonders. "We have poured ourselves into this. We did a tour this past fall and raised funds ... about $11,000 for the orphanage." But the band can't stay on the road forever, and in order to survive, Papa knows Compassion Children's Home has to outgrow The Matt Papa Band. Ultimately, both Papa and Mukesh believe it's a matter of faith. "I think God is looking and watching our faithfulness" Mukesh says. "If I love them and take care of them properly, God will open the door to take care of many more." It's about love But being Jesus' hands, heart and voice to the children isn't about construction blueprints, fundraising models or evangelism methods -- it's about love. That's why a big part of Papa's ministry is simply spending time with the orphans. Late in the afternoon, the Summit team heads to the field to play soccer with the children. They don't stop until dark. And all too soon, it's time to say goodbye. Papa hugs the children, tells them he loves them and is proud of them. "We're a vapor. We have got 60 or 70 some years on this planet, and we never get another chance, ever. That's it. And I don't want to waste it," he says. "Here and now, what I have to do is leverage my life. Leverage my gifts, my music, for the sake of this place right here, for the sake of these children. ... That's why I'm here." Want to be a part of OneLife's "One Orphanage" project? You can give, go or simply spread the word. Learn more at [URL=http://www.onelifematters.org]www.onelifematters.org[/URL] or email go@onelifematters.org. --30-- Don Graham is a senior writer for the International Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- OneLife brings wells, Living Water to India By Don Graham Sep. 12 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38696 BIHAR STATE, India (BP) -- Aaron Blanton rubs the sleep from his eyes as he slides from his bunk on an overnight train to Patna, India. The trip, scheduled at nine hours, has now dragged on for more than 13. Worse, Blanton's suitcase didn't make his flight into New Delhi. He's been living in the same pair of clothes for three days.
It sounds like a travel horror story from his time on tour as the drummer for SONICFLOOd, or more recently, front man for the Christian rock group By the Tree. Aside from a few wrinkles and a bad case of bed head, however, Blanton seems ready to rock. But it's not a gig that has brought the 32-year-old Christian musician more than 10,000 miles from his California home -- it's clean water. Blanton is part of OneLife, a student-driven, International Mission Board movement that challenges young adults to use their "one life" to make a difference in others' lives for Christ's glory, meeting physical and spiritual needs around the globe. Specifically, Blanton wants to raise awareness for OneLife's "One Cup of Water" project. The idea is simple -- repair or replace broken, hand-pumped wells in 1,200 rural villages across Bihar, India's poorest state. The payoff? Providing clean drinking water to thousands of men, women and children living in absolute poverty. Clean water -- cheap [QUOTE@right@180="When we leave, not only have we shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we've also left them with a working pump."]It's a cheap fix, at least by Western standards. Before heading to a nearby village for a firsthand look at the problem, Blanton stops at a roadside plumbing store (shack). He emerges with a pair of brand-new water pump handles, essentially 2-foot long, cast-iron bars. Broken handles are a common problem among village wells in the area, rendering otherwise good pumps useless. Together, the handles cost 400 rupees. That's about $8 each -- less than the cost of a movie ticket. "We're talking under 25 bucks to give a village clean water. That's amazing," Blanton says with a grin. He lugs the handles to the SUV and the OneLife team presses on. The village is at least an hour's drive over rough, sometimes crowded, rural roads that wind through mustard farms and rice fields. It's beautiful country, and Blanton's excitement is palpable. "Every time I come here it's the same impression -- that it is possible to change lives in a place that seems impossible. That's what God's grace does," he says. "Water is one of those essential ingredients. ... But they just don't have the means. "I hear the question, 'Why can't they do it themselves?' a lot as I get into these kinds of humanitarian projects. But that's not what the Bible says. ... It says if they ask, give. It says if we see a need, fill it. ... Why wouldn't we want to help? That's my question back." "Water is our life" As Blanton's team pulls into the village, a swarm of curious Biharis greets them. A rusty, green water pump stands ready, but its handle is missing. About 200 people live here in the shadow of a small mountain, eking out their survival as subsistence farmers, coaxing food from the rocky soil. Mud, brick and straw are used to build homes. Hundreds of dung patties, fuel for cooking, dry in the sun on the homes' walls, each bearing the handprint of the person who formed them. Chickens, children and a few stray, hungry-looking dogs wander the single dirt road that runs the length of the village. A mother sits in the dirt picking lice from her daughter's hair. Other women ferry containers of water balanced on their heads. The village has no running water. Every drop needed for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing must be carried by hand. With the help of two local church planters, Rajesh and Deepak, the OneLife team talks with 35-year-old Ram Palimanjhi, who lives in the village. "Water is our life," Palimanjhi says simply. He points to the handleless pump, explaining that it hasn't worked for some time. But Palimanjhi's village has been fortunate, Rajesh says. They have a second well only a few minutes' walk away. It's not as deep, but its pump is operational, for now. Bihar's hot, dry summers complicate the problem. Ground water levels will drop, often drying up shallower wells like the one near Palimanjhi's village, leaving even fewer sources of clean water. It's a serious problem across the area, Rajesh says, explaining that more than 100 families may depend on a single well. As summer progresses, crowds will begin forming around the ever-dwindling number of functional wells, forcing many to wait, sometimes an hour or more in 110-degree weather, just for a few gallons of water. The long waits are time villagers could spend working their farms, caring for children or possibly attending school, Rajesh points out. Instead, time is wasted gathering a commodity much of the world takes for granted. "We can just go grab a 24-pack at Target," Blanton says. "There's no comparison to what they have to do for water and what we have to do for water. ... When I wake up in the morning to brush my teeth, I get out of my comfy bed and I walk a few steps to my sink." Once this well is dry, Palimanjhi and other village families will be forced to walk almost two miles to the nearest deep well. Or worse, they'll drink from nearby water sources like an uncovered well, stream or pond, risking diarrhea, parasites and other water-borne illnesses, unless Blanton and the OneLife team can repair the village's pump. Big job But this is just a single well, and the problem is often more serious than a broken handle. Fortunately bigger repairs are still relatively inexpensive, by Western standards. According to Rajesh, $40 will replace an entire pump head; $280 fixes a broken cylinder (part of a pump's internal mechanism), and $550 pays for digging and outfitting a brand-new well, pump included. Rajesh and Deepak have big goals in the One Cup of Water project. The men don't want to just fix broken wells, but dig new ones too. "If we can put four or five hand pumps in a village, that would be a sufficient source of clean water. That's about 4,000 to 5,000 hand pumps we will repair or install. It is a great task," Rajesh says. That's why he and Deepak say they are grateful for Blanton's partnership and the potential support he'll help rally. Working with national churches, they're envisioning dozens of OneLife student teams descending upon Bihar over the course of the next three years, finding, assessing and GPS-tagging hundreds of broken pumps. Bihari believers will come behind them to repair or replace the pumps, and in the process, form relationships that will lay the groundwork for sharing the Gospel. What's more, Rajesh and Deepak are already seeing results from a small handful of pumps they've managed to repair themselves. "Last summer this pump [that we fixed] was working, and it was an amazing thing. All the other hand pumps were dry, but this hand pump was not. ... And people were saying this was because of God," Rajesh explains. Living water Rajesh believes giving people clean water is the perfect entrée for sharing Living Water. "We are sharing the Gospel directly and people are believing. But when we do this kind of work (repairing water pumps) for the Lord, it glorifies God because we are not only saying, but doing." Blanton couldn't agree more. "We see Jesus do that all the time in the Bible, meeting people's physical needs," he says. "We know we're called to make disciples and share the Good News. But we're also called to help widows and orphans. "That's why I think this project is so awesome. ... When we leave, not only have we shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we've also left them with a working pump. And both of those things are life-giving." Get involved Blanton admits he can barely fix a toilet, let alone a water pump in India. But he says that's no excuse to not get involved. "For us in America, I don't know that there is a ton of risk to dig in your pocket and pull out a few bucks that you probably wouldn't miss and put it down so that people can have water and the Gospel. The risk, I think, is not doing that. The risk is saying, ah, someone else will do it; someone else will take care of it. The risk is not laying hold of what God has asked you to do specifically." The real requirement, he adds, is a compassionate heart and desire to make a difference in someone's life. Blanton says God awakened his own passion for India about five years ago during his first trip to the slums in Mumbai. It was the first time he'd been confronted with true poverty. "God began to chip away some of the stone around my heart that I didn't even know was there in terms of caring for others," he says. "He was saying, 'I have something greater than any song you could ever write or sing.' "I used to think that music was what I was all about, and how I would leave some kind of mark that I was here on the earth. But I'm seeing now that it's really a lot less about my name, my career, my songs. It's about something that I never even considered until God showed me a way that I could do something that transcends all of that -- and that's to share the Gospel and provide clean water." Be a part of OneLife's "One Cup of Water" project by giving, going or simply spreading the word. Learn more at [URL=http://www.onelifematters.org] www.onelifematters.org [/URL] or email go@onelifematters.org[/URL] --30-- Don Graham is a senior writer for the International Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Hobby Lobby files suit against abortion mandate By Michael Foust Sep. 12 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38697 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Evangelical-owned Hobby Lobby has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration's contraceptive/abortion mandate, becoming the largest business yet to take action against the rule and underscoring once again that the issue impacts more than just Catholics. With more than 500 stores in 41 states, Hobby Lobby's owners always have made their faith a central part of their business. Their stores play Christian instrumental music and are closed on Sundays. Hobby Lobby contributes to Christian organizations and during Easter and Christmas runs full-page ads with Gospel-centered messages in newspapers. The [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=38400]mandate[/URL], issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, requires businesses to purchase insurance plans that cover contraceptives, including "emergency" contraceptives that can cause chemical abortions. The latter drugs often are labeled morning-after pills and come under brand names such as Plan B and ella. They can work before implantation and -- in the case of ella -- after implantation. Hobby Lobby is represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which filed the suit Wednesday (Sept. 12). There now are 28 separate suits against the mandate, although most of them involve religious organizations that will be impacted by the rule, according to Becket. Although Hobby Lobby's insurance plans cover contraceptives that are preventative in nature, the company won't cover anything that causes a chemical abortion, says David Green, Hobby Lobby's founder and CEO. "These abortion-causing drugs go against our faith, and our family is now being forced to choose between following the laws of the land that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful," Green said during a conference call with reporters. "... We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate." The mandate went into effect Aug. 1, but Hobby Lobby won't be impacted until Jan. 1, when the new insurance year for its employees begins. The mainstream media has focused most of its attention on Catholic organizations and has rarely used the word "abortion" in reporting on the controversy, but the reality is much different, said Becket Fund attorney Kyle Duncan. "We hope that this lawsuit, on behalf of such a large and prominent evangelical Christian business, will draw attention to the fact that the government is trying to force people of all different faiths to violate their faith," Duncan said during the conference call. "This is not by any means a Catholic-only issue. Some of the drugs involved in the mandate can cause an early abortion. And many Americans who are not Catholic have a problem with this." The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, asserts the mandate violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of freedom of religion, speech and association. It asks the court to issue an injunction prohibiting enforcement of the mandate. In a separate case in July, a federal court issued a ruling preventing the mandate from being enforced against a Colorado business whose owners are devout Catholics, but the ruling applied only to that business. Hobby Lobby would face millions of dollars in fines if it does not comply. If it chose simply to drop insurance for employees altogether, it would face fines of $26 million per year, Duncan said. If it chose to offer insurance but simply not comply with the mandate, the fines would be even larger: more than $400 million per year, he said. "The government has turned a deaf ear to the rights of business owners," Duncan said. Perhaps countering what critics will say about Hobby Lobby and the lawsuit, Green said the company cares about its employees. "That's why, unlike most major retailers, we are open only 66 hours per week and are closed on Sunday, to allow our employees to spend time with their family," Green said. Also, the company's minimum wage for full-time employees is 80 percent above the national minimum wage, he said. The issue is about religious liberty, Green said. "Hobby Lobby has always been a tool for the Lord's work," he said. "... For me and my family, charity equals ministry, which equals the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ... But now our faith is being challenged by the federal government." The mandate was announced by HHS in August 2011 as part of the health care law championed by President Obama. Although the Supreme Court upheld the health care law in June of this year, the justices' ruling did not deal with the religious liberty issues surrounding the contraceptive/abortion mandate. That means the nation's highest court could yet strike down what has been for religious groups the most controversial part of the law. --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- IMB honors emeriti missionaries for service By Laura Fielding Sep. 12 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38698 RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP) -- In a tiny, West African community under a star-filled sky, missionary Marvin Thompson would read Scripture to villagers by the faint light of a kerosene lamp. Thompson spent many days and nights being Christ's heart, hands and voice to his people group, sharing Bible stories and building relationships. "I've got some good memories of those experiences," he recalled. "As well as throwing up the next day or two from some bad food I got," he added with a chuckle. Thompson, 62, and his wife, LaNette, 58, served as Southern Baptist missionaries for 26 years in West Africa. They are two of 82 new emeritus missionaries being recognized at a special, weeklong emeriti event sponsored by the IMB, Sept. 7-13, at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina.
Emeriti are retired missionaries with at least 15 years of service whom International Mission Board trustees vote to honor with the title. The new emeriti joined more than 1,000 current emeriti who also attended the weeklong event, reuniting as part of the special "Year of Emeriti" observance celebrated every five years. The cumulative years of service of all emeriti missionaries ever honored is 28,929. Pioneers in their field The Thompsons, both Texas natives, were appointed missionaries in 1985 and served in Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali. The couple became pioneers in chronological Bible storying, a method of teaching oral learners (those who cannot read) a series of Bible stories in a way that relates culturally to the learners. The Thompsons were the first IMB missionaries to use storying in West Africa. After seeing five churches established in their city, the Thompsons moved to a small Muslim village in Cote d'Ivoire where they continued to use the technique. It was in Cote d'Ivoire that LaNette had the chance to share all 52 stories in the storying track with a recent widow who repented. "When she accepted Christ, it was like that was the reason we were there; it was almost like that was the reason God called me when I was 12," LaNette said. Someone had to come to reach this one woman in this remote village, "and it was just like that was my purpose."
The Thompsons moved to Mali in 2002 and remained there until retirement in 2011. Their missions legacy lives on through the many nationals and missionaries they've trained, and through two of their three children who returned to West Africa as Southern Baptist missionaries. The Thompsons now reside in Waco, Texas, where Marvin pastors Emmanuel Baptist Church and LaNette is pursuing a doctorate in educational psychology at Baylor University. "We're retired from the IMB, but not retired -- just shifting gears," Marvin said. Added LaNette, "When He calls you to full-time service, it doesn't end." Not ready to retire New emerita Annette Hall isn't slowing down, either. The 68-year-old Virginian appointed in 1973 served for 38 years as an IMB representative to North African and Middle Eastern peoples. Hall was a nurse educator in two Middle Eastern nations but later moved to France in 1990 to work with Muslim immigrants. She adopted the chronological Bible storying method, using Bible stories to teach literacy and French as a second language. "We were meeting their need by giving them access to the French language ... but then we were also giving them the Gospel," Hall said. Living in Richmond, Va., since retirement, Hall has a passion to see Bible storying take root in the United States. She is connecting with Baptist leaders across state lines and hosting workshops to train others in the method. "Retirement has come before I was ready for it," she said. "I don't plan to stop anytime soon. My goal is to keep training people and keep using stories as long as I'm able." Returning overseas New emeriti Joe and Yvonne Bruce owe their marriage to their mutual passion for missions.
Joe, a 67-year-old Missouri native, was part of IMB's second group of journeymen (two-year missionaries); he went to Chile in 1966. At the end of his term, he returned to the U.S. to attend seminary and married a fellow journeyman, the former Shirley Plumlee. They were appointed in 1971 and served in Honduras and Guatemala. One of their three children now serves in Europe as a missionary. The Bruces returned to the U.S. in 1997 to work with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Just one year after they arrived, Shirley died after a sudden heart attack. In 2001, Joe married Yvonne Helton of California, also a journeyman, who was appointed in 1975 and served in Guatemala and later in East Asia. The couple transitioned back to the States in 2004, when Joe became coordinator for IMB's International Learning Center near Richmond, Va. But after four years, Joe and his new wife felt God calling them back overseas. They became part of the Caribbean Itinerate Team, traveling to the Caribbean to further Baptist work. "I used to think the greatest thing in the world was to lead someone to the Lord, and then I found out the greatest thrill is to watch someone that you've led to the Lord lead someone to the Lord," Yvonne said, her voice full of emotion. "Then I found out a better thrill than that is to watch them plant a church that continues to [plant more churches] ... over and over again." Joe and Yvonne served for 38 and 37 years, respectively. Remembering Cheryll Harvey IMB president Tom Elliff honored the 82 new emeriti during a special recognition service Sept. 10. Emeriti, IMB staff, trustees and missionary appointment candidates filled Ridgecrest's Spilman Auditorium and heard stories of missionaries' calling, sacrifice and service. Elliff also honored the late Cheryll Harvey, an IMB representative who served in Jordan for 24 years and was found Sept. 4 stabbed to death in her Jordan apartment. "There is a new emeriti's life and ministry that we especially need to celebrate this evening," Elliff said. "We're most assured that while we might wonder about the details [surrounding her death], Cheryll's not worried about the details at all, and we would honor her most by honoring our Lord." Following a prayer for Harvey's family, the suspect who was arrested and the lives of those Harvey touched, Elliff challenged new emeriti to continue their ministries after retirement. Elliff entreated emeriti to consider the past, thank God for the privilege of providing energy to do His work, and to long for the future. "For [the Apostle] Paul, I think that meant 'I'm going to leave everything on the field. Between now and the day I die, I'm going to give everything I have to God,'" Elliff said. "Let's make our latest years the greatest years." --30-- Laura Fielding is an International Mission Board writer. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Earthquake traumas continue for Iranians By Mark Kelly Sep. 12 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38699 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Earthquake traumas continue for residents of Iran, which was struck Sept. 7 by a series of moderate quakes not quite four weeks after twin earthquakes devastated rural villages in northwest Iran, killing more than 300 people. A moderate earthquake also struck eastern Iran on Sept. 1. An estimated 50,000 people around the southern town of Jenah lost their homes during the twin quakes, according to news sources. At least 12 villages were destroyed, and 425 others sustained serious damage. Many roads and other infrastructure were heavily damaged. While little information about relief efforts is filtering out of the country, there is no doubt about the need to pray for families affected by the earthquakes, said Francis Horton, who with his wife, Angie, directs Baptist Global Response work in Central Asia. "Many people were traumatized by the twin quakes, and others no doubt are in turmoil because of these more recent ones," Horton said. "Many have lost everything and are faced with rebuilding their lives from scratch. Others were badly injured or lost loved ones. A great many are fearful that more quakes will occur and uncertain about the future. "What people need most in such times is an experience of God's love for them," Horton added. "We are praying that God will use the crisis to help Iranians understand how much he cares for them and the price he paid so they could enjoy abundant lives of meaning and purpose. We hope our friends around the world will join us in asking God to comfort Iranians in distress and draw them close to Himself." --30-- Mark Kelly writes for Baptist Global Response, located on the Internet at www.gobgr.org. You can help people in need from disasters like these earthquakes by donating to the World Hunger Fund, www.worldhungerfund/com. -- End of story -- MOVIES: 7 marvelous movie moments By Phil Boatwright Sep. 12 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38700 KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) -- Marvelous movie moments amassed by a movie maven. Say that three times fast. If you can, you're a better man than me. I'll do my best to bring seven of these iconic screen images to life, but the best way to appreciate a visual movie moment is to actually view the movie. So, if you haven't seen these motion pictures ... trust me ... do. My reason for spotlighting these Tinseltown treasures is to remind moviegoers that movies can combine the ultimate expressions of joy and sadness, of love and hate, of passion and romance, and of hope and faith. And sometimes these feelings are expressed through one stylized image. Perhaps not so much lately, as today's filmmakers often sacrifice potent visuals that touch hearts and linger in memory in preference to those that raise the testosterone levels. But throughout Hollywood's history, there have been a plethora of movie moments that have inspired the spirit of man. Are you willing to travel with me through time, to before there was CGI or Kristen Stewart, to eras when imagery didn't batter our brains, but rather made viewers feel good, hopeful and connected to others? Let's start with an image that made audiences laugh –- and did so without crudity. In Jerry Lewis' 1963 version of "The Nutty Professor", the comedian plays a wimpy educator who tries to pump up by going to a gym. When he lifts a barbell, the weight is too much, and while the camera is close on his face, the loud thud sound effect indicates the heavy weights have fallen. The camera pulls back to reveal the professor's arms -- stretched clear to the floor. (As I said, to best appreciate this comic gag, rent the film.) From the silly to the sublime: One of the most effective silver screen sequences is found in "Casablanca" (1942). In response to the Nazis' psychological display of authority during a festive nightclub scene, gallant Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) instructs the band to play France's national anthem. Members of the orchestra turn to the club's owner, Rick (Humphrey Bogart), who nods. They begin to play under Henried's stoic leadership. The song resonates, reminding the patrons, even those who have been buddying it up with the Germans, of their suppressed love of country. That in itself is a powerful scene. But the magic moment comes as Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) looks up at her husband. It's not just love, but respect and awe all reflected through Bergman's eyes. It is the single most effective expression of a spouse's adoration ever placed on film. Ever! "Places in the Heart" (1984): A repentant adulterer is finally forgiven, when his wife, moved by the pastor's sermon taken from 1 Corinthians 13, reaches for her husband's hand, signifying the restoring of a relationship through Christian love. The scene then concludes, becoming a surrealistic parable of faith. As the communion plate is passed down the pew, we see every major character in the film, including the bad guys, partaking. Suddenly, we see two men, previously murdered, now mystically alive and sitting among the rest of the parishioners. The illustration represents a spiritual healing, a signal of hope and grace, and a challenging message to love and forgive one another. The first time I saw this sequence I was so moved I literally burst into tears. Not the most masculine of admissions, but the ethereal tableau touched me like no other moment I can remember in a film. "Singing in the Rain" (1952): In the world of dance, I'm more devoted to Mr. Astaire than Mr. Kelly. But I suspect that 99 percent of moviegoers familiar with the dancing-in-the-rain scene, climaxed by that iconic pose of Gene Kelly clinging to the lamppost, drenched in California dew, will agree that it is the greatest screen representation of jubilant newborn love ever staged in a movie. As for the other 1 percent, well, they just need to see it one more time. In 2011's "The Tree of Life," a thought-provoking hymn to life, filmmaker Terrence Malick paints an impressionistic story of a Midwestern family coping with a death, embittered relationships, and haunting questions concerning God and the afterlife. With a tip of the hat to Stanley Kubrik's "2001," this visual and viscerally emotional feast is sparked by exquisite imagery that is imaginative and profound, intimate and epic. The Tree of Life fearlessly examines ethereal questions with a spirituality that is neither pious nor prejudiced. It's impossible to pick just one moment that stands out, for its entirety is used to tap into our subconscious, delving into spiritual and life-altering subjects. Also from 2011, "The Artist" brought back the strengths and imagination of the 1920s silent era. It reminds moviegoers of the omnipotence of film imagery. At one point, a person in the depths of depression considers suicide. His dog intervenes. That's right, his dog. The image of that animal tugging on the pant leg of his despondent master should bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened of cynics. And now for perhaps the most poignant moment I've ever seen in a movie. It happens in "The Passion of the Christ" (2004). While reenacting the physical horrors Christ endured, the film is not really about what mankind did to Him, but about what He did for us. One scene stands out as not only technically impressive, but emotionally impacting. The end of Christ's journey at Golgotha is seen from above, the camera pulling back and up, the image becoming blurry, as if we are looking through some moist substance. Then, a drop of water splatters on the earth. It is God's tear, a symbolic cinematic gesture revealing the Father's pain. This we have never seen in a film depicting the crucifixion. It becomes clear how much the Father loves His Son, and us. Well, we've just touched upon unforgettable movie moments, but I've run out of my allotted space. I didn't get to bring to mind three amazing moments from John Wayne films ("The Searchers," "True Grit" and "The Quiet Man"). Maybe next time. --30-- Phil Boatwright is celebrating 25 years of writing about Hollywood from a Christian perspective. Besides providing a monthly column for Baptist Press, he reviews films for www.previewonline.org. He is also a regular contributor to "The World and Everything In it," a weekly radio program from WORLD News Group, which also publishes WORLD Magazine. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax: 615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net