News Articles by Sue Sprenkle

The new college student stared at his class schedule, then looked over at the woman he calls “Mom” with an excited smile. International Mission Board missionary Angela Dawson could feel Skye’s pride of being the first person in his family to go to college. She looked at the college freshman in his new uniform and did what all mothers do on the first day of school — take a million pictures.

OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – Like most boys at Southern Hills Baptist Church, 6-year-old Ethan Gee wanted to win the penny war against the girls.

RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- The 2023 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering received a big boost Nov. 1 toward meeting a hefty goal of $200 million for international missions. Paul Chitwood, IMB president, received a check for $4.84 million from the Joy Ledbetter Trust. It was the second-largest individual gift in the history of the International Mission Board.

When Adela Huezo recruits a team of short-term volunteers, she’s honest about everything. She tells of the stifling heat of West Africa and long days of work.

The prayer team walked quietly through an affluent Paris shopping district. They prayed for workers in the high-end shops advertising joy through retail therapy. The team kept walking past the famous French cafés and into an upscale neighborhood.

The lanky teenager stood off to the side, watching a group of strangers move from house to house among his community in Togo. He studied them handing out a tiny pamphlet, chatting with people and then bowing their heads. He couldn’t hear the Gospel message they shared — because he was Deaf — but by their actions, he determined they were Christians.

The news was good. So exciting, in fact, that it was hard to keep it a secret. The chief officer of the Zambian women’s prison, a local believer, pulled the visiting International Mission Board missionaries into his office. He looked around conspiratorially, burst into a huge smile and said four women who attend their weekly Bible study would soon be released. They’d received a presidential pardon.

Music and laughter waft up the path long before the teenagers on reddish-orange rental bicycles make an appearance. The long, single file line of Americans meander through the Netherlands countryside while locals zip past on their own bikes. When the team comes to a traditional Dutch windmill that serves as a rest stop, they dismount, feeling a little stiff and saddle-sore from the two-hour ride. The discomfort isn’t enough, however, to keep the horseplay and teasing from happening.

Riding home on the subway, Patrick Stein casually looked around at fellow passengers. Two things stood out. First, as a 50-something, he was probably one of the oldest commuters. The median age in this North African city was 26. Second, everyone had earbuds and stared at their phones, each person in their own private world.

Lonely. Desperate. Drunk. Anxiety-ridden. It was a life Michaela knew all too well. Growing up she watched family members travel the exact road she was on. She wanted an escape.