Susie Rain

MISSISSIPPI (BP) -- Each night, International Mission Board missionary Ray Hodgins prayed for the Deaf. He saw their faces. He knew their names. He desired for the lost Deaf around him to know Jesus. "Who will tell these folks about Jesus if we don't?" he had asked. "Who?"

THAILAND (BP) -- It appeared to be just words in a book that some American visiting Thailand had given him. This Bible just wasn't working for Ball Lamphun. He wanted a god who talked to him, maybe even gave him some guidance. He couldn't find that in the words.

ASIA (BP) -- God chose the church to be His messenger and make a powerful impact on the world. It doesn't matter if it has 10,000 or 20 members; a church is called to reach the nations with the Gospel. The International Mission Board asked pastors, mission and mobilization specialists around the globe to give some insights into what makes missions-centered churches.

NEPAL (BP) -- The Nepali man pulled brick after brick off a pile of rubble that was once his home. He passed along anything that was salvageable to his children to set aside. Finally, down in a hole, he found what he was looking for -- their food storage. The splintered, dusty woven basket held their entire harvest of rice. Before the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, this basket brimmed with white grains. Today, he pulled out one handful of red-stained rice.

NEPAL (BP) -- A powerful new earthquake rattled Nepal on Tuesday (May 12), killing at least 36 people and sending thousands more rushing to the streets. The 7.3-magnitude quake came just 17 days after a massive earthquake killed 8,046 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. Tuesday's tremor set off a series of landslides at the epicenter, Namche Bazar, which is near Mount Everest.

SOUTH ASIA (BP) -- The Missouri pastor scooted to the edge of his seat in anticipation. He appeared to hardly be able to contain his excitement as the International Mission Board missionary described the unengaged, unreached people group his mission team would visit in South Asia.

NEPAL (BP) -- Miriam awoke from her Saturday nap on April 25 with a start. Since she was up, the elderly Nepali woman decided to begin her daily noontime prayer 15 minutes early. She lifted her normal requests heavenward -- asking God to give her husband health; watching over her adult son; tidbits from people requesting her intercession; and asking for her neighbors and her country of Nepal to know Jesus.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (BP) -- The small Nepali congregation started worship Saturday (May 2) right where they left off the previous week -- singing. Two dozen voices gained momentum, clapping hands, dancing and raising their faces to heaven in song: "Still I will love You and spread Your love to the people."

NEPAL (BP) -- Notes of a praise song carried from one end of the field to another. As the song ended, another started from a different direction. The two singing churches provided a sense of peace amidst the screams of neighbors sitting in open fields seeking a safe place from the aftershocks and tremors a day after Nepal’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The quake hit April 25 just 50 miles outside the capital city of Kathmandu and reached as far as India, Bangladesh and the Chinese region of Tibet. It was the strongest in the region in more than 80 years, killing more than 4,000 people, injuring more than 7,000 and leveling buildings and homes. The death toll continues to rise as rescue efforts expand from the cities to the countryside.

SOUTHEAST ASIA (BP) -- Newsflash: Most International Mission Board missionaries are NOT preachers. The mission agency notes this is probably one of the best-kept secrets about its work. It shouldn't be a surprise, say those on the field. After all, Jesus was a carpenter. John was a fisherman and Paul was a tentmaker. The IMB released a list of what some of its missionaries are doing in order to share the Gospel: