In this issue
Crisis in the Philippines—Missionary killed, another hurt in blast ... Quotable
China—Open your heart, find a partner, fall in love

Going—Medical workers needed
Feeling helpless? Pray

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Crisis in the Philippines
Missionary killed, another hurt in blast


A Southern Baptist missionary was killed and another missionary and her children were injured when a bomb exploded March 4 at the airport in Davao City, Philippines. William P. “Bill” Hyde, 59, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
died in surgery from severe head and leg injuries. Barbara Wallis Stevens, 33, of Willard, Mo., was slightly injured and her 4-year-old daughter, Sarah, and 10-month-old son, Nathan, also were wounded.

Read more.

Quotable
"Bill went out to the hard-to-reach places to train Filipinos to start churches. There was no place that was beyond the reach of God’s Spirit—and Bill’s truck. He would load it up with Filipino pastors and lay leaders and take them out to start churches in tribal and rural areas. There were hundreds of churches planted.”
—Don Phelps, a former missionary colleague who now serves as minister of missions at Grove Avenue Baptist Church in Richmond.

China
Open your heart,
find a partner, fall in love
You’ve read about the amazing things God is doing in China. Wouldn’t you like to see for yourself? To open your heart to the needs of China’s peoples and cities? To partner your church with a strategy coordinator and the population segment God has called him to reach? To fall in love with the people of China? Senior pastors, you are invited to join a vision trip to China Oct. 13-23, 2003. Bring a mission mobilizer from your church who will help carry out a partnership between your church and one of the peoples or cities of China. Find out more.

Going
Medical workers needed
The International Mission Board has 112 medical missionaries—the highest number of medical personnel ever—serving now. That includes:
• 45 physicians

• 29 nurses

• five dentists

• medical technicians, hospital administrators and other specialties.

Another 1,974 short-term volunteers served in a variety of medical ministries—an increase of 14 percent over the previous year.

The latest issue of TConline commemorates the lives of medical personnel who died recently in Yemen and tells how medical and other volunteers are finding ways to help rebuild Afghanistan. Use the stories from Yemen and Afghanistan to remind medical personnel in your church that medical work is still an important way to show non-Christians that God loves them. (Luke 10:9)

Search for priority medical needs on the Web:
• to serve less than four months.

• to serve four months to three years

• to serve four years or longer

Feeling helpless? Pray
Barbara Myers, missionary to Swaziland, tells about a holy interruption:

“This interruption was Elizabeth and her baby. The Lord provided this interruption and expected me to be His servant and to help Elizabeth. I went to the gate and Elizabeth told me why she was there. I invited her into the house for a glass of cold water (today is very hot in Swaziland). I asked about her baby who had just been released from the Nhlangano Clinic. The baby is 1 year old and has tuberculosis and diarrhea. The baby was very uncomfortable and whined the whole time they were in the house. As we talked, Elizabeth told me now the baby has ‘wounds’ or sores in the mouth. My heart skipped a beat for I knew this child has AIDS and probably so does Elizabeth. The baby was very thin and small.

“I am very sad and again the feeling of helplessness comes over me. What can I do to help so many who are going to die with AIDS? How can I make a difference? And again the Lord tells me the greatest thing I can do for so many is pray. I can pray for Elizabeth and her baby and the many others who have AIDS in Swaziland. Will you please join me?

• Pray for a cure for AIDS to be found.
• Pray that affected individuals, families and African societies can be helped.
• Pray that each person will take responsibility for his/her choices in life and that through a faith in the Lord, they will make the right choices.”

Learn more about AIDS in Southern Africa.

Find information about needs and ministry in specific regions of the world.

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and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®.”

®Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is a registered trademark of Woman’s Missionary Union.