Southern Baptists gathered Sept. 16 at The Heights Baptist Church in South Chesterfield, Virginia, to celebrate 46 International Mission Board missionaries preparing to take the gospel to the nations.
Trustees voted to approve the fully supported missionaries, plus three Canadian missionaries who were not present at the third Sending Celebration the IMB has observed this year. One previously appointed missionary joined her husband on stage during the event.
The Heights Senior Pastor Randy Hahn opened the service welcoming those in attendance, sharing his appreciation for the partnership with Southern Baptist churches to cooperatively send and support missionaries.
Southern Baptists celebrated new IMB missionaries at a Sending Celebration Sept. 16. Some appeared silhouetted behind a screen because they are headed to places where the gospel is illegal or dangerous to share. IMB Photo
“These brothers and sisters are going to some difficult and hard-to-reach places,” said Todd Lafferty, IMB executive vice president, explaining why some missionaries could not have their faces shown during their testimony time. Some had alternate voices to protect their security.
“As you hear their stories, pray about your involvement in international missions,” he said.
Among those who shared their stories include a couple going to Spain after serving as church planters in Texas; music teachers going to the Philippines; and a couple who are returning to serve in Zambia. All of them shared their stories before the Sending Celebration.
Called to Spain’s least reached
Growing up in Brazil as part of a fifth-generation pastoral family, Danilo Antunes witnessed both the blessings and challenges of ministry firsthand. Despite that heritage, he never planned to become a pastor.
After years of confusion and rebellion, a mission trip to Cuba became the turning point God used to call him into ministry. Over the past decade, Danilo has served in cross-cultural ministry, including pastoring a Spanish-speaking church while attending seminary in the United States and later helping plant an English-speaking church in South Texas.
Looking back on his calling, Danilo remembers his grandfather’s words: “You just said ‘yes’ to the most difficult task in the world, but never forget that it is also the most honorable task a man can be assigned to do.”
Friends and family gather around Danilo and Hannah Antunes in prayer during a Sending Celebration in South Chesterfield, Virginia. They are among 46 IMB missionaries sent to share the gospel worldwide. IMB Photo
Danilo and his wife, Hannah, are preparing to serve a region in Spain considered to be the country’s least engaged region. Sent by First Baptist Church of Brownsville, Texas, they will be the first IMB missionaries in this area.
Hannah grew up in a Christian home and assumed she was saved because she knew the right answers. While studying at a Bible institute in Argentina, she realized her faith was only intellectual and surrendered her life to Christ. Her interest in missions began early, leading to a mission trip to Mexico City at age 12 and later a move with her family to the Dominican Republic.
Danilo and Hannah ask for prayer as they prepare for this next chapter. “We don’t only want to go to the field; we want to stay on the field,” Danilo said. “We believe the Lord will have us there for the long haul.”
Instead of ‘no’ they decided to go
The suicides of two students profoundly impacted Dusty Jackson and led him to ask God how he could better minister to those experiencing brokenness.
Dusty and Ashley Jackson are answering God’s call to serve at a school in the Philippines, where they will invest in the lives of missionary children through music and discipleship. IMB Photo
That question eventually led him to seminary. Though he did not grow up in an environment that encouraged risk-taking, God challenged him to step beyond his comfort zone. His perspective on missions began to change through the example of his in-laws, IMB missionaries who invited him to see God’s work among the nations.
“I was initially adamant that overseas missions was not something I desired,” Dusty said.
A visiting IMB missionary further challenged him with a simple question: “What if, instead of saying ‘no,’ you said, ‘I will go’?”
Soon afterward, Dusty and his wife, Ashley, both music teachers, learned of an opportunity to teach in South Korea. They moved there and served at a Christian international school, where they discovered the importance of investing in students both academically and spiritually.
Ashley, who accepted Christ as a young child, credits Girls in Action and years of missions education for nurturing a love for missions and other cultures.
“God has been preparing me for long-term missions since childhood,” she said. Ashley’s parents currently serve with the IMB in Asia.
Pastor Randy Hahn, left, of The Heights Baptist Church, joins a prayer circle around IMB missionaries Dusty and Ashley Jackson, who are answering God’s call to serve in the Philippines. Paul and Michelle Chitwood and Susan Lafferty also joined the prayer time. IMB Photo
Over time, the Jacksons sensed God leading them back overseas, this time with the IMB. Supported by Grace Hill Church in Farmington, New Mexico, they and their four children are moving to the Philippines to serve at a school that educates missionary children.
Dusty will teach orchestra, and Ashley will lead middle and high school choir. They hope to impact students musically and spiritually. While in South Korea, Dusty mentored a middle school student through years of discipleship, and the Jacksons are praying for similar opportunities as they begin their ministry in the Philippines.
Returning to serve the church
John and Hannah Kim did not grow up in Christian homes, but God used their individual faith journeys to prepare them for decades of ministry.
John’s parents practiced idol worship, and his introduction to Christianity came in second grade through worship services held in the home of a church elder. He was deeply influenced by the elder, who was blind yet faithfully preached God’s Word. Hannah was raised in a Buddhist family and regularly attended a temple. Although she attended a Christian school and learned about Jesus, she did not initially follow Him.
John and Hannah Kim share their testimony during the Sept. 16 Sending Celebration. They are returning to Zambia with the IMB to invest in pastors, students and church leaders through theological education and discipleship. IMB Photo
After moving to the United States in the 1980s, the Kims began attending Korean churches but had not yet committed their lives to Christ. John came to faith while attending a church in Atlanta that emphasized repentance. Through church sermons, Hannah realized that salvation comes through Christ, not good works.
For more than 30 years, the Kims served in ministry among Korean Americans before joining the IMB in Zambia in 2022. There, they found great joy in mentoring pastors and Bible school students eager to grow in their knowledge of Scripture and leadership skills despite limited resources.
“Ministry is not only about programs. It is about investing in people and walking with them as they follow Christ,” John said.
Commissioned by Fayetteville First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia, the Kims are returning to Zambia to serve as directors of five theological schools. They believe God is leading them to continue strengthening the church through theological education, discipleship and gospel ministry.
“We are trusting God to use us faithfully to strengthen His Church and accomplish His purposes through this next chapter of ministry,” John said. Hannah added that they are eager to continue sharing the gospel, making disciples and helping establish churches in Zambia.
Traylor delivers charge to missionaries
Ted Traylor, senior pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, spoke from Isaiah 41:10-14 as he addressed those in attendance and especially the missionaries who participated in the Sending Celebration. He emphasized fighting doubt and fear.
“He will hold you with His righteous right hand,” he said. “Trust His grip.”
Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, speaks to new IMB missionaries and declares the commitment of Southern Baptists, “We will stand with you.” IMB Photo
To the missionaries, Traylor declared Southern Baptists’ commitment. “We are going to stand with you! We will give, so you can go. We will pray, so you will be blessed. We stand with you.”
Carol Pfeiffer, IMB trustee chair, led a prayer time for the missionaries. She invited friends and family to gather around the missionaries and ask God to lead them on their journeys. She concluded the prayer time sharing a passage from Psalm 96 on behalf of the IMB trustees.
The next Sending Celebration will be Nov. 9, 2026, at First Baptist Church in Kettering, Ohio.
The work of the IMB is sustained through faithful giving of Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®.