by Ray Thompson

God's blessings in the Caribbean since my family arrived as missionaries in 1955 are beyond description. Only in eternity will our sending churches and missionaries know what the Lord accomplished through His servants faithfully preaching and teaching His Word.

Jean and I were young missionaries who did not know all that the Lord would have us do when we arrived in the Virgin Islands. We knew that the Lord called us, and His church had sent us to evangelize the lost and establish Baptist churches. We did everything we could to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. Personal soul-winning, tract distribution and open-air evangelism were effective.

The results of these efforts were realized when Calvary Baptist Church was chartered in 1956 in Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas. The church services were held in an eighteenth century warehouse building that was built during the days of the Buccaneers. Souls were saved and baptized, and the membership grew. Later, the Lord provided property in a prominent location for Calvary's first church building. We began meeting there in May of 1959.

As a missionary church planter, all I knew to do was what I had seen Dr. Lee Roberson do when I was in Bible College. Broadcasting the Gospel by radio, as did Dr. Roberson, was an ideal way of reaching those who would never think of attending a church service. We were able to secure thirty minutes of time for a Sunday morning program on the first radio station on the island. The Lord impressed me to name the program the Scripture Truth Broadcast. The power of the truth heard over a radio was verified one Sunday morning through a retired couple who lived on their yacht, which was anchored in the harbor. While having breakfast, they were listening to the radio. The wife said to her husband, "Last night, in my sleep, I kept hearing a man's voice." While she was speaking, our Sunday broadcast came on the radio, and when she heard my voice she said to her husband, "That's the voice...that's the voice!" They listened to the message, and at the end I said there was still time to come to the morning church service and gave the location. The wife said, "We have to go; we have to go." They came ashore, hired a taxi and came to church. As a result, both of them trusted Christ as their personal Savior. The Word of God is powerful!

After these many years, this radio ministry is still being broadcast with Pastor Audley Charlton powerfully and effectively teaching the Word of God. The Scripture Truth Broadcast has been heard over the BIMI Caribbean Radio Lighthouse for over 30 years.

The extension of the truth of Scripture was blessed by the beginning of a summer Bible youth camp. This was a new method of broadcasting the Gospel in the Caribbean. The eight week summer camp program, for the hearing and the deaf, enabled the churches to teach the Scripture Truth of salvation to hundreds of young people. They acknowledged Christ as their Savior and Lord and many of them are in full-time ministry for Christ. The present attorney general and one of the judges of the Virgin Islands were saved at Camp Fortuna.

The next step in obeying the Great Commission was the establishing of Bluewater Bible College and Institute (BBC)
. This was a ministry involving a number of fellow Baptist missionaries. Training men and women from different islands has been the answer to broadcasting the Gospel in the language of the people on most all of the islands of the Caribbean. In January of this year graduates who are pastors and Christian workers met for their 48th West Indies Baptist Fellowship (WIBF) Conference on the island of Nevis, where missionary Bob Faile planted the first church. The conference was hosted by two BBC graduates. The services were held at Shiloh Baptist Church, where the Gospel has been proclaimed for 35 years. There were over 275 delegates representing many islands in attendance.

Six BBC graduates have made mission trips to Africa to teach pastors, to preach Bible conferences and revival meetings and to help build church buildings. They were sent and supported by West Indian churches. The WIBF sponsors Caribbean Baptist Partners, a mission agency helping missionaries on various fields of the world.

In the early years of BIMI there were more missionaries in the Caribbean than in any other field. The Lord used Jim Cooper and Jack Harvey to plant churches in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Then Brother Cooper and others went to the Bahamas and planted more churches. The Baptist Bible and the New Testament Baptist Churches have had large ministries. Both of these churches have national pastors. Nassau Christian Academy has over thirteen hundred students.

Dr. Pat Creed, Caribbean Director, has worked diligently enlisting missionaries and support for the yet unreached souls of the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, the first place Columbus landed in the new world, has very productive church planting ministries.

The thousands of souls saved and the hundreds of churches planted are the result of making disciples on each island.

Obeying the command to go, baptize, and teach is the answer to global missions.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Richard & Patty Comer -  CENTRAL AMERICA
Brian & Jamie Cone -  THAILAND
Richard & Elizabeth Conrad -  JAPAN