Our Missionaries
Melissa Baccarella
Italy
Melissa Baccarella is our missionary to Italy. She has served on the field since February 2003. Her current assignment is with a church-planting team in Caselle, near the Northwest city of Turin. This is a city that has not had an evangelical church for over a century. Her strengths lie in teaching and media development. She produces graphic designs for teaching in the church. During COVID, she produced an interactive Christian calendar. Melissa disciples ladies in the church. She hosts coffee events for the local community as an opportunity to share the gospel. She has recently completed her Ph.D. in the area of missions
Jim and Kristina Foster
Cape Town, South Africa
Jim and Kristina Foster live in Cape Town, South Africa. Jim is the administrator of Good Hope Christian School that meets in Community Baptist Church. The school currently has 710 students. They live and work in a low-income, high crime, and drug impacted area. This school, as well as the church, makes a huge difference in their community. As a professional photographer, Kristina has a special ministry called “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” in the local hospitals. She takes photos for families who have had a still born baby to provide them images to remember the little one they have lost. This is also an opportunity to share eternal hope with grieving hearts.
Mike and Rachel Gustafson
Kyiv, Ukraine
Michael & Rachel Gustafson are our missionaries to Ukraine. Mike is a key figure in overseeing the Ukraine Relief Fund which helps 3 to 4 million refugees. The Ukrainian Relief Fund has joined with more than 50 partner churches in Eastern Europe to distribute more than 60,000 meals and other forms of aid to refugees. More than 25,000 refugees have received some sort of assistance from this fund. Thousands have heard a clear presentation of the gospel, and more than 3,500 Bibles and tracts have been distributed among the sheltering refugees. Rachel home schools their 5 children (Ellie, Daniel, Johnathan, Susanna, and Titus) and works with Ladies Ministries.
Dennis & Laura Leavell
Brugge, Belgium
Dennis & Laura Leavell are planting churches in Brugge, Belgium. This is a very affluent country with very few Christian or churches. They have planted two churches. Dennis has been establishing a curriculum that can be used to train a handful of men who will become the next generation of pastors and leaders. He also sponsors city-wide events that shows how Christ can address the current needs of the community. Laura works with the ladies of the church to make baked items like cookies and brownies that will be hand-delivered to the families in hopes of introducing them to our Savior. She has an everexpanding quilting ministry.
Gary, Sherrie & Liarra Lester
Australia
Gary and Sherrie Lester lead a small church on the coast of Austrialia. This is a country with very few evangelical churches. The Lord opened doors for Gary to share the Gospel this year with a number of high school students. He has also served at a youth camp. Sherrie is battling her way back from cancer. Her desire to use her talent for the Lord has been limited by severe carpal tunnel. She had three surgeries on her hands (carpal tunnel surgery on both hands and surgery for one finger). They are always looking for more witnessing opportunities like new people moving to the area. Pray for their witnessing opportunities as they share the gospel in a country without many churches.
Bruce and Margie McLain
California, USA
Bruce is the statewide representative of the CARBC (California Association of Regular Baptist Churches). He helps to set up conferences to give pastors and Christian workers the opportunity to get together for encouragement from the Scriptures and fellowship time. He is a member of the Council of 18 which leads the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. Bruce speaks in churches that do not have a pastor or have a need for preaching on a particular Sunday. He helps churches without a pastor along in the process of calling a new pastor. He also advises churches who are going through transitional times.
Jerry and Linda Neuman
Brazil
Jerry and Lynda Neuman have been missionaries with ABWE International since 1980. They have lived and served in Brazil's Northeast since 1984 and in the metropolis of Fortaleza since 2002. Jerry was part of a team that started a mission board that sends out missionaries from Brazil and teaches classes at the seminary. Lynda is involved in discipleship, counseling, and leading women's Bible studies. They have 4 grown children (Nate, Rachael, Luke and Lydia), who have given them 8 grandchildren. Lydia is pursuing becoming a missionary. She has started a children's Bible club and has taught English classes to gain evangelistic contacts.
Sharon Rahilly
Togo, West Africa
Sharon Rahilly directs and teaches in a nursing program at two missionary hospitals in Togo, Africa. The first is in southern Togo, Hospital Baptiste Biblique in Tsiko, where they have been educating Togolese nurses since 1997. The second is the Hospital of Mango (northern Togo). These hospitals are approximately 7 1/2 hours apart. The schools bring in candidates who are mostly Muslim, and they teach them the skills of nursing. The students are required to take a week-long Bible course once every trimester. The instructor consistently takes the students to the Bible, finding there the answers to so many questions and sharing with them who Jesus is, according to God’s Word.
John & Beabea Rogers
USA
John Rogers is a missionary for Barnabas Enrichment Ministries. John is involved in consulting and evaluating ministries of small churches and church plants under development. He helps churches to facilitate the Biblical relationships God desires for us by assisting them with conflict resolution. He teaches seminars that include witnessing and evangelism, Biblical relationships, and outreach opportunities as well as other areas of ministry and life. John and Beabea meet with pastors and their wives to offer counsel and prayer, as well as on-going encouragement. John and Beabea are involved in pastor / missionary refreshment which gives missionaries time to rest, visit family, or other needs that draw them away from the mission field for a few months
Caleb & Christina Suko
Odessa, Ukraine
Caleb and Christina Suko are meeting the needs of wartorn Ukraine. The family hands out humanitarian aids like food and blankets while Caleb preaches the gospel. He speaks at conferences and meets for discipleship with young men, many who are worried about getting drafted into the military. They hand out Bible literature around holidays and special times of the year. They have started the "Bible Today" journal and they produce a correspondence Bible course that offers people the chance to study God’s Word in greater depth. They continue in the work of planting an international church in Odessa. Christina serves at Choose Life, a pro-life women’s center where she councils women and shares the gospel to give hope to a hopeless situation.
Bob & Lynn Trout
USA
Bob and Lynne are in their 57rd year as missionaries, 45 of those years in Colombia. Their primary ministry is with the ABWE Ambassadors, a ministry which hosts fellowships for retired missionaries who have been on the field for 20, 30, or 40 years. On average, they share about 400 emails/month, 30 phone calls along with visits, and the 8 Ambassador Gatherings. Their heart is missions and missionaries. Bob has been able to teach classes at Bogota Seminary via zoom. Lynne teaches an evening Bible study with 70+ ladies in Bogota via zoom in addition to teaching at ladies' retreats. Bob and Lynne have been married for 61 years and have 3 children and 11 grandchildren.
Kevin & Tanya Van Horne
USA
Kevin is the Executive Director of IFES/USA: International Fellowship of Evangelical Students which disciples college-age students so they will be transformed by the gospel and impact their universities and churches. Kevin oversees a staff that connects with students for worship, prayer, Bible study, and ministry training. Tanya has recently joined The Lausanne Movement as Director of Collaboration – an organization that seeks to unite all evangelicals in the common task of the total evangelization of the world. She is currently spending the bulk of her time meeting 1:1 with each of the 64 network leaders who are under her care.
Nate & Rachel Waldock
Cambodia
Nathan and Rachel are missionaries to Cambodia. Cambodia has had such a long history of Buddhism that it has become tied to Cambodia's national identity. Since parenting skills are needed, Nathan recently started a parenting class which involves teaching Biblical principles, and then showing practical application the next week. For the past several months, they have been having a group of young ladies (around ages 9-14) come to their home for a Bible study. Recently, the Lord has provided a wooden house owned by a family in the church, the church can use for services. Pray for them as they disciple believers and develop in them a heart for evangelism.
Kevin & Darleen Weston
Kansas, USA
Kevin & Darleen Weston serve in very remote parts of the United States. Village Missions sends pastors to support churches that are in danger of closing. If that happens, the community would be left with no gospel witness. They sponsor a Kid’s club where the children study and memorize the Scripture. In addition, Care Home Ministry goes into three local nursing homes with a gospel message and singing. The church hosts local community events like banquets as a chance to share about Christ. Darlene homeschools her six children and leads a women’s Bible Study. Today, Kevin is a missionary pastor in the beautiful rural community of Bethany, Kansas.
Sam and Megan
South East Asia
Sam and Megan are missionaries in a closed country full of unreached, unengaged people groups. In these countries, professing Christians face fines, imprisonment, beatings, or death. The religion in their area is primarily Islam and animism. Sam is a gifted graphic designer and was hired by a local man to co-own a coffee business in town which has connected Sam with employees with whom he would like to share the gospel. Megan home schools the kids and has great relationships with her neighbors. She tries to connect with them on a regular basis to have opportunities to present the gospel. Pray the gospel breaks through in this very dark place.
