by Tess Rivers, posted Wednesday, September 04, 2013 (11 years ago)
HAMPTON, Va. (BP) -- David Taylor never imagined himself on an overseas mission trip. But when his Bible study leader at North Carolina State University asked him to pray about a summer mission trip in 2002 to Asia, Taylor agreed.
Photo by Will Stuart/IMB
Taylor subsequently made the trip, and it changed the direction of his life.
"I assumed I would get a job, get married, make a lot of money and raise a family," said Taylor, one of 65 new missionaries appointed by IMB trustees at Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton, Va., on Aug. 28.
"God had different plans," said Taylor, who will be serving in Southeast Asia with the mission board.
Belinda Oakes*, who will serve in Central Asia, went on a mission trip nearly every year from the time she was 12.
"God began stirring up a deep desire in my teenage heart to share the Gospel around the world," Oakes said. "When I was 21 on a mission trip to the Americas ... God called me to serve Him among the nations."
After college, Oakes spent two years in Africa as an IMB journeyman. For Oakes, her appointment is simply the next step in obedience to God's call to international service.
The implication of stories like these is not necessarily surprising -- exposure to missions as a student is a first step toward long-term service. Of the new missionaries, 27 indicated that mission trips during high school and college sparked their initial passion for global outreach. Five others previously served with IMB through the Journeyman and ISC (International Service Corps) programs.
The appointment service comes as classes resume across the United States and hundreds of student missionaries begin sharing their summer international missions experiences through IMB.
Kirk Jefford*, a junior majoring in physics at Washington State University, ventured in his first international trip to East Asia where he taught English on university campuses. For Jefford, who served through a new IMB initiative called Face2Face, it was his first time to grasp "the true joy of sharing Jesus."
Because of his experience, Jefford is rethinking his career goals. He plans to return overseas for six months as an IMB Hands On worker when he completes his undergraduate degree.
"I've got the bug," Jefford said. "I need to go back. Those few months were awesome but they weren't enough to cultivate relationships. I wish I could have stayed longer." Read More
