Life and Ministry

Recently, Deb and I spoke in a supporting church. After the service, an elderly woman, a supporter for many years, invited us to dinner. That afternoon I asked her, “At 68 years old, God has taught me many things about walking with Him. You are in your 90’s now. What is God teaching you that can help me in my walk with Him?” She thought for a second, and replied, “He has taught me to trust Him in everything, absolutely everything.” She went on to relate how all the small chores of the day, which become difficult as we age, become a matter of prayer. She reiterated once again, “I pray and trust Him for everything.”

What an essentially valuable lesson, which God has also been teaching us. As we have learned more deeply how to trust Him for every aspect of life and ministry, it seems He is blessing us more richly. Our lives are full of His provisions both physically and spiritually. Physically, even though our support has been reduced by over $1000.00 a month, we continue to flourish. Spiritually, we are growing stronger and remain resolute in our ministry stewardships. In fact, our ministry schedule is overflowing with global opportunities. We are happily occupied in our service with the Lord.

Prayer: 

1. Please pray for Silvani, a ‘Muslim background’ friend with whom we have reconnected.
2. Deb and I have two online Bible studies with people from the East Coast, West Coast and the Midwest. The studies include folks from the USA and China. They have turned into discipleship studies, since everyone who attends are Christians.
3. We have friendships with folks from Japan, China, Myanmar, Columbia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Northern Iraq (Kurdistan). We are praying for these friends to become Christian friends. Pray as we seek to meet them, spiritually, from where they are at. 
4. I have been invited (along with others) to visit Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan. This is a Muslim semi-autonomous country with a small Christian community. They are asking for teachers to equip believers to live and serve. I have offered to teach in the areas of the evangelistic relationships, evangelistic studies, and local church ministry. Pray for wisdom as the leadership in Kurdistan considers this, and then, as Deb and I make a final decision.
5. Deb has an online conversation partner in Japan with whom she meets on Saturday mornings. We are praying this will become an evangelistic study.
6. Our coffee shop Bible studies continue on most Thursday afternoons. One participant will soon be baptized and another is considering church attendance. We think that both of these dear friends have now become Christians. 
7. Then, most urgently, please pray for Deb’s parents whom we care for on a daily basis.  

Calendar for Prayer:Daily: Intensive study of the Word of God and a regular regimen of exercise. Sunday—Speaking in various churches, building our prayer team Monday—Day off Tuesday—Online Bible Study with East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest Wednesday—Administration Thursday—Coffee Shop Bible Study and another online Bible study Friday—International friends in our home, or meeting new friends at the rock climbing gym Saturday—Online meeting with conversation partner living in Japan

Monthly: March 5—Speak at First Baptist Church, Eldora, Iowa March 10—A friend from Kazakhstan will spend the evening with us March 12—Speak at Calvary Baptist Church, Onslow, Iowa  March 19—Speak at Calvary Baptist Church, Grinnell, Iowa March 24—A friend from Myanmar will spend the evening with us March 25—We will attend an International Friends Easter Dinner  March 26—Speak at Community Church, Deep River, Iowa March 26—Baptismal service, Harvest Baptist Church, Williamsburg, Iowa April 2—Attend online service, International Baptist Church, Cambridge, MA April 9—Speak at Easter service of Floris Baptist Church, Floris, Iowa April 16—Share briefly at Immanuel Baptist Church, Newton, Iowa  May 7—Speak at Cumberland Baptist Church May 8-12–Coffee Shop Bible study to Creation Museum and Noah’s Ark Encounter. May 21—Effective Evangelist Ministry Sunday at Calvary, Dysert, Iowa June 25–Speak at Ankeny Baptist Church, Ankeny, Iowa  

Mostly, Deb and I need wisdom as we navigate care for parents, our own physical needs (exercise, diet, rest, and such), and our divinely generated stewardship of joining our Savior in the building of His Church, globally—10 civilizations, 10 global cities, 10 discipleship centers. We so desperately need your prayers. 

We love you,
Deb and Bill  

Bill and Deb Edmondson 944 South Highland Street  Williamsburg, Iowa 52361

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Dear Friends, 

Last Friday night, two international scholars from the University of Iowa joined us for dinner and spent the night in our home in Williamsburg. 

After dinner we decorated the Christmas tree together and then read from Luke—The birth of Jesus. After the reading, our friend from Myanmar asked us why we would invite her into our home, since she is a professed atheist. Our answer startled her—“because we love you.”

She then proceeded to ask me if I believed everyone has a sin nature. My answer—“Is it not obvious that all have a propensity to do what is wrong?” She continued, “So you must believe in special creation, as well.” I answered again, “I do.” During our conversation I explained a little more about the reasonableness of the Christian belief system.  As is my practice, it soon came time to take more of the offense. 

I asked our friend, “How can you believe that all things came from nothing, that our complex universe evolved without intelligence? What about love? Where did it come from if there is not a personal creator God? Is there really evil, right and wrong if there is no law giver?” 

She desired to ask about the differences between Christian denominations, but we kept the subject on Christ’s death for all. 

She talked about a social construct forming the values of humanity. I asked, “So does the majority decide what is right and wrong, or maybe an elite few?” Eventually, we decided that we had discussed “God” enough and would wait for another time to continue our talk. About that time Deb reinterred the room and asked, “What are you two talking about?” Our friend replied good-naturedly, “Bill is punching me.”

The next evening, after we had dropped our friend off, she sent us a text asking if she could bring her Muslim friend with her the next time she comes to our home.

We are so thankful to God that He is giving us opportunities to speak the gospel to the nations.

This evening we have a ‘Muslim background’ friend coming for supper—please keep praying.


We love you,

Bill and Deb

By the way: I know many of you have received a letter informing you of our retirement from Baptist Mid-Missions. However, we are not retiring, just retooling. If you are a financial supporter you will receive a four page document explaining the change, a new support estimate, and our ministry plan going forward.

Support Information

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For more information concerning our monthly support needs, you can go to Bill and Deb’s Website for Supporters and click on the Financial Information tab.

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To our Fellow workers, 

Deb and I have devised numerous ministry plans over the last several years, which God has said no to each time. It is wise to plan, but recently our Father has uniquely controlled our path. When we paused our planning to wait upon God, His direction became clearer, and we are enjoying, anticipating and entering the open doors He is providing. Our Father is helping us fulfill our divine stewardship of discipling the nations by ministering to the nations, locally.

We have quite a bit to ask of our prayer warriors, so I’ll get right to it.

1. Please pray for the Tuesday night online evangelistic Bible study. It is growing and may become more of a discipleship study. 
2. The Saturday online conversational English session to Japan has the potential to become an evangelistic study. We are asking God to grant spiritual interest. 
3. On December 7, we will host an acquaintance with a Muslim background. We pray this will become an evangelistic encounter. 
4. We are planning a Christmas party for several international friends from Iowa City. We hope to share the story of Christmas with them. 
5. We have a Friday afternoon study at a local coffee shop. We believe the participants have both become Christians, so it will also become a discipleship study. 
6. There are many opportunities for international disciple-making in various businesses around our part of Iowa. Some progress is being made in accessing these opportunities, but much prayer is needed. 
7. Deb and I will be ministering in several churches across Iowa in the coming weeks. We are asking the Lord to increase the number of those who pray faithfully for the ministry to international peoples for global discipleship (InterGlo). We are particularly committed to developing our senior citizen team of prayer partners. When our political leaders work into their old age in order to serve their country, should we not do so, even more so, in order to serve our Savior, who died to reconcile men? We should! One way we can continue in our faithfulness to God is to pray as we work together to make disciples of all nations—let’s do this!

We love you, 

Bill and Deb
 

Support Information

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For more information concerning our monthly support needs, you can go to Bill and Deb’s Website for Supporters and click on the Financial Information tab.

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Dear Fellow Workers,

A Change!

I wanted to let you know that Deb and my designation within BMM will change on January 1. We will move from active missionary status to retired Emeritus status (reserved for missionaries who have served at least 20 years with BMM). This means our responsibilities within BMM will change. However, our personal stewardship of making disciples of all nations by ministering the gospel to the nations locally will not change. In fact, as we survey the opportunities in Williamsburg, across Iowa, the United Sates, and even globally, we must acknowledge that many doors of effective global ministry are available. It is only a matter of identifying the open doors God desires us to walk through.

Why the Change?

You may be asking, Why the change? As Emeritus missionaries we are retired from some responsibilities to the mission, and yet can receive donations for our ministry through the mission. When our BMM administrator, Steve Anderson, was explaining this, he stopped mid-sentence and said, “This fits you doesn’t it.” It does indeed!—less administrative responsibilities allow more focus on penetrating the worlds of the not yet Christian, and that, in a nutshell is the reason for the change of status. 

What about Global Crossroads Ministry?

We will no longer lead the BMM division of Global Crossroads Ministry. The change is necessary to enable us to more be more effective at making disciples of all nations. Because of geopolitical, constituency, and personal reasons, progress in the Boston and Beyond/Global Crossroads Ministry has been very slow. Firstly, geopolitically, the world is becoming a more difficult place for the kind of networking needed for the Global Crossroads Ministry.  Secondly, except for our sacrificial supporters, we have not been successful at networking the Global Crossroads vision within our constituency. Thirdly, it may be that Deb and I are more suited for a different kind of global ministry—a more behind the scenes, hidden, quiet, small, personal ministry to the global community. This is the part of our ministry stewardship which has continued to flourish, and this is the kind of ministry that is needed in the current global climate. 

A Clarification:

We still absolutely believe it is critically important for Great Commission Christians to think strategically about making disciples of all nations. There remain key locations, cities, refugee centers, clusters of global citizens, places where thoughtful Christians should learn to minister the gospel. This is what Deb, and I will continue to do, if the Lord tarries and health permitting, until our 90th birthdays. We are not quitting, we are retooling. Even as we slow physically, we hope to accelerate missionally.

Summary: 

The Emeritus status will enable Deb and me to serve in the ways we are most effective. God has always blessed our efforts when we ministered apart, forming our team in the place of ministry, having all our attention and efforts focused outward to the not-yet-believing world. The more we have committed to networking with a larger group of established Christian workers, the less effective we have become. As BMM Emeritus missionaries, we will still have our beloved Baptist Mid-Mission colleagues/friends, we will still have our sending church, The International Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA, and we will still have our calling, making disciples of all nations by ministering to the global community locally. 

What about our Support Needs?

I joyfully report that we continue to depend upon our team of prayer and financial supporters. Most of our Christian lives, Deb and I have lived away from the larger Christian community. We have lived away from fellowships of believers. We have endeavored to form new communities of Christians and to export these communities, globally. However, a community we have always desperately needed is our prayer and financial ‘supporting warriors’ community—our band of brothers. We still do need you. We will need you until the Lord comes, or until we go to Him, or until we turn 90:-)

We love you, 

Bill and Deb

Support Information

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For more information concerning our monthly support needs, you can go to Bill and Deb’s Website for Supporters and click on the Financial Information tab.