I love Christmas. I love singing Christmas songs. According to my Philippine background, I celebrate Christmas in all the “ber” months! So from SeptemBER to DecemBER I celebrate! I have about 20 CD’s of Christmas music which I play nearly non-stop, and yes I do dream of “a white Christmas” and hearing “sleigh bells”. Of…
I have read about famous and great missionaries my whole life. I have met many amazing missionaries in my life as well. William Carey’s impact over two hundred years ago in India birthed the missions movement we have today. India even has a national holiday for William Carey. I just finished reading another book about…
“Bill Wallace of China” by Jesse C. Fletcher. Broadman Press, Nashville, Tennessee. 1963. 157 pages. Review by Steve Hyde This book began by saying that William (Bill) Wallace would be a man who the world would soon forget. He was not a great preacher, in fact, he avoided public speaking at all costs. He was…
“Nothing Daunted: The Story of Isobel Kuhn” by Gloria Repp. Bob Jones University Press, Greenville, South Carolina 29614. 167 pages. Review by Steve Hyde When I read the story about the life of Isobel Kuhn the word which comes to mind is “sacrifice”. Few have sacrificed so much for the gospel; constant sickness and…
There is nothing more painful than when a missionary leaves the field, whether it is for a short break or permanently. This is because somehow the missionary feels they are failing in what God has called them to do. Missionaries have a saying too that “the only honorable way to leave the field is in…
“Facing Terror” by Carrie McDonnall. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN. 235 pages. Review by Steve Hyde “Facing Terror” was the best book I read in 2011. It is a must-read biography which will warm your heart. I like to read biographies, but this one I had a special connection too. It is the story of…
On Thursday, November 25, 2010 we finished a gathering with about 350 tribal pastors from over 20 tribes on Mindanao Island in the Philippines. Pastor Ben Embaan coordinates an incredible training ministry which reaches hundreds of leaders and thousands of believers with quality leadership training each month. Ben has four wonderful children, a boy and…
For a missionary to develop an understanding of Cambodian forms and meanings is essential in order to be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. This is done through systematic study of the history, culture and worldview of a nation, but cannot be purely academic.
It is highly likely that wherever you live there are dozens of other ethnic groups from around the world living right next door to you. Communication is crucial. Just because they live near you doesn’t mean they think like you, or you like them. It takes effort to learn to be a good cross cultural communicator. In the following blogs I will give you some issues to think about and some recommendations.
On March 4, 2003 Bill went to pick up another missionary family airport when he was killed by Islamic terrorists. The bomb was placed directly behind Bill, who had just returned from a Muslim area of Mindanao that day. It will never be known if he was followed there, or if it was random targeting. In the bomb blast, Bill along with 21 others were killed and more than 150 wounded, including Barbara Stevens and her two infant children, whom were co-workers that Bill had gone to the airport to pick up.