2022 has been a year where your International Mission Board marketing and communications team has seen it all. On the serious end of things, we got to spend time getting to know a believer who experienced unspeakable persecution and we spent time in the countries surrounding Ukraine, watching our teams serve traumatized refugees. On the fun side of things one of our missionary kids won a unicycling competition and we revived Lottie Moon’s cookie recipe. Wherever our work led us, we’ve been honored to tell the stories of how God is working around the world and let you know how we continue to reach the nations, together. Enjoy this compilation of our favorites from a memorable year.
First Person: How two Ukrainian boys personalized the war
Dimi plays with a helicopter in the basement of Casa de Rugacuine Baptist Church in Iasi, Romania. Demi and his family fled the violence in Ukraine and were met at the border by Ukrainian Baptists who directed them to the church. IMB Photo
“When I looked at Den and Dimi, I pictured my nephews; they could have very nearly escaped with their lives. My nephews could be playing with puzzles and helicopters in a church basement without knowing where they might spend the remainder of their childhood. Meeting these Ukrainian refugees personalized the war for me, and once you pair a face with the numbers you see on TV, it changes everything.
“As the war continues to rage months later, I hope this story will help you visualize the numbers of casualties you see on the news.” – Caroline Anderson, writer
Missions amidst persecution: IMB missionary believes bold proclamation is necessary, even after his experience of suffering
The global church experiences persecution on a regular basis. Four years ago, IMB missionary Alexander Traverston experienced that persecution firsthand. His crime? Boldly proclaiming the gospel to a people in a South Asian city in desperate need of God’s saving grace. IMB Photo
“Writing this was humbling, to say the least. Alexander’s story is the kind you read about in books, not the kind you hear firsthand from a missionary colleague. His family and his whole team experienced horrors you only hear about. But they are real people simply being faithful to God’s call on their lives.
“I was challenged to live my faith even more boldly after seeing what one of our IMB missionaries endured for the sake of the gospel.” – Myriah Snyder, writer
Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church Prayer Guide
“I felt so grateful for this resource, because it invited me into real people’s stories that are really heavy, but it didn’t crush me. I empathized with the people who are experiencing such hard things in life, but the resource didn’t leave me there. It empowered me to pray for them in specific ways. It encouraged me with powerful truths from Scripture. It isn’t a series of sad stories about the persecuted church. It’s truly a resource on how to engage in the spiritual battle and pray for them.” – Emily Hall, prayer content specialist
2022 Fast Facts for Each Affinity
IMB Graphic
“This was a great team effort from global research, field brand collaborative and our marketing and communications teams. Our goal was to create presentations which combined the high-level data from our Annual Statistical Report and Fast Facts data. We wanted to start overall from where we work and move into sharing lostness and gospel transformation in those regional areas.” – Terry Pedigo, graphic design manager
Ukraine – IMB Updates
“The comprehensive coverage of IMB and Send Relief’s international arm in response to the war in Ukraine provided a front-row seat to how God was at work to bring help and hope to the people of Ukraine. We saw the riveting images of our partners at work on a daily basis, we heard the heart-tugging testimonies, we prayed specific intercessions for all those involved, and we witnessed Southern Baptists give millions of dollars in relief. Over and over, the information reiterated what a blessing Southern Baptists must be present among the nations where God is at work.” – Julie McGowan, associate vice president of public relations and corporate communications
Lottie Moon Cookie Recipe
“I loved the Lottie Moon Cookie Recipe piece. It was well done and shared a little about how God laid the people of China on Lottie Moon’s heart. She chose to bake cookies – a simple and creative way to break down barriers and share the gospel. It’s a good reminder of how important it is to make personal connections with people first. Then the important conversations will flow naturally. We are all human and must eat! Who doesn’t want a cookie?” – Terry Judge, marketing specialist
Missionary kid wins medals at Unicycle World Championships
“The vibrantly written article, photo story and video featuring Trey Haun, one of our missionary kids from Ghana who learned to unicycle over the course of the pandemic, was a super compelling feature.
“Sometimes I think we tend to focus on the missionary work being done by the parents in our missionary families, while all too often it’s their children of varying ages that help to establish connectivity and open doors to least reached in their communities. It’s stories like Trey’s that help show missionary presence across the globe and helps to humanize our missionary families for our audience, showing impact that our MKs are having on those around them too. And it helps to highlight the fun quirkiness of our missionaries and their families.” – Kathleen Sparks, photographer/photo archivist