When Wayne Myers, a retired Global Mission Board missionary, returns to pay a visit to Eswatini (previously Swaziland) he by no means goes by itself. He needs church buildings in the United States to catch the vision he has for the church in Eswatini. So, he often will take a quick-phrase mission crew with him.
Susan Bryant remembers perfectly the vacation she and other people took with Myers. It was in 2017, two several years soon after he and his wife Barbara retired from the IMB. As they drove down the highway, Susan couldn’t aid but truly feel overcome with admiration for the connection the retired missionary continue to experienced with the persons of Eswatini.
“We couldn’t drive down the avenue. Folks would stop our motor vehicle to say hi to Wayne, to shake his hand,” Bryant reported. “They were so happy to see him.”
With each individual conversation she observed amongst the missionary and the nationals, the like that he had for the people today and the really like the persons experienced for him was obvious. That hasn’t modified, even even though some time has passed.
At the time of the vacation, Bryant was an IMB trustee, and she was the president of the Kentucky Woman’s Missionary Union. She went on the journey to prepare women, exclusively pastors’ wives, educating them Baptist essentials. She and her team not only served the gals of the church, but they had been there to help the community as properly – doing evangelism where by they could, and conference felt needs.
Considering that his retirement in 2015, the former missionary continues to average two outings for each yr back to his beloved Eswatini. Returning to the industry is only organic, considering that he and Barbara expended 23 several years of their life living among the the folks, sharing the Gospel, planting churches and viewing them grow into healthier, evangelistic, national churches.
Myers, who is now the direct pastor of Frenchburg Baptist Church in Frenchburg, Kentucky, will make a position to keep engaged in ministry among the the persons they served abroad. He claims not a week goes by the place he’s not speaking to an Eswatini believer by WhatsApp.
Barbara has not been equipped to return to the place because they left, as she cares for her mother, whose wellness is declining. Nonetheless, she stays in close communication with nationals as nicely. She can take the facts she receives from Eswatini church buildings and writes a weekly prayer letter on their behalf. Considerably like they did whilst they had been nevertheless complete-time missionaries, they distribute the e-newsletter to prayer associates in the U.S., major them to pray for national church buildings. Barbara has rarely missed a 7 days of this observe in more than 30 many years. The two Barbara and Wayne are energized that her 1st trip back to the nation will materialize in October, as a 50th wedding ceremony anniversary reward to by themselves.
Mobilizing church buildings to do missions has long been a passion of the Myerses. In truth, when they were being nonetheless on the field, To start with Baptist Church, Washington, North Carolina, supported his ministry as a result of partnership overseas. Now that he’s based mostly in the U.S., he partners with them to lead groups from that church or other church buildings in the U.S. on mission trips.
He personally prospects at the very least two teams for every calendar year (on typical) and coordinates a handful of some others (at least as soon as a quarter). He spends time schooling them to do ministry in Eswatini, connecting them with national believers. He enjoys his part initiating these limited-phrase outings, equipping and encouraging Southern Baptists to pour into the individuals he expended many years serving.
Myers retains his connections by staying in close speak to with countrywide believers like Chris Msibi. Chris is the son of the Myerses’ initially convert. When they initially achieved him, he understood pretty small English and was having Bible correspondence classes to make improvements to his English. In time, he came to religion. He is now the chairman of the Baptist pastor’s national business and is pastor of the to start with church the Myerses commenced in just one particular area. As Wayne and Barbara lover from a distance, Msibi has been a key contact for visiting church buildings from the U.S.
Even though in the region, volunteer teams invest a working day or so obtaining acquainted with the area by prayerwalking. Then, the target of ministry is dual – management schooling and evangelism. In the earlier several years, they’ve began a weekend-long pastor training application, with pastors and their wives. Just about each pastor in the local affiliation attends the education situations, hungry for the working experience and biblical doctrine the readers convey. In the course of the time the teams are in the region, they keep revival products and services, also.
This 12 months, Myers is beginning to employ hospice buckets – funded by means of generous church buildings in the United States and packaged regionally – as inroads for the Gospel. The buckets will comprise requirements for survival, like lentils, and hygiene merchandise to support household users treatment for all those who are dying of HIV (a common ailment in the country) and other health conditions.
When questioned why he continues serving the people today of Eswatini, even after his retirement from the IMB, Myers simply responded, “The Lord just hadn’t let me go. Even although I’m listed here, my call is nonetheless there – to connect with out many others God is raising up to go.
“My heart is nevertheless there,” he extra.
He finds the perform he does so satisfying now, mainly because he can take the deep associations he created and fostered more than the a long time, and he can aid bridge the gap amongst Eswatini church buildings and Southern Baptist church buildings in the U.S. “I really like the IMB. I’m forever grateful for the support of Southern Baptists. There is no way I would have at any time even been a missionary to Eswatini, had it not been for them.”
(EDITOR’S Note – Myriah Snyder is senior writer/editor for the IMB.)
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