BY: Dr. John David Smith
BMA Missions
bmamissions.org

Sweltering heat; a large part of the population living on an average of a dollar per day; limited education and employment opportunities for the people; the scarcity of water; and the simplicity of life were all realities of our family living in Africa….did I say sweltering heat? Even though this was our family’s reality in Africa, please do not limit the vastness and the diversity of Africa to one description. Africa, if nothing else, is colorful, distinct, and yet so different from one place to the next. 

For our family, the heat would eventually become tolerable (at least most months). Slowly but surely we would be transformed into the African way. That transformation happened when we began to realize that the measurements of abundance that we were always applying did not measure the most important things. When I think of Africa, I think of simplicity as a most desired characteristic; I think of resilience, resourcefulness, determination, and people who are genuinely concerned about people. We learned innumerable lessons in these areas. 

Africa, in the sphere of Baptist Missionary Association (BMA) Global Missions, has been so blessed and yet so much remains outside our influence. In this issue we will both celebrate the blessings on the continent of Africa and show the opportunities that remain. May God encourage your hearts from the second largest continent in the world as fruitful ministries are highlighted; and may He stir your spirit to do something about the opportunities that call for action.