Inspiring stories at the Baptist Assembly 

BMS World Mission staff shared three ways BMS is transforming lives around the world in an all-age seminar at the Baptist Assembly

Rehabilitation. Medical care. Justice. Three of the ways BMS is changing lives around the world, thanks to the support of the Baptist family. During the Word and World Market Place stream, staff took delegates on a trip around the world to share three stories of people BMS has helped – and to thank the people who made it all possible.

Nepal: rehabilitation

In Nepal, BMS occupational therapist Megan Barker is rehabilitating people with spinal injuries. BMS Writer Sarah Stone, who visited Nepal in December, told the story of Ramu, a man who was paralysed in a truck accident. As a young man, Ramu suddenly found himself unable to move from his bed, powerless to support his wife and daughter, and waiting to die.

Thanks to the work of Megan and her team at Surkhet clinic, Ramu and many others like him can live again. Following the horrific earthquakes in Nepal, countless people are in need of the rehabilitation services Megan and her team provide. There are only eight occupational therapists in the whole country, and the need is so great.

You can hear Ramu’s full story and support rehabilitation work by ordering My Father’s House.
 

Chad: maternal healthcare

Chad is a country with some of the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the world. Steve Sanderson, BMS Manager for Mission Projects, told the story of how BMS workers and partners are trying to change that, in an all-age talk at this year’s Assembly.

A recent BMS Chad Maternity Centre Appeal raised over £162,000, meaning that Guinebor II Hospital (G2), where a number of BMS medical mission workers serve, has been able to make excellent progress on a new maternal health centre. The additional services the G2 maternal centre will provide will mean more babies will be safely delivered to healthy mothers in a country where death in childbirth is unbelievably common.
 

Mozambique: justice

For the poor in Mozambique, justice is rarely accessible. Many do not even know that they have rights, or that there is a legal system to protect them. Even those who do can rarely afford the legal costs associated with accessing those rights. Three BMS lawyers are currently working alongside Christian lawyers in Beira and Maputo, helping the voiceless access the justice they are entitled to.

Through these lawyers, BMS has helped to found the Association of Christian Advocates (AMAC), which aims to educate communities about their rights and help people get justice. Vickey Casey, a BMS Writing Intern, visited Mozambique earlier this year and at the Assembly told the story of a young Mozambican woman who AMAC helped with a land dispute. This woman’s story is typical of the ways in which people without legal representation or education can often be cheated.

The examples shared at this year’s Baptist Assembly were just a few examples of the transformative work BMS partners and workers are doing among the most marginalised and least evangelised people in 35 countries around the world. Find out more at www.bmsworldmission.org where you can sign up to the free weekly BMS email update.