Skip to content
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
The Baptist Paper
Search
Close this search box.
The Baptist Paper
Search
Close this search box.
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds
  • Request a free trial
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds
  • Request a free trial

Teaching kids hygiene, God-given worth opens doors for gospel in Southeast Asia

  • August 30, 2022
  • International Mission Board
  • International Mission Board, Latest News, Missions
Girls in a Southeast Asian elementary school are taught about their health and their God-given value.
(IMB Photo)

Teaching kids hygiene, God-given worth opens doors for gospel in Southeast Asia

Part of International Mission Board missionary and nurse practitioner Rachel’s ministry in a rural area of Southeast Asia is educating elementary school girls on their health. These girls are often forced by their families to drop out of school by the sixth grade in order to help provide income. 

She and her IMB colleague Anna, a missionary and public health specialist, know they only get to interact with these girls for a short time before they enter the workforce at 12 years old. The pair see how their care leads to conversations about the girls’ God-given value and worth. 

The lack of value placed on a girl’s life and education is a prevalent problem in the area, according to Anna and Rachel. Boys are generally allowed to continue their education longer.

While this is only one facet of what Anna and Rachel do, Rachel is most passionate about this work. Her first day on the job, she wasn’t really sure what to say to the girls. Rachel said she loves helping the girls to understand they have worth in God’s eyes. 

Avenues for ministry

In the rural area of Southeast Asia where Anna and Rachel serve, one needn’t look far to find other pressing and untreated problems. Health issues abound, from a lack of education about hygiene to diseases such as diabetes and issues like hypertension. 

Anna and Rachel see these pressing physical, emotional and spiritual needs as an avenue for ministry. They find open doors to get the gospel to the unreached through a community health outreach based in rural primary schools. 

The two medical missionaries, alongside their team of national believers, have built relationships with the government, allowing them to enter schools, teach basic hygiene and supply hygiene needs. 

This most often takes the form of a program — equipped with catchy tunes and hand motions — teaching kids in the schools how to correctly brush their teeth and wash their hands. They’ll often supply proper handwashing stations, and sometimes, they facilitate building suitable bathrooms to help with poor sanitation.

They’ve even started building mini libraries for the schools, encouraging the kids to fall in love with reading.

They’ve partnered with a Christian book publisher in the country. The books provided compelling stories to the untrained eye.

To those who know the Scripture, though, they’re adapted from God’s word. 

 

These programs also opened doors for them to distribute overtly gospel materials, such as Creation-to-Christ books coinciding with their annual Christmas presentation.

While they can’t blatantly share the gospel in large groups, they have found many ways to share it in more intimate settings. 

Sharing

They build relationships with teachers through this program, and that in turn opens doors for the team to enter teacher’s homes and do routine checkups on their family.

The medical duo said there is no better way to “pass time” while taking a blood pressure, listening to a heart or lungs, or doing a finger stick to monitor blood sugar than to share the gospel. 

If Anna, Rachel and the team find more complicated health issues, they help those in the more rural areas find appropriate care, usually in their partner hospital in the city, where Anna’s husband, Thomas, works as a family practitioner and missionary. 

Anna thinks this is the most exciting part of what they do.

“It really makes a difference in their long-term health,” Anna shared.

“It’s a wonderful way to go back and visit people for ministry,” she noted. “So every time you get to meet with people, you have a great chance to share about the great God that we serve and love and His Son, Jesus.” 

The program grew from just Anna and one national believer six years ago to include Rachel and many national believers who are vital to the work. Through what they do in schools, they routinely reach 1,800 children and impact their families.

Despite the abundance of physical and emotional issues in the area, the only issue with lasting consequence is that of lostness.

And it abounds.

Animism rules the day in this Southeast Asian country. Every other religion that has a grip on the area is influenced by it, including the other prevalent religion, Buddhism. 

But, as the missionaries and national believers help push back the darkness, they believe health strategies can be vital to the missionary task. 

“We never want to do the healing without the preaching,” Anna said.

Last names omitted for security reasons. 


EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Myriah Snyder and originally published by the International Mission Board. 

Share with others:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest News

  • 33rd annual See You at the Pole draws ‘wholehearted’ students for prayer
    33rd annual See You at the Pole draws ‘wholehearted’ students for prayer
    September 27, 2023/
    0 Comments
  • College chapel service sees 150 students respond
    College chapel service sees 150 students respond
    September 27, 2023/
    0 Comments
  • ERLC: 5 key steps to prevent abuse in your church
    ERLC: 5 key steps to prevent abuse in your church
    September 26, 2023/
    0 Comments

Sign up for the Highlights

Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month.
Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

Related Posts

33rd annual See You at the Pole draws ‘wholehearted’ students for prayer

This morning (Sept. 27), students across the country gathered a little earlier than usual at their schools for the 33rd annual See You at the Pole student-led prayer event.

College chapel service sees 150 students respond

An estimated 150 students made spiritual decisions during a chapel service at Brewton-Parker College on Tuesday in a scene that President Steve Echols described as amazing.

man standing in front of people sitting beside table with laptop computers

ERLC: 5 key steps to prevent abuse in your church

Here are five essential action steps you can implement to begin protecting your church from predators and caring well for survivors of abuse.

‘It’s something God is doing’: KY church enjoys 8-week run of baptisms

“We have a testimony with every baptism,” the pastor said. “Those have made a big difference and where it has made the biggest difference for us is with the adults.”

Want to receive news highlights throughout the week? Sign up here!

Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

About

  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us
  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us

Explore

  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos

Submissions

  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy
  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
The Baptist Paper
Address:
3310 Independence Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209
Copyright © 2023 TAB Media Group
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ

Email:
news@thebaptistpaper.org

  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Editorials
  • Archive
  • Your state news
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Persecuted Church
  • Submit your news
  • Photo Galleries
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Editorials
  • Archive
  • Your state news
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Persecuted Church
  • Submit your news
  • Photo Galleries
  • Our Team
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Manage Online Access Account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Hosted Church
  • Donate
  • Contact us
  • Our Team
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Manage Online Access Account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Hosted Church
  • Donate
  • Contact us

Log Out?

Lost your password?

Log In

Lost your password?

Log in

Become a part of our community!
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy/Terms of Use

Reset password

Recover your password
A password reset link will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy/Terms of Use
Back to
Login
×
Close Panel