A lot has happened at Albuquerque’s First Baptist Church over the past year. God continues to bless our church community in great ways. As we close out the year, we’ve pulled together our top five blog post from 2016.

Pray For Our 2016 Malawi Mission Team

The Greatest Gift of All

God Does Amazing Things At Youth Camp

Meet Missy

Making More Than PB&J

When was the last time you walked four miles to collect one pail of water for your family? My answer would have to be never.

The average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day. Approximately 70 percent of that water is used indoors; with the bathroom being the largest consumer (a toilet alone can use 27 percent!).

Not everyone is as fortunate. In Malawi it is not uncommon for people to walk as much as nine miles for one pail of water. One pail of water, perhaps five gallons, for an entire family.

With a population of 17 million people Malawi is among the smallest countries in Africa. It is also one of the least developed and poorest. Malawi is known as the warm heart of Africa and despite signs of economic development many challenges remain – in rural areas as few as two in ten people have access to a toilet. While water sources are fairly numerous in Malawi, much of the population lives without access to a safe and protected water source.

Malawi suffers frequent droughts and floods. The last several years have been extremely difficult for the Malawians.  In an economy that is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector, it is crucial to understand the implications of these extreme climate events. About 2.8 million Malawians face food insecurity, making the country one of the worst hit in southern African drought.

Many people in Malawi live in rural areas where extreme weather, rapid population growth and pollution have made farming difficult. A reliable safe water supply is essential to grow enough food to eat.

Although official figures show Malawi to have 90% water supply coverage, the number of people with reliable access is far lower. Many hand pumps are broken, leaving no choice but to go back to unsafe water sources. Almost 90 percent of child deaths from diarrheal diseases are directly linked to contaminated water, lack of sanitation, or inadequate hygiene.

So here we are in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Can we make a difference? The answer is a resounding yes.

First, we can pray. Here’s a recent prayer request from a missionary our team met on their trip in May. As you can hear in her words this is a request from her heart.

Can you please join me in praying for the nation of Malawi….?

• We need rain. Not too much and not too little, but God knows what we need.
• We only get 2-4 hours of electricity every 48 hours. It normally turns on between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. while people are sleeping.
• Water is only turned on for 30 minutes three days a week. This normally happens about 5:00 a.m.
• With limited electricity we are unable to pump water from one tank to the other. We are currently out of running water. We are still blessed with one water tank so we can collect water using buckets.
• The lack of electricity means no maize mill…. no maize mill…. no ufa…. no ufa… no nsima…. This is the staple food for Malawians.
• No water requires people to wait in long lines at boreholes. Sometimes taking all day. Walking long distances in the middle of the night to return with one pail of water.

Amidst this entire crisis God continues to provide for His children, but please let’s come together and let’s pray for Malawi. 

What else can we do?

On Sunday, October 23^rd AFBC will hold its annual Night of Worship followed by our Chili Cook-Off. During the Chili Cook-Off you will have the opportunity to vote for your favorite chili using “change.” That’s right your coins, pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters can make a difference for the people of Malawi.

100% of the money collected on Sunday will go to the Malawi Mission Project, which includes digging and maintenance of a new well in Malawi. To us it may be pocket change but what a huge difference those coins can make in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Malawi.

We hope to see you there!

Gai Gai Anderson

Titus Anderson

Bethany Bentley

Kevin Cook

Ryan Cook

Nicole Dobson

Libby Edwards

LuAnn Edwards

Wayne Fowler

Ty Haguewood

Marissa Jordan

Arlene Lewis

Kevin Linthicum

Stewart Linthicum

Jay Magnant

Rebekah Morse

Mykaela Savage

Robyn Savage

Ashley Tafoya

Amber Walker

Randy Walker

Trip Dates:
May 26- June 8

While not all of us can travel to Africa, we can participate in this mission opportunity by praying for our missionaries. As a congregation we want to be intentional about how we pray. Please pray specifically for:

• Safe travel
• Safety in the mission field
• Strength, stamina, and good health
• God’s protection and provision
• Planting and dedication of new churches
• Open doors to share the Gospel
• Training and new ministry opportunities
• Lives to be changed
• Families of our missionaries

We invite you to join with us as we pray for this team and how God will use them to change the world!

On Friday July 3rd, Albuquerque’s First Baptist Church Outreach & Evangelism Pastor, Kevin Linthicum, will be leading a mission team to Honduras. The team will return to the US on Friday July 11th. This team consists of:

Evan Anderson, Jameson Anderson, Bethany Bentley, Kevin Linthicum, Chetan Sahu, Mykaela Savage, Robyn Savage, Burben Sullins, Trason Sullins, Trey Sullins, Ashley Tafoya, and Robert Thomas

While not all of us can travel to Honduras, we can participate in this mission opportunity by praying for our missionaries. As a congregation we want to be intentional about how we pray. Please pray specifically for:

• Safe travel
• Safety in the mission field
• Strength, stamina, and good health
• God’s protection and provision
• The completion and dedication of a new church
• Open doors to share the Gospel
• Lives to be changed
• Families of our missionaries

We invite you to join with us as we pray for this team and how God will use them to change the world!

For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.

1 Corinthians 3:9-10

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NIV

Will There Be A Next Time For Brian?

Weary and worn was the feeling from the top of my head to the tip of my toes as Parents’ Night ended Vacation Bible School. I anticipated the wonderful feeling of my bed after a long, busy day. Though I closed my eyes, sleep did not come. The faces of forty boys and girls in my department danced in the visions of my mind. 

One little boy whose name was Brian stood out among all the rest. It was as though he had stepped from the pages of a book instead of off a church bus. He was not a handsome boy. He was from the wrong side of the tracks and his hair dirty and uncombed; his fingernails were grimy. His clothes didn’t fit and needed to go through the wash. 

Only five years old and already a smirk on his face, he didn’t know how to share. His main objective seemed to be destruction. He hit, kicked and clawed his way through a week of Bible School. There was no hope for calm with Brian around. As Friday noon came, so did my sigh of relief – It’s over!

As we cleaned the room, I discovered the lock to our supply cabinet missing. One of the teachers said, “I saw Brian with it. I asked him where he got it and he said, ‘from home.’” I shrugged my shoulders, propped the doors to, and thought, “Oh well, it’s over.”

Home for a few hours and then back again for Parents’ Night. But where were the parents? Busloads of kids poured in but only a handful of parents. Brian came in, his usual robust self. After we marched (prodded) to the auditorium, I found myself seated next to this defensive little boy. He squirmed, wiggled and asked who is that man (the pastor), why are they taking money, why this and why that. 

Brian pulled a Bible from the rack and thumbed through it upside down. He said, “Is this God’s book?” I said, “Yes” and whispered “I love you.” He grinned and asked, “Can I sit in your lap?” The love I felt in my heart for that little boy must be a glimpse of the love our Heavenly Father has for us.

Back in our room again, I remembered to ask Brian about the lock. “Brian, did you take my lock today?” He replied, “I’ll bring it back when I come next time.” 

Vacation Bible School was Brian’s first experience in our church. Will there be a next time for Brian? With a lot of strikes already against him in life, will there ever be a next time for Brian?

The misplaced lock only costs a few cents. And without the combination it will be useless to anyone. Is Christ-like love the right combination to Brian’s heart? It is my hope and prayer that it is. 

The above article was originally printed in the Albuquerque Journal on July 11, 1975. Author Unknown

Fast forward forty years. This week we had over 200 children attend Vacation Bible School at our church. Children came from all over the city. Times have changed and now we have Vacation Bible School in the evening. The church bus is no more. Instead, Nate Bruch drove one of our vans from nearby Seville Park.

Like Brian, the kids were loud and rowdy. They ran. They screamed. They came from all kinds of backgrounds and some had never set foot inside a church before. But like Brian they all came looking for one thing, love and acceptance. And they found it. They found it in the hearts of their group leaders and the many other adults who gave their time volunteering this week. They found it in the Bible stories that were shared. They found it in Pastor Trey and Ms. Kristi. They found it in the Rice Krispie sushi and Lottie Moon cookies. But most of all they found it in Jesus Christ.

Will they come back? Will there be a next time? We certainly hope so but should they never darken our doors again we pray that they will always remember this, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NIV

Thanks to Ms. Betty Danielson for providing the Journal article.