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From the Memo Board: October 2021

Dates to Know

October 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

October 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

October 11 – Most US Banks will be closed for Columbus Day.

November 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

November 1 – October Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

November 11 – Most US Banks will be closed for Veterans Day.

November 25-26 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Thanksgiving.

December 1 – October Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

December 1 – November Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

December 7 – All prayer letters the Office assists in mailing should be submitted to our staff in order for your recipients to get them before Christmas.

December 15 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 20-24 – The office will be closed in celebration of Christmas.

January 1 – November Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

January 1 – December Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

January 10 – Missionaries will receive their statements of December Support Received.

January 12 – All missionaries will receive their final December support on this day, regardless of the day they normally receive support.

January 15 – December Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries, along with any remaining receipts or financial paperwork for 2021. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

February 1 – 1099 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2021 tax year will be available.

Prayer Letter Services

Mr. Chris Beane, an associate missionary with World Wide to the UK, is now helping us with our prayer letter, social media, and website work. Mr. Beane is a former full-time staff member at Ambassador Baptist College. He recently moved to New Jersey to assist a church as an internship for ministry experience. Mr. Beane will work remotely for Ambassador Baptist College and contractually for WWNTBM.

Formerly, Mrs. Holly Minion communicated with you about your prayer letters. Holly accepted a job to work in her church in Minnesota. We are grateful for her years of service and will miss her.

Brother Beane is well-qualified technically and spiritually to assist you and our agency with these behind the scene tasks. Please continue to send all prayer letter-related correspondence to us at [email protected].

Financial Report Reminder

As we enter the last quarter of the year, thoughts turn to year-end tax procedures. Many people begin thinking of last-minute deductions that will affect them. For our US Missionaries, if you anticipate making large ministry purchases and you desire the purchase to be a deduction in the year 2021, you may wish to make the purchase by the end of November. Because of the way our 1099s are calculated, December expenses are “reimbursed” out of January income, so the tax benefit on your 1099 would actually be considered a 2022 reimbursement. Regardless of when the purchase is made, you will still receive a tax benefit. However, we wanted you to be aware of these deadlines as you plan your expenses over the next few months.

Please keep in mind the due dates for financial reports. With the holidays approaching it is easy to let these slip past, but our CPA has encouraged us we need to keep to the due dates, per IRS regulations. The best situation is for you to report all ministry expenses through WW, thus providing the fullest tax benefit. If you do not submit an MFR on time, you can still submit the expenses on your personal taxes on a Schedule C. If you are not currently submitting financial reports we suggest you consider this option. If you have questions about this, please contact Naomi Torberson.

Postal Service Changes

Effective October 1, 2021, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has revised its service standards for certain First-Class Mail items, resulting in a delivery window of up to five days. Current standards call for delivering First Class mail in one to three days. Under revised standards, the delivery time would stretch to as many as five days, according to the Postal Service plan. It also said it would “align hours of operation” at low-traffic post offices. The WWNTBM Office handles bill pay for many of our missionary families. We will adjust the timing of our mailings to allow for the additional delivery periods. We are committed to providing you with the best possible service.

Year-End Prayer Letter Services

If you use our processing services to send out your prayer letter, please submit your letters anytime before 7:00pm EST, December 7. This enables us to process them so your recipients will receive them by Christmas. Letters received after this date will not be mailed until after Christmas.

Our Office will resume processing prayer letters on December 27.

Financial Couriers

Missionaries occasionally have situations where they request that we send funds through a courier, rather than through normal banking channels. Often this is used when it is beneficial to have US cash brought into a country. We have established the following fiduciary guidelines to ensure full transparency and accountability whenever we distribute funds to an individual who is not a World Wide missionary. If you have questions about this process, please contact our Office.

If the courier is a US Citizen, they must provide:

  • A W-9 form for our records
  • A government-issued photo ID, preferably a passport, that shows their citizenship status
  • An ACH Credit form with their banking information

If the courier is a Non-US Citizen, they must provide:

  • A W-8BEN form for our records
  • A government-issued photo ID, preferably a passport, that shows their citizenship and visa status
  • An ACH Credit form with their banking information

Additional Notes:

  • If funds will pass through multiple individuals before they reach the missionary, World Wide will need a list of each individual who will handle the funds, so that we can provide the courier with a chain of custody receipt. This receipt should be signed by each individual along the route. The missionary will then return the receipt to World Wide once funds are received.
  • The Missionary should confirm any restrictions for someone carrying cash into their country. Each country has its own laws about how much cash can be brought in, and whether it needs to be declared to customs officials.
  • Groups traveling together as they leave the US are limited to carrying a combined total of $10,000 without declaring it for customs purposes. There is no impact to them for declaring it. However, failure to declare funds in excess of $10,000 can result in penalties.

New Baby

Dalton Ray Elwart was born on September 20. He weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. Dalton is the son of Jackie and Brittany Elwart. He joins older siblings Charlotte (14), Audrey (12), Sadie (10), and Elijah (1). The Elwarts are currently on deputation and hope to move to Big Bear, CA, later this year to plant a church.

Baptist History Recordings

Dr. David L. Cummins is well known for co-authoring three books on Baptist History, as well as his long involvement in world missions. World Wide was privileged to have him as a guest speaker at several Family Fellowship Weeks. In 1995, he gave five sessions on Baptist History and Missions. We have recently uncovered the recordings from that meeting and wanted to share them with our missions family.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. We hope they will encourage your heart.

A Life of Contentment by Pastor David Landers

Walls, Enemies, and Giants by John O’Malley and Jeremy Kobernat

Be Still and Know by John O’Malley

Sources of Joy by Pastor Gene Krachenfels

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200 Hundred Miles Over the Mountains

by John O’Malley

I purchased several books from eBay. The seller included a free book which became more valuable to me than the books I bought. The booklet is A Foreign Missionary Workers’ Manual*.

I read this selection, and I thought of you this month where you are. I thought about the global sickness and fatigue from the pandemic, the challenges you face, the sufferings you have endured while preaching the Gospel in the place you serve.

I drew strength from a selection in the manual entitled: Onward Christian Soldiers.

A fourteen-year-old Japanese girl who had only recently found the Lord came into the missionary telling of her desire to take the message of salvation to her loved ones at home.

On inquiry, the missionary found that her home was two hundred miles away over the mountains and that the girl had no other way to cover the distance than to walk. She insisted, however, upon going and was anxious the missionary lady should accompany her.

They started, and even after a steady tramp for a long distance, the Japanese girl did not care to stop. “We must hurry,” she would say, “they might die before we get there.”

Many more weary miles were placed behind them, and noticing that the girl’s feet were bleeding and sore, the missionary insisted that the convert should go no further, without rest.

Resting but briefly, they continued the journey until finally both travelers fell exhausted on the mountainside. At the missionary’s statement, “We cannot go any farther,” the girl looked up and said, “Can’t you sing ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers?’”

The song finished, the little girl asked, “Missionary do you think that the people in America will think that I love Jesus as much as they do?” At last, the home was reached, the story was told, and the family joyfully found the Lord.

Do you, an American, love Jesus as much as the Japanese girl?

I saw these lessons from this fourteen-year-old girl:
1.   I must not lose my passion for souls.
2.   No distance is too great when it comes to delivering the Gospel.
3.   When I feel I cannot go on, I can.
4.   The people I serve have much to teach me about my walk, faith, and passion for the Gospel.

Do you have a lesson that sticks out to you? Please email me and tell me what lessons you drew from this illustration.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

*A Foreign Missionary Workers’ Manual
The Pilgrim House
Indianapolis, Indiana
Published in 1947

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know.

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From the Memo Board: September 2021

Dates to Know

September 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 6 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Labor Day.

October 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

October 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

November 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

November 1 – October Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

Welcome, Baby Cmaylo!

We are thrilled to announce the birth of Emil Jackson Cmaylo on August 20. He weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 23 inches long. He is the first child of Laura Cmaylo, our International Visa Coordinator, and her husband Emil. He is also the nephew of our Office Assistant Rebekah Tolley. Pray for the Cmaylos as they adjust to having this little one in their home!

New Engagement!

Missionary Dalton Heath and Brenda Jaques are engaged to be married on October 9. The couple knew each other in their college days and recently reconnected through mutual friends. They will make their home in New Bern, NC. Congratulations may be sent to [email protected].

Covid And Your Financial Reports

Covid has brought with it unexpected financial costs that may affect your monthly financial reports. Two areas we are seeing frequently include costs for Covid tests and/or quarantines and costs for flights that are canceled due to Covid. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

Tests and Quarantine Costs

  • Our CPA has informed us that, where it is required for ministry travel, Covid testing and/or vaccines may be listed as a ministry expense.
  • Quarantine costs related to ministry travel should be handled like all other ministry travel costs. In other words, hotel costs may be listed as an actual expense, while any meal costs would be calculated at a meal allowance rate and should not be included as part of the hotel expense on the report.

Costs for Canceled or Changed Flights

  • If you received a cash refund of the ticket price but had not yet listed the ticket purchase on your MFR, you can simply leave all records of the transaction(s) off of the reports.
  • If you received a cash refund of the costs and had already listed the original purchase as an expense on a previously submitted report, you should list the refund as “income from other sources” in the month you received the refund. This shows the full paper trail of the financial transactions.
  • If you received an airline credit, rather than a cash refund for the tickets, you may still list the cost of the ticket on your report. However, you should ensure that you only exchange the credit in the future for the purchase of another qualifying ministry flight. Because the cost was already accounted for, you would not list the cost on a future MFR when redeeming the credit later on, which would result in a duplication of the expense. However, ticket change fees or mileage redemption fees related to using the credit may still be listed as additional costs on your report.

See the Harvest – Boston

In early 2019, John O’Malley and Alton Beal, president of Ambassador Baptist College, discussed a mutual burden. They wanted to provide young people with an opportunity to See, Learn, and Do missions. This conversation led to a mission trip partnership we call See the Harvest. This summer, John and Kim O’Malley led a group to Boston, Massachusetts, where they ministered with WW Missionaries Nick and Lindsey Stelzig. Colton and Melodie Lee, our missionaries to the Solomon Islands, also took part in the trip.

The team met in Boston on August 2 and kicked off the week with a community outreach at a city park. Throughout the remainder of the week, they assisted six ministries in the greater Boson area with various outreach opportunities. They also met with 13 pastors representing five states for two Q&A panel discussions on ministry needs throughout New England.

The focus of See the Harvest is to allow young people the opportunity to See, Learn, and Do missions. The team was able to see the fields white unto harvest. They learned much about Baptist history and heritage. They participated in door-to-door canvassing, one on one soul-winning, and public ministry in church services. The team left with a passion for the lost, a love for the Lord’s harvest, and a burden to pray for missions.

A theme for this trip was taken from Luke 10:2, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” Check out SeetheHarvest.com for information on future trips.

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. We hope they will encourage your heart.

Give Ye Them to Eat by Pastor David Landers & Matt Brown

Isaac: A Life of Faith by John O’Malley

Our Great God by John O’Malley

Precious Things by Pastor Gene Krachenfels

What We Are Enjoying group podcast

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A Place to Remember

by John O’Malley

Recently, I led a team of people on a See The Harvest trip to Boston and the greater New England area. We visited several ministries, met with a dozen pastors, and delivered the Gospel in public and private settings.

As I met with the spiritual leaders in this area, they reminded me of our duty to get the Gospel to the regions beyond and the regions close at hand. I saw the vacuum of the Gospel in the region.

In your place of service, you regularly see what happens to society and culture where a Gospel vacuum exists. Yes, America, especially the areas we went to, needs the Gospel.

Where you are, the people need the Gospel.

Thank you for being where you are doing what you do. You serve in unreached places amongst an untold people. Thank you for serving the cause of the Gospel.

As I met with these church planters, they reminded me of the emotional toll the ministry can take when serving in isolation or remote from other servants. These men and their wives serve the Lord in a place where few may even remember they are there.

God remembers the place He called you. God remembers your service to Him done, perhaps in isolation, in a place where Christ is not named. You are not alone.

You are seen by the all-seeing God. You are known by the all-knowing God. You are valued by the all-loving God.

Please remember your service to Christ matters. You matter to us at World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. You make the difference between Heaven and Hell for your community.

As we enter the last third of the year, be faithful, be strong, and be true to God’s calling.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know.

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From the Memo Board: August 2021

Dates to Know

August 1 – June Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

August 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 6 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Labor Day.

October 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

October 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

Staff Update

As many of you are aware, Mrs. Laura Cmaylo is expecting a baby within the next few weeks! If all goes as planned, she will be on maternity leave beginning August 4 through the end of September or early October. We are all excitedly anticipating the arrival of Baby Cmaylo!

Please click here to view a video regarding her maternity leave and how you should communicate with the office during her absence.

Child Tax Credit Details

Last month we shared an article that our CPA wrote concerting the Child Tax Credit Automatic payments. Mrs. Dorothy Joyner, who is the tax preparer for several of our missionaries, has provided the following additional information about these payments. We encourage all of our US missionaries with children at home to carefully review this and contact your tax preparer as soon as possible to assist you with tax planning related to these payments.

Congress has passed changes to the Child Tax Credit regulations for 2021. Taxpayers with eligible children are receiving monthly advances of their 2021 Child Tax Credit. The amount has been increased from $2,000 to $3,000 (for children ages 6-17) and $3,600 (for children 5 and under). This is for 2021 only. The payments are for the months of July through December and are half of what the IRS believes the taxpayer will be eligible for when they file their tax return.

To qualify to receive these advance payments, the taxpayer and their dependents must be living in the United States for at least half of the calendar year. These funds are being sent to taxpayers the IRS believes qualify based on their claiming dependents on their 2020 (or 2019) tax return. Some of our missionaries have begun receiving these payments. If you are receiving these payments and are living on a field outside of the United States for more than six months, you are not qualified to receive them. When you file your tax return, you will be required to repay these funds.

According to my research, I believe you would still qualify for the $2,000 Child Tax Credit that has been available for several years. The IRS website lists the qualification for this lower Child Tax Credit which requires that the children live with you but it does not specify in the United States.

Since 2015, those of you serving in foreign countries have been allowed to choose the Child Tax Credit or to exclude your income from income tax on Form 2555, but not both. For many of you, it has been to your advantage to use the Child Tax Credit. As your children age out of the credit, you can choose the tax exclusion after you have used the credit option for at least five years.

Recommended actions for those who will not be present in the US for six full months this year:

1. You may click here to opt out of these payments on a monthly basis. This allows you to login into the IRS program ID.me. If you have not previously created an account with ID.me, you will need your photo ID and a US-based cell phone number to create the account. (Note that each spouse must individually verify his or her identity and opt out.) Note: Others have found the process of creating an account to be somewhat difficult and time-consuming, so please be sure you have some time to devote to this process before you begin.

2. We recommend you return the funds you may have already received to the IRS with your quarterly estimated payments. If the Office assists with sending in your estimated taxes, you will need to contact Mrs. Kim and ask her to increase your estimated payments by the amount of the Advance Child Tax Credit you have received. If you do not follow this recommendation, you will most likely face a penalty on your tax return because your balance due would then exceed $1,000.

The IRS website describes situations in which this repayment can be forgiven. This forgiveness is based on income being below a limit; however, they clearly state that not being a resident of the country for over half the year disqualifies the taxpayer from their forgiveness program.

We feel it is very important that you are made aware of this situation to avoid surprises as to the amount you owe at tax time and to allow you to avoid penalties.

Please be aware this research is based on Frequently Asked Questions on the IRS website. Due to the volume of calls, they would not take my call when I tried to confirm with an IRS agent.

New Baby

Ezra Paul Prater was born July 24. He weighed 6 pounds. Ezra is the son of Ethan and Brittany Prater. He joins older siblings Enoch (9), Silas (6), Jude (5), and John (2). The Praters minister in the Dominican Republic.

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. We hope they will encourage your heart.

The Pathfinder of the Seas by Pastor David Landers

Truly God is Good by John O’Malley

Characteristics of a Citizen of Zion by John O’Malley

Trusting God by Pastor Gene Krachenfels

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When Do Our Feet Become Beautiful?

by John O’Malley

Dear Missions Family,

While reading a commentary on Romans, I thought to share this account from Donald Grey Barnhouse, onetime pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. He was told a story by a missionary in western Africa. The account illustrates the heart of one gripped by a passion for spreading the gospel.

“It seems that an African man who had become a radiant Christian believer was also afflicted by the dreaded elephantiasis disease. This loathsome condition hardens and enlarges the flesh of the lower legs and feet so that they often appear as solid columns of flesh from the knees down, sometimes twelve to fifteen inches in diameter. It is a painful and restrictive condition, making simple walking a laborious challenge. But the man was so appreciative of the grace of God that had come into his life that he thought nothing of the pain of his condition. He went from hut to hut in his west African village, sharing the good news of the gospel, knowing that none could believe unless they heard the gospel. He shuffled and hobbled on his afflicted limbs day after day until all had heard the good news.

Once he had evangelized his entire village, he began a painful, daily trek to a village two miles distant, not being able to bear the thought that some were there who had not heard the gospel of the grace of God. He would start early in the morning and walk to the nearby village, go from hut to hut, then walk home. This process he repeated until every hut in that village had received the good news of the gospel.

With no one else to tell about Christ, he asked his pastor and the missionary about going to the next closest village, a larger village located ten miles from his own. They both discouraged him from considering the journey, given his condition. But one day, his relatives awoke to find him gone. It was not until later that the full story came out, related by the inhabitants of the distant village.

It took him until noon to traverse the ten-mile distance to the village, and when he arrived, his leathery stumps were bloody and swollen. Not wasting time even to eat, he spent the rest of the day in the village going from hut to hut telling people about the grace of God. The sun was setting when he set out for his own village. Somehow he made it through the pitch-black jungle, falling upon the missionary’s porch at midnight. The missionary, who was also a doctor, summoned help and they lifted the poor, semi-conscious man into the dispensary. The doctor related later how his own tears mingled with the salve with which he bathed the beautiful feet of this wounded gospel messenger. Without counting the cost to himself, this man lived out the word of the apostle Paul in Romans 10:14-16. Feet that in the eyes of the world could best be described as horrific had become the beautiful feet of one who brings the good news.”

When I read this account, I thought of you and your work in the gospel.

Thank you for going to the next village. Thank you for going the extra mile for the sake of the Gospel and His name’s sake. Thank you for bringing the gospel to where Christ is not named.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know.

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If I Never Tell You Why

by John O’Malley

“Could you thank Me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?”

Dear Missions Family,

I read this account while studying for a series of lectures on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Below is the testimony of a missionary, Dr. Helen Roseveare.

“Dr. Helen Roseveare is no stranger to terror. This medical missionary lived in the Congo for over 12 years. Then one day she experienced the trauma of her life. During a time of severe disunity between the blacks and the whites, a civil uprising erupted.

Why? Oh God, why? The why in life is the most common question of all…especially during a time of terror.

During a 10 week siege, thousands of black natives were butchered. As a result, the whites became enemies of the blacks, and 27 missionaries were slaughtered. The remaining missionaries were taken captive, and on one horrific night Dr. Helen Roseveare was flung to the ground, kicked, beaten and raped; her teeth broken, her ribs bruised, her mouth and her nose severely gashed.

On the night of her rape, she couldn’t understand why all this was happening to her. She literally wanted to die because she knew the brutality that fellow missionaries had experienced. Yet God quietly spoke to her, “Could you thank Me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?”

Helen thought, God, I thank You. I haven’t a clue why or how, but I’ll take it from You that You know what You’re doing, that You can never make a mistake. You cannot fail. Your promise must stand true. So, God I’ll thank You for trusting me with this even though I haven’t any idea how anybody could ever be helped by it.

Soon afterward, Helen received the death sentence along with the other missionaries. As they were herded away in a group, she had to lean against others to walk because her body had been so brutalized.

When the leader of the rebels spotted her, he asked, “Who made you in that mess?”

She answered, “One of your lot.”

The rebel leader responded, “You’re a liar.”

She said, “I’ll name him for you.”

So, the rebel leader called a People’s Court. However, before they assembled he instructed the tribesmen to yell, “She’s a liar….She’s a liar!” after her testimony.

The time came for her trial. She truthfully told this large assembly the details of the assault. Then something miraculous happened. When she finished, the voices of 800 men were heard weeping. They recognized that this was their doctor speaking. She had birthed their babies, cared for their cuts, and nursed their wounds. Yet, to their dismay, one of their own had raped her.

To her amazement, over the weeks and months that ensued, a spiritual breakthrough occurred for the first time in 12 years—a breakthrough that had never occurred before. People were saved…hearts were touched because finally they identified with her suffering. Even the Greeks in the area wanted to know how to come into this relationship with Jesus Christ, and they were saved.

Later, back in her native country of England, Helen was a frequent guest speaker. One evening she was led by the Lord to take the rare opportunity to refer to her rape. There were two girls still left in the auditorium after she had finished speaking. One girl asked, “Can you speak to my sister? Five weeks ago she was raped…for five weeks she has not spoken a word to anyone.”

The other girl ran, sobbing uncontrollably, and flung her arms around Helen. For three hours this young victim of rape talked nonstop about the incident. Ultimately, the two who had shared the same experience parted—both with peace in their hearts. What made the difference? The young girl simply said, “No one ever told me that I could thank Him for trusting me with the experience even if He didn’t tell me why.”

Helen’s lesson reminds us we can thank God for the experience even if He never tells us why. Yes, God brought you where you are. He brought you to a place knowing your life’s baggage and scars. God owes no explanation to His children. God is always working out His plan through us.

When heavy-hearted and lost in your thoughts of life’s difficulties, remember this, God has a plan.

“Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful in the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.”
—part of a poem given to Helen Roseveare as a teenager

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know.

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From the Memo Board: July 2021

Dates to Know

July 1 – May Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

July 1 – June Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

July 5 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Independence Day.

August 1 – June Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

August 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

September 6 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Labor Day.

New Missionary

We are pleased to welcome Mike and Heather Salyer to the World Wide family. The Salyers are members of the Crossroads Baptist Church in Columbus, NC, with Pastor Nathan Deatrick. Mike is a graduate of Ambassador Baptist College. They have five sons, two of whom are still living at home: Jameson (12) and Micah (8). The Salyers will soon begin deputation to plant churches in the Philippines.

Signal Private Messenger

Our office relies on Signal Private Messenger as a secure and encrypted method to communicate with you about financial matters. The encryption works when your phone or device has been authenticated by our device(s). If you obtain a new phone or other device, please be sure to contact our office so that we can re-authenticate your devices and ensure the continued encryption of our communication. If you have questions, please contact Rebekah Tolley at the main Signal number, 704-750-9493.

Child Tax Credit Information

Our CPA has provided the following information about the Child Tax Credit automatic payments starting on July 15.

For 2021, the child tax credit has been increased and made fully refundable. You have probably started to receive correspondence from the IRS indicating your eligibility for the advance payments of these credits which are set to be sent out each month starting July 15. Those who receive the advance payments will claim the second half of the expanded child tax credit on their return.

For some families, it may be advantageous to unenroll from receiving the advance payments. Each situation is different, so it may be best to do some basic tax planning to determine the best course of action. If you are unsure whether to receive these advance payments of the credit now or wait to claim the credit on your 2021 tax return, we recommend unenrolling now. The full credit will be available to you on your 2021 return if you unenroll from these payments.

For more information on the child tax credits or to unenroll, click here to visit the IRS Child Tax Credit Update Portal. You may also wish to contact your tax preparer to help you with tax planning.

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. We hope they will encourage your heart.

The God of the Impossible

The Things Job Knew

When God’s Kids Go Through Dilemmas

Motivation to Keep Pressing Onward

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From the Memo Board: June 2021

Dates to Know

June 1 – April Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

June 1 – May Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

July 1 – May Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

July 1 – June Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

July 5 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Independence Day.

August 1 – June Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

August 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

New Baby

Joy Rose Town was born May 7. She weighed 9 pounds 11 ounces and was 22 inches long. Joy is the daughter of Josh and Joanna Town. She joins older siblings Juliana (9), Jayla (7), Jennifer (5), Joshua (3), and Jeremiah (1). The Towns minister to the Arabic-speaking people in Philadelphia.

Piano Music

We realize that smaller ministries may not always have access to a pianist. Click here to download some simple piano accompaniment for several hymns, available in mp3 and mp4 files.

Missionary Resources

WWNTBM hosts a website at Missions.Today to provide a place for missionaries to exchange resources, tips about life on the field, and on deputation. We encourage you to make use of this site, submit suggestions, and make this resource available to other missionaries with whom you come in contact. You may submit suggestions by simply clicking here. You may also comment on individual posts, or share them on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. We hope they will encourage your heart.

Our Glory and Our Joy by Pastor David Landers

WWNTBM History from the conversation between Bro. Whetstone and Bro. Wingard

Confidence in God’s Presence by John O’Malley

Examining Your Heart by Pastor Gene Krachenfels

What Did You Preach Last Sunday? group podcast

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Spotlights, Fanfare, and Missions

by John O’Malley

When you were on deputation, there may have been churches which heralded you. Perhaps they gave you gifts, served you, or made you feel like you were the best thing since crunchy peanut butter.

Then, one day, deputation ended, and you got to the field.

The people on your field of service do not know you. They know nothing of your effort to get there. They know even less of the church members sacrificing every day at jobs they may not prefer. They know nothing of the people working to earn enough money to make ends meet and give in the promised offering at their church for you to be in your place of service.

When a missionary feels they deserve spotlights and fanfare, they have lost sight of servanthood.

If a church treats you well, it is grace. If a church treats you poorly, it is a grace as well. Remember, none of us deserve anything.

I am troubled when I see a missionary go to a church meeting and expect spotlights and fanfare. World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions missionaries are expected to be servants everywhere we go.

Remember, when we are visiting a church, we are not spectators; we are servants! We serve our Lord, we serve the pastor and his wife, and we serve the membership. When you go to a church, offer to help; do not seek to be helped. Offer to serve; do not look to be served. Try to be a blessing; do not wait, yearn, or expect the spotlights and fanfare.

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

Let us look like Christ wherever we are ministering. We are here to minister and give our lives for the Gospel’s sake and the sake of our Lord.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know.