2020 has been a year that we will always remember. All of us are still experiencing the results of COVID-19, even if we never were made ill because of the virus. Schools and businesses closed down, churches were not able to assemble and the list goes on. This isn’t the first disaster that we have experienced and it most likely won’t be the last. But despite all of that, you made it a good year by helping change lives all over the world through your partnering with Body & Soul Ministries.

Our BandS Ministries were affected but not all of it was bad. We were able to complete two safe houses, one in the Philippines and the other in Thailand, that will care for young girls that have been rescued from human trafficking. We had funds ready to send to Thailand to build another one of the safe houses needed in that area, but due to travel restrictions our workers here could not travel and we had to delay our construction. We are still committed to build as planned but we will have to wait for the travel restrictions to be lifted and for the dry season that will permit construction.

However, we have found great needs in several places where we are already ministering. We have used some of the funds budgeted for the building in Thailand to serve those most affected by the flooding and typhoons in that area and in the Philippines, Nepal, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, China and in areas in the USA.

We have had difficulties sending funds directly to some of these places so when we find a need and we can partner with another non-profit that has a secure system in place for sending money directly, we like to partner with them. We have been introduced to some leaders in the underground church in China and they have asked for help with orphans. We plan to sponsor a brother and sister, even though they are not orphans in the true sense of the word. Their father died some time ago and their mother remarried, but her new husband did not want to adopt her children so they went to live with their aging grandparents who are very poor. This happens frequently in many of the poor areas.

Our largest ministry is in Indonesia where we schedule 800 cataract surgeries each year. Our eye surgery camp there in Northern Sumatra at the end of February was an amazing success where 529 eyes were given sight at three different locations. These surgery missions require a lot of team work and the COVID epidemic made it impossible for us to do all that was necessary to conduct our annual October surgery camp this year on the Island of Nias. We are planning two trips into Indonesia in 2021. This will depend on how soon travel restrictions are lifted and if our team there can make the necessary arrangements to complete the surgeries.

BandS also has other ministries that we support in Indonesia. We have four college students that we help with scholarships. We help with one orphanage that we built about 10 years ago. Our support is mostly for the upkeep of the building and furnishings.

We help sponsor four medical students from the Nigerian Christian Home. Dr. Fred Massey is the one who oversees this work and we believe this is a good investment. Each of the students has a contract to come back and work for one year for each year they are on scholarship. This is not a new experiment. We have done this in several countries and it has worked very well. We receive regular reports and are pleased with how well they are doing in their studies and are staying healthy during the COVID infestation that is in Nigeria and the rest of the world.

Our work in Vietnam has been greatly affected by the COVID crises. All schools in the country were closed for several weeks. Schools are now open and most of our students are back in class. We are so fortunate to have our work there in the hands of very competent people. Ngan, who heads up the two English schools, has received several honors from the local and regional government. The ministry affects hundreds of people in a positive way and it requires very little from us to operate smoothly.

I hope you have been encouraged by the work you are doing through Body & Soul Ministries. We haven’t reported as much as we usually do and I take the blame for that. I struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. I try to follow the rules and take the meds, but some days it works a lot better than others. I’m not complaining, just reporting. I am so much healthier than anyone I know who is my age who has PD. So, I am rejoicing in the measure of health God has granted me and ask for prayers for continued good health. I know I cannot continue without the help of others. Our Board of Directors is working hard to have this work continue as long as we are blessed with the ability to meet opportunities and to stand with Jesus on the giving side of human need.

I’m happy to report that my grandson Dr. Hutton Brown and his wife Payton will be joining the Board. Before starting medical school, Hutton traveled with me for a year and is very familiar with the ministry and goals of BandS. He is now a second year resident in Internal Medicine at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. They will join our current Board members: Keith Enger, Elizabeth Enger, Cody Mihills, John Paul Brownlow, Danny Carrigan and Greg Smith.

Our records show that our end of the year giving is the source of about 40% of our total contributions. If you are one who gives annually, I hope you will be generous again before December 31. All funds that arrive after that date will be credited for 2021. Thank you.

– John C. Bailey

2020 – A GOOD Year!?