Keep My Heart Open

Since Sunday, the Mt. Zion Community Church has hosted two of the many missionaries out teaching and preaching about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first person to speak was Sam Slobodian. He is a director for Baptist International Evangelistic Ministries and coordinates and assists many missionaries. Pastor Slobodian has a special interest in the people of Russia. He is walking in the steps of his father, reaching those that the Iron Curtain once tried to remove any mention of Christ and to control its people with an iron fist, but the courage of men like he and hoi father and women like his mother carried on, sharing the Gospel. In the past, they were responsible for preaching God’s Word even smuggling Bibles at great peril.

Our other guest missionary is Pastor Steve Nissley who is assisting the boat ministry in Greenland and assisting the Shulls to spread the Gospel in this forgotten country of the world. He is a Maine hardened minister and sailor.

Right now, the Shull family is the only Baptist missionaries in Greenland. Until last year, their outreach was limited because of a lack of a boat. A boat is the only way to reach the many villages and towns, Greenland’s lack of roads make boat traffic the only way to go.

Captain Steve Nissley will be helping the Shulls get their outreach afloat. Another family is on deputation to join this endeavor in Greenland is the Wright family. (This is the missionary that my cell phone gave a blessing by playing the theme to Popeye the Sailorman as he presented the beginnings of the boat ministry.) When I mentioned it to Captain Steve, he said the Shull children call him Pop-pop the Sailorman. These youngsters are his grandchildren and Pop-pop is the right name for him.