Sending the Best: Missionary Commissioning
It was a highlight of the year! We attended the Commissioning Service for International Mission Board missionaries on Friday. The ceremony was held in Oklahoma City at Southern Hills Baptist Church. As each person shared his or her journey and preparation and calling to missions across the world, there was a true sense of awe. God truly calls out his best to serve Him!
Two of the missionaries being commissioned were Joel and Mary Ellen Ragains from 
Graceland Baptist Church in New Albany Indiana. They serve at the Kiev Theological Seminary in Ukraine, preparing Ukrainian church planters to share Christ with their country. Their work as ISC (shorter-term) missionaries has been exemplary. They just graduated their first seminary class of young men who went through the entire church planting degree and graduated. Each has begun at least one church in the Kiev vicinity.
Steve and I have been to Kiev to assist them on a couple of trips, and I’ve got to say these are some of the best missionaries alive! Please check out their website and pray for Joel and Mary Ellen as they commit to vocational missions and continue the work that God has started through them in Kiev.
And, as God tends to orchestrate, there was another bonus! When my husband, Steve, was pastor of First Baptist Church of Humble (1988-ish?), we loved serving there with Randy and Susan Lind. Randy was the minister of music there, and–you guessed it!–he’s recently been called from Humble to Southern Hills Baptist in OKC. We loved seeing our dear friends, and hearing their choir and orchestra, and visiting in their home. Double blessing!
