“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(I Corinthians 15:57)
I am so thankful that I was able to preach on missions in three different churches this month. Heritage Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas; Colonial Baptist Church in Rogers, Arkansas; and New Beginning Baptist Church in Edgewood, Texas. That is a victory!
I was so thankful for the Fourth Annual BEST Missions Conference held at Colonial Baptist Church. Forty-three preachers were in attendance, and offerings of over $30,000 were taken for printing Scriptures. This will allow BEST Missions to print whole Thai Bibles again in Thailand. That is a victory!
BEST Missions ordered 1,000 Thai soul-winning New Testaments in June of this year. This project was completed this month and will soon be delivered to our Distribution Center in Rangsit. That is a victory!
I’m so thankful that my wife and I celebrated our 55th anniversary on September 24. We traveled to see Jackie’s two brothers in Quincy, Illinois. That was only the second time Jackie has traveled since being on dialysis. It had been three years since last seeing her family, so it was well worth the inconveniences. That is a victory!
I am thankful for a good wife who allows me to travel and present the need for the Word of God in Thailand and in other nations. I am thankful for those who give and make it possible to distribute Scriptures to those who have never even seen a Bible.
I praise the Lord for giving me strength still to travel and preach. It has been a wonderful journey over the last 55 years of serving the Lord. Every victory belongs to Him . . . and there have been many!
This month started with Jackie and me both being sick. I was sick with a cold, but Jackie tested positive for COVID-19. We were both fully vaccinated, but she was still sick for nearly three weeks. Needless to say, I did not travel the first two weeks in October.
I preached for Pastor Jim Withers at Grace Baptist Church, Gladewater, Texas, during his King James Bible Conference. I was privileged to preach with Dr. Bill Grady. He taught so many great truths about the King James Bible. What a blessing it is to have a copy of the Word of God! The victory comes when you stay in the Bible.
We were able to order 10,000 new whole Thai Bibles because of our offerings in October. This project was nearly $83,000—and to think, you can still be a Baptist and raise funds like that. What a VICTORY!
On October 14, BEST Missions and Sam Martin of World Missions Bearing Precious Seed loaded 2 containers with Scriptures at the Second Baptist Church of Festus, Missouri. The first container contained 18,600 Burmese John & Romans, 155,000 Thai John & Romans, 9,006 Thai New Testaments, and 96 whole King James Bibles being sent to Thailand. The second container held 247,480 John & Romans and 568 King James Bibles being sent to the Philippines. What a victory!
The cost of shipping has increased, which makes each container cost about $6,500. We presently have material to fill about 5-6 more containers in 2022 at a cost of $36,000. The rent for our Distribution Center is $5,600 yearly. We will have to raise funds for these expenses. If you would like to help with these projects, please let me know. I am thankful for people providing funds for us to provide Scriptures to people around the world who do not have them. What a victory!
A pastor from Arkansas came to the BEST Conference and went home excited about being a part of providing Scriptures to people who have never had a Bible. He took up a special love offering at his church for BEST Missions. One week later, a businessman in that church paid off the church’s debt! Praise the Lord! When you take care of God’s business, He will take care of yours. What a victory!
On October 11, 2011, the great “100-Year Flood” came to Thailand. We left our home in Thailand, not knowing what the future would hold. We lost our home and everything in it, along with our truck (only four months old) that we used to distribute Bibles. We lost a warehouse, which was half full of Bibles and materials. I have been back to Thailand many times in the past 10 years. We now have a strong organization for distributing Scriptures. We have started printing the Word of God in Thailand and have shipped many containers of Scriptures from the States in the last 20 years. What a wonderful victory!
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(I Corinthians 15:57)
I think the Lord allows events to happen in our lives to see if we will stop serving Him. Thank God, we have not quit on God! God has given us many victories in the past decade. No matter how dark the hour, keep going for the Lord! He wants to give you the victory too!
Thank you for giving as unto the Lord. What a blessing you folks have been. Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and for your continued prayers for the need of Bibles around the world. Like one preacher always said, “What would you do if you didn’t have a Bible?”
Into all the world,
Bob Bowen
Philippians 4:13
