WORLD MISSIONS

Alex and Leah serve as Superintendent of the anglophone West African nations where they focus on ministerial training, leadership empowerment, and medical assistance. Alex and Leah Abiola serve as the overseers to Nigeria and Superintendents to Anglophone, West Africa. With a ministry that includes ministerial education, medical missions, family and marital counseling, substance abuse counseling, and outreach to children and poor, they have touched many lives. 

They served as missionaries to the Republic of Ireland from December 2004 to July 2010. From 2010-2012, they were missionaries in Nigeria. From 2012 to present, they have served as missionaries/Administrative Overseer, and from 2018 to present also serve as

Superintendent to the anglophone West Africa countries. Living in Lagos, Nigeria, the Abiolas are strategically well located to minister to the entire country and the surrounding countries. 

The Abiolas work fervently and constantly, abounding in the work of the lord, demonstrating God’s love, wisdom, and peace that the church may stand perfect and complete in order to make progress and move forward in all the will of God, fulfilling fearlessly the calling of God with effectiveness.

 Alex and Leah coordinate short-term mission trips to Nigeria and the anglophone countries of Western Africa in the area of ministerial training, leadership empowerment, and medical

assistance. One of their projects is to teach pastors to be self-supporting and effective leaders. They also help the needy and provide medical assistance. In the future, they would like also to build schools, hospitals, orphanages, and churches.

Linda Brown serves full-time in Kenya doing evangelism, medical missions, and children's education.

I am one of the few native Floridians, and the ministers in my family date back as far as King James 1, where one of my great-great x 9 grandfathers served as his pastor and advisor.

Ministry has been a legacy in my family with many pastors, pioneers, and missionaries.

I have spent most of my career working at Christian Television Network as a floor director, crew chief, lighting director and photographer. For years I served in this ministry while working in the local church. I attended Harvest Temple, now known as Gulf Coast Church, since the age of one.

I have been involved in missions since my early twenties spending vacations and personal time off in Guatemala, Cambodia, Haiti, South Africa, domestic missions, and am currently serving full-time in Kenya. It was in 2008 on a trip to Cambodia, that I heard the voice of God

say, “you go tell them.” Not willing to fail, I did an intensive internship, and in May of 2009 headed to Kenya. I began to seek the Lord for my purpose in Kenya and found it by starting the Linda’s Kids Academy. Currently there are over 130 children being educated from pp1 to grade 6. I live in a village with the Masai working with New Frontiers Health Force. I have been certified as a CNA and a Phlebotomist. This allows me to work in the Ngoswani Community Health Center. I am also Co-Pastor of the Good Shepherd Fellowship Church. 

Every bit of life experience from working on the farm with my “Pa”, to skills I learned at CTN, medical training, and ordination with the Church of God has in some way prepared and enabled me to be a full-time missionary in Kenya.

One of my most memorable moments was in the clinic when an older man came in because he was having a stroke. He was dying right before me. Gently I held his hand and together we prayed that he would be forgiven and saved before his last breath. I promised him one day we would dance together with the Lord.

Tonya Hawthorne provides hope and healing to Masai villagers in Kenya by sharing the Gospel alongside the use of her medical skills.

I am a graduate of ATSU Medical University and a board-certified Family Physician. I also hold degrees from Southeastern University in Missions, Bible, and English. My mission career

began in 1981 when I taught sign language in the Philippines. What has followed is a 40-year dedication to sharing the gospel through medical and ministerial skills around the globe.

In 1997, I founded a Faith-based, non-profit humanitarian medical organization called New Frontiers Health Force, Inc. For the first 10 years, I traveled the globe to remote villages and in disaster areas bringing quality medical care. I have been in over 40 countries leading

hundreds of teams. In 2002, I was recognized by George W. Bush, President of the United States, for global humanitarian work.

In 2006, I began a long-term health care project in Ngoswani, Kenya. There we established a health center/hospital that provides continuity of care to thousands of Masai villagers. The Ngoswani Community Health Center offers primary care services, urgent care, X-ray,

antenatal, labor and delivery, immunizations, pharmacy, laboratory, and in-patient services.

I also serve as the senior pastor of the Good Shepherd Fellowship Church and administrate the Linda’s Kids Academy with my teammate Rev. Linda Brown. She is involved in training and mentoring medical/nursing students, interns, and residents from the USA in Tropical and 

Bush Medicine.

Truly it is my privilege and honor to serve those who would otherwise have no hope. This is what God created me to do. I am allowed into people’s lives when they are most vulnerable. I can share my medical skills and then share the gospel. Healing and Hope are the reasons I

get up every day and continue this amazing journey in missions.

Teresa Kimbrell has served with distinction for many years in Zambia, Africa in numerous roles and capacities.

I serve in Zambia, Africa in various capacities. At Berea Theological University College, I have been involved in seminars, women’s and children’s ministry as well as preaching and church

planting. I also have served as needed with visitors to our area, administrative duties, facilitating remodeling projects, and as a member of the board at Berea.

My most memorable moment is watching those who have attended training sessions go and put that training into practice. 

Other memories include: 

experiencing the excitement of those

who are trained, 

experiencing a grandmother putting shoes on her feet for the very first time

in her life, 

experiencing the organizing of housing and food for children and their care,

watching them go from deficiencies to health and then lining up for a hug, 

and experiencing God ministering to a tangible need through His Word that He spoke through you.

I became a missionary because God called me. God planted the seeds and opened the doors all through my life for each stage and place of ministry.

My desire is to reach the Harvest with the love of God, encourage faithfulness in believers, and train others to reach the Harvest.

Neil and Jennifer Lawrence have served in education in Kenya and have recently broadened their scope to teach at Bible schools globally. We responded to a call upon our lives to enter the harvest in Kenya in 1993; however, we had

been in ministry since 1988. In addition to lecturing at the Bachelor level, we have been involved in Crusade evangelism with our team, Eagle’s Wings Gospel Team. Over a 25-year period, we held 184 Gospel meetings during which thousands received salvation and whole

towns were shaken through the Word of God and music.

We started Eagle’s Wings Studio to enable us to produce Christian music and videos, culminating in a television broadcast throughout East Africa. The 30-minute teaching and preaching program, “A Higher Place,” has 70 episodes and is still being broadcast weekly in Kenya.

As of August 2021, we are beginning a new season of ministry with a focus as international missionary educators. Our 30 years of education and mission experience will be shared at Bible schools around the globe. Neil has also started an online Doctorate degree in

Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES).

Our goal is to teach at all of the Church of God Bible schools and various churches wherever we may travel. This focus will help to meet the rising challenge to encourage our congregations and leadership to be better equipped for these challenging times.

The Massengills are missionaries to the unreached people groups of the Middle East. Vance and Kari Massengill, along with their daughters Leandra and Kendra, work to train and mobilize the diaspora Christian communities in the Middle East for missionary engagement to the unreached people groups of the Middle East. By equipping and empowering the tiny minority of Christians in this part of the world, the laborers for the harvest can significantly be increased in an area where 80% of those who have never heard the gospel reside. The whole church reaching the whole world for the glory of God.

The Massengills have served as missionaries since 1996. Vance is the only person in the world with 3 degrees in Intercultural Studies (missiology) and has studied Islam for more than 20 years. He will use this expertise in mobilizing the Christian population in the Middle East.

Kari is currently obtaining her second masters in Christian counseling in order to minister to the diverse population located in the region. Both Leandra's and Kendra’s primary focus will be on children’s ministry in the local churches to instill a culture of missionary engagement in the next generation.

The Massengills returned to the US in 2021 for 4 years to help the American church. During this time, God not only increased their love and passion for those unreached by the gospel of Christ, but also giving them an equal love for the church itself. 

In their return to the Middle East, they seek to not only evangelize those who have never heard the gospel, but also

mobilize the small groups of churches in the region for the same task.

The number one reason for Muslim resistance to the Good News of Jesus Christ is not Islam or persecution, but lies in the painful fact that they simply have never heard it. The Massengills

are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that changes. All nations must hear, and they go to this volatile part of the world to make sure that happens.

Michael Mills serves in Ecuador where he trains leaders, feeds children, and plants churches.

We have been career missionaries since 1992 to both Ecuador and 10 years to Uruguay. After 41 years of marriage I became a widower when my soulmate Denise died of COVID in 2021 on the coast of Ecuador. She was a professional chef. We always said, “we leave you with a good taste for missions!” She faithfully served the Lord and finished the race to her Lord as a one-way missionary. She heard the words, “well done my good and faithful servant.” 

I continue as a one-way missionary here in Ecuador! These are the ministries that I am concentrating on:

1. National Discipleship and Evangelistic Program. I started this work by training 70 leaders in two cities in Ecuador, Esmeraldas and Quininde.

2. Ama Nini Scholarship. My grandson could not say Abuela or Grandma since he was learning English and Spanish; so he called Denise Ama Nini. I am training the two cities to invite students from 15-17 years old, who have a GPA between 7 to 10 (10/10) is the highest you can earn in Ecuador. With a good GPA we invite the student to a free lunch, give them $30 towards their school supplies and an Ama Nini Scholarship. Normally the

students need to work hours at an extra job to pay for those supplies. In 2022, we gave 41 scholarships in Denise’s honor.

3. Christmas. We provide a meal and gifts for approximately 4,000 children ages 3 to 14 years old.

4. Church planting. Our goal is to plant 5 new churches in five coastal cities of Ecuador. Currently, we have two planted where COGWM has never been able to plant churches.

I am a missionary because He asked me to give up my life 31 years ago so I can fulfill His life in countries that did not know Him yet. He purchased my life with His blood! What was I going to say but YES?