Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
James 4:13-14 (ESV)
As I reflect on 2025, it has certainly felt like “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes!” The year has gone by in the blink of an eye. It seems like yesterday I was writing an article for our 2024 end of year newsletter. Additionally, while I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I do know what happened ‘yesterday.’ I can look back on 2025 and definitively say, God has led us every step of the way!
- God brought us some new missionaries! In August, Marc & Joanna Beckley were approved as full-time FBM Missionaries. Another couple was recently approved as well. Look for an official announcement about them soon.
- Rob Ernst (Director of Member Care) and Nate Osborne (Director of Recruiting) have done tremendous work in 2025. I praise God for their efforts in each of these areas.
- Our first ever FBM Missionary Retreat was held in February. This event was definitely a highlight of the year as our missionary family gathered. We are looking forward to our second retreat in February 2026.
- We saw the hand of God even in the difficult days. In March, God called Rich Marshall home to heaven. While this was sudden and unexpected, we praise God for the wisdom, provision, and comfort He provided to all of us, especially, Rich’s wife, Anna. Furthermore, we are grateful to God for His grace in allowing the ministries in Mali to advance. We are seeing progress in both the Well Drilling ministry and the development of CRAM (the camp property in Mounzou). At this time, God has generously provided for both of these ministries!
I pray that it excites you to hear about the goodness of our God. Join with us in praising Him for who He is and what He has done! As you read the pages that follow, pray with eager anticipation that God will do all that we have set forth.
Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel. Your partnership is truly having a Gospel Impact around the world.
FBM Missionary Retreat
Goal: $9,000 Still Needed: $7,550
Earlier this year, we held our first ever FBM Missionary Retreat. We had roughly 30 from our Missionary family join us for three nights at Camp Gilead in Central Florida. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, encouragement, and rest. Upon leaving the retreat, many ofour missionaries commented on how refreshing it was. In 2025, God’s provision enables us to cover the cost of all meals and lodging for the retreat. Our next retreat is currently planned for Feb. 5-8, 2026 and, once again, we are asking God to provide.
Will you help us encourage our missionaries?
Togo Security Wall
Goal: $12,000 Still Needed: $10,550
Will you help make Misahome a safer place for worship and learning?
FBM Missionaries Koku & Akpene Akakpo have recently returned to Togo after a time of Home Assignment in the US. For several years, one of their ministry priorities has been planting a church in the rural village of Misahome. In that time, they built a two-story classroom building. Solar has been added to the compound. Infrastructure has been improved to alleviate some of the flooding concerns that arise in the rainy season. Now, they aim to secure the compound by building a wall around the perimeter.
Togo Church Van
Goal: $35,000 Still Needed: $34,000
Every Sunday in Misahome, Koku drives to nearby villages to pick up children and adults for church. For some time, he has used a tri-motorcycle to help this transportation. In the summer, hundreds of children come from neighboring villages for VBS. For VBS, Koku rents a bus from the capital city to help with the transportation. Koku’s desire is for the church to have it’s own van or bus to help with all of this transportation.
Will you come alongside the Akakpos to help provide
transportation for their growing ministry in Togo?
Rumah Lissy Salatiga
Goal: $12,000 Still Needed: $12,000
As we look towards 2026, we are asking God to provide $1,000/month (or $12,000 total) to help Ken & BJ care for these children.
Ken & BJ Armstrong continue to care for orphans from their home
(Rumah Lissy Salatiga) in Southeast Asia. Ken & BJ recently wrote, “On September 22, at just 12 hours old, sweet Sarah Jo was placed in our arms.” With the addition of little Sarah Jo, the Armstrongs now care for 10 children, ages 15 and under. Here are some of their current needs:
- 13-16 dozen eggs (10 kilos) every week
- 55 pounds (25 kilos) of rice every 2 weeks
- 28 chickens every week
- Diapers, wipes, & clothes for the littlest ones
- The local Christian school provides free tuition for 5 of the children, but Ken & BJ must pay for two of the children. Next year, it will be three.
Will you partner with Ken & BJ to care for these children?
Nigeria Church Building
Goal: $52,000 Still Needed: $52,000
In 1999, Pastor Abraham was saved under the ministry of David &Comfort Jacobs in Nigeria. Today, he pastors Cornerstone Independent Bible Baptist Church in Southern Nigeria. He has pastored this church for 7 years. Nearly 3 years ago, the church was able to purchase a piece of land for a building. They are currently praying about building their own church building.
Will you help encourage Pastor Abraham and Cornerstone Church as they work toward building a place to worship?
Walter Gomez Evangelism Center Projects
Goal: $16,000 Still Needed: $11,006
Work continues at the Walter Gomez Evangelism Center (WGEC) in Pachuca, Mexico. In 2025, we sent two teams (roughly 30 people) to Pachuca to help with multiple projects. These teams used roughly 240 gallons of paint! Additionally, the Oct. team made some significant electrical upgrades to the maintenance building. Over $6,000 was spent purchasing tools and materials to complete the work done by these teams.
As we look to 2026, we anticipate the following projects. These cost estimates are just for materials as we anticipate all volunteer labor from our work teams.
- $10,000 – pouring multiple concrete sidewalks. This will help the students navigate from
one building to another; particularly in rainy season. Lord willing, a team will go in early
2026 to complete this work. - $5,000 – several roofs need to be re-coated to mitigate water issues
- $1,000 – paint and other tools/materials that will be needed.
Will you partner with us as we continue working to improve the WGEC campus?
FBM Annual Fund
Goal: $100,800 Still Needed: $12,386
Our Annual Fund is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to support FBM and our missionaries. Simply put, your gift keeps our ministry strong – providing for daily needs and helping us care for missionaries when unexpected challenges arise. As we approach the end of year, we are getting
close to reaching our 2025 goal. Would you consider partnering with us to help us get there?