In the fall of 1968, a group of newly appointed missionaries gathered for sixteen weeks of missionary orientation in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. They would go on to serve in all different corners of the world, spreading the message of God and making a profound and meaningful difference in people’s lives.

A moving and inspirational work, Faithful shares the stories of these missionaries and the incredible journeys they undertook. One of those missionaries, Wally Poor, recounts the different paths six missionary families underwent during more than thirty years of service. The Dunns lived through the fifteen-year civil war in Lebanon, while those who went to Latin America all had brushes with guerilla groups. The Musens served faithfully in Kenya. The Shelbys had adventures throughout Asia, helped start work in Mongolia, learned seven languages, and wound up in post-communist Russia.

Each story intertwines the development of the Southern Baptist educational and missionary program and shows how God used them all to leave a permanent witness for the Gospel in diverse and dangerous locations. But above all, these accounts reveal how God was faithful in sustaining them on the course He set.

— Don Kammierdiiner, retired vice president of the International Mission Board

Filled with real-life suspense, hope, and courage, Faithful is a moving testament to how ordinary people can make extraordinary change to those who need it most.

Wally Poor served as an International Mission Board missionary in Uruguay for twenty-six years. He and his wife, Betty, were the IMB’s overseas correspondents for the Americas for five years. Both are graduates of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. They currently live in Florida.