Mission Bite: The Global Church at Work by Casey Ramirez, Baguio, Philippines Over the New Year, we were able to travel back to our former home in China for the first time since we evacuated at the outset of Covid. It was a great time of reunion with friends and closure for the life and ministry we had to leave so abruptly. In the intervening years, we have been able to keep up with most of our friends but weren’t able to discuss the state of our church fellowship or its ministries because all communication in and out of China is monitored by the authorities. We were glad to find that the fellowship has flourished despite the hard times of the pandemic and recovery! The leaders reported that the church is beginning to plan retreats and mission trips to other countries. Knowing that we are serving the overseas Chinese community here in Baguio, Philippines, they expressed their excitement in the possibility of joining us for their first trip – possibly as an ongoing partnership! We are overjoyed that a church that we were part of at its inception is now going to support us in our new ministry. This is the Global Church at work! (fb)

Mission Bite: The Joy of Baptism Nathan* had to flee Afghanistan with his parents at a young age and lived in refugee camps in Pakistan, then India, before arriving in the United States as a teenager. Being raised nominally Muslim in New York City, Nathan cared very little for religion as he entered adulthood. Now, as a husband and father in his forties, he began to learn about Christianity. For several years, Nathan visited churches, read the Bible and engaged in conversations about the Christian faith. In early 2025, Nathan and his family moved to Fremont, California. One Sunday afternoon, he was out for a walk in his neighborhood and happened to come upon Fremont’s only Afghan Christian church having its Sunday worship service in the mid-afternoon. He went inside the church and finally found his home. Finally, there was a church in his heart language with a congregation comprised of former Muslims and with a pastor who is himself a former Muslim. Nathan was able to get answers to a lot of his questions and very soon he decided to receive Christ as his Savior. During his baptism service in March, Nathan shared his powerful testimony before being baptized. Nathan hopes to become one of the church’s leaders and has a promising future as a Christian leader! by Rick Sample, CBF field personnel (fb)