Author William Turner is passionate about missions. In this blog he introduces his book Sent! May these missionary stories inspire you to respond, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
Celebrating seventy-five years of UPCI Global Missions, volume one traces the development of the continually expanding mission fields in Asia, Central America, and Europe-Middle East. UPCI Global Missions began with the launching of a new Oneness Pentecostal organization in the pivotal year of 1945, soon after the end of World War II. Many of the first missionaries appointed had suffered hardships and even Japanese imprisonment in China, only to be expelled by the communists in 1949.
Here I Am Lord, Send Me
Central American missionaries, such as Wynn and Wanda Drost, Bruce and Diane Howell, Monte and Dianna Showalter, and others, had many unique experiences: they lived through wars and revolutions, experienced miracles of divine protection, and witnessed rapid expansion into un-evangelized nations of Eastern Europe that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the fall of communism in Russia in 1993.
Many of the first missionaries appointed had suffered hardships and even Japanese imprisonment in China, only to be expelled by the communists in 1949. Click To TweetThis book also follows one of the most remarkable stories of modern missions—the rapid expansion in numbers of Spirit-filled Christians in the underground churches of Communist China. May these missionary stories inspire you to respond, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
Bio: William D. Turner and his wife, Elizabeth, served as missionaries of the UPCI for thirty-six years, first in South Korea, and then in Russia and the fifteen nations of the former Soviet Union. They were in Moscow during the failed coup that ended communism in Russia. Turner was a working journalist when he and his wife experienced Acts 2:38 salvation in Tucson, Arizona, in 1971. He wrote for newspapers in Tucson and Portland, Oregon. His journalism background and fascination with history are reflected in this book.
Resources and Links
Find more information about Sent!: A History of UPCI Global Missions here, and allow the experiences of these missionaries encourage you to impact your world.