RICHMOND, Va. (IMB and local reports) — At the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention, making sure apprentice missionaries are prepared for their service is a priority. That’s achieved through the Landing City Program where seasoned, dedicated mentors are waiting to walk with missionaries through their first year of long-term service.
The Landing City Program brought IMB career missionaries Russell and Melinda Kyzar, both native Mississippians, out of retirement and back to the mission field. They have taken a short-term assignment with IMB to usher fledgling missionaries into their new culture, life, and service.
Melinda is the daughter of the late Guy Henderson and Lois, who resides in Clinton. They were themselves IMB career missionaries to South Korea and Philippines. After his retirement from the mission field, Guy served as a stewardship consultant, director of evangelism, and editor of The Baptist Record at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board.
Starting off
When a new missionary arrives overseas, their assignment is to a specific IMB affinity. IMB’s eight affinities are collections of related people groups that share similar origins, languages, and cultures.
In the Americas affinity, each missionary goes first to a landing city, where they immerse themselves in learning the language and culture and doing the missionary task in that context. Each new missionary stays in this program for approximately one year.
Missionaries who will be serving in Spanish-speaking contexts in the Americas land in Puebla, Mexico. “It’s an ideal landing city,” Russell said. He and Melinda are currently serving as interim lead mentors.
All around Puebla are Mexican Baptist churches committed to building relationships with new missionaries and partnering with them. The city, the fourth largest in Mexico, is a hub for eastern Central Mexico.
Multiple universities, factories, restaurants, and other bustling attractions can be found in the city, making it an ideal place to start ministry. As the missionaries land there, they’re greeted by the Kyzars.
Important role
The Kyzars are there for more than just language coaching or to be a welcoming committee. They guide the new missionaries through culture shock and provide support as they experience inevitable homesickness, listening and offering solutions as the new missionaries share the struggles they and their children are going through.
The Kyzars also help them plug into the local churches, which are always more than ready to welcome them into partnership.
The newcomers attend language class every morning. In the afternoons, they head out into the community to practice what they’re learning. This might mean using the language to buy groceries, travel on public transportation, or greet people at a coffee shop.
At the end of every week, the new missionaries send a report to their mentors detailing where they’re thriving and where they’re struggling. Part of the Kyzars’ job is to respond to these reports and walk them through their daily challenges.
Thankful for role
The Kyzars lived in a cross-cultural context for decades. Having served in Costa Rica, Russia, Czech Republic, and Cuba, the couple finds it rewarding to be back in a Latin American context.
They retired from the IMB in 2015 and began ministry in the United States. They’ve enjoyed their time in the U.S. and though they now call Tennessee home, they’re thankful God opened doors for them to continue ministry with IMB.
Later in July, the Kyzars are headed back to the U.S. The permanent lead mentors are poised to start their new role, filling this important position. As the Kyzars reflect on their past couple of months serving, they’re grateful.
“Interacting interculturally is really rewarding,” Melinda said. Russell said he loves “feeling useful” and enjoys “just being a part of sharing the Gospel story and the Gospel witness around the world and talking to folks in Spanish about the Lord.”
Getting involved
Russell encourages any IMB retirees who are considering serving again to go for it. Reach out and ask if there’s a place you can be plugged in for short-term service, he said.
Are you interested in seeing how you could be used to reach the nations? Visit IMB.org/go to find out more. For information on how to participate in missionary care and renewal, click here.
