It was a missionary call that took Steve to Olivet Nazarene University where after his junior year, he was selected to be part of a summer ministry in Argentina. His training for the trip took place at the border between Mexico and the U.S. It was at this missionary boot camp that he met a young lady from Pasadena College who was heading to Peru. Debbie was the daughter of Elmer and Dorothy Nelson, who pioneered Nazarene work in the Republic of Panama.
Two years after meeting on that summer mission trip, Steve and Debbie were married, and have enjoyed 33 years together. They have been missionaries in Peru, Colombia, and Argentina. In Peru, one task was starting a mission service in the Amazon jungle for the Aguaruna Indians. In Colombia, they planted a church with 80 members that has since grown to include over 8,000 members!
Debbie became ill, and the couple was forced to return to the States. But this didn't stop them from being missionaries. They started an African American church in southern Georgia as a result of a flood. They later moved to Alabama and started three Hispanic churches and opened another African American church. Following this, another invitation came to serve in California. In the next ten years they went on to start 25 Hispanic churches. Four years ago, the Bakers formed a new nonprofit ministry called Latino Missions Evangelism.
After 15 years in the States, World Mission asked the Bakers to become global missionaries once again. So three months ago, they once again hefted their belongings and moved elsewhere, this time to Mexico, where they coordinate the Nazarene Border Initiative. With this, their goal is to plant 500 churches on both sides of the border.
Steve met Debbie met on the border of Mexico in 1973, and now, 33 years later, he says she's still flirting with him there. He finds planting churches fun and thinks only Heaven can be better than this.
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E-mail us:spiritualdevelopment@snu.edu Call us:405-717-6216
Write us: Commission Unto Mexico, Southern Nazarene University,6729 NW 39th, Bethany, OK 73008