Gib & Marilyn Dickinson
Candidate Class: 1979
Countries Served In: Togo & Canada
Q: How did God first call you to missions?
Marilyn: We
met at Ontario Bible College, and although we came from different
church backgrounds, we believed that God was leading our lives together
in marriage and ministry. After graduating, we were married and began
our ministry at Essex Baptist Church in Ontario, Canada where Gib served
as an assistant pastor.
During our two years there, the Lord continued to burden our hearts for foreign missions and we eventually left the church to pursue the Lord’s leading. We remained active in our home church of Central Baptist in Brantford, Ontario and explored different interests we had for a future ministry, while Gib worked in a local factory and we started a family.
Then, a missionary spoke at our church about his work in church planting, and his presentation helped us understand that the basis of Biblical missions is planting local churches. His message, combined with the influence of our pastor and the missionaries our church supported, led us to apply to serve God through missions with ABWE.
Q: How did God call you to Togo?
A: God
gave us Psalms 32:8 as His promise that He would show us where He
wanted us to serve Him. We were confident that God had led us to ABWE,
but like others in our candidate class, we had not yet discerned what
country God was leading us to. We prayed that God would give us more
direction during the candidate classes, but each day we were overwhelmed
with needs and opportunities for service around the world. Then,
halfway through the course, we were introduced to the new ministry that
had begun in Togo in 1974. Following the presentation, we had the
opportunity to talk with two of the missionary families and hear their
goals and vision for the future expansion of the ministry. We could see
ourselves being involved in this new ministry. We prayed, and then,
while walking around one evening, our prayer for direction was answered.
We knew that God had been preparing us for Togo.
Q: What is your favorite memory from the mission field?
A: The
planting of the Anfamé church in Lomé will continue to be our favorite
memory from our missionary service. The church began with a core group
of 25 members from the first church planted by ABWE in Togo, and from
the start, God blessed the church as the gospel was shared. People were
saved on a regular basis. Baptismal services were held about every three
months. It was a challenge to keep up with the rapid growth, but we
were excited to see the Lord was at work in the lives of the Togolese.
In just three years, the membership grew to more than 150 and the church
was able to financially support a local pastor. Today, the church is
completely run by Togolese. It has a thriving Christian school and has
given birth to five daughter churches.
Q: What advice would you give to those considering missions?
Marilyn:
Never be afraid to follow God’s leading. A wise woman told me that God
would never lead us where He would not also provide for every need.
Gib: When
the difficult times come in ministry and we don’t understand what God’s
will is, remember that we are being conformed to the image of Christ.
