VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 7/13/18)—Faye Carol Yarbrough of Gardena, California, has been endorsed to serve as an International Ministries (IM) missionary in King Williams Town, South Africa. She will serve through an IM partner, the Baptist Union of Southern Africa, as a teacher of math and science.

Yarbrough, born in Georgetown, Guyana, immigrated to a multi-ethnic neighborhood in Albany, New York, at age eight. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, in 1982. Yarbrough served in the U.S. military from 1983–1986, where she worked in power generation equipment repair and attained the rank of Sergeant.

For the past 18 years, Yarbrough has held a variety of professional positions related to chemical engineering, earning numerous educational and career accomplishments and awards in the field. Her current role is Laboratory Manager with Triumph Processing, Inc., in Lynwood, California.

Yarbrough’s passion for math and science and for teaching youth and young adults has been borne out of her love of Christ and service in her local church, Trinity Baptist Church of Los Angeles. It all started with a church-sponsored weekly community outreach program with a focus on education. Yarbrough became deeply involved by helping to develop the program, becoming the coordinator and a teacher.

Out of this meaningful experience, Yarbrough said, “My prayer was for God to use me to meet the needs of his people using math and science. God connected me with IM and the ministry in King Williams Town, South Africa, where the people in the multi-ethnic churches, schools, orphanages and after-school programs had been praying to God to send more help for school-age children and young adults. God answered both of our prayers!”

“I love when children and young adults are on fire for the Lord,” Yarbrough continued. “Using my love for mathematics and science, I hope to encourage children and young adults to discover how their gifts can be utilized in the kingdom of God. I look forward to seeing them become more than just consumers of technology, but also innovators with the gifts he has given to each of them.”

IM Area Director for Africa the Rev. Dr. Eleazar Ziherambere has been walking with Yarbrough from the beginning of her journey with IM. “I was privileged to participate in interviewing Faye, thus learning about her passion for mission especially among children. This led me to encourage her to join us on a mission team to Zambia, where she had the opportunity to interact with children, sharing with them the love of Jesus,” said Ziherambere. “Our mission trip continued to South Africa, where we visited Teleios School at Bethany Emmanuel Baptist Church. There I saw a more energized Faye, a true disciple of Jesus Christ! Her time with those pupils was a clear sign for me that Faye’s life on the mission field at King Williams Town will be a rewarding one.”

The Rev. Doug Hubbard, regional minister of American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles, Southwest and Hawaii (ABCOFLASH) Youth & Missions said of Yarbrough, “I have come to know a beautiful soul who is hearing God’s call to serve. She is active in the life of ABCOFLASH. She visited Deborah’s House [a ministry of the women of the Dios con Nosotros Baptist Convention of Northern Baja California, Mexico] in Tijuana, Mexico, with our region in 2017.”

Hubbard added, “I see in Faye a passion for sharing God’s love with all people and I’m confident that her gifts will be used as she serves in South Africa. Her abilities in math and science will greatly enhance the lives of her students and they will be touched with God’s love through her. ABCOFLASH is standing with Faye as she begins the journey of raising support and awareness of God’s work through American Baptists in South Africa and around the world.”

Yarbrough is working now to build her Mission Partnership Team and raise the funds needed to begin her ministry in South Africa.

More information about Faye Carol Yarbrough is available on her profile page on the IM website. To send words of encouragement or support, contact Faye at fyarbrough@internationalministries.org.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.