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I recently read a book about a growing subculture in America—full-time RVers. You likely see them all the time without realizing who they are. Many drive tall, boxy luxury vans that literally cost twice as much as the first house I bought. Their ubiquitous reels on Instagram extol, in 15-second snippets, the virtues of living untethered from neighborhoods and 8-to-5 workspaces.
Me? I like showering at home too much to live in a van, but anyway …
This book exposed me to an entire culture that I previously knew nothing about. It challenged my assumptions—that all those who live on the road like this do so by choice or because it’s adventurous. It turns out many of these full-time wanderers have no other option, sometimes due to economic circumstances beyond their control, and sometimes as a result of a tragic series of bad choices that left them homeless.
It’s exhilarating to learn about things we don’t know, isn’t it? So here’s something else you may not know.
Ever heard of Dumas? It’s way up in the Texas Panhandle, with a population around 15,000. I don’t need Google to tell me that it probably gets pretty dry in Dumas during certain parts of the year, and during the winter, they get a little more of the cold stuff than we get down here in points south.
Based on its rural setting, I might also assume Dumas has a majority Anglo population—and it does; several groups that track such things, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, cite that number to be somewhere between 60-70%.
That’s why I found it fascinating when one of our Southern Baptists of Texas Convention regional catalysts recently told me about Dumas’ growing Haitian population.
Haitians? In Dumas?
It’s difficult to quantify just how many Haitians are in Dumas, but they’re there—just ask Mike Watson, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church. In this month’s issue, Watson, along with Clief Joseph, a Haitian pastor who is among those who have come to Dumas, gives a first-person account of not only the changing demographics in that city, but how God is working through those circumstances to reach people. As Watson explains, most Haitians are coming for work, but once they arrive, they’re hearing the gospel and accepting Jesus.
The opportunities to impact eternities for Christ are plentiful. Sometimes, all we need to do is look beyond our own assumptions and see what God is really doing.
These “unexpected” types of things are happening all over the SBTC. Hispanic churches are developing strategies to reach Muslims in their communities. Small churches are being mobilized to have a massive gospel impact. Young leaders are networking and supporting one another as they continually dispel the myth that the next generation isn’t ready to step up.
In other words, we are challenging assumptions.
One of the things I love about the SBTC is that we, as a family of churches, are highly intentional about reaching not only our neighbors, but the nations. Sometimes we do that through a record-number of churches being planted through Send Network SBTC (you can read several of their stories in this issue). Other times, it’s accomplished through providing opportunities like the SBTC’s new Reach Europe initiative.
The opportunities to impact eternities for Christ are plentiful. Sometimes, all we need to do is look beyond our own assumptions and see what God is really doing. When we see that, we just might see that He is inviting us into that work.
