March 31, 1999

Texans, others evacuate Yugoslavia
___RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Southern Baptist missionaries in Belgrade evacuated from Yu-goslavia just hours before NATO military forces launched air strikes against the Yugoslav army March 24.
___Two couples--Randy and Joan Bell and Ben and Mere-dith Hanna--left Belgrade with their families in the early morning hours and drove to Saraje-vo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, where they rested before continuing on to Zagreb, Croatia. Ben Hanna is a Texan.
___Nine other International Mission Board missionaries also headed to Sarajevo from Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzego-vina, an area where sympathies would run high for Yugoslavian Serbs. No decision has been made about whether they will return to Banja Luka.
___Those missionaries leaving Banja Luka included three Texans: Jennifer Early, along with her husband, James; Aaron Byrd and Shawn Mooneyham.
___"While we are grateful for the safety of our personnel, our deep concern and prayer support continues for the many Christian believers and other citizens of Serbia and Kosovo among whom they worked," said IMB President Jerry Rankin. "We are praying the fighting will quickly diminish, and, as in many areas of the world, God will use this conflict to draw many to Jesus Christ as the only hope of peace and security."

---

Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!