Pastor Steve Stewart - Southern Baptist Belize

Hi, I'm Pastor Steve Stewart.

I'm a Southern Baptist Ordained Minister and served as the Senior Pastor of Oak Hill Baptist Church (SBC) in Griffin, GA, for 18 years, and am now the Senior Pastor at Brasher's Chapel. I help oversee the Southern Baptist Mission work in Belize with Dr. Paul Whisnant. Dr. Paul has served as a full-time Southern Baptist Missionary to Belize since 1990 as a Church Planter and is also the founder of International Servants. I'd love for you and your Church to partner with us. Click on my photo below to watch a video of me sharing my heart for God's Work here in Belize. We'd love to host your Church on a Belize Mission Trip to see first-hand what God is doing. Dr. Paul has been leading Southern Baptist Mission Trips to Belize for almost 30 years. Click here to learn more about our Belize Mission Trips.

Testimonials

Click a photo to watch a short testimonial video by each person.

United States Ambassador to Belize, Carlos Moreno

Senator Ashley Rocke, Government of Belize

Pastor Steve Stewart, Southern Baptist Pastor

Ed Young, Senior Pastor of Fellowship Church

View 30 More Videos of Your Donations and Prayers at Work in Belize

Hi, we're International Servants.

We are a nonprofit Christian Mission helping children overcome poverty through our network of 54 Southern Baptist Churches here in Belize, plus our Children's Ministry, Feed-A-Child Program, Medical Mission, Save A Child's Life Program, Orphan Ministry and Belize Mission Trips. Click here to join 25,503 following our Missionary journey on Facebook.

Our Founder

Dr. Paul Whisnant has served as your full-time Missionary to Belize since 1990 and oversees our Ministries and our network of 54 Belizean Churches in Belize. The call of God led him to give everything away and move to the jungle at age 19 with only a backpack, $50 and his Bible. He lived for many years in a leaf and stick hut while taking his baths in the river.

Dr. Paul Whisnant has served as your full-time Missionary to Belize since 1990 and oversees our Ministries and our network of 54 Belizean Churches in Belize.

His Story:

While on a short-term Mission Trip to Belize in 1989, Paul Whisnant was called by God to full-time Missions. Five months later, as a 19 year old teenager, he withdrew from college, packed a few items in a backpack and bought a one-way plane ticket to Belize, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

He arrived with only $50 in his pocket and lived in a grass hut made of leaves and sticks, in a remote jungle village, without electricity nor running water. The locals taught him how to survive by eating iguanas and taking baths in the jungle river with the crocodiles nearby. The Mission he started in that jungle hut in 1990 is now International Servants, one of the largest Missions in Belize.

More Info:

Dr. Paul has served as our Belize Mission Director, and as a full-time Missionary, with International Servants since 1990. He resides in Belize (and near Dallas, TX), is married to our Belize Medical Director, Amanda Whisnant, CPNP, and has 2 children. Dr. Paul, and his wife, Amanda, were born in the United States (Paul in Georgia and Amanda in Ohio), and are dual citizens of both the United States and Belize.

Click the photo above to meet Dr. Paul and hear his heart for what God is doing through your donations and prayers in Belize. 30 second video.

Fun Fact:

Even though Dr. Paul graciously eats whatever is served to him in the jungle, including iguanas and rats, he can't stomach mashed potatoes.

Public Speaking:

His many years living in the jungle as a missionary in Belize produced a wealth of fascinating stories that led him to speak in the US, Africa and Asia, inspiring others to make a difference with their lives. Whether he's speaking to 600 teens at the Smokey Mountain Youth Conference in Tennessee, 200 business leaders at the HQ for Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, GA, 700 Pastors in South Africa, 100 of our Mission Trip volunteers in Belize, or in the chapel at the 20,000 member Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX, it's his humor and commitment that'll keep you on the edge of your seat; but his passion for Missions that you'll remember the most.

Stats:

1990: Moved to Belize as a full-time Missionary Church Planter and founded International Servants.

1997: Appointed to replace the IMB on the National Executive Board of the Baptist Association of Belize.

2004: Ordained as a Southern Baptist Minister.

2009: Awarded an Honorary PhD in Missions by the Board of Trustees at IBC.

1998-Present: Citizen Liaison, United States Embassy, Belmopan, Belize.

2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014: Awarded Certificates of Appreciation by the United States Embassy's Ambassador to Belize for his service in Belize.

2017: Recipient of the first-ever Lifetime Humanitarian Award, Government of Belize.

2017: Given the title of Honorary Humanitarian Ambassador of Belize by the Government of Belize.

Testimonials:

Below: Click the photo to: Meet the United States Ambassador to Belize.

Below: Click the photo to: Meet Senator Rocke with the Government of Belize.

Below: Click the photo to: Meet one of our Board Members, Dr. Steve Stewart.

Photos:

Feed-A-Child

Your gifts feed hundreds of needy kids each day in our Feed-A-Child Program in Belize. Providing over 3 Million Meals per year for malnourished children. 40% of children in our rural villages are malnourished to the point of stunting their growth. Your gifts give kids hope!

Belize Medical Missions

Your generosity enables us to treat 1,000's of children who live in grinding poverty in rural villages. Click "Learn More" to see photos and videos of kids you helped us save, and to learn more about our Belize Medical and Dental Mission, Wheelchair Initiative and Save A Child's Life Program.

Your gifts provide Medical Mission clinics, and life-saving medication, for thousands of poor, needy children and family in jungle villages throughout Belize.

Some have basic problems like fever or worms, and others have life threatening heart murmurs or malaria. The purpose of our Belize Medical Mission is to open hearts to Christ, so we set up our clinics in villages where our missionaries are starting a Church. It's a wonderful tool for showing the love of God.

Mrs. Amanda Whisnant, CPNP, leads our Belize Medical Mission Trips and coordinates our Save A Child's Life program. She was born in Ohio and completed her Masters at MUSC in Charleston, South Carolina.

Click the photo above to meet Amanda and hear her heart for helping one of her patients in Belize.

In addition to serving as our Belize Medical Director, she also works at a Pediatric Primary Care clinic near Dallas, Texas, and is married to our Belize Mission Director, Dr. Paul Whisnant.

Our Medical volunteers are in urgent need of more medicine to help the children. For every $100 you give, you're giving life saving medicine to 20 kids! 100% of all donations designated "Medicine" will go where designated.

In our Belize Medical Mission Clinics, we often encounter children in need of life-saving surgery. But many of these surgeries are too complicated to perform in Belize.

Your gifts help us bring children to the USA for life-saving surgeries. We coordinate these surgeries with the assistance of others, such as Rotary, Children's Hospitals in the US, etc.

You can help us save the next child's life by giving today and designating your gift: Save A Child's Life. 100% of your gift will go towards providing a life-saving surgery for a child. Total cost per child is around $5,000. But every gift, no matter how small, will make a life-saving difference.

Meet 3 of the children you helped us save:

Above: Heilin with Amanda (far right) with Heilin's mom (far left). Heilin was run over by a truck in Belize. She received her surgeries in Dallas, Texas. Photo was taken 1 month post-surgery in Grapevine, Texas. Click the photo above to see a short video of how your donations helped save Heilin's arm and life.

Above: Marlena at our Belize Medical Mission Clinic with Jenny (one of our volunteer Physician Assistants, far left) and Marlena's mom (far right). Marlena received her heart surgery in Orlando, Florida. Photo was taken in Belize pre-surgery.

Above: Xiomara with Amanda in Belize. Xiomara received her heart surgery in Tampa, Florida. Photo was taken post-surgery in our Belize Medical Mission Clinic in her village. Amanda Whisnant is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and our Belize Medical Director. Click the photo above to see how your donations saved Xiomara's life.

Wheelchair Initiative:

In our Belize Medical Mission Clinics, we often encounter children in need of wheelchairs.

You can help us provide a wheelchair to a child by giving today and designating your gift: Wheelchairs 4 Kidz. 100% of your gift will go towards providing a wheelchair for a child. Total cost per wheelchair is around $500. But every gift, no matter how small, will make a huge difference.

Sometimes traditional wheelchairs won't work because of the rugged terrain in our jungle villages. Click the photo below to see how your donations helped us give a rugged wheelchair to a boy in need.

Belize Dental Mission:

The lack of access to dental care in our rural villages leaves many patients in daily, severe pain. Our villagers get very excited when they hear that a volunteer Dental Team has joined our Belize Medical Mission.

Click the photo below to see your donations help us provide important dental care to adults and children in need in Belize.

Belize Mission Trips

You're invited to come serve with us in 2019! We've been leading Belize Mission Trips since 1990, so your trip will be well-planned, Christ-centered, strategic and safe. Click "Learn More" to go to our Belize Mission Trips page.