On January 6, 2008, we lost a friend and leader. Dr. Wendell Kempton was ABWE Canada’s president for thirty years. In those years, the international mission grew to over seventy-five countries, and nearly every Canadian missionary on the field today came into the ministry of ABWE under his direction. His life impacted the entire missionary family, and our Canadian missionaries were absolutely not an exception.
As a young missionary child of four, I remember Dr. Kempton bringing an evangelistic basketball team to serve in Jamaica. I still recall the kindness and attention he gave to me at the time. Don’t forget, he brought the team down to Jamaica in the early 1960s on a missions trip long before most anyone else had thought of such an idea. Years later, I saw him again, and to my surprise, he still remembered me.
This trait is something that those who knew Dr. Kempton repeatedly mention. Once he knew you, he would always know you and give you the feeling that you were friends for life. Repeatedly, people come up to me in churches and conferences to tell me how Dr. Kempton had impacted them and remembered their hurts and pain.
MKs were not exempt from his influence either. He was known to call them unexpectedly on a birthday or take them to lunch when he visited their colleges. He prayed for each ABWE family by name and this included the children as well. “He actually knows my name and who I am” was something our missionaries would often hear their kids say. He thoroughly enjoyed talking sports with them, especially baseball, due to his prior involvement in the sport. He was even able to attend several graduations of our MKs.
From providing airplane tickets to meeting a special need, handwriting notes of encouragement, visiting prison to help bring someone back to fellowship, and so much more, his impact will last in our lives and undoubtedly into eternity. We pray the Lord will allow us to likewise impact others.
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4/16/12
Mary Lou Brownell passes away at 82
Brownell served in Bangladesh and the Home Office for many years.
3/27/12
Corabelle Stowell, wife of longest-serving Board member in ABWE history, passes away
Her husband, Dr. Joseph Stowell II, went home to be with the Lord in June 2007
Canada
