Joe, Lisa and Corey Welch
Team Coordinator for Guinea BissauAs of April 2006, The Welch Family is living in Cape Verde, West Africa studying the Portuguese language.
View Our September/October 2008 Prayer Letter
My name is Joe Welch. God has called me and my family to team up with Preach Evangelistic Ministries to reach the Portuguese Nations of this world, and specifically to be the church planting missionaries in Guinea Bissau, Africa. It would be an honor to come and share our burden with you and your dear people of how God has called us to minister to this land of a great need.
Our Testimony
I did not have the privilege of being raised up in a godly environment. My parents divorced when I was a child, never having a stable home, running with the wrong friends, and staying in trouble with the law. After graduating high school I figured it was time to find some new friends and settle down. These new friends seemed to be alright, after all they did "go to church". I thought this church life would solve all of my problems, but everything just seemed to get worse and worse. Then I met my wife in 1989, she was raised in a Christian environment. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior when she was 15 years old. Her family began to tell me about Jesus Christ. I've heard all about this before, but this time it was different. One night sitting in my room thoughts came to my mind, "What would really happen to me if I were to die right now?" Under deep conviction from sin, Lisa took me to see her Uncle Tommy. On August 29th, 1990 in Macon Georgia, I received Christ into my heart. On April 20th, 1991 Lisa and I became husband and wife, we desired to have a family right away to grow and serve the Lord, but unfortunately we were unable to have any children for a few years. Then one day Lisa had some exciting news, we were going to have a baby. Oh, how we rejoiced in the Lord. Unfortunately for us, our rejoicing ceased on July 17th, 1997 when Lindsey Ann was born, she also went home to be with Jesus. Although our hello was good-bye and our hearts were torn apart, we experienced the grace of God working in our lives. A few years later we sought adoption, going through a process of red tape, God has blessed us with a teenage boy. On July 17th, 2003, Corey signed the papers to be adopted into the Welch family. On July 28th, 2003, Corey was adopted into God's family.We joined Bemiss Road Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia in September of 1990 and have served the Lord in the bus ministry for 3 years, children's church and Bible Clubs for 3 years and as Sunday School teachers for 13 years. I came on staff at Bemiss Road Baptist Church in 1997 as Youth Pastor/Assistant Pastor. I received my training through Berean Bible Institute (a ministry of BRBC) 1999-2003 under the training of Pastor Tony Howeth and Bro. James Cagle, Dean of Institute.