Word: jim
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Ironically, the desperation of the jungle was what made the Bowers so eager to work there. In this "spiritually dark corner of the world," as Jim Bowers described it in a recruitment video, many people have never seen a church. "They go through life with no knowledge of the living God who created them." Asked Roni: "Can you imagine never having the chance to listen to a Bible story as a child?" Says Sherry Boykin, who worked upriver from Roni until last year: "You have no idea what a wonderful thing it is to do. The people, literally, physically tugged...
...between the humanitarian handouts, the Bowers spent most of their time trying to win converts. Jim, 37, ran Bible schools and played hymns on his guitar. Roni, 35, focused on the women and children. In her first year, she struggled with Spanish. But soon Roni was creating coloring books in the different local dialects and laminating them against the humidity. Warmth radiated from Roni, those who knew her say. She didn't need the spotlight. She preferred to please people with an encouraging word or a home-cooked meal. "She was a very down-to-earth person," says Boykin, "which...
...Finally, Jim Bowers gave her the right answer, and they went roller skating. In 1985, they were married. Jim had grown up on the Amazon, where his parents were missionaries, and longed to return. They signed up with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, a missionary agency based in New Cumberland, Pa., Calvary Church, in Fruitport, Mich., agreed to pay for their mission. Since there are few roads linking rural villages in Peru, planes and boats are essential. Over six months in 1997, church volunteers constructed the Bowers' boat in a barn, then shipped it off in sections...
...Peru, Roni and Jim Bowers were two of about 6,800 Christian missionaries, most of whom were Roman Catholic. They worried about snakebites and thievery but rarely thought about drug smuggling, Boykin says. Peru is not among the A.B.W.E.'s list of most dangerous countries. Sometimes, they would see cigar boats racing down the river or hear stories about military planes buzzing a missionary plane. But the A.B.W.E. says none of its planes had ever been shot at before...
...morning of Roni's death, the Bowers were returning from an errand--applying for a visa for Charity. Jim Bowers was feeding Charity Cheerios when the Peruvian jet dived toward them. He handed the baby to Roni. Seconds later, bullets ripped through the cabin--one entering Roni's back and going into Charity's skull. Both died instantly. The plane was thrown into a steep spiral, and flames erupted all around them. Seriously wounded in both legs, pilot Kevin Donaldson somehow managed to land the plane. In the chaos, Bowers pulled the bodies of his wife and daughter from...