\"Pray that the Lord will give us opportunities to share the gospel with the locals and open doors to connect with local churches.\"<\/p><\/blockquote>
Keh, along with his wife, Jessica<\/strong>
were recently appointed as International Mission Board missionaries to Australia<\/div><\/div>CORAL SPRINGS\u2014Keh, born in Malaysia, and his wife, Jessica, born in Hong Kong, have served Chinese Baptist Church of Coral Springs<\/a> for the past eight years, and they are now headed to Australia as International Mission Board <\/a>missionaries where they pray that God will use them to work alongside local churches sharing the gospel and seeing many people \u201cborn again\u201d into new life with Christ.<\/p>\nKeh and Jessica, Florida Baptists who recently served Chinese Baptist Church of Coral Springs, are being sent to Australia to serve as International Mission Board missionaries. They pray that others will answer God\u2019s call to \u201cgo and make disciples of all nations.\u201d IMB Photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The couple are among 54 newly appointed IMB missionaries recognized during a recent Sending Celebration at Ironbridge Baptist Church in Chester, Virginia.<\/p>\n
Born in Malaysia, Keh came to the United States for college and worked in the information technology field until being called into full-time vocational ministry. After attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary<\/a> in Fort Worth, Texas, and serving in local churches in Minnesota and Texas, Keh and his wife moved to southeast<\/a> Florida to serve at the Coral Springs church.<\/p>\n
Over the past eight years that Keh has served as pastor at Chinese Baptist Church of Coral Springs, he recalled the challenge he first heard on the campus of Southwestern Seminary\u2014preach the Word, reach the world. After preaching through the Book of Acts, both Keh and his wife \u201cwere convicted to make disciples of all nations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough traveling overseas and witnessing for ourselves how God is working, we were convicted to make disciples of all nations,\u201d he said. \u201cWe began to pray and recognize the need for cross-cultural disciple-making, partnership with local nationals, and global missions.\u201d<\/p>\n
From that point, God, they said, seemed to open doors seamlessly for the couple to enter the mission field as the calling began to stir in their hearts. For Jessica, born in Hong Kong, she has always been interested in evangelism and sees this open door as something they would be content doing for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Great Commission task is what we want to do for the next decade of ministry,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Hold the rope <\/strong><\/p>\n
Both Keh and Jessica believe that the local church is the mechanism that is fueling the vital Great Commission task.<\/p>\n
From his study of Acts, Keh adamantly believes the local church not only will provide him and his wife with the needed accountability, support, encouragement, and prayers, but also will \u201chold the rope\u201d as they serve on the mission field.<\/p>\n
\u201cActs teaches us the importance of the local church in missions,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is the local church that commissions and sends missionaries, and it is the local church that stands right beside missionaries; the IMB serves as an extension of the local church to train and send.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the couple will need all of the rope-holding they can get as they move from Broward County to southeast Australia\u2014a 10,000-mile journey.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On mission in Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n
With Australia representing a diverse, growing immigrant population, the couple will be responsible for coming alongside local churches in the region. Following a boots-on-the-ground approach, both Keh and Jessica will be working tirelessly to \u201cencourage, support, train, equip and mobilize local churches evangelizing the locals and cross-culturally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very excited for the opportunity to encourage local believers, build strong relationships with them, and educate church leaders and congregations more about global missions in the context of the local church,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Serving in this region of the world doesn\u2019t come without challenges. According to the couple, some areas of the world, including Australia, have seen a major shift in secularization and have been influenced heavily by a growing progressive agenda.<\/p>\n
Young people are leaving the church and are not interested in faith matters. \u201cWe need lots of prayer for the Lord\u2019s wisdom to work with local churches to evangelize and disciple the next generation for the kingdom work,\u201d said Jessica. \u201cWe\u2019re going to help build a foundation that will allow others to come after us to continue to reach the next generation and help the local churches see that the Great Commission is reaching all nations and ethnicities in the world and that the congregations can have more impact than they currently have.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Australia being an open country, Keh and Jessica are encouraged by the many ministry advantages they will soon experience as well. \u201cWe can share the gospel in a relatively free and neutral environment due to Australia being an open country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With many immigrants moving to \u201cmega, big\u201d cities in the advanced countries, the couple will have the opportunity to share the gospel and disciple believers from around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to reaching the locals and also those who are coming to Australia from around the world. We\u2019re praying that believers then will be sent, go back [to their various countries] and share the gospel with their people,\u201d said Keh. \u201cPray that the Lord will give us opportunities to share the gospel with the locals and open doors to connect with local churches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keh and Jessica are enthusiastic about what the next several months hold as they complete their final IMB orientation and training between now and December, leaving the states after Christmas. They are also grateful to the men and women across the Sunshine State who have given sacrificially so they could answer the call to go.<\/p>\n
![\"Keh](\"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/20250924SendingCelebration0407-500x333.jpg\")