Feature photos courtesy of IMB photos.
The International Mission Board (IMB) sends and supports “missionaries to share the Gospel, make disciples and plant churches where Jesus is not known.” Oklahoma Baptists are one of the largest sending states in the Southern Baptist Convention, with missionaries now serving with the IMB in strategic areas for the Gospel around the world.
Two such missionary families that were recently sent to the nations include: Jacob and Jessica Brooks, serving in Japan—and Colin and Larissa Stallcup, serving in Chile.
JAPAN
Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan. Sensō-ji is Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple and is located in the Asakusa neighborhood. IMB Photo.
Jacob and Jessica Brooks: Impacting lostness in ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’
According to a report from the IMB, “statistics show that 99 percent of the population (in Japan) does not have a relationship with Christ. Those statistics represent people—living, breathing image-bearers of God for whom Jesus Christ died to save. While the task of reaching them with the Gospel seems daunting, God is stirring the church in Japan to reach the nation.”
The Brookses, from Nicoma Park, First, are at work sharing the Gospel and building relationships with locals.
“Our family is living in Fukuoka, Japan,” said Jacob. “We are church planters, but since we arrived in Japan in January 2024, we have been full-time language students. Right now, learning the Japanese language and culture is our full-time job. However, as we learn, we focus on visiting parks, coffee shops, etc. to meet families.”
The Brookses are praying that the Gospel would open the eyes of the Japanese people to their need of the One True Living God. They have one young child and another on the way. They are finding ways to connect with the Japanese people.
The couple said, “We love having the opportunity to meet people, host them in our home, and share our lives with them. In a culture where people are hesitant and take a long time to form deep, meaningful relationships, it is encouraging to see our friends open up to us and share deep things of the heart, which is very counter cultural.”
The Brookses are already making important connection points in Japan, as they seek to share the Good News of Jesus. “We have made several friends that we have hosted in our home for dinner and Bible studies, and we are seeking to continue this,” added Jacob.
CHILE
Colin and Larissa Stallcup: From rural Oklahoma to South America with the Good News
View overlooking Santiago, Chile. Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, sits in a valley surrounded by the snow-capped Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coast Range. IMB Photo.
The IMB has long been active in South America, and according to sources, began its work in Chile in the 1910s.
Today, the “IMB missionaries focus on church planting, evangelism and training national leaders in Chile, a country with significant religious freedom but declining religious affiliation.”
After finishing language learning in Puebla, the Stallcups and their children will be heading to Santiago, Chile.
Colin most recently served as pastor of Ft. Cobb, First, prior to being called to missions.
Colin said, “I have felt the draw for international missions from the moment the Lord found me at 15. I was always fascinated by different nations, names and flags from my time watching international sports. Once I got saved and I read how God’s Gospel and glory is to be declared among all the nations (Psalm 96:3), I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The Lord then spent the next decade maturing Larissa (my wife) and I to prepare us for this role. God used various opportunities, like short term trips and our service in the local church.”
The Stallcups will be serving in a middle to upper class neighborhood, comprised of professionals and politicians. While the people of the area may possess all the world has to offer, the area has little to no
Gospel presence.
“We are grateful to bring the light of the Gospel in the midst of darkness,” said Colin. “It is a privilege to be used by the Lord, and we trust God will bring a great harvest. We cannot wait to see the Gospel come alive to those who desperately need it!”
The Stallcups have asked people to pray for them, that they would “boldly declare His glory among the people in Santiago. Pray that the people would see their desperate need of the Gospel, despite their material wealth.”
One leader with the IMB noted that “sharing the Gospel in South America is not very different than doing so anywhere else in the world.” The Stallcups hope to bring the Good News of Jesus to reach the people of Chile for Jesus.
How you can pray for Oklahoma IMB Missionaries
Thumbing through her parallel translation Japanese and English Bible, an IMB emeritus missionary reads the Scriptures with new believers in Ishinomaki, Japan, a town ravaged by Japan’s 2011 tsunami. IMB Photo.
Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher has asked Oklahoma Baptists to pray fervently for all the IMB missionaries, including those from Oklahoma.
“In my role with Oklahoma Baptists, I am privileged to speak with Southern Baptists around the nation and with team members serving with the IMB,” Fisher said. “I often hear phrases like, ‘Oklahoma Baptists send so many people to the mission field!’ Truly the Lord has blessed our state to be a missions-sending state. Oklahoma consistently ranks in the top number of states who send missionaries through the IMB. Please be faithful lifting up our missionaries to the Lord.”
The Brooks and Stallcup families are two of many missionaries featured in the 2026 Cooperative Program Missionary Prayer Guide.
To pray for them and other missionaries, download the prayer guide at oklahomabaptists.org/cp or text the word PRAY to 833-942-3800.
