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Richard Moore

God’s will and His glory in Bolivia and Mexico
"God’s will and His glory"
By Rachel Elwood, Staff Writer, 2013

Richard Moore’s call to serve God came during a World War II skirmish in the Pacific theater. “While in the service and under heavy fire, I prayed a dying man’s prayer,” wrote Richard in his initial application to World Gospel Mission.

He promised to change his destructive lifestyle, but it wasn’t until a revival service in 1948 that Richard “yielded all to God.” Five nights later, Richard committed his life to God’s service. At Eastern Pilgrim College in Pennsylvania, Richard met Mary Mills. While in school, the couple started a Good News Bible Club and helped with street meetings and afternoon Bible schools for children. Richard and Mary were married in 1952. They would later welcome three children: Becky, Richard, and Gloria.

Richard and Mary became World Gospel Mission missionaries in 1956, starting with language school in Costa Rica. From there, they traveled to Bolivia, where they began their ministry in the village of Guanay. They planted churches, distributed Christian literature, and ministered to the surrounding area. Mary, a nurse, cared for the sick. Richard helped build a small medical clinic where Mary could work. In one year, the clinic provided over 2,500 treatments and delivered 41 babies.

In 1962, Richard and Mary moved to Santa Cruz to serve at Berea Bible Institute. They taught classes and went out with students to minister in the villages. In a 1964 issue of Call to Prayer, Richard wrote, “Our task is to evangelize. We feel that we can do this in two ways—by evangelizing personally and by training others so that they may in turn evangelize.”

In 1965, the Moores moved to the village of Yapacani. More people were moving to this rural area, and the missionaries’ goal was to have regular meeting places for Christians every six miles. Richard and Mary started a school in their home for new converts who were potential church leaders.

When they moved back to the United States due to health concerns, they thought they would never see Bolivia again. However, they were able to return to BBI, where they continued to teach and began operating TV and radio programs. By 1977, evangelistic TV programs from BBI reached 100,000 Bolivians.

Richard and Mary transferred to Mexico in 1982. They visited existing congregations and rural ranches, held retreats and seminars, and pastored a small church. In 1989, they retired from service with World Gospel Mission. Richard and Mary wrote a prayer letter summarizing their missionary work over the years, writing, “For us it is just a bend in the road, with always the same goal—God’s will and His glory. We are just as confident of this as we were on the day we left for Costa Rica— December 31, 1956!”

Richard passed away on March 31, 2013. With deep appreciation, World Gospel Mission honors the memory of Richard Moore for selflessly giving his gifts and talents to the Lord’s service. Richard’s friends and family all over the world may rejoice that he is now celebrating with his Lord and Savior. John 15:8 (NKJV) testifies of his life: “By this my Father is glorified, that you will bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples.”

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