Bill Bathman

One page could never do such a well-lived life justice. Bill Bathman was an incredible man who lived an extraordinary life.

He lived by faith to the very end, trusting God for their needs.

Although Bill's dream was to be a missionary pilot to South Africa, God re-directed Bill to Europe, where he ministered as an evangelist.

In 1961, Bill was in Yugoslavia when he met a Baptist pastor who implored him, "You must come back. Even if the door is closed, try it, to see if it's locked!"

That exchange clarified God's call to serve persecuted believers in the communist countries of Eastern Europe.

Bill and Andrew van der Biji, better known as "Brother Andrew" worked together to share Jesus with communist soldiers during the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. They'd sprint up to tanks and offer Russian-language Bibles and tracts.

Bill also worked closely with Richard Wurmbrand, who spent 14 years in Romanian prisons, was brutally tortured and later authored Tortured for Christ and founded Voice of the Martyrs.

Bill and his wife, Harriett, founded In Touch Mission International in 1981 as they sought to raise awareness for what believers were facing around the world, and their ministry expanded to believers facing persecution in Africa.

When other workers and agencies ran out, Bill and his colleagues hustled in with Bibles, discipleship materials and Gospel hope.

Bill shares these lessons in his books, Angola by the Backdoor, Going Through Even if the Door is Closed and the devotional How'd You Hurt Your Hand.

These stories provide a beautiful vision of what it can look like to live for Jesus in a world of opposition and the insights within put flesh on what it really looks like to live by faith.

Bill's unique experiences had taught him to truly lived by faith in a way many of us have not experienced.

He painstakingly recorded them in hopes that the Lord would use them to build up the faith of others.

He never had a large pension, or retirement savings. But God provided for all his needs, right up until his death in 2016.

Many people were touched through Bill's love and service for Jesus. He was a man of passion, faith and action. His impact will be felt around the world for generations to come.

Bill leaves behind a legacy of faithfulness, dedication and passion for demonstrating and declaring the Gospel, carried proudly into the third millennium by the donors, partners, volunteers and staff members of In Touch Mission International.