| Doing work for the Africa Inland Mission can be | | | | parents and grandparents were AIM missionaries |
| satisfying and risky at the same time. The | | | | in Kenya. Although the institution does not carry |
| possibility for danger did not prevent Peter, a | | | | out formal recruitment, outreach through |
| missionary who graduated from the Nyack | | | | churches and speaking engagements provides |
| Missionary Institute from establishing an | | | | exposure, and many potential candidates become |
| interdenominational Christian union in 1899 to | | | | interested in AIM when they tour the group's |
| minister to the inner regions of Africa. Though | | | | Web site or African Safaris and Adventures safari |
| Scott and many other members of the initial | | | | Website, Barnett said. |
| mission died of diseases they contracted in Africa, | | | | Not everyone is an ideal nominee. From early on |
| The church flourished. But the difficulties it now | | | | in the screening process, candidates are evaluated |
| faces go beyond disease. | | | | to learn their primary motivation for wanting to |
| "There's increasing danger," said Ted of AIM's U.S. | | | | become missionaries in Africa. If they want to |
| operation, which is run out of small complex on | | | | travel to Africa for a Kenya Tanzania Uganda |
| Crooked Hill Road in Pearl River. "Two of our | | | | safari holiday or a vacation, "Well, we support |
| missionaries in Uganda last year were suddenly | | | | them to take that, just not with AIM," Barnett |
| murdered, so they paid the ultimate price." | | | | said. Others who appear to have a more serious |
| Warren and Donna initially farmers from United | | | | devotion but are not sure that they want a |
| Kingdom had worked with AIM since 1996. The | | | | long-term posting in Africa are advice them to |
| Petts and Isaac Jurugo, a Ugandan undergraduate, | | | | travel for about eight weeks to better assess |
| were fatally shot in March 2004 by robbers who | | | | their feelings, he said. |
| raided the Christian agricultural training center | | | | AIM's missionaries concern themselves with |
| where the Petts worked. Others too have been | | | | health, education and development issues. The |
| injured over the years, and several died in Congo | | | | group's full-time permanent missionaries, who |
| in 1964. The risk of harm particularly in countries | | | | number about 900, serve in a variety of roles: |
| with unstable political regimes must be faced, | | | | they "plant" churches, work as doctors, teach |
| Barnett said, and sensitizing missionaries to the | | | | theology and community development skills, and |
| danger the key aspects of the training conducted | | | | perform AIDS outreach. They travel Canada, |
| by AIM's U.S. offices. | | | | Europe, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia, |
| "We ask people, before they travel to Africa to | | | | and work in 15 African nations. In spite of the |
| consider the dangers, and we go through a whole | | | | variety of duties, they share AIM's main Dream: |
| series of scenarios that do occur and have | | | | to spread the word of God. The mandate is |
| happened, that involve dangers and ask them not | | | | derived from the Bible's Matthew 28: 19-20, which |
| to go until they are at peace with what the | | | | urges the teaching of the Gospel to all nations. |
| ultimate cost might be," said Barnett, whose | | | | |