Anyone standing around just inside the doors of the First Baptist Church offices, very likely left with a strip of yellow tape, labeled “Malawi Mission.”

Once again, a group of Selma missionaries will head out to the landlocked African country, partnering with a group from Georgia, in the hopes of spreading the Word of God and, in addition, lending some medical aid as well.

In conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, a group of nine area residents left Wednesday from First Baptist Church on their way to Atlanta, where they will depart from Thursday. From there, they will complete their nearly 8,500-mile trip by teaming up with a group of missionaries already in Malawi.

The group includes Dr. Park Chittom, Sheryl Schroeder, Kitty Cosby, Susan Chance, Jack Hausen, Sue Draime, Karl Lewis, Martha Owen and Logan Stringfellow.

They will join a group that will total 31 on the mission trip; a trip that will carry a price tag of nearly $140,000.

Each participant began in January working to raise nearly $4,000 to fund their portion of the trip that will see the participants return home July 22.

“We will be there for six days and overall we will see thousands of people, patients,” Chittom said.

This marks the fifth trip for Chittom and the fourth for Schroeder.

“We go to minister and to share the love of Jesus Christ,” Schroder said.

“What draws the residents in is the doctors and the eyeglasses,” Chittom said. “Our objective is to be flexible and let the Lord lead.”