From 2009 to 2012, Doron was on board OM’s ship, Logos Hope, as part of the line-up team preparing the ship visits on shore. He served in three line-up ports: a country in the Middle East, Singapore and India. “In all three ports I was in hopeless situations and at the end of my abilities. God had to do a miracle!” In the Middle East, there was no guest of honour to attend the ship's official opening; in India, pastors were arguing with each other; and in Singapore, 30,000 Euros (33,677 USD) was still missing. “In all three situations I went on my knees and told God that I had tried everything I could, but that He now had to work — and He answered my prayers unbelievably, powerfully and faithfully.”

What am I living for?

Doron was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1990, and grew up in a Christian home. When he became a teenager, he went through a difficult time in his family. It was a time when he personally had to ask himself the question: “What am I living for?”

“It was during this time that I went to TeenStreet [an OM summer youth congress] for the first time and experienced God personally for the first time," he shares. "For the first time, I really understood what He had done for me and my natural answer could only be that if He had given everything for me, I would give everything back to Him.”

Mission in the heart

After finishing school, Doron went to Logos Hope in 2009. There he met Lilian, from Chile. Lilian also grew up in a Christian family. “I gave my life to Jesus when I was 13 years old,” she says. “I served in the church, and although it didn't have much to do with mission, mission was in my heart.” Lilian graduated in public administration and went to Logos Hope in 2008 for two years.

Berlin - London

The two started a relationship in 2010, two weeks before Lilian left the ship. To learn German, she went to Germany as an au pair in 2011. Doron stayed on the ship. “I became familiar with leadership and realised that it was my passion to be close to people and to organise at the same time,” he says. He returned to Germany in 2012, married Lilian and started studying public and non-profit management in Berlin.

Their son, Natán, was born in January 2015, and the family moved to London that same summer, where Doron achieved a master’s degree and worked in a business consultancy. Their daughter, Sofía, was born in 2017. The family had loose contact with OM via friends from the ship. But it hit them totally unexpectedly when they were asked in the summer of 2018 to take part in the selection process for the position of director of OM in Germany.

Too soon?

“At first I couldn't imagine it at all,” Doron recalls.

Lilian adds: “I thought it was a brilliant opportunity that came four years too soon.” But God worked in both of their hearts, so that same evening they came to a conclusion: “If God wants to open a door, we don't want to shut it ourselves.” A few weeks later Lilian was sure: “God is calling us to OM in Germany!” On 1 April 2019, Doron was appointed OM’s new director in Germany.

The new task

Even though Doron holds the title of director, both he and Lilian feel called to this task and have set three priorities: that OM's work in Germany brings God’s love to those who have never heard of Him; that the team in Mosbach is living discipleship; and that this overflows and shapes churches in Germany.

No matter what challenges Doron and Lilian face in the future, they know one thing: They can rely on the God of the Middle East, India and Singapore!

*Exodus 3:16 and Hebrews 11

Please pray for wisdom and guidance from God for Doron and Lilian’s role at OM in Germany. Pray also for them to settle well as a family in Mosbach and to find a church and friends. Pray also for the children to feel at home.

Dorothea Clapp gave a Gospel of John to one of these students and later he decided to follow Jesus. The student's name was George Verwer, who shortly afterwards founded OM. Dorothea Clapp remained a faithful prayer partner of George Verwer and OM for another 30 years.

Prayer remained a basic part of the growing work of OM. Thus, for example, the ships ministry of OM came into being after years of prayer. Until today, prayer is very important for George Verwer. Wherever he speaks, he prays for the world. In his article "Whatever happened to the prayer meetings?”, which he wrote about 40 years ago, he urgently directs the attention to the importance of prayer.

“We must recognise that an organisation like OM that serves in the frontline of spiritual ministry cannot exist without the covering of prayers," confirms Lawrence Tong, International Director of OM since 2013. “OM was birthed and sustained by prayer and will continue to subsist through the prayers of God’s people. We cannot neglect this spiritual truth.” So OM teams all over the world still meet for prayer meetings and countless prayer partners all over the world support the OM work in prayer.

Prayer makes a difference–and the apparently inconspicuous prayers of a woman became a worldwide missionary organisation. Your prayer can also make a difference and we would be happy if you continued to support the work of OM in prayer!

"Prayer is the most important thing and the foundation of everything we do here. We have already experienced some awesome things: healing, liberation, provision. As a team we learn more and more to listen to the Holy Spirit and get pictures, visions, but also insight into other people's lives. We have found out that prayer and fasting have tremendous power." – Stephan Schmidt, who is establishing the OM work in Lesotho

“When we think of wanting to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached, prayer is not just critical but core. It is core because it reinforces our dependence on Him but more importantly it highlights that the mission is His. 'The harvest is plentiful' highlights the promise. 'The labourers are few' highlights the need. Pray therefore that the Lord of the Harvest highlights the call." – Seelan Govender, CEO of OM Ships International

"TeenStreet is an event with over 4,000 people from about 20 countries and we feel that prayer for the youth at TeenStreet is the most important thing. We hope that young people in Europe will be hungry for a personal relationship with Jesus and that they will take responsibility for this relationship and follow it up. But it is also a challenge to make TeenStreet a safe and well-organised place and so, despite all the work, the blessing, favour and protection of Jesus is what we depend on." – Hanna Schultz, TeenStreet Europe leadership team

"I live in a rural area where I, as a foreigner, am not allowed to go to church or speak openly about my faith. That’s why prayer is important. Some local believers tell us about the churches and how we can pray for them. Many of these new believers face pressure to either recant or are told to leave their village. Through prayer, we trust in a God who is greater than our limits." – Paul A.*, worker in a closed country

*name changed

Each day centred on a particular word that illustrated the teaching.

• Day 1: Reveal—There is an immensely big God who longs to be intimately near to His children. When asked to choose a name of God that stuck out, Jonas (Faeroe Islands) chose ‘Almighty’. “It describes everything about Him. He is all-knowing, all powerful, mighty and wise; He is above everyone and everything.”
• Day 2: Represent—All followers of Jesus are part of God’s kingdom, each called to represent Him through their lives. God’s values and truths should be apparent through believers to others. One small act of kindness can grow into something big. In the Art Zone, Hannah and Thea (Denmark) shared their thoughts about painting. “One small act would just be praising God with the gifts He has given you. Through art, music, science…anything.”
• Day 3: Breathe—Faithful and worthy of trust, God provides everything His children need. Followers of Jesus should choose worship rather than worry. In their small groups, teens found support and encouragement from each other. “Everyone surrounding you has the same belief” (Johanna and Jossan, Sweden). “They understand what you’re going through. They’re your same age; you become friends with everyone in your NET group and have people you connect to.”
• Day 4: Release—Forgiveness is an important part of believers’ relationship with God and others. God’s forgiveness enables them to forgive others and ask for forgiveness themselves. Karson (USA) understood that “forgiveness is a way to grow spiritually and a way to grow closer to God. It is a process of really trusting Him. It doesn’t matter if the people that hurt you care or feel bad. It is about releasing that hurt.”
• Day 5: Grit—Temptation is the hardest obstacle the devil throws onto the path of the Christian race. God gives His children the strength to carry on and to get out of the traps they find themselves in. The sight of Rich in a cage on stage really stuck with the teens. “Seeing him inside helped [me] to understand what evil does,” said Levi (Austria). “I liked seeing how Rich was trapped inside the cage and how it [the cage] was removed without him doing anything,” agreed Harald (Norway). “It made me think of how we don’t have to move our ‘cages’ by ourselves, but we can ask God for help.”
• Day 6: Infinity— Followers of Jesus are part of a kingdom that goes on forever and ever. The truths and impact of TeenStreet don’t end when the event does. Believers are to be lights in their homes, schools, workplaces and lives. During the programme, the entire audience turned on their cell phone lights as an illustration, which was “a really good reminder to be a light for others,” Johanna Maria and Mona (Faroe Islands) said. “We can take that with us back to the Faroe Islands.” Rukky (Ireland) shared, “Studying the Bible in small groups has been so meaningful for me. That’s definitely something I want do more of back home.”

During the week teens spent time in small groups to process what they heard during the Main Hall sessions. ‘The Big Adventure’ portion of small group is a time of personal reflection and application. Teens are encouraged to talk to God, read additional Bible passages and find a takeaway/application point. They discuss their thoughts with their group and learn from each other’s experiences.

“We are so open and talk about everything,” Feie (Belgium) shared. “We’re not scared what other people think… It’s really nice that we can say everything that’s on our hearts.”

Mid-week, the annual RAG (Raise and Give) race filled the afternoon with runners and supporters raising money for teenage refugees around Europe. On the day, 844 runners, united by one goal, raised 56,202 euros (around 64,992 USD). Some runners donated their own money as well as what they’d raise from supporters. Georgia (Ireland) told how “it’s good that everyone is raising money for a good cause and getting some exercise at the same time.”

As part of afternoon outreaches, teens handed out flowers with notes of encouragement, or walked around the TeenStreet site with signs for free hugs or prayers. Groups also took part in Global Village, OM’s missions immersion and mobilisation experience.

As an international Christian congress for teenagers, TeenStreet works with the Church to motivate, equip and walk alongside (Christian) teens from all across Europe to have a real friendship with Jesus and reflect Him daily in their world. For more information, visit www.teenstreet.de.

But this is not true for 2.8 billion people in this world, who have never heard the name of Jesus. Never! This year’s Global Village (GV) at TS focussed on these people. Teenagers boarded a train with Scatter Railways, the GV train company, and ended up in an environment amidst people who needed to hear about Jesus.

“We wanted to create an experience where the teenagers have multiple opportunities to share Jesus and get aware of that big amount of people who do not know Jesus,” shared GV leader Daniel Lowe (US), who is serving with OM in Ireland. “We called it Scatter Railways because we want to mobilise the teens to scatter the message of Christ around the globe, to the least reached in foreign countries or possibly right down the road where they live and work.”

During their ‘train ride’, the teenagers heard about the 2.8 billion people who do not know Jesus; most of the teenagers were shocked. “We didn’t know about this,” or, “This has to be changed,” were their most common reactions. Once they reached their destination—Global Village—they encountered all sorts of people, many with different lives and backgrounds but all in need of a loving Saviour.

The GV actors were amazed by the boldness and faith of the TS teenagers. “One girl told me that she learnt about the names of God this week at TS,” shared one actress, “and when I shared my story about my character, the teen was reminded that God is the Provider. So she told me that God wants to be my Provider, too. That was really cool!”

This year for the very first time in seven years, all 239 TS small groups were assigned a time slot to go through GV before TS started. “We are glad that we are able to let all small groups and a good number of Service Team during the RAG race through Global Village,” Daniel said. “To our own surprise, no group missed their spot. They seemed to appreciate the fact that we made it possible for all to go through Global Village this year.”

At the end of their travel with Scatter Railways, teenagers were brought to the OM stand in the TS Interaction Zone, where they could take a fun picture in front of a green screen loaded with photos from around the OM world. There, they also heard more about OM and missions. “We are amazed that over 100 teens already signed up to get more information about Teens in Missions,” Daniel said.

Mpumi Maweni (South Africa), who serves with OM in Europe, was one of the mobilisers at the OM stand. Even before the first group of teens came from GV to the OM stand, he shared about OM and missions when he met a group of Portuguese girls who started to ask some questions. When they found out that Mpumi was a missionary, he shared his story.

“While I was talking, one of the girls [experienced] something, a calling,” he remembered. “She looked to me and said, ‘God just spoke to me right now about my calling.’”

Mpumi told the girl, 16, that he was also called into missions at a young age—14 years old. “The more I talked, the more she cried,” Mpumi continued. “After that conversation, we prayed with her. And she said that she discovered her calling even more. So she signed up for Teens in Missions because she thinks that the next step for her.”

Miriam* is another OM worker, based in the Middle East. Her prayer was to find people during lunch and dinner times to share about OM and her passion for the Middle East. One day, she was able to talk to four girls from Switzerland and Austria. “All four were listening intensely to my story of how I became a missionary,” she recalled. “At the end one girl said that this is amazing because they just came back from a seminar about finding God’s will for [your] life and that she was going to have a coffee with the lady who led this seminar and who was another GV worker.”

Only God could choose—out of the thousands of people at TS—a girl who had gone to a seminar held by a GV mobiliser, sat at lunch with another and then went back to the first person to have coffee with her, because she wanted to talk about her future. Through GV and divinely appointed meetings, the gospel of Jesus was scattered across TS; now it will spread into the homes and schools of all the teenagers and adult volunteers, and, eventually, around the globe to the least reached. Because 2.8 billion people still need to hear about Jesus.

*Name changed for security

During the three months of ministry, the Riverboat welcomed thousands of visitors up its gangway. Teenagers, elderly people and families came on board to take in the atmosphere of a closely-knitted and vibrant Christian community. “I sensed the presence of God immediate as I stepped in,” commented one visitor.

Many also came to experience ‘The Agency’, a creative ministry which made use of an escape room game concept. It was a hit with the youths and many took their first step to share the gospel with a stranger through the challenge. In the seven port cities visited, the Riverboat quickly became a key platform and location for gatherings to take place – whether it was for the purpose of sharing gospel tools with fellow believers, sharing of the Riverboat’s vision and mission with church leaders, or sharing of faith with strangers turned friends.

Given that this was a trial run for OM to identify the Riverboat’s potential as a long-term mission field, the project came to completion at the end of March. However, connections that have been made with locals, believers or non-believers, continue to grow. The line-up team leader in Mainz, Germany, is in regular contact with 23 people through social media to pray and engage with for local Christian events. In Mannheim, Germany, another local leader connected with a small group of people who were so excited at reaching out in a new and refreshing way for God that they have set up a ‘Have a beer with God’ regular gathering in a local pub to bring God to those who do not know they need Him.

Feedback from churches have also been largely encouraging and positive. “We definitely thought this was a very well-organised project; it has really motivated the young people to think deeper,” said a church leader from Dordrecht, Netherlands, who participated in the escape room with 60 young people. “It challenged and pointed out to us that we need help to put sharing the gospel into practice.”

As for the onboard community that had grown into a family, departure from the Riverboat also meant arrival of new beginnings in life. Community member Harm Jan Willem (Netherlands) put it aptly during the Riverboat’s farewell dinner, saying “We are not meant to stay here and stick together, despite how much we would like that. We need to go back to the corners of earth where we came from to share what we have learnt here on the Riverboat.”

Till date, community members continue to constantly update and pray for one another over ministry and personal matters. The private Facebook group is filled with stories, pictures and videos of their lives back home, as well as testimonies of God’s guidance as they apply what they have gained on board at home.

“A girl on the plane noticed my One Wish wristband, a method to share the gospel that I had learnt on the Riverboat”, shared Tota Akursmørk (Faroe Islands), who was on her way to the Hillsong Colour Conference in London with her family. “I got to explain the four pictures on the wristband to her and explained how God wants to have fellowship and a true friendship with her.” By sharing the story, Tota mobilised community members on the Riverboat group to pray for this girl.

Other community members have noticed a significant change in themselves after their stint on the Riverboat and are being ‘agents’ of God in their own ways and capacity. “Because of what God did in me on the Riverboat, I see a huge difference in myself since coming home,” shared Catherine Ó Brolcháin (Ireland), who spoke about her faith in a deep way for the first time with her friend of 40 years and even sent her a book of Bible readings. “I am less fearful of man and am way more open about being a believer.”

Another community member, Maysa Monte (Brazil) has been volunteering at a shelter for children at risk after the Riverboat, believing that “if you share the gospel with children, you don’t have to reach out to adults in drugs and crime later on!”

Indeed, community members have kept their lights burning in their respective communities, just like a song they sung often on the Riverboat, “This Little Light of Mine” - a favourite with the creator of the One Wish Gospel tool, Richard Sharp (USA), who held One Wish training classes with many groups during his time on board and continues to do so.

For some community members, their life direction have been changed since the Riverboat. Two community members will be joining OM’s ocean-sailing ship, Logos Hope, this year. “I’m so excited; I can’t wait to be on the ship,” shared Francesco Antonacci (Netherlands). “I’m very curious about what other things God is going to do.”

Marc Grimston (UK), who has been exploring mission opportunities with OM Ireland since returning home, shared that God has been pursuing him to serve for 30 years, but he was too busy carrying out other roles in life – husband, father and manager at work. “Thirty years in the making and now, I can say that my identity is a missionary,” he proclaimed. “Here I am Lord, send me.”

The impact of the Riverboat is far-reaching and continues beyond one’s knowledge. Leadership teams in OM are currently discussing on OM Riverboats’ future and the feasibility of it being a long-term mission field. With the positive results from the trial run, made possible by the giving of funds and time from supporters and volunteers, the leadership is hopeful about the future of OM Riverboats.

Please pray along with us as discussions continue to take place about key decisions on the Riverboat. If you would like to know more, you may download a copy of the summary report on the website, www.om.org/riverboats. Thank you so much for your support and prayers!

When community member Francesco Antonacci (Netherlands) picked up a missed Frisbee, he decided to throw it towards a woman who was watching nearby. It turned out she wanted to join the game, and they played till everyone was exhausted. After the game, Francesco invited the woman, Hadjea*, onto the Riverboat. Seeing that she was wearing a headscarf, Francesco explained the background of the Riverboat and was relieved that Hadjea was interested to find out more.

“I’ve always dreamt of coming to a place like this!” Hadjea exclaimed, as she stepped on board and took in the difference in atmosphere. Francesco found out that Hadjea came from a country in the Arabian Peninsula and had been living in Germany, away from her husband, for six months. Quickly, he managed to find another community member, Lina*, who had spent a number of years in North Africa and spoke fluent Arabic.

“I have been praying for friends and today, God sent me friends!” she said happily. Lina told her that she had been praying for the same thing, too: to meet new friends in Mannheim.

Hadjea shared that she wanted to learn about different religions and faiths and was open to know more about the Christian faith as well: “I’ve always been intrigued to find out what Christians believe in, even though I’m Muslim.”

Gifting her with a New Testament, Lina told Hadjea that the Riverboat and its community members were on a sailing journey to share the love of God. “In this book, you will find the words of God,” she explained.

Lina also put Hadjea in touch with another community member, Sarah, who grew up in the same country, and even the same city, as she had. Coincidently, Sarah would be living near Mannheim so their friendship could continue to grow with close contact. “I could sense that Hadjea’s heart really wanted to connect with people,” Lina noted.

“I think it was really awesome that Hadjea was so free and open, even at learning about Christianity,” shared Francesco, who knew that most married women from Hadjea’s culture do not go out by themselves. However, Hadjea said her husband was more flexible and allowed it. “It was cool that God brought someone from a least-reached region to the Riverboat; this was not a coincidence.”

*Name changed for security

Two young students approached community member, Marleen Barnard (Netherlands), with a German ‘One Wish’ flyer in their hands and asked Marleen if she had an English one for them instead. After Marleen found the English version, she asked, “Do you know the Gospel?” The two students answered that they did not.

“What would you like to ask from God if you had one wish from Him?” continued Marleen.

One of them answered, “I would like to have someone, a woman, that I love very much.”

“I see. Did you know that there’s someone who loves you very much?” asked Marleen, and she began to explain the Gospel using the four symbols on her ‘One Wish’ bracelet. At the end of the explanation, Marleen decided to ask forthrightly if they wanted to say “yes” to have Jesus in their lives today. To her surprise, the students replied with a firm “yes." Marleen gave them each a copy of the New Testament, a ‘One Wish’ bracelet and invited them to visit the Riverboat.

Do something about the void

Riverboat Director, Peter Nicoll (South Africa), had a meaningful conversation with an electrical engineering student, Jannich, who felt that something was amiss in his life but had brushed it off in the past.

“So are you just going to ignore the void or do you want to do something about it?” implored Peter, to which Jannich replied that he wants to explore the purpose of his life but did not know where to start. Peter encouraged him to keep seeking God and asking questions about Him. “Start with reading the New Testament,” said Peter, handing him a copy. “You will be able to find out more about God.” Peter is positive that Jannich had been motivated to take an active step in exploring the truth.

'A beautiful encounter'

Apart from students, port volunteer, Kedy Emagma (Belgium) met a foreign lady from Cameroon named Laurence, who had decided to get off the tram at the plaza where community members were performing because she sensed the presence of God. Kedy, who was born in France, could converse in French with Laurence’s heart language.

As Laurence shared with Kedy her unexplainable feelings, she was so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit that tears started to well up. “I feel so touched to see all of you coming out here on a cold, snowy day like this to share the gospel with others,” she told Kedy. “I’m still rediscovering what it means to live with Jesus in my heart. I’ve felt a tug many times to share the gospel, but have never had the courage to do so.”

Kedy and Laurence had a deep conversation over coffee that afternoon, praying and crying together. During that time, Kedy decided to ask Laurence about a specific vision that God had planted on her heart right before the outreach.

“Laurence, I have an image from God about a bald man in a prison. Does this ring a bell to you?” Kedy asked, to which Laurence answered that the description fit her cousin, who had been put into prison in Morocco after fleeing from a murder he committed in Cameroon. Laurence has been praying for her cousin for a long time to encounter God personally.

“This meeting with you is not only for me, but also for my cousin. It is God telling me that whatever happens, He will take care of me,” said Laurence, in between tears.

“This was such a beautiful encounter,” said Kedy, who had asked God for a specific person He has already prepared for her to meet with during the outreach. “God is faithful in every way.”

“Our intention is to pray for God’s covering over the whole project and the nations,” explained Lina* (Canada), who oversees the prayer room and its elements. “We want to intercede for community members, for revival in European churches and, ultimately, for the completion of the Great Commission. We want to pray for atmospheric changes–both on the Riverboat and in the cities we visit.”

The prayer room is decorated with visual arts, drawings and poems to facilitate conversations with God, as well as to inspire unstructured time enjoying the Creator. A writing board in the room keeps a record of how God is speaking to community members so that they may encourage one another.

The space for intercession is meant not only for community members but also for visitors from local churches and port volunteers to pray throughout the port visit. “When visitors come into the room, there’s an immediate sense of family and engagement in the Lord together because we share the same heart, vision and desire,” Lina said. The room is opened to all at any time of the day.

Another new initiative is the combination of prayer, evangelism and even worship. The idea is not to have a separation in ministry category but to share a connection throughout the three different forms of intercession. In Dordrecht, several walks combining both prayer and evangelism took place. “We are surprised at how effective that has been as we meet people whose hearts God has prepared,” said Riverboat Director Peter Nicoll (South Africa) at the end of the port visit. Prayer and evangelistic walks will continue twice daily in the rest of the ports.

When community member Charice* (Africa) participated in a prayer and evangelistic walk around the immigrant neighbourhood just outside the ship in Dordrecht, she prayed that God would awaken His church to reach out to people in the neighbourhood. As she prayed for open doors, a door behind her opened. A Turkish man stood in the doorway and dropped his two bags of garbage, startled to see Charice right outside his home.

Charice recognised this as an answered prayer and an opportunity placed before her. She took out a ship flyer and invited the man to the ship. The man was pleasantly surprised that someone would come all the way to his home to talk and share with him. Before leaving, Charice left a copy of the Bible in Dutch with him, saying, “Read this book, it will give you life.”

Many other community members encountered similar experiences and were able to pray for the immigrants and locals they came in contact with.

Pray that hearts in Europe would be open and yearn for the hope of God as Riverboat community members, visitors and port volunteers press on in unceasing prayer.

*Name changed for security

The entire crew went to the city centre of Mainz, Germany, for an afternoon of outreach using creative arts after getting special permission from the local authority to occupy the plaza for a few hours. It was a prayer answered.

It began with a flashmob made up of over twenty community members, followed by drama and musical performances. Surrounding the centre stage were several stations: an ‘international station’ which showcased the diversity of the crew, a ‘prayer station’, an ‘art station’, a ‘family station’ with ballooning and face painting and a ‘discussion station’ with provoking questions written in chalk on the pavement. The rest of the community members walked around the plaza praying and talking with people.

As the performances repeated for a second time, more people gathered in the plaza and meaningful conversations took place. To community members’ surprise, they met people who spoke their heart language and had an immediate connection with them.

Paolo and Salvina Tallone (Italy) met a fellow Italian who is a Christian but has not attended an evangelical church since coming to Germany as he did not know where to go. Paolo and Salvina had just visited an evangelical church in Mainz the last weekend and immediately made plans to bring Rafaele along the following weekend.

Gyongyi Legradi (Hungary) met a homeless Hungarian couple who have an infant child back in Hungary. “It’s especially hard meeting such people from my home country as I tend to be skeptical. I was at a loss for words, really,” she said, but shared the Gospel with them through the One Wish method, which consists of four pictorial symbols.

Mariana Peres (Brazil) was feeling helpless at the beginning of the outreach due to her inability to speak German. She prayed to God to send someone who spoke Portuguese to her. As she turned around, a woman was standing next to her. “Hi, where are you from?” she asked, to which the woman answered she is from Angola. “You speak Portuguese!” laughed Mariana, joyful at God’s quick response to her prayer request.

Flora Man (Singapore) met a young female student from China who was struggling with the knowledge of God and Christianity while staying loyal to her political party at home. “I know what you are saying but my position doesn’t allow me to believe freely,” she shared in Mandarin. “Maybe someday something will happen in my life that allows this to change.” Althought she was fearful of being too involved, she accepted a prayer from Flora and exchanged contact information to keep in touch.

Matthias Schaller (Germany) talked with a fellow German studying atheism academically. It was difficult discussing Christianity with the man because he could support his argument with seemingly convincing arguments. However, when Matthias prayed for him and asked for God to touch his heart, the man said “yes." “His mind may be strong, but his heart may not be so,” said Matthias.

Jeanie Ough (Australia) approached an older guy who had been prayed for by another community member. “I never expected that in my three days’ stay in Mainz, someone will pray for me and my wife, who is in hospital at the moment,” he shared. “I’m so touched.”

There were other amazing encounters like Melissa Thiessen (Canada) meeting a Canadian, and Leonie Blum meeting a classmate from four years ago that she has not met since then. Ray Strong (Netherlands), who served in the Arabian Peninsula for more than 10 years, prayed to meet an Arab but met a Pakistani that day and invited him to the Riverboat.

The event ended with all the community members coming together, belting out the song ‘Majesty’ that resounded through the plaza. May His majesty and glory be known in Germany and all nations!

“Good story, good quality actors. It was very convincing.”

“It has a strong impact on people to see the needs of the world.”

“It lets people get a feel of what it means to be a Christian and it certainly gives a lot to think about.”

A teenage boy learnt that talking and sharing about God doesn’t have to take hours and is not as stressful as he thought. “It can also be a short, simple conversation with someone,” he said. Another boy, on hearing the pseudo story of the ‘homeless person’ who fell from a high position in the company and ended up on the streets, immediately drew parallels with the story of Jesus – how He came down onto earth to take on the position of a sinner.

It is important for actors to remain in character even when coming out of character and evangelising seems like the natural thing to do. By protecting the experience for the participants, the actors direct participants into thinking more about their faith and missions through leading questions.

The efforts are worth it, and the convincing acting has stirred the hearts of some participants. A teenage girl declared, “This is not okay! There is so much injustice in this”, when she saw the hurt of the ‘prostitute.' Another group took off their coats to offer to the ‘homeless people,’ in a desire to show love and care. In fact, people passing by wanted to help as well, thinking they were really homeless; their acts of kindness greatly encouraged community members.

When Kristy Samaroo (Trinidad and Tobago) acted as an atheist arguing against a religious fanatic, a girl suddenly came up beside her and supported her in the argument. “I don’t believe in God either, it just doesn’t make sense to me,” the girl echoed her sentiments. After the simulation ended, Kristy realised to her surprise that this girl was just a passer-by and not one of the participants. As the girl walked away, Kristy ran after her to explain what just happened and that she is, in fact, a believer of Christ.

“If the God that I believe in exists, and you could have one wish, what would it be?” asked Kristy, applying what she had learnt from the One Wish training.

“I ask that God can remove my depression.”

Kristy’s heart broke for the girl and she prayed for her. She hopes that God will show her that this meeting wasn’t a coincidence and reveal Himself to her.

Actors of The Agency have witnessed many people, especially teenagers, gaining confidence in their faith and courage to share the gospel through the simulation. When one actor challenged a teenage girl, “How can you believe something you can’t see?” The girl replied, “It’s not 'seeing is believing', but 'believing is seeing.'” Praise God for these responses and may the next generation rise up to take on the mission as ‘certified agents.'

As the team set out in the afternoon, people were already drunk in broad daylight; the ground littered with beer bottles and confetti. Amidst the growing chaos, the team parked themselves right in the centre of an open square. Some began to worship, some walked around to pray, while others approached people to share about the Riverboat, and hopefully, the Gospel. As worship music began to infiltrate the air the crowd dispersed a little, leaving some space and peace.

“Although the surroundings were intimidating and people were wild and high, hearing the worship in the background and seeing my fellow community members pray gave me strength,” shared Salvina Tallone (Italy). “This is the power of teamwork.” Salvina later met an Italian couple – the first Italians she has met since joining the Riverboat – and invited them to the Riverboat.

Wife of the Riverboat Director, Bernice Nicoll (South Africa), who was visiting, joined the walk and noticed a sign outside the church. “The church had put up a sign saying it will be shut on Fat Thursday and Rose Monday, the days where the big carnival parades take place,” said Bernice. “I think it’s sad that the church had bunkered themselves against the crowd when this is such an opportunity to reach out to people.”

A group of Syrian men standing near the worship area were curious about the music. While chatting with some community members, the men questioned why they were not partying. "I believe in Jesus. I don't need alcohol to have fun and be joyful,” said Clara Marquadt (Germany), a firm answer that stood as a testimony to the men.

Another community member, Marleen Barnard (Netherlands) had an image of a man with a dog before heading out. She managed to find him in the town square and invited him to the Riverboat.

Invisible to the party-goers in high spirits were the many beggars sitting in the frosty cold. Luke* met a homeless man whom he had gotten acquainted with over the last week. Together with other community members, Luke chatted with him and his wife under a bridge near the Riverboat where they sometimes sleep. They had invited the couple onboard for a shower a few days ago and prayed many times over their complex situation. Before the Riverboat leaves Bonn, Luke hopes to put this couple in touch with a local Christian organisation that helps the homeless and drug addicts.

Despite some expected rejections from the party crowd that afternoon, the team was thankful for some positive conversations made possible through teamwork and God’s leading. May the Riverboat stand for the testimony of Christ during the period of the Karneval. 

*Name changed for security reasons                                                                                

At that time George Verwer and his family lived in Spain, and he had a burning passion to win people for Jesus. Christa had already decided to follow Jesus at the age of 16, but then “a lot fell apart, when I ran away from former communist East Germany,” she recalled. She explained to George that she was going to a Methodist church, to which he asked her if she knew Jesus personally. “Yes,” she stuttered. George gave her the book ‘Peace with God’ and talked about Jesus with her.

That made Christa think. A young, believing, Spanish family let her stay with them and took her along to a Christian gathering. There Christa heard Matthew 16:26: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (ESV). “That struck me,” she remembered. “I was planning to go from one country to another, but my relationship with God wasn’t in order.”

Back at her accommodation, Christa read ‘Peace with God.’ Right at the beginning, she stumbled onto the verse from Matthew 16. “Then I thought about how I was only living for myself and wanting to show off with all the countries I’d travelled to. But for what?” She read the gospel of John and suddenly everything made sense—Christa gave her life to Jesus.

Collaboration in Spain

When George Verwer heard about her decision, he was so excited that he took Christa everywhere, and she always had to tell others how she became a Christian. “I mean, I’d told it three times already, and he could tell it now,” she explained laughing. “But he said that I should do it. So I joined the OM team.”

The team lived a “Spartan lifestyle, very poor. But we were all together, travelled by car through Spain and visited different churches. There we challenged the congregations to have vibrant faith and shared our testimonies.”

Furthermore, the team opened a bookshop. “We sold Catholic New Testaments, which was exactly the right thing,” Christa shared. The team was also active in the subway stations, hanging up big posters with the verse, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’” – John 14:6 (ESV).  “And we wrote down addresses from the telephone books for hours and sent tracts to them,” Christa added. “This was actually the beginning of OM, and George had big dreams.”

Campaigns in England

After a year in Spain, Christa moved to England to work with George Verwer’s team. Then came the big summer campaign: “George said we needed to gather 300 young people who had summer vacation,” Christa remembered. “We said, ‘George, no one does that; they’ll all go on holiday.’ But George was convinced.” And he was right! Three hundred and fifty young people came in the summer of 1962 to OM’s first summer campaign.

The campaign had barely ended when George announced his newest idea: “We want to believe that 1,000 people will come to the next summer campaign!”

“We thought that was crazy and thought that it would never happen,” Christa said. “Where would these 1,000 people come from?” But George spent the whole year visiting congregations, challenging them and talking about the summer campaign. “Often none of us had faith, only George,” Christa shared. “But little by little more people joined us. One thousand people came to the summer campaign in July, and another 1,000 to the one in August! Then so many things happened there that were simply unbelievable!”

During these summer campaigns George appointed Christa to lead a team of 26 people in Italy. “I just said I was still new in my faith and didn’t know how that worked. But he said, ‘Just pray; the Lord will show you.’” Christa gave her responsibility to God in prayer. She still remembers this campaign well: “The vehicles we had... ,” she started, throwing her hands over her head, “we got stuck so often. In the Dolomites, we could only reach a certain point by car, and then we had to walk. And we didn’t have any proper accommodation. There was only one believing family, and they hosted us. Another time we slept in a tomato factory, which stank terribly!” But in spite of everything, she said the campaigns were full of experiences and very blessed.

After that, Christa planned on going to Bible school in England. But then Dale Rhoton, co-founder of OM, came to her and said that she could learn the same thing on the mission field as she could in Bible school, and that she should come with him to Turkey. Even though she initially bristled against the idea, Christa served with OM in Turkey from 1962 to 1964. “We were a small team: Dale and his wife, an American man and me,” she recalled, laughing as she thought back on that time. “Oh, what we experienced! We just went out on the street, gave out tracts and always ended up at the police station!”

New ways in India

Meanwhile, George Verwer was in India und suggested Christa visit a Bible school there. “I had always wanted to go to India,” she shared, “and when George suggested this, I immediately agreed.” So she travelled overland to India with an OM team and attended a Bible school there for two years. After that, she planned to go back to Turkey.

But God had other plans! On the way to India she met Ray Eicher, an OM worker with an Indian passport. The two got married, had two kids and adopted a third one. To date, Christa has lived in India for 52 years—“more than a life,” she described.

After 34 years with OM, Christa left the organisation, but it remains close to her heart. “OM shaped me very much, especially in my faith,” she said. “In the beginning, we had to believe for everything. So, through OM, I developed very deep faith, not only financially but also in regard to all sorts of problems with people. Ray and I prayed a lot and believed, and that shaped us. And we experienced a lot of incredible things in how God answered prayers.”

Until today, Christa has stayed very closely connected with OM, especially with workers from the early years: “I get a lot, a lot of visitors from India and also foreign OM workers. In the OM family, you immediately feel at home and comfortable.” She continues to pray for OM and OM India, “that we become humble and follow God.” Just like she has for many years.

Want to experience your own adventures with Jesus through OM? Today, OM actively mobilises believers all around the world for missions. For more information about serving with OM, please check out www.om.org.

According to Karl, these people are part of the reason they moved to Europe. “We know about 30 Muslim-background believers (MBBs) here in Germany,” he commented. Recently, they invited 20 of their MBB friends to a meeting in the town where they live. A visiting Arab pastor, also an MBB, “talked about identity, what it takes to blossom here in Germany, and we really feel that [for] many of them it made a great, great difference,” Karl stated. Three of the attendees, originally from Syria, had wanted to be baptised for several years prior to their move. “We baptised them in the local church, which was as well a great event,” Karl said.

Shortly before they left the Near East, Karl and Bettina had connected with Navine*, a Syrian Kurd who had applied for a visa to join her husband in Germany. “The German embassy didn’t give her a date, and she couldn’t get in touch with them,” Karl explained. To help speed the process, he drove her one day to the embassy to track down the paperwork. “It was tough,” he remembered. Navine finally received a date from the embassy, but she still had to wait a long time to travel. “The good thing is, she got to know Jesus,” Karl said.

During the months of waiting for the official answer from the German government, she stayed with a believing Kurdish couple. “They shared with her though their lives as well as through clear gospel presentation and reading in the Bible with her,” Bettina said.

After Karl and Bettina moved to Germany, busy dealing with their own bureaucratic paperwork, they lost track of Navine. Three months later, however, the couple who led Navine to Christ called them. Navine had arrived in Germany. She wanted to go to church, but her husband had no contact to believers. Karl and Bettina called a German friend living near Navine and asked her to help. She took Navine to church, where she met many Iranian believers, as well as a few from Syria. After the service, she called Bettina, overjoyed by the newfound fellowship.

Besides discipling and encouraging MBBs they already knew, Karl and Bettina also resource other Arabs and Kurds within their ever-expanding network in Germany. A few weeks into their time in Germany, Bettina got a call, asking for a translator for four Iraqi men. She connected them with Karl, who then met with the group. At first, they asked “questions Muslims have about who Jesus is, and [if] the New Testament [is] true and all these important things,” Karl recalled. He suggested forming a Discovery Bible Study group so they could continue learning together.

After two weeks, one of the Iraqi men started leading the group. Eventually, three of the four became believers. The group leader, who also studied the Bible by himself for two hours every day, began witnessing to other refugees in his German class and small groups, despite receiving significant vocal opposition from other Muslims. Observing these men’s transformation from fear to faith has been an encouragement, Karl said: “The greatest joy for us is to see when God is changing lives.”

Pray that Karl and Bettina would give themselves grace as they transition to life in Germany. Praise God for the many contacts they have with MBBs. Pray for open doors to continue sharing the gospel among Arabs and Kurds.

*Name changed

Nicole James is a world traveller and writer for OM International. She’s passionate about partnering with believers to communicate the ways God is working across the globe.

Tens of thousands of people from Iraq, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan come from villages, cities and regions where there are no Christians at all. Now, they’ve come to Germany as refugees. OM workers meet them at the Xenos café. In personal conversations they get the opportunity to get to know Jesus and His followers.

Recently, Hani** came into the café. He comes from a 100 per cent Shi’itic city in southern Iraq. A Xenos worker offered him an SD card with the audioBible in Arabic. Hani can hardly read, but loves to listen to the New Testament on his phone.

Ahmed** became a believer about a year ago. He comes from a city north of Bagdad. Ahmed always brings fellow refugees from the asylum centre and the language school to the Xenos café. His wish is for them to let go of their prejudices against Christians and get to know Jesus.

“It is often a long and difficult process to get asylum seekers to recognise Jesus as the only way and build trust with other Christians in the community and discipleship group,” shared Elsbeth.

Even though many refugees receive a residence permit in Germany, it takes them a long time to find their way. “The immigrants that we interact with, have gone through a long journey with horrible and frightening experiences,” said Elsbeth. “Because of the war, violence and losses, they’re not so sure any more about the fundaments of their life and faith.”

There are people who get to know the Christian faith by experiencing the love of Christians, who are simply disappointed in Islam or have been looking for the truth for a long time. For these people, the OM team offers ‘Al Massira;: a beginners course in Arabic about the fundaments of the Christian faith. It’s a journey from the prophets of the Old Testament to Jesus the Messiah. After showing interesting videos in the context of the Near East, usually a discussion follows to deepen the content and give participants opportunity to ask questions.

In the group of about ten participants in the Al Massira course run by OM Germany, there is one young man from Iraq, who’s left his parents and six sisters behind in Syria. “He got to know Christ in Syria and found us in his search for fellow Christians,” shared Elsbeth. “He reads the Bible every day and has already taken his first steps in faith with Jesus.” Another participant is a father from Damascus, who was a successful businessman before the war broke out. “He lost everything and is desperate now.”

When the course finishes, the men are divided into small groups to continue their spiritual journey together. “Both the Xenos and Al Massira ministries are in need of prayer,” said Elsbeth. “Please pray with us that the immigrants that we meet will have a personal encounter with the Messiah and become His followers. Jesus is the only one who can give true life.”

*Full name omitted

**Name changed

From 27 July to 2 August, 3,800 people gathered in Offenburg, Germany, for OM’s annual TeenStreet youth congress. Twenty-five countries officially registered for TeenStreet, but the 2,100 participants, staff and service team volunteers, together stemmed from 43 nations. 

Still full of chatter, smiles and the energy to last another week, the teens formed a festive atmosphere in the Ewe Arena during the final Throne Room session, juxtaposed only by sadness stemming from the fact that that this was their last evening together at TS.

In total, 3,800 people from over 40 different countries gathered in the city of Oldenburg, Germany, for TS, OM’s international youth congress. TS seeks to work with the church to motivate, equip and walk alongside Christian teens from all across Europe to have a real friendship with Jesus and reflect Him daily in their world.

This year, TS focused on the theme LIFE, with main speakers Josh and Deb Walker looking at the beginning of life as presented by the Creator of all life. A series of messages from the book of Genesis taught teenagers about God, creation, their identity, the relationship with God that was torn in the fall of mankind and how to restore that relationship and co-labour with God.   

Each day, teens reflected on the teaching in small groups, prayed for each other and discussed ways to apply what they learnt to their lives at home.  

In addition, teens participated in many exciting activities, including sports, creative arts, seminars and workshops. Participants also had free time to interact and get to know people from other countries, with different cultural and church backgrounds.

Furthermore, many teens made a difference in the life of others by participating in the RAG (raise and give) race, where runners collected one-time donations and per-lap sponsors. Throughout the week, people also gave to the same cause through other fundraising options and donation bins. By the end of the week, TS participants raised €75,000 for the House of Joy, in Kosovo, which helps teenagers, aged 12-15, who are at risk of dropping out of school.

Teenagers and adults alike hailed TS 2016 as a success. Jonathan Dong (22), a service team member from France who served in a fundraising store said, “I was busy selling goods for RAG, but I have no doubt that [TS] was a success because I was raised here. That is why I keep coming to serve.”

Jo McKissick, originally from the US but serving as a youth leader in Norway, said, “The best thing about TeenStreet is that it reminds kids from smaller churches that they are not a ‘weird kind’ as they come here and find thousands of other kids like them. Even those who have not believed, believe because of the rub-on effect of those who have already believed.”

In addition to meeting new friends from other countries, spending prolonged time with other young believers can make lasting connections that have a positive effect on teenagers’ spiritual development. This year, TS was surely a place where fears were conquered as new relationships were formed and new confidence gained.

As the first few children peaked into the camp’s courtyard, twins Annaluca (16) and Aliyah (16) and their friend Luisa (15) grabbed pieces of sidewalk chalk, ready to draw with the curious kids. Participation in a TS outreach activity is optional, but the girls were excited to spend their free time serving off site.

“We live in the south of Germany, and we went to a refugee camp near where we live,” Annaluca explained. Having played games with kids and women at the other camp, the girls wanted to repeat the experience at TS, this time with other international volunteers.

Soon, the three teens flocked to the face painting kits. Before long, they’d transformed a handful of children into colourful cats, dogs and fairies. Ten more crowded around the artists, waiting their turns.

Sidewalk chalk superheroes

Back by the sidewalk chalk, Robin (23) and Filip (15), both from Sweden, sat on the pavement with their newest friend, a 10-year-old boy from the camp. At first, his drawing requests, delivered in perfect English, were simple: an apple, a banana, an orange. Then, he challenged Robin to draw Superman. To the side, Filip started sketching Batman.

While the Swedes drew superheroes, they compared linguistic talents. The boy commissioning the sidewalk chalk art spoke five languages. Robin, over twice his age, spoke two.

When the conversation turned more serious, Robin shook his head as he continued to color in Spiderman’s suit. “How can he be so happy?” he wondered.

Though the outreach provided Robin’s first contact to refugees in Germany, he had spent a week serving with OM in Serbia in Dec. 2015 and occasionally volunteered with refugees in Sweden. “That was really eye-opening,” he said. “You hear statistics, but when you get faces and names, than it breaks your heart.”

Filip, part of Robin’s small group, joined the outreach because he wanted to meet people outside TS. “Christianity isn’t just meeting ourselves,” Robin affirmed. “Giving out is part of that as well.”

Hopes and dreams

Jacob (16), also from Sweden, sat to the side with a few teenagers from the camp, watching the soccer game unfolding a few meters away. “It’s nice to meet people from different countries,” he noted, adding that he went to the camp “so they can also see people from outside this place.”

Someday, Jacob said, he wanted to be an engineer. The most important thing in his life was “to be happy and make other people happy.”

Next to Jacob, the young men from the camp, 15, 14 and 23, respectively, shared their own career dreams: soccer player, teacher, chef. The most important things in their lives largely corresponded to their future hopes. The first teen prized his family and friends, the second school, the third cooking.

Stefan’s story

According to Stefan* (25), an OM worker who spent almost three years in the Near East field (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria), the guys at the Oldenburg camp were similar to other refugees and Middle Eastern men he’d met, both in his host country and at home in Sweden. “They laugh at the same jokes,” he said.

When Stefan first returned to Sweden, he met three Palestinian brothers in process of transferring to another camp. Having learned Arabic on the field, Stefan said he was happy to meet other Arabic speakers. “I had the opportunity to talk to them, to listen to them and hear their story,” he remembered.

Since he spoke to them whilst on shift at the home where they were living, he wondered whether he should rather speak Swedish. “No,” other volunteers told him, “Speak as much Arabic as you can. They get enough Swedish from society and [communicating in Arabic], they will feel more safe and secure.”

Stefan joined the TS outreach out of personal interest— “I really like working with refugees and people from this area back in Sweden,” he stated. However, at TS for the 13th year, Stefan also said the outreach provided an excellent chance for the teens to get involved.

“In TeenStreet we talk a lot about living out faith, how we can be a light in everyday situations, school, work, society,” he explained. “Outreaches can be a good and practical thing at TeenStreet when [the teens] are in the mood to get out and be a light in the community.”

“What I like about reaching out to the refugees is it’s actual, it’s 2016,” he continued. “It’s opening up their eyes, and teens are exposed to things they’re not aware of. It’s good, in a week where you get a lot, to give.”

Toppling Towers

Femja (17) from the Faroe Islands joined the TS outreach to get experience serving. Last year, several of her friends went on a short-term outreach overseas. Femja wanted to go, too, but logistics prevented her from joining. Going to the refugee camp for an afternoon, she thought, would be a similar opportunity. “I want to be a missionary,” she explained.

Attending TS for the third time this year, Femja had previously participated in other outreaches, including handing out flowers and playing Jenga in the city centre.

At the refugee camp, Femja, now a “Jenga professional,” spent most of the two hours building (and toppling) oversized block towers with a few of the youngest children. “I just tried to be funny and make them laugh,” she said. “That was very exciting because the kids are small, they’re cute and they don’t have anything to do with this. It’s not their fault they ended up here.”

She noticed that some of the kids hesitated to interact with her. “They were scared,” she described. “It’s not easy.” Nonetheless, her time at the camp taught her one main thing about refugees: “They’re not evil people. They were very kind.”

Hanna’s heart

Hanna (23), who helped organise the TS outreach to the refugee camp, “was born into OM” and spent most of her childhood in North Africa and the Middle East. “It’s my passion to see refugees being reached, and it was really a big part of my heart that we would go there,” she said.

Involved with the TS outreach team for the second year, Hanna said the group divided options into four themes this year: refugees, anti-human trafficking, practical work and prayer. “Because of the current situation with Germany having a lot of refugee camps, we thought it would be logical to do something with refugees,” she explained. “At the moment, [refugees] are a big part of Germany. If we want to bless the city, we really want to do it in that part as well.”

During the TS refugee outreaches, scheduled for Saturday and Monday afternoon during the teen’s free time, Hanna hoped the refugees would have fun and “feel loved by Jesus through the teens.” She also wanted the teens to take something away from the afternoon.

“I hope and pray that teenagers would be encouraged to do something similar in their surroundings, whether it’s with refugees or other groups not accepted in their communities,” she said. “Often if feels like you have to go across the sea to be in contact with people of other cultures and other religions.”

Now, however, refugees have arrived in Europe. “There’s such a freedom we have here that we would never have in the Arab world to share the Gospel,” Hanna emphasised. “I hope that the teenagers would realise that.”

Within OM Europe, more than ten countries have projects working with refugees alongside the church. In places like Hungary and Austria, OM teams have reached out to refugees for five years already, while other countries have responded to the recent influx of refugees into Europe by expanding existing ministries and creating new ones. Under the Safe Haven initiative, which spans work in Europe with refugees who have settled into a particular country, OM desires to use this unprecedented opportunity to reach communities of people who have never heard the Gospel by connecting churches with refugees and sharing the love of Jesus with them as they adapt to their new surroundings. For information about how you can be involved, contact your local OM office to learn about current projects and discover how you can start similar work with your church in your local area.

*Name changed for security reasons

For a handful of Americans, these activities also bridged multiple language barriers during a ten-day outreach to refugees in Wilhelmsburg, a district of Hamburg, Germany.

From 16-27 July, the group of five college students from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla., plus one long-term OM worker from the Near East field, partnered with OM Germany’s Team Nord to facilitate afternoon programmes for children in two refugee camps. They also volunteered with a women’s sewing circle at another camp and supported the OM team’s weekly outreaches in local parks.

On an orientation tour of Wilhelmsburg at the beginning of the outreach, Daniel, one of the participants, asked a local man in a park what his one wish from God would be. “I just want the sun to come out,” he replied, referencing northern Germany’s usually dreary days.

At first Daniel brushed off the request, thinking the man had simply tried to shift the conversation away from spiritual topics. However, upon further reflection – and a look at the weather forecast – the team decided to pray for sun.

“For a lot of us, our first impression of the area was darkness,” team leader Shannon shared at an evening debrief meeting. Recognising spiritual implications of allowing the sun (and the Son) to shine through, the Floridians asked God for good weather.

During the first outreach in one of Wilhelmsburg’s refugee camps, Marie*, joining the team from the Near East field, sat to the side with a Syrian lady enjoying the rare sunshine. Nearby, the others played football, jump rope and Viking chess with the children, including the woman’s twin daughters. After introductory small talk, Marie told the mother about the significance of the afternoon sun: “It was supposed to rain today, but we prayed for sunshine because we were coming to the camp to play with the children. God answered our prayer!”

A few minutes later, the woman repeated the message to another lady passing by. Indeed, every day, the team enjoyed sunshine for their afternoon outdoor programmes, where they played with children and interacted, as best they could, with the families they met.

“I think all we’re supposed to do is just love them,” Daniel said. “We can’t do anything else. We can’t talk to them. They have food, they have housing. I think the only thing they lack is love.”

In the refugee camps, according to team member Katie, “there was definitely a sense of contentment and adaptability and community.” The team’s goal, she agreed, was to bring love— “in the crafts, in the games, in sitting and having tea with them, that’s our role.”

For Daniel, many connections happened wordlessly on the football field. One afternoon, he spent time playing with three refugee men. “I couldn’t really talk to any of them,” he remembered. But “in the situation where I really can’t communicate with them verbally, soccer is the same everywhere, just being able to pass the ball around and mess around with them. I would do something; he would do something cooler.”

Meanwhile, the girls on the team regularly used UNO to interact with the younger children. On the first day, they learned numbers and colours in German whilst playing the card game with a young girl from Syria, already able to communicate well in her new host country. One night, after spending close to two hours playing UNO in a camp full of children – from Albania, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Macedonia – team member Chetia announced her latest accomplishment: “I just learned how to count to ten in five languages!”

Before arriving in Germany, the short-term team participated in OM’s weeklong summer Transform conference in Barcelona, Spain, where they received input on working with refugees and connected with Ali*, a Muslim background believer who shared his story of fleeing from Syria through Russia and finally obtaining residency in Europe.

The conference as well as the subsequent relationships forged by the team during the outreach significantly altered the young adults’ perception of the ongoing refugee crisis. Since summer 2015, they had heard – like other Americans – “whatever the media says about what’s going on over there,” explained Daniel. By hopping on a transatlantic flight and sitting down over coffee and tea with refugees in the camps, the team heard individual stories and gained new perspective on the situation.

“You can’t mentally picture three million people or six million people, but when you see one face and another face, they become real. When you hear stories of living on the side of the road and taking the clothes on your back, then it becomes real,” Shannon shared.

“It feels good to be here,” she said. “It feels good that I can be part of taking their mind off of something for five minutes—playing with their kids, sitting over coffee with them, hearing their story. It’s something that I’ll never forget.”

Within OM Europe, more than ten countries have projects working with refugees alongside the church. In places like Hungary and Austria, OM teams have reached out to refugees for five years already, while other countries have responded to the recent influx of refugees into Europe by expanding existing ministries and creating new ones. Under the Safe Haven initiative, which spans work in Europe with refugees who have settled into a particular country, OM desires to use this unprecedented opportunity to reach communities of people who have never heard the Gospel by connecting churches with refugees and sharing the love of Jesus with them as they adapt to their new surroundings. For information about how you can be involved, contact your local OM office to learn about current projects and discover how you can start similar work with your church in your local area.

*Name changed for security

Nicole James is a freelance journalist, ESL teacher, and adventurer. As a writer for OM Middle East North Africa, she’s passionate about publishing the stories of God’s works among the nations, telling people about the wonderful things He is doing in the world.

They’ve received training in emotional intelligence, stepping into other cultures with sensitivity, and working as a team. They’ve learnt about serving sacrificially and have ventured out on mini-missions without a plan, money, or telephone.

They’ve sampled other foods and styles of eating; getting to grips with chopsticks and having to be content with just a plate of rice – a typical meal for most of the world’s population.

And they’ve worshipped God with fellow Christians who speak other languages and bring different forms of expression to the common praise.

Impressions from the Conference

“This conference is so much more than learning about OM. It’s learning about ourselves, deepening our relationship with God and understanding how to work with others in a harmonious Christian team.”

“It’s been great to experience so many cultures. We may have grown up in different families and backgrounds, but we all know the same Lord. I’ve found it so powerful to sing together as a group.”

“The morning sessions, explaining OM’s core values, have felt like God is taking me back to the basics and laying a common foundation in us all. I feel like we’re going out to serve Him from the same platform.”

“It’s hard to leave the life I had to join the ship. It’s drummed into us that you go to school, get a job, you’re expected to have a family, buy a house and save for retirement. Those are the riches of the world, but in taking this leap of faith I’ve heard so many testimonies about how rich people have become in terms of God’s blessing and spiritual growth through doing something like this. I’m excited.”

Pray for these new crewmembers to continue to grow in faith, trust, and wisdom as they prepare to minister around the world.

On 1 October there was an open council with the leader of the district exchange office in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg, about the refugee policy. My wife, Marlene*, and I attended.

When a group of refugees arrived, we were asked to translate for them from German to English. Marlene translated for a group of  women, and I translated for two young men. When we were introduced, and the two learnt that I am a pastor, they became very excited and said they wanted to meet with me. I told them I was about to leave the next morning for 11 days on a trip to Turkey.

On 13 October I was at the airport in Hamburg after my trip waiting for our luggage to arrive when my mobile phone rang. One of the men was calling me. They wanted to meet, saying it was urgent.

When we met the next day in our office and finished the obligatory small talk, they said they’d come to change their religion. I learnt a bit more about the background of the two brothers.

While in their country they started to search the Internet about information about Christianity in their language. A friend of theirs, who also was interested, was found out and killed by radical Islamists. After consultation with their father, wife and children, they fled to Germany.

We were some of the first Germans they had met outside of those processing them, and they used this opportunity to ask us questions. I invited them to come to our house two days later so we could watch the Jesus film in their language. Our two interns were there as well, and Marlene prepared a nice meal.

After the film we talked about some of the scenes in the movie, about the term “Son of God” and that changing religions is a question of the heart and not a formality. They clearly were touched.

After being asked if they wanted to receive Jesus, they said yes, and we ended with a time of prayer. The younger one said, “I believe I have become a son of God now!” We hugged each other and affirmed one another that we are brothers now.

On Sunday they came to our Church service. Before this, I had gotten literature in their language, and I found someone who lives close to Hamburg and speaks this language. He also came to church that Sunday and translated parts of the service to them. Now we meet regularly for Bible study.

So many refugees have seen and experienced the true face of Islam. They are fed up with it and long for a real relationship with God. We don’t want this opportunity to go by without doing something.

Praise God for the lives of these two brothers. Pray that they will grow in faith and share their faith with other refugees settling in Hamburg. Pray for OM teams across Europe seeking to meet the needs of incoming refugees.

* Names changed

In its’ fourth year at TeenStreet, Global Village is an innovative and interactive project that allows teenagers and adults to have a living missions experience, and is a ministry of OM Europe. While encountering a broken world face-to-face, participants discover more of God’s heart for people and are challenged to reflect Jesus into difficult places and amongst some of the world’s most unreached people. Complete with full debriefing, prayer, and opportunities to talk with experienced missionaries, Global Village has and continues to impact individuals in a variety of ways to go out and make a difference in the world.

Getting started

David Svensson is OM Sweden’s Missions Motivator, and as part of his job, he took groups on missions trips. About five years ago, he took a Swedish confirmation group of around 37 people, most of them 14 years old, to the Ukraine. This trip was not voluntary, however, as the teenagers had to do it as part of their confirmation class. As David sat in the bus with the teenagers, one boy said, “You guys are ruining my holidays!” At this point David was not sure what he had gotten himself into and how many of these teenagers felt the same.

In Ukraine, the group visited orphanages, went to schools and churches and did practical things. “We worked as a team, lived as a team and experienced things together,” explained David. On the way home, the same teenager turned to David saying, “You know what? This has been the best week of my life!”

David wondered what happened during that week and concluded that it was the experience. This boy experienced missions. “He didn’t just see it or hear it, he was engaged with all of his senses,” David said.

Back at work in Sweden, David was part of a team thinking about how they could present OM better at TeenStreet. They already had something called ‘Global Village’, a market where OM’s ministry areas were displayed, yet it was not how they wanted to represent OM. David remembered the boy from the confirmation trip and asked his team if they could do the same with the teens at TeenStreet, and take them to another place.

It is definitely impossible to physically go to another country during TeenStreet, but why not pretend to go to a different place? David wondered. As David recalls, the idea was there: “Let’s build an airport and take them out of their own little world, out of their comfort zone, and take them to another place and let this place come alive to them. That was the beginning of Global Village as we have it now here at TeenStreet.”

In 2012, this new Global Village appeared for the first time at TeenStreet, when the teens were challenged to travel into the land of the blind, the poor, the persecuted or the oppressed. “It was a risk,” remembers David, but the team was overwhelmed by the response of nearly 2000 people visiting Global Village that year. “I believe that it was God’s idea!” says David. “We had no idea how it was going to work, but I thought if we try it, and if God wants it to happen, He will make sure that people come.”

Since then, Global Village has grown and a new team formed to manage the experience. In addition to TeenStreet, Global Village has been in five countries at events such as ‘Opwekking’ in the Netherlands and ‘Mission Net’ in Germany. In addition, a three-hour experience was set up in Sweden and in the Faroe Islands. According to David, this is just the beginning.

On Wednesday afternoon, all TS attendees had the chance to run in or sponsor the RAG (raise and give) race. Most runners collected donations on a per-lap basis—the more they ran, the more they earned. Throughout the week, people also donated through collection containers on site. Together, TS raised a promised €120,221.93 for the Emmanuel Center in Lushnje, Albania, which serves Roma Gypsy children.

“Our aim throughout TeenStreet is actually to really help the teens see all the characteristics of God,” explained Claire Hoernig, digital and social media coordinator for OM UK and director of this year’s RAG race. “There’s so many things we do in the programme to help the teens see different aspects of God and understand Him and build a relationship with Him.”

RAG, for example, emphasised God’s generosity, while ArtZone allowed teens to experience His creativity. Outreach in Offenburg, ranging from handing out flowers to visiting refugees, encouraged participants to engage the culture around them. According to the TS leadership team, each element of TS serves a purpose in mentoring and discipling the younger generation of believers. And with around 1,800 staff and Service Team members volunteering, the camp’s impact reaches far beyond the words spoken from the main stage.

The 2015 TS theme—HOME—was especially personal for Josh and Debs Walker, the dynamic American/Irish couple who develop and present the messages each year. As directors of the international charity Young Hope, they spend most of their time in inner-city Houston, Texas, working with homeless and low-income people, as well as men and women getting out of prison with no place to go.

“Last year, after TeenStreet, I was walking around with the homeless people that we work with, asking God why they don’t always take the help we have available for them,” Debs recalled. “God spoke to me about how people do that to Him—that He’s offering a home, He’s offering all the goodness of Heaven, and we would rather live homeless away from Him.”

Josh and Debs dug into Scripture to find out what God wanted to say about “home.” They prayed and poured over the book of John, eventually deciding on the week’s anchor verse, John 14:23: “Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them’” (NIV).

Having settled on “HOME,” Josh and Debs also asked God about the daily themes, a series of words to structure the week. In the main messages as well as the small group “Net” times, the teens focused on the ideas of Dwell, Yes, Roots, Tribe, Pour and Life, working through more Bible passages and talking with each other to gain a more complete understanding of their identity at home in Christ.

After the final main hall session, two teens shared their understanding of home. Lukas, 18, from Germany, said, “For me, home means taking time with God and praying and looking for friends with whom I can share that. And I know that no matter where I am, God is with me.”

Karita, 16, from the Faroe Islands, added, “Meeting with God, wherever He leads me, that’ll be home.”

“TS is a really wonderful place to experience the presence of God, to have community with people, and even to be in contact with other believers,” Debs said. “But the other 51 weeks of the year, God is still at work; God is still speaking; and He still wants to impact all of our lives and use us in our communities.”

For more stories and photos from TeenStreet 2015, go to www.teenstreet.de.

For most of the year, OMNIvision team members travel in small groups around the globe, filming various OM ministries worldwide and producing events for OM as well as other Christian organisations. TeenStreet, however, as OMNIvision’s biggest annual event, brings the larger team together for almost two weeks.

According to Jay, associate producer and director of photography, OMNIvision’s motto is Psalm 96:3 (ESV), “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” At TS, OMNIvision doesn’t directly tell the teens what God is doing around the world, but team members work behind the scenes to facilitate an environment where attendees can easily connect with what’s happening on stage.

Managing the video screens makes that connection possible. Because TS takes place in a large venue, the Main Hall meetings could get lost for teenagers sitting farther back in the cavernous room. “It seems like people are really able to engage more with sessions, with the teaching, with the videos and things that are happening if they can see the person talking close up,” said Katie, associate producer and writer. “On a screen, they can see expressions, they can see emotions behind what the person’s saying,” which, she continued, communicates the message more powerfully and more personally. “Literally, we’re setting the stage for what God’s going to do.”

Ant, production manager and senior editor, explained that OMNIvision’s role at TS is “very technical as opposed to what we often do” (which is already incredibly technical). The set-up’s more complex, the days longer, and the actual sessions more intense. “Anytime you see something on a screen, it’s probably us,” Ant noted. And the directing process happening behind the scenes—a multi-screen maze of visuals and camera angles—is also much more complicated than the pictures being shown. “The director has to be in the present, but he also has to be ten seconds in the future,” Jay said. Every ounce of concentration counts.

Between sessions, though, OMNIvision also knows how to have fun. Whether it’s singing Bohemian Rhapsody in the translation booths during sound check or upgrading the flimsy wooden backstage sleeping cubicles affectionately dubbed “the slum,” the team makes the most of TS. The conference is special “because we get to travel and be together as a team,” Katie said. For her, the highlight is threefold: “just to do life together as well as connect with people around the OM world and be part of these teenager’s lives, even though it’s in a background support sort of role.”

Success, the team agreed, means invisibility. “It’s kind of like glass,” Katie said. “We want to be transparent so people can see Jesus through us,” or, in the case of TS, “for people to be able to concentrate on the message and content,” Jay added.

Although OMNIvision wants their production to be invisible, they still see TS as a key opportunity to show teens how media can be used in missions. Lars, a creative engineering for performing arts student, first connected with OMNIvision while attending TS as a teen and ended up working as cable grip, making sure the camera operator didn’t trip over the long cables trailing on the ground. Now, Lars has returned for the third year as an OMNIvision volunteer, having discovered how to serve TS with his talent for camera and lights. Not only is OMNIvision a great way to give back to TS, it’s also a chance for him to interact with the long-termers on the media ministry team. “There’s a real connection within the team. They work together. It’s one close group,” he described.

As for what HOME, this year’s TS theme, means to OMNIvision? It’s the team.

“Home is where your family’s at, so we become each other’s family. When we’re sick, we take care of each other. When we’re sad, we give each other hugs and pray for each other. When we’re irritated with each other, we throw things at each other,” Katie answered.

“Home is where the heart is,” Jay stated, not as cliché but as truth. Because OMNIvision travels so much, being with the team and the wider community at OM events means being home.

“Over the years, OMNIvision has tried to foster a spirit that it’s not just another job, it’s not just another thing you’re doing in missions…you’re part of a family, you’re part of a close-knit team.” Ant added. “I’ve felt at home every time I’ve been working with OMNIvision.”

*Nicole James is a freelance journalist, ESL teacher, and adventurer. A communications intern for OM MENA, she’s passionate about publishing the stories of God’s works among the nations, telling people about the wonderful things He is doing in the world.

Wearing a bright red apron, Gian will spend the duration of this year’s TS in the kitchen, working as one of six main chefs. For the 2,500 some teens as well as the OM Germany staff – many who have also travelled to Offenburg to fill various roles at TS – Gian’s example of servant leadership is inspiring.

“It’s very valuable, a very good example that’s also motivating to me,” said Peter Wiebe, head of the finance department at OM Germany who’s also serving with the finance team at TS. “Gian is the leader of OM Germany, but he doesn’t need some special office or position…He’s able to work totally normally in the kitchen. I like that.”

For Gian, kitchen work comes naturally. Now serving at TeenStreet for the third year, Gian previously spent twelve years with OM Ships International, including a year in the galley and several more managing catering and hotel services on the open seas. “There is some knowledge, understanding, and experience in cooking,” he said. There’s also fun involved. “I enjoy TeenStreet. I enjoy cooking. My family enjoys to be here.”

In addition, TS does have strategic value for OM, in Germany and internationally, Gian said. “I see that TeenStreet has a huge impact in teenagers, really helping them in their walk with Lord. If I think of our focus area ‘Mentoring and Discipleship,’ that’s really where this fits in.

Of course, with 4,300 participants from 42 countries, TS is also prime opportunity for recruiting, not only of teenagers but also of Service Team members, who, according to Gian, are “top candidates.” While Gian would like to see TS utilised even better to mobilise young people for missions, he recognised that some parts of the event, such as the Global Village simulation, are already “planting seeds” for the possibility of future missions work.

Klara, a chemistry student from the Czech Republic, said her first TS was “a big turning point,” showing her the importance of Christian discipleship. She’d always dreamt about going to missions, and, after TS, she found an opportunity to spend two months in Brazil, working with children from poor communities, homeless people, and drug addicts. Now she’s back at TS for the fourth time, this year as a coach. “It’s always a huge inspiration to be here,” she said. “I believe that TeenStreet can be a huge investment in God’s hands.”

Gian feels the same. “We believe as OM Germany in TeenStreet, and we are investing a lot in TeenStreet,” he said. “As OM International, focusing on TeenStreet, I think it’s great that we invest into the younger generation…It continues to be our mission to mobilise. That’s why we are called Operation Mobilisation. These events, in terms of mobilising, are definitely top opportunities for us.”

For the moment, however, Gian’s looking forward to his two favorite parts of TS: attending the Main Hall, filled with thousands of people, mostly teenagers, from across Europe, worshipping the Lord together, and watching the food line in the dining area. From a catering perspective, as long as the line flows smoothly, people get their food and are (hopefully) satisfied with it, “every meal can be a highlight as well.”

Struggles and doubts

In 2011, Samir* boldly dared to take steps of faith. After participating in a basic course, he eventually was baptised. The following two years he visited the team sporadically but partly fell back into the habits of his old life. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.

“We often experience that many of our friends become Christians and later fall back into their old ways,” shares Bernhard*, a Xenos team member. “Often they do not understand that life in Jesus Christ is something completely new. Samir struggled, like a few other people who also gave their lives to Jesus at Xenos.”

Early in 2013, Samir was officially given status as an asylum seeker in Germany and later returned to the Xenos team for more regular visits.

“Last week he shared his struggles with doubt,” says Bernhard, “and one question was: ‘Is it possible to be a Christian and still get lost and separated from God for all eternity?’ He continued, saying that in these moments he prays: ‘Jesus, help me and release me from this deep restlessness and all doubts! And, whenever I call to Jesus I immediately feel peace and calm.’

“The team rejoices and is thankful that in the midst of his doubts, Samir is recognising Jesus and the experience strengthens his faith,” concludes Bernhard.

Wedding celebration

Recently, Ketura* and Makhmus* celebrated their wedding at the Xenos Café, a place where immigrants meet and connect with the Xenos team. Team member Tiodora and a visitor, Ekram, made the preparations and decorations for the party.

Many Muslims attended the wedding. The team was present but could not speak publically about their life with Jesus. However, Tiodora and a few others prayed for a Syrian woman and give her a Bible. God opened the heart of this lady in a special way at the wedding, but also through previous visits to the Xenos Café.

The loving ways of Tiodora, Ekram and other Xenos members helping with the wedding have made a lasting impression in the lives of Ketura and Makhmus. The team hopes they will never forget the Christians who became good friends and even arranged their wedding in a strange and foreign land.

God’s presence

Every Thursday night the Xenos team organises a service with translation into many languages. One team member shares that they recently experienced a special atmosphere during a service: “It had nothing to do with the perfection of the service, the intensity of the preaching, the music, songs or worship. The difference was not about our activities at all, but the strong sense of God’s presence and His leading of the service.

“Very often I encourage the adult immigrant believers to participate by sharing their testimony or singing a song. Yesterday, I was encouraged by the simple prayer of two little Arabian girls. Didn´t Jesus, in Matthew 21:16, say that we would hear the praise of God out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies? This is what happened in our service.

“Afterwards many good conversations took place, and one Arabian woman gave her life to Jesus in a very simple and childlike way. God granted us His presence; He knows that we live out of His presence.”

Praise God for changing the lives of immigrants in Germany. Pray that the Xenos team would reach many more with the good news of a Saviour who will never leave nor forsake them.

* Name changed

“Both of them are simple, happy men – one from a Muslim background, the other from a persecuted Christian minority in Pakistan. They met in Germany and became good friends. Since the Christian man speaks a little English, he is able to translate.”

It was Ascension Day, a public holiday in the area, and after a few songs and a prayer the men read the story in the Book of Acts about Jesus ascending into Heaven.

“My friends had not quite understood the biblical meaning,” said Bernhard, “and when reading of Jesus coming back as visible, as he’d once been, the Christian man paused.” He burst out, “If this is really going to happen, why would the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons coming to my home tell me that their founders were prophets bringing God´s final revelation?”

The men discussed the passage and the authority of Scriptures, and Bernhard showed his friends where it is written that no one should add anything to the Bible, and likewise should not remove anything (Revelation 22:18-19).

“This makes me realise that the books I got from the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons do not contain truth and authority,” the man reasoned. He had mentioned previously that meeting with people from these groups always made him feel troubled at heart.

“Now I’m able to explain and understand why I felt this way!” he told Bernhard. “God spoke to him through His own Word, and it was wonderful to witness how his relationship with God grew in confidence and trust.”

* Name changed

Kemal* was sitting on the coach sipping his coffee before we started our prayer session. I went away for a few minutes, and when I returned to the café, Kemal was sitting next to a Syrian Muslim woman explaining why and how he had become a Christian. Rather surprised, I quietly thanked God.

As our meeting started and we read the Bible, Kemal told me of his dream he had a few days earlier. He dreamt that he was in an indoor swimming pool and saved a young boy from drowning by rescue and prayer.

I asked if he knew the meaning of his dream, and Kemal replied that these were spiritual relationships, and he may be called to explain the Gospel and pray for people's salvation. We prayed together, asking for God's mercy for the Muslim woman with whom Kemal had shared his new faith. God is at work!

An Iranian brother, Murad*, told us a few months ago that his brother accepted Christ while they were talking on Skype. Later he got a call from his mother asking how he had managed the positive change in the life of his brother.

While these are wonderful stories, it is not always easy for our friends who find new hope in Jesus. It takes some time before we see the change Jesus makes. And until that point, all of them go through personal struggles. We do our best to support our sisters and brothers in the process.

* Names changed

It´s a very hot Wednesday afternoon and my telephone rings. Who is it? I often help immigrants when they have an appointment or have to go to the dentist or school. Have I forgotten one of those?

I pick up the phone and hear a voice filled with joy: “Auntie, auntie, I´ve got good news!” It´s Narin, a 20-year-old Syrian girl I met a few months ago, who has grown dear to my heart.

Politically persecuted, Narin had fled to Germany alone. Our contact arose through a missionary who knew her cousin. Knowing that Syria is my fatherland, he told me of Narin and asked me to look after her.

We got on with each other very well from the beginning, and we met regularly. She was very thankful to have found support and a contact in Germany. Even outside our trips to the German authorities and hunting for a flat, we developed a good relationship.

More and more frequently our conversations concerned faith. Narin comes from a nominal-Muslim family and does not believe in the God of the Qur’an. Now she has witnessed the positive changes that have taken place in her cousin, who found Jesus after arriving in Germany a couple months ago.

Before, her cousin was rebellious; however, after his decision his life changed. This change was not only perceived by his family, but also by his friends and neighbours. As a result, a few other people also accepted Jesus as their personal saviour.

For me, it was also important not to persuade Narin to believe. In my opinion, she should have the desire to follow Jesus on her own terms. From time to time I took her with me to our Xenos Café, where people from all countries can meet and get in contact with Christians.

There she noticed that the people are different – the same thing she had noticed about the Christians in Syria. What impressed her was the real love she felt. She found the encounters and conversations at the Xenos Café thought provoking.

“I live, but I notice that I don´t have an aim,” she told me one day. “What do I live for? I know that there is something greater, but I don´t know what it is.”

I encouraged her to bring all her sorrows to Jesus – to say to God wholeheartedly, “God, where are you? I need you. I´m empty and I´m looking for you.” I also gave her a Bible. In the Xenos Team, we started praying for Narin.

And now Narin’s excited voice speaks to me on the phone. “Auntie, last night after a long conversation with my cousin, I´ve decided to live my life with Jesus! I love Jesus and I want to follow Him.”

Hallelujah, what a joy! Together we pray one more time on the phone and I tell her what Jesus said in Luke 15:7*: “Narin, because of you there is a big celebration in heaven!”

Now when we meet, we read the Bible and pray together, especially for her family members and the refugees who live in Germany, that they will also know Jesus.

*“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” - Luke 15:7 (NIV)

Participants travelled to Planet Harvest, a carefully constructed simulation of needs such as poverty, imprisonment and idol worship, designed to create awareness and propose ideas of how to respond - a mini mission trip without leaving the Teenstreet grounds.

Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2).

At Global Village this year, participants saw this harvest face-to-face and were challenged to respond to the evident brokenness and despair.

The response to the simulation was positive:

“Planet Harvest was very similar to what is happening on earth right now. To see it with your own eyes, so realistic, was really moving. We know what to do now,” said one participant.

Other comments about Planet Harvest included:

“God showed me that I don’t have to be afraid to talk to people about Jesus, because it sets them free.”

“My life from here on out is devoted to the lost.”

“God said that I don’t have to be scared of people who are not like me or from the same culture, background or think the same way I do.”

“I feel God wants me to pour my whole life into changing the way people are treated and finally bringing an end to human trafficking.”

As a result of this experience, over 200 participants from more than 20 countries requested more information on how they can work in God’s plentiful harvest.

Want to get involved? Contact Karen Daniels by emailing karen.daniels@om.org, or visit www.teenstreet.de

Like most people I had heard some of the horror stories about people-trafficking. But sitting across from Amira in OM's Xenos centre in Germany and watching her emotion as she described her family's traumatic, three-month flight to freedom was very different.

"It took three months. When we finally got to Germany our youngest child had a fever. Our marriage certificate was lost along the way, so we had no papers for the hospital. A Christian organisation suggested Xenos, and Martin and the other workers helped us. Since then we come all the time to the centre," she smiled. "I love it here! And I thank God many times every day that we are safe."

Finding the ultimate safety

"Xenos" is Greek for "foreigners", and that’s what OM's team in Heilbronn, buried in the southern half of Germany, is all about. Germany has served as host to a tidal wave of foreigners in recent decades, but you might be surprised to learn that 47 per cent of residents in cities like Heilbronn have an immigrant background: either foreigners or the children of foreigners. Almost 10 million people living in Germany today were born outside the country.

The man who started Xenos was a foreigner himself, the son of a police officer in Iran who was sentenced to death during Khomeini's regime. After seeing friends killed Navid had little choice. His long journey took him to Dubai, Hungary and the Netherlands before he landed in Germany. Six months later, sitting in the back row of a church he'd been invited to, he silently cried, "Help me, God. I'm at the end."

Once Christ came into his life, Navid discovered he had a gift for evangelism and planting new churches. He helped to start a fellowship in Essen and an Iranian church in Stuttgart. Seeing the many foreigners who lived in the refugee camp outside Heilbronn, he and others felt God wanted them to start an international fellowship in that city in 2004. OM's Xenos team now has eight members, many of them with significant experience of working in countries like Morocco, Afghanistan and India. They have also recruited some 30 volunteers from local churches.

Raising awareness

"In the South of Germany there's a church on every corner," says team leader Martin, "so when we tell people we're missionaries here it's a hard concept for them to understand. One major aim of the Xenos team is to mobilise and train local churches to reach the world on their doorstep."

Martin initially found a way to meet foreigners by volunteering as a translator for the Red Cross. Later he was invited to give cultural orientation to newcomers. He discovered in Germany a freedom to share Christ--and willing Muslim listeners--that he had never encountered in countries where he'd previously served.

A home away from home

The Xenos centre is a hive of activity with a kitchen, kids' room and bright, attractive meeting area set up informally like a café. The team helps people on a practical level with things like household needs, doctors' visits and official paperwork. They also provide German lessons and homework support for kids. Once a month the usual Thursday evening worship is followed by a pot-luck supper. Three spin-off Bible studies also currently take place in Arabic, Persian and Urdu.

Why start an international church? "Trying to integrate new believers from other countries into German churches doesn't work," Martin answers simply. And sitting in a Xenos worship service with a continuous murmur of several translations going on all around me, I began to realise why.

I smiled as Navid, who was leading the service, quoted a Persian proverb. "'A camel sits in front of every house,'" he told his audience and explained, "We can all meet the same God, the same Jesus. We can all feel His touch and know His joy. It's for everyone!"

The land of beginning again

Afterwards I talked with a young computer technician from Iran. He has been in Germany only a few months; the previous four and a half years were spent in the Netherlands, hoping for asylum. After making friends and learning the language, however, he was informed that his application had been rejected. So now Esmail is starting all over again, struggling to hold on to hope.

Teams like Xenos that offer practical and spiritual help to newcomers like Esmail and Amira's family desperately need to be replicated all over the country. No single mission or church can meet the growing crisis. But when German Christians allow themselves to be channels of God's compassion, all things are possible.

OM Germany Leader Tobias Schultz is eager to see that revolution of love. "The German church at large hasn't understood cross-cultural ministry," he observes. "There are so many immigrant churches that are not included in the German Evangelical Alliance. And just think of the second generation kids who would be well-equipped to participate in missions! Our hope and goal in the next seven years is to build strong relationships with these immigrant churches."

*All names in this article except for that of Tobias Schultz have been changed.

 Debbie Meroff is an international journalist and photographer working with OM.

After a while the girls became hungry, and because it was close to dinner, Sharon agreed to stay for a meal with her daughter. Her host made a pilaf, and the girls took a seat.

“Our daughter is used to praying before we start eating, and so she insisted that we take each other by the hands and pray,” said Sharon. “At first I wasn’t sure what my Muslim neighbours would think, so I asked for permission to pray. They had no objection, and so we thanked God in the name of Jesus for the food.

“What a lesson I learnt from my daughter! Being a Christian is part of my life, just like breathing, and I can be natural about it!” Please pray for Sharon’s relationship with her Turkish neighbours, and pray for opportunities to share her faith with them.

*Name changed

On the way home from the kids’ programme in Hamburg, an argument between two of the children erupted. Aasif*, who has attended the programme for two years, started shouting at Paul*, who has attended for one month: “You can’t say this about Jesus! This is defamation! Paul insults Jesus! Don’t you know that Jesus died for us?”

Everyone on the bus could hear Aasif. He stretched out his arms to show how Jesus hung on the cross. “He died for our sins!” he continued. “You can’t say that about Jesus!”

Often the OM workers who help with the kids’ programme ask themselves, particularly after an exhausting day, “Do the kids get any of what we say?” This incident between Aasif and Paul served as a confirmation to them that God is speaking to the kids.

Praise God that Aasif has understood the message of God’s forgiveness. Pray that he grows in relationship with God and revelation of His goodness. Pray that Paul will also know Christ. Pray for the impact of the ministry with the children in Hamburg.  

* Name changed

Fear and resentment often exists between Germans and immigrants. Largely, this is also true for the church in Germany. As a result, most immigrants are unreached by the gospel. Also, social problems, unemployment and crime are especially high amongst immigrants.

OM Germany’s Xenos team, based in the south of Germany, seeks to minister to immigrants. Some are refugees who are traumatized by past experiences that led them to Germany, many need support in dealing with the local authorities, others find it difficult to learn the language and integrate into German society, and most are out of reach of the good news. The team ministers in a holistic way: by proclaiming the gospel and supporting immigrants in their physical and emotional needs.

You can trust me

One of OM Germany’s Xenos team members felt he should regularly pick up a group of asylum-seekers and bring them to a church service. During Ramadan, about one year after he started bringing them to church, one of the women saw Jesus in a dream. In the dream, Jesus told her that she could trust Him. The woman is from a Muslim background and the mother of three children. On a following day, she visited the Xenos Café and told two staff members about her dream. She decided to trust in Jesus and invited Him into her life. The challenge for the team now is to disciple this woman in her new faith while her husband is still not a believer.  

Freedom from worry

Part of the ministry of the Xenos team is to come alongside immigrants and sharing their burdens. One of those is Neihla, a strong believer and the mother of three children. Her parents, also believers, live in Iraq. Her father runs a transport company and imports gasoline to northern Iraq, and he once barely survived an explosion. Neihla's homesickness, combined with worries about her family, saddened her heart. She brought her burdens to Jesus and struggled in prayer. A Xenos team member prayed with her many times, and every time Neihla experienced a little more freedom from her worries. She has learnt how faith in God relieves her from the burden of her worries.

Contested freedom

Suleiman, a young man from Iran, was baptised in December 2011. One Sunday, on the train to a church service, a young girl scantily dressed sat opposite him. At first, Suleiman felt uncomfortable and held his hands in front of his eyes. He looked around for another free seat, but there was none. He prayed for victory to overcome his emotions. God touched Suleiman’s soul and he felt freedom and peace.

As he returned from the service, he saw another girl similarly dressed. Again he struggled. Back at the home for asylum-seekers he sat on his bed and listened to quiet worship music. He thought about the contested freedom and made the decision before God to never give up the freedom he had found in Christ. Experiencing fulfilment from God, he felt satisfied with deep joy and peace. His eyes were sparkling when he told the Xenos team about his experience.

Please pray for the Xenos team as they reach out to immigrants. Pray that more would come to know the freedom in Christ. For more information about the ministry, visit OM Germany’s website at www.d.om.org, available in both German and English.  

The story of the Lighthouse began a few years ago, when Henry Marten, pastor of a church in Halle/Saale, Evangeliumsgemeinde, took a walk with a missionary friend. They passed the building, and the missionary said to Henry: “Henry, you can’t miss out on that opportunity!”

In 2006 OM Germany’s Field Leader Tobias Schultz and a co-worker, Toni Gerdemann, met with Henry to think about how an OM team could become involved in Halle. Henry showed them the Lighthouse and said it would be a perfect place for a café. Toni Gerdemann thought, “How cool! This is one of my biggest dreams…” God helped the church and OM miraculously purchase the building. After an unexpectedly long and challenging phase of cleaning and renovation, the Lighthouse opened three years later on 27 October 2012 with an open house.

Friends, partners and interested residents of Halle, like the elderly lady, attended the open house. They chatted over good coffee, listened to live music and walked around the colourful rooms.

Overall, the OM team in Halle rejoices over the start of the regular business. On 1 November 2012, the Lighthouse opened its doors for business four days a week.

“Our vision is to be open for people’s questions and doubts and to connect with them in a way that fits them,” describes Team Leader Stefan Pentzek. “Our concept is not ready yet, but this is good. Because we want to hear about the concerns of the people, we want to know what heart language they speak and what we might be able to do for them.”

Halle/Saale, a city in what was formerly East Germany, has about 230,000 inhabitants, fewer than one per cent of whom are evangelical believers. After over 40 years of communist rule and influence, the population is deeply affected by an atheistic worldview.

The Lighthouse is located directly next to a major vocational school that hosts several thousand students, and it’s very close to the city centre. The team looks forward to offering art and music events, training in life skills for young people and counseling, working alongside many in the city to change lives and transform the community.

The first cultural event took place during the grand opening on 27 October 2012. The Christian band Tobias Hundt-Trio performed in the evening, and the lounge of the Lighthouse was overflowing.

On Sunday 28 October 2012, the team held a brunch to thank the volunteers and supporters of the project. Because of the 15,000 hours of voluntary work put into the project, the Lighthouse was ready for the opening day, though there’s still some work to be done.

On Sunday afternoon, everyone celebrated a special church service to give thanks to God and to commit the Lighthouse to Him. Tobias Schultz spoke about Jesus’ parable of the yeast. “The kingdom of God is like this little bit of yeast, which infuses the dough with its power. In this way, the ministry of the Lighthouse will infuse this district and the city of Halle with the message of hope from Jesus.”

To see photos of the Lighthouse and learn more about the ministry, visit the website: www.lichthaus-halle.de (in German).

Recently, Toni received a text message from Ute with an invitation for coffee. She wasn’t in Halle at the time, so she told Ute she would get in touch with her the next week. A few days later, Toni received another text message from Ute: “I really want to go out for a coffee with you.” Toni thought it might be important, so she met with Ute that same day.

Toni learnt that Ute had been in hospital for one week and had shared a room with two elderly ladies. When she got her first meal, Ute had exclaimed, “Oh my God!” One of the elderly ladies, Wanda, asked her, “Do you believe in God?” Irritated, Ute said no and Wanda answered, “Well, then you should not say this.” After a while, Ute asked Wanda, “Do you believe in God?”

“This was the start of a week in hospital in which Ute gave her life to Jesus!” shares Toni. Ute told Toni that she really had to see her. “You are the only one I know who is a Christian,” she said to Toni. “Everyone else thinks I’m crazy, but I am longing for community.” The next day, Toni and Ute began a course about the Christian faith. Please pray that Ute would grow in her new faith and be encouraged by Toni and other Christians.

Thursday, 10 May, OM Germany Field Leader Tobias Schultz will begin a 14-day bicycle tour through the 16 states of Germany, visiting OM Germany’s three ministry teams in Hamburg, Halle/Saale and Heilbronn.

“This will be a real athletic challenge for me,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to this time. Physically I will benefit from this tour, and it will help me to relax and to get out of the day-to-day pressure. Moreover I want to use this opportunity to promote the missionary work of OM in Germany.”  

OM Germany’s three teams aim to find ways to reach out to neighbours in authentic ways. They also work to inspire and train as many followers of Christ as possible and encourage them to live a missional lifestyle. To reach these goals, the teams need practical and financial support. Through this bike tour, Tobias hopes to raise support for the ministries and other OM workers in Germany.

If all goes well, Tobias plans to reach Hamburg on 16 May, Halle on 19 or 20 May and Heilbronn on 24 May. He plans to rest on Sundays. Please pray for protection for Tobias during the tour and enough strength to complete it. Pray that it would be a refreshing time for him. Pray that God will renew his vision and give guidance for the ministry of OM Germany. Pray that many partners will support his tour by supporting the ministry of OM Germany. To read daily reports in both German and English and track his progress in real time on a map, visit OM Germany’s blog (www.d.om.org/aktuelles/blog.html). 

“Unfortunately evangelical Christians have neglected the arts to some extent for too long,” explains Hartmuth Hanisch, Area Arts Facilitator in Europe. “If we are to let our light shine, we have to put our God-given talents on the candle stand and let the light shine, that all the people see the good works and praise the Father in heaven.”

Making its premier showing at the Arts Forum will be the Imago Dei, a large canvas mosaic displaying the image of Christ, based on the image of the San Damiano Cross, where St. Francis of Assisi received his calling. It is composed of sermon notes from OM leaders around the world, written in their native languages. The notes were cut into square pieces 3 cm x 3 cm, and each square was individually tinted with transparent colour.

“I had the idea of creating a piece of art that conveys the supremacy of Christ being the head of His Church,” says Hartmuth, “and at the same time reflects the unity of His body, serving the nations.” After displaying at the Arts Forum, the Imago Dei will be auctioned at a future event for the benefit of the OM Arts ministry.

Please pray for the OM Arts Forum this weekend. Pray that the artists who attend will be reminded that they do not work in isolation. Pray that the church and business leaders will catch the vision for how they can use art to witness for God. Pray that this forum sets the stage for future events in Europe. To learn more about how you can get involved in the ministry of OM Arts International, visit www.arts.om.org.

Amir served in the military and says he was forced to take part in religious meetings. “Through the daily exercise of violence in my life and in the lives of others, I recognised a great fear,” he said. “The pressure was so heavy for me, that I left my home and went to Norway.”

In Norway, Amir heard the gospel for the first time. However, he was so busy learning the language and working that he didn’t think much about it.

While in Norway, Amir’s mind was still very much in Iran. “The injustice in my home country brought me to the point to get politically involved,” said Amir. To support politically like-minded people, he went back to Iran. There he was arrested and put in prison for six months.

“It was very tough to persevere through the pressures and fears in the prison,” he recalled. He pretended to have psychiatric problems so he would be put into a mental institution.

I realised that God answers prayers spoken in the name of Jesus.

The doctors asked the courts to send him home and Amir posted bail and was released. He left Iran and decided to go back to Norway via Germany. Upon arrival in Germany, the police checked his passport. Because he didn’t have a residence permit for Norway, he needed to apply for asylum in Germany. The asylum office assigned him to a room with two other men in an asylum seekers’ home.

His application for asylum was accepted quickly, but he still didn’t have a passport or the necessary residence permit. When he asked the agency for his papers, they told him he needed to wait for the papers to come from Norway. “I felt insecure and reached a dead end,” he said.

But God had plans for Amir’s time in Germany. At the asylum seekers’ home, Amir met Darius*, a worker with OM Germany’s Xenos Team. Darius, also from Iran, visited the home every Tuesday and held a Bible study, which Amir attended.  

At the end of one Bible study, Darius prayed for Amir, asking God to provide Amir’s passport quickly. The next day, Amir called the residency agency. The officer told him she would look for a faster way to get his passport. 

“After many long months this was good news for me!” exclaimed Amir. “I was very happy and made my way to the Xenos-Café where I met Darius. I asked him and all the other staff members to pray for me and my passport.”

The next morning, after nearly seven months of waiting, the officer phoned Amir and said he could pick up his passport. “That was an answer to prayer!” said Amir. “I realised that God answers prayers spoken in the name of Jesus. When I prayed later with Darius, I gave my life to Jesus, who is now my personal Lord. Today I know, Jesus answers my prayers!”

* Name changed

Ibrahim*, a German citizen of Iranian origin, committed his life to Jesus in December 2011. For 10 years he has enjoyed the freedom and safety of Germany and recently told OM workers that he’d like to give something back to the country.  

He once suffered from a sleep disorder due to a traumatic experience, but the Lord freed him from this after prayer. Recently he accompanied an OM Germany Xenos team member to a Bible study. On the way, Ibrahim said the he would like to engage life again and asked what he could do to help the community.   

The team member was so surprised that Ibrahim had associated “quality of life” with “helping others”. “What a privilege to be with a young brother like this,” the OMer commented. Ibrahim is attending baptism classes and will be baptised this month. Please pray for Ibrahim and the participants of the baptism class.

*Name changed

The second-ever European Mission-Net Congress is currently taking place in Erfurt, Germany, from 28 December – 2 January. The event, welcoming more than 2,500 people from 40 nations around Europe and other parts of the world, is hosted by the European Evangelical Alliance with the purpose of encouraging 16-30-year-old Europeans to live a “missional lifestyle” and provide an opportunity to meet other Christians from Europe. Taking place every two years, Mission-Net is the only pan-European mission conference for young people.

This year, 110 global and European mission organisations, including OM, are presenting displays in the Global Market, which is open throughout the conference for participants to browse and visit with the representatives.

Speaking to arriving participants in a welcome letter, Mission-Net Director Evi Rodemann said, “Mission-Net gives you the opportunity to not only meet people from all over Europe, but also receive some great teaching, take part in dynamic worship and research many different career opportunities around the world with our mission agency partners and training organisations.” She hopes participants will leave the conference with a clear sense of God’s purpose for their lives.  

Various speakers, including OM Founder George Verwer, are sharing each evening. General Director of the Bible Society of Egypt, Ramez Atallah, and his wife Rebecca teach from the Book of Daniel in the morning sessions. Also included in the Mission-Net programme are main stage performances by Croatian band October Light, Northern Irish band Rend Collective Experiment and professional pantomime artist Carlos Martinez, from Spain. The World News Band, from the Netherlands, leads musical worship each morning

Praise God for this opportunity for young people in Europe to gather to worship God and learn more about missions. Please pray that participants will leave with a clearer understanding of God’s plan for their lives.

"For the past week, visitors have been invited to 'park off' in front of Jesus' crib, listen to stories or write personal concerns on paper and place them in the cracks of a ‘wailing wall’ from 17:00 to 18:00 every day," reports Toni, member of the local OM team. "Visitors are also invited to write what they are thankful for or what they hope for this Christmas. We hope these posters will encourage people to open their hearts to God."

Because the Christmas hut is located in the middle of the Christmas Fair, many families have already visited, much to the amazement of the local churches and OM team. The crib is open until Friday, 23 December. Pray that many would be encouraged to "park off" in front of the crib this Christmas and take a moment to open their hearts to God this advent season.

The week’s theme, “REAL,” focused not only on knowing the Jesus of the Bible, but also living out a genuine relationship with him.

“This week we want to experience the fullness of God, to know and experience His presence,” wrote TeenStreet programme leaders Josh and Debs Walker in the welcome message of the daily newsletter.

Throughout the week, teens from 17 nations spent mornings learning from God’s Word in main hall sessions, followed by a time of small groups and alone time with God during the campus-wide “Shhh” time.

On the first day, teens evaluated how they viewed themselves—whether they had a desire and love for God and found approval in Him, or sought approval from those around them. They delved into this further the following day as the boys and girls separated for sessions about finding identity in Christ and approval in Him rather than seeking confirmation from the world.

“[God] makes me feel more worthy,” said Asla, a teen from the Faroe Islands. “And I’m more aware of that worthiness now.”

“[God] makes me feel more worthy,” said Asla, a teen from the Faroe Islands. “And I’m more aware of that worthiness now.”

By mid-week teens learned about being still and silent before God, listening to His voice. They focused on acknowledging distractions and noise in their lives and removing these distractions by turning to Jesus.

Throughout the week, teens could participate in sports, get fun non-alcoholic drinks at the cocktail bar and visit with mission workers in the OM Global village. They could also choose from a wide range of fun and thought-provoking chatrooms or exciting workshops that offered skills they could use in ministering to others.

On Wednesday, teens brought what they had learned in the workshops to the streets of Offenburg for an afternoon of community outreach, bringing love to the people in the city. Part of this included breaking Germany’s largest coffee table record; 6,000 participants from TeenStreet and the city of Offenburg shared coffee and cake at a 1375 metre-long table.

After the outreach, Anja, a teen from Germany felt encouraged to stay true in her faith, especially when she returned home. “I want to be open about my faith,” Anja said. “I don’t want to deny it in front of anyone. I realised how important God is to me!”

A highlight were the evenings of worship—Throne Room—during which teens encountered God in response to the time of praise. Adelaide from the U.S. felt God’s presence strongly. “I started praying and there was just an explosion of thoughts. But suddenly I had a feeling I was expecting too much,” said Adelaide, who almost instantly heard a voice tell her not to worry that she was expecting a lot. “I knew it was God. I felt God physically there; in that moment, He became a real person. Even though I was in a room filled with thousands of people, God took the time to talk back to me.”

The prayer team was busy during Throne Room each night, listening to teens share their stories and seek prayer for struggles. “It’s been overwhelming,” said Leif Magnusson of the Prayer Team. “We’ve seen how God has touched people in different ways. People have really met Jesus in Throne Room and they want to come and tell someone about it, so they come out to [the prayer area].”

“[We were told] that forever the city of Offenburg’s impression has been changed. It’s not just an impression of young people the city has, it’s an impression of Jesus.”

The final days of TeenStreet highlighted the privilege each Christian has to be in the presence of God. Teens were given a final boost to step forward in their walk with Christ and live freely in His presence, as well as to go back to their homes and share Jesus with others.

Although TeenStreet 2011 has come to an end, the work of the Holy Spirit has not. There is no doubt that teens, volunteers and Offenburg locals will remember this week as the Lord continues to move and grow in their hearts. 

“It’s such a humbling thing for us to be involved in something like this,” said Debs during Throne Room one evening. “[We were told] that forever the city of Offenburg’s impression has been changed. It’s not just an impression of young people the city has, it’s an impression of Jesus.”

Visit www.teenstreet.de for more about TeenStreet Germany.

"She had accepted Jesus the previous year, but her heart was angry and bitter," reported the co-worker. "She had been betrayed and hurt by business partners, and together we wrestled in prayer to ask for forgiveness and help her release her bitterness."

Although the prayer session was draining that night, the Xenos Team member returned home fulfilled, because Alex's preaching had created faith and God had worked through their prayer.

"We asked God to create trust in His justice and release of bitterness," said the co-worker. That night, the Chinese lady was able to overcome her bitterness and experience new joy.

"While talking to a few ladies in the hallway, an asylum seeker invited us to his flat, which he shares with five other Iranians. They offered us tea in the kitchen, and then the Iranian placed a Farsi Bible on the kitchen table. He had received it from someone in Greece. 'Do you have good news for us?' he asked.

"We felt like we were reliving the Book of Acts," continued the OM team member. The team shared from the Bible and prayed with them for over two hours. Since that time, the Iranians have started attending worship service, as well as a Bible study with Xenos team members.

Praise God for encouraging a believer in Greece to give a Farsi Bible to an Iranian, and for the Iranian's desire to know the Good News in Germany.

The Xenos team in Germany is delighted about Ibrahim, a Turkish man, who is following Jesus. This is the story of Ibrahim’s journey to faith in Christ:

"I was born near Ankara, Turkey, as the seventh of eight children. My father died when I was nine years old. Even during his lifetime, I never felt that I received enough of his love. When he died, I felt I would never experience the love of a father any more. Inside of me, something broke. Because we were a poor family, my mother prepared her children for a life  of hard work. But she wanted me in particular to get a good education.

I wanted to know how to get in contact with God and which religion pleased God the most. I also wanted to know what God expects from humans.

In high school, I loved natural sciences. But I was deeply confused by the evolutionary theory. How could nature come into existence by itself? I started reading the Qur’an. I wanted to know how to get in contact with God and which religion pleased God the most. I also wanted to know what God expects from humans. However, the concept of God in the Qur’an was strange to me. At this time, I was in contact with socialists through a relative of mine. I felt attracted to some of their world views. But their system didn’t have place for God; supposedly everything ended with death. For me, this was not satisfying.

I decided to continue exploring religion and again started with the Qur’an. After graduation from high school, I qualified to attend university in Ankara. My mother was delighted. But my unanswered questions overshadowed everything else. In my mind, there was a war going on between believing in God and socialistic atheism. I was convinced that God exists, but I couldn’t come in contact with Him. In the meantime, I let my studies slide. I decided to try new ways to become happy. I started to work and entertain myself with my money. My stomach was full, but my spirit was hungry.

I was convinced that God exists, but I couldn’t come in contact with Him.

I thought marriage would bring me happiness, so I married. But after some time, I left my wife. In 2004, I arrived in Germany. While living in a shelter for asylum seekers, people from OM Ger Xenos team visited me and gave me a Turkish Bible. At first, all I was interested in was having social contact with these people. But about a year ago, I started studying the Bible seriously, beginning with the Gospel of Matthew. I saw how Jesus helped the poor and healed the sick, and I thought that this was so much nicer than with the socialists. I learned that God is love and forgiveness, and that we should love our enemies.

In my culture, I was warned against reading the Bible. Now I have discovered that the Bible represents purity, because Jesus Christ was pure. Being that pure person, He could forgive our sins. In considering the life of Jesus Christ, I could understand the meaning of my own life. Finally, I have found joy in life. I have now found an everlasting Father who is forever at my side."

Vaterliebe tut gut

Das Xenos-Team freut sich über Ibrahim, einen türkischen Mann, der seit kurzem Jesus nachfolgt. Dies ist die Geschichte von Ibrahims Weg zum Glauben an Christus:

"Ich wurde in der Nähe von Ankara als Siebtes von acht Kindern geboren. Schon zu Lebzeiten meines Vaters empfand ich, dass ich nicht genug von seiner Liebe bekam. Als ich neun Jahre alt war, starb er. Nun würde ich nie mehr die Liebe eines Vaters empfangen. In meinem Inneren zerriss etwas. Weil wir eine arme Familie waren, bereitete meine Mutter ihre Kinder früh auf das Arbeitsleben vor. Aber mir wollte sie gern eine bessere Bildung ermöglichen.

Auf dem Gymnasium liebte ich die Naturwissenschaften. Die Evolutionstheorie verunsicherte mich aber tief. Wie nur sollte die Natur von selbst entstanden sein? Ich begann den Koran zu lesen. Ich fragte mich, wie man wohl in Kontakt mit Gott kommen könnte und welche Religion Gott wohl am meisten gefiele. Ich fragte mich auch, was Gott von den Menschen erwartete. Den Gottesbegriff des Koran fand ich jedoch befremdlich.

Durch einen Verwandten bekam ich in dieser Zeit Kontakt zu Sozialisten. Mir gefiel manches an ihrer Weltanschauung. Aber für Gott gab es in ihrem System keinen Platz, angeblich war alles aus mit dem Tod. Dies fand ich unbefriedigend. Ich entschloss mich dazu, weiterhin die Religionen zu untersuchen und begann dabei wieder mit dem Koran.

Nach dem Schulabschluss konnte ich mich für eine Universität in Ankara qualifizieren, was meine Mutter sehr freute. Für mich war es jedoch so, dass meine unbeantwortete Sinnfrage alles andere überschattete. In meinen Gedanken tobte ein Krieg zwischen Gottesglaube und sozialistisch gefärbtem Atheismus. Ich war mir sicher, dass es Gott gibt, aber ich konnte nicht mit ihm in Kontakt kommen. Das Studium ließ ich unterdessen schleifen. Ich beschloss, dass ich neue Wege beschreiten musste, um glücklich zu werden. Ich begann zu arbeiten und versuchte, mich mit dem verdienten Geld ausgiebig zu vergnügen. Mein Magen war voll, aber mein Geist hungrig. Danach dachte ich, dass eine Ehe mich vielleicht glücklich machen würde. Ich heiratete, trennte mich später jedoch von meiner Frau.
 
Inzwischen, es war 2004, war ich nach Deutschland gekommen. Während ich noch im Asylbewerberheim war, besuchten mich Leute vom Xenos-Team und brachten mir eine türkische Bibel mit. Doch zunächst war ich nur an sozialen Kontakten mit den Xenos-Mitarbeitern interessiert. Erst vor einem Jahr begann ich ernsthaft mit dem Bibelstudium, ich fing dabei mit Matthäus an. Ich sah, wie Jesus den Armen half und die Kranken gesund machte, und fand das eigentlich schöner als bei den Sozialisten. Ich erfuhr, dass Gott Liebe und Vergebung ist und dass man seine Feinde lieben soll. In meiner Kultur hatte man mich gewarnt, die Bibel zu lesen. Nun entdeckte ich aber, dass die Bibel Reinheit verkörperte, weil Jesus Christus rein war. Nur als diese reine Person konnte er die Sünden von uns Unreinen vergeben. Indem ich das Leben Jesu Christi betrachtete, konnte ich den Sinn meines eigenen Lebens erkennen. Endlich habe ich Lebensfreude gefunden.

Während ich meinte, für immer auf die Liebe eines Vaters verzichten zu müssen, habe ich nun einen unsterblichen Vater gefunden, der immer an meiner Seite ist."