Even though Rachel had experience in the Middle East and a strong understanding of Islam, she found it difficult to build bridges with the Arabs in her community in England. It was when she took a little puppet show to a local park that she found her new strategy: Through kids ministry, she was able to make connections with whole families from least reached people groups. Using stories, rather than academic arguments, she found the barriers between her and her Arab neighbours were breaking down.

“Story-telling is a big part of Arab culture,” says Rachel. “I usually start with Old Testament stories that they might be familiar with and then work my way through the Bible. I want to point them to Jesus.”

Rachel has been working with some of the mothers from her church to organise more puppet shows for the local community. One of their events was a 'Light Party': an alternative family event to Halloween. Dozens of children and parents from the diverse neighbourhood attended. The team put on an entertaining evening with games and a puppet show and shared that they didn’t need to fear darkness because Jesus is the light of the world.

As part of the 'Light Party' celebration, the team accompanied children around the local area, not to collect sweets, but to give out candles. They approached a barbershop run by some Arab men, who were a little suspicious at first. “No, no,” they said. “We don’t want to buy anything from you.”

When the children explained that the candles were a gift celebrating Jesus, the men were delighted. They not only accepted the candles but also gave each child a little money. “This is a wonderful idea!” they enthused.

One little girl was so moved by what she heard at the party that when she met other children dressed as witches on the bus home, she informed them that they should be celebrating Jesus instead. “Don’t you know He’s the light?”

Thank God for the way the children’s ministries have been welcomed among Arab families in the UK. Pray that the families would hear the gospel communicated in a way they can understand, and that they would respond to Jesus for themselves.

*name changed

**Joshua Project estimates

“They know our unity is a God thing,” shares Cathy. “We’ve had people on the team from all over the world, and there’s always been unity. It’s a testimony to the women who come here.”

The group have been meeting every week for years, and although the friendships didn’t come easily, there have been some incredibly encouraging developments.

“A lot of the mums started out unconfident, not opening up or speaking English,” Cathy recalls. “There’s such a difference now — they hug us and text us their family updates and introduce us to their friends.”

The team share the love of Jesus with the Pakistani women by providing a safe community and leading weekly informal Bible studies. Most of the women are from a Muslim background, so they often have different ideas about concepts like grace and forgiveness.

“We have to have good communication — I always ask them what they think first, so it’s more natural to share,” says Cathy. “When we started they wouldn’t even acknowledge us, but now we can have conversations about faith!”

The impact of this community doesn’t just end with the women. Husbands go out of their way to let the team know how pleased they are that their wives attend the group: “They come home really happy!” The team are blessed by the opportunity to start building relationships with the whole family.

There are no quick fixes here: this ministry is about investing in people and letting the light of the gospel shine through this Christ-centred community. Cathy’s long-term dream for the area is to see a church planted and led by a Pashto-speaking pastor. A community of Pakistani believers would also mean people could take the gospel ‘home’ to areas of Pakistan otherwise inaccessible for non-local missionaries.

“It’s not an impossible dream,” she says. “We know that prayer makes things happen.”

Pray for the OM workers as they build relationships with families in the communities. Pray for the women attending Bible studies, that they would encounter Jesus for themselves. Pray for God to raise up a Pashto-speaking church for the area.

*name changed for security

“They come here to find a better job, a better life,” explains Jack*, an OM working among Kurdish people in the UK.

While some Kurdish people learn English and find a well-paying job, Jack says that many will get stuck in a ‘Kurdish bubble’, working for friends or family members in car washes, pizza shops or barbers.

“I know someone who’s been here for 15 years and barely speaks any English,” says Jack.

Jack shares his life with Kurdish friends, and distributes Christian literature at Kurdish-run shops, restaurants and car washes. Although he had been expecting hostility, Jack found that the biggest challenge he faces in this ministry is apathy.

“I’m just trying to get people to care,” he says.

All the same, God has been working among the Kurdish people in the UK. This year, OM had the privilege of hosting a conference for Kurdish believers from all over the country. It was a weekend of training, fellowship and encouragement – and it was the first gathering of Kurdish believers from different cities that the team knows of.

“It’s quite a new community – they have a need for solid teaching,” says Jack.

Jack was encouraged to see many fellowships from around the UK with Kurdish leadership. His prayer is for a Kurdish fellowship to meet in Birmingham, and for God to raise up Kurdish people to lead it.

The Kurdish people have a long and turbulent history, which Jack describes as a series of ‘false dawns’. For the Kurdish people, the future is uncertain. But the gospel message that believers want to share with them is one of overwhelming hope: a message of belonging to God’s family, and a permanent hope for the future.

Pray that God would bring together a fellowship of Kurdish believers in Birmingham. Pray for Jack and other workers as they witness to people from a Kurdish background. Pray for God to strengthen existing Kurdish fellowships across the country, and that they would be mobilised to reach their own people.

*name changed

Why? Because the story of Jesus transforming their lives stands out among Somali people everywhere. Both born in Mogadishu as Muslims, Casho and Caaisho today are followers of Jesus, and they want everyone, especially Somalis, to know. “God has given us a desire and passion to share the good news with others,” Casho stated.

At an OM conference this year, the couple spent their breaks with earbuds plugged in, huddled over their phones, responding to the dozens of messages they receive daily from Somalis interested in the gospel of Jesus. After dinner one evening alone, they took four calls—two from Somalis who were saved after discovering their ministry and planned to get baptised the following year, and two from Somalis seeking truth.

Over the past couple of years, the couple have created a database of Christian Somali resources on their website, jidka janada (way to heaven). They film videos about various topics and questions that often come up in their discipleship conversations and post them online. “We know the questions. We always answer the questions from the Bible. We never talk about Islam; we just share the love of Christ and the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Jesus,” Caaisho explained.

One of the videos they made was about divorce. “For the Somali people, it’s normal to divorce,” Caaisho said. “We made this topic, talking about [how] God wanted one man and one woman together forever, and [how] He hates divorce.”

In the video, which they posted on Facebook, Caaisho used the everyday example of a young Somali girl in her early 20s with four kids, each with a different dad. Within half an hour of posting the video, a Somali girl called her, crying. “Guess what?” she told Caaisho. “The person you were talking about is me.”

With three children from three different husbands, and a fourth on the way from yet another man, she grabbed onto Caaisho’s message: “I never hear [that] God hates divorce and God wants the family together. I want to be a follower of Christ. Can you pray with me?”

“She just watched that [video], and God changed her heart,” Caaisho said. “She’s still following Christ…She’s still loving the Lord and is a Christian, but her husband, not yet.”

Prepare for persecution

When possible, the two advise new Somali believers living in western countries to connect with local fellowships for further spiritual growth. But for those living in Muslim countries or Somalia itself, “we are their church,” Casho explained. “We disciple them through Skype, WhatsApp, email, different things…I say we have a church without walls.”

The same tools Casho and Caaisho use to disciple new believers — social media, messaging apps, the Internet — are also used to threaten and intimidate them. “Sometimes you don’t feel [persecution] physically, but psychologically you feel it. If you open Facebook or messenger, people will give you a threat and send you a [picture of a] knife or a weapon or a head cut off,” Casho said.

These virtual threats are reminders of the very real attacks they face on a regular basis. In Somalia, “if you convert to Christianity, the sentence is death,” Casho said. “Anyone who sees you can kill you because you convert to Christianity.” Although the couple now live in the West (having immigrated from Somalia with their families in the ‘90s), Somali religious authorities have still issued orders to shut them down.

“You know you are working for the Lord when you see arrows on your back. You are going a different way. Those arrows on your back, they are not from the enemy, they are from your own people because the enemy is in front of you,” Casho said.

As Casho and Caaisho disciple young Somali believers, they likewise prepare them to suffer for their faith. “This is not an easy way. It has consequences,” Casho stated. “The family will cut you off; some people will lose their jobs, especially living in Africa [or] working for Muslims… Not only that, even imams nowadays, they try to stop the wave of Christianity—they issue fatwa against Christians, especially those who are leading, those who are bold enough to come out on YouTube and social media. It is a dangerous way, very scary. …We trust in the Lord, but it is costly, and every day, we are carrying our cross.

Gathering for fellowship

Peter*, a long-term OM worker in Europe, who has championed a gospel movement among the Somali diaspora, encouraged an early believer to gather with other Somali Christians. Caaisho, the first believer in her family, initially connected with that believer as well as three other Somali believers in an Internet chatroom. But when she was invited to meet with them in person, she said no. “We were not trusting each other; we were using fake names,” she remembered.

That year, only Peter and three Somali believers met for face-to-face fellowship. Two years later, after continuing to develop the relationships online and building trust, Caaisho joined the annual meeting, where 10 Somali believers gathered. From the beginning, Peter encouraged them to lead the conference. “When we gather, it is our way. How we pray, how we worship, how we teach and preach, the Somali language—it’s a blessing from Peter,” Casho said.

“Peter 100 per cent supported us, and without him, we wouldn’t be here, him and his wife. We need each other, especially we need them,” Caaisho added. “We will call him and his wife, and they start praying straight away and encouraging us, giving us advice and wisdom and prophecy. They are a mom and dad for all Somali Christians.”

That support is vital, Casho explained: “When someone converted to Christianity as a Muslim, he loses his family, and he wants a new family, starting with us. Seeing each other personally, it is a wonderful thing.”

The annual gatherings, which started with three people, have dramatically expanded. “If we had a place, we could host 300-400 people,” Casho estimated. “Somalis are softening in their hearts now. They are fed up with Islam. They don’t have another way to follow God.”

Since 2015, Casho and Caaisho have partnered with OM to reach Somalis around the world. Everywhere they go, they have enemies—and they also find Somali believers. “We are seeing God’s hand in our ministry, in our family and in our people as well,” Casho said. “This time we live in is a historical time. God is building his church. Jesus is building his church among Somalis.”

Pray for Somali believers’ protection as they grow in faith and boldly share truth with their families and communities. Pray that the Spirit of the Lord touches more Somalis’ hearts. Pray for unity and love among Somali believers. Pray that God would raise more workers to share the good news with the Somalis.

*Name changed for security

Nicole is a world traveller and writer for OM International, based in the US. She’s passionate about partnering with believers to communicate the ways God is working across the globe. In her free time, you’ll find her biking, paddle boarding or curling up with coffee and a good book.

John* and Riya* work alongside other Christian volunteers to run the centre, bringing practical support and a much-needed spiritual light to the community. Through friendships and training courses, they build connections with the community and take every opportunity they can to share about Jesus.

“We try to find out what the needs are in the community,” says John. “We survey door-to-door; it takes a long time actually, because they like talking to us. They all want to have a conversation.”

One of the ways the centre supports the neighbourhood is through training. A local Muslim lady teaches a sewing course, giving the women the skills to make their own salwar kameez (traditional Indian clothing). One lady, having completed the course, set up her own clothing business and is now able to make a living.

The centre also has computer facilities to host IT classes, and a comfortable seating area for English conversation classes. The volunteers incorporate a short Bible study and discussion into every lesson. Riya takes particular joy in introducing Bible stories that people may not have heard before, and is able to do that through the classes.

For cultural reasons, men and women meet in separate rooms. The team have found that while the women are sewing, their husbands are quite happy to sit with a cup of coffee and chat in an adjoining room.

“I’ve been having conversations and building friendships with the men,” shares John. “It can be difficult if they have limited English, but we just try to find links with people.”

The team have found that locals enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the centre, and some visit almost every day.

“As soon as I came to this place, I felt peace.” Ayesha* who came from an abusive home but found a safe place at the Friendship Centre.

A social worker volunteers monthly at the centre to provide as much support as possible for the community, but they are aware that there is still more work to be done. John explains that he’d love to see a sports facility in order to connect specifically with the teens.

“There’s no sports facility here for the early teens,” John explains. “We’d like to do something for them, but we’ll need more workers.”

The Friendship Centre is an investment into a community that needs to see the gospel lived out, and to experience the freedom and peace that only Jesus can bring.

“One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbour.” – Proverbs 12:26 (ESV)

Thank God that the Friendship Centre can be a neutral space for people from all backgrounds to meet, learn and have deep conversations! Please pray that the people who attend the Friendship Centre would encounter Jesus for themselves. Pray for someone willing to work with teenagers in the area.

*names changed for security

“Not everywhere in Turkey is very conservative,” explains Michael. “The young people can often be quite open-minded and interested to know more about the faith of non-Turks. They ask us, ‘Why have you come here?’”

One village that Michael and Rebecca visited was dominated by an open market. The couple spent time exploring this area, buying items and looking for opportunities to talk to the local people. For Michael and Rebecca, finding someone to talk to was harder than they had expected.

“In this market, everything is seen,” explains Michael. “So, we have to be sensitive because it’s an open area.”

As the couple were walking along the main street, praying in their hearts, a man approached them and asked, “Are you tourists?” Michael told him that they were visiting the area and the man said to them, “Come with me. I will be your tourist guide!” After taking the team to visit a museum and to view old architecture of the village, 56-year-old Hayri* invited them to his home for some food. At the Hayri’s home, they spent time chatting with his family and enjoyed the food.

They discovered that his father was sick. The 80-year-old was in bed with a fractured hip bone. “Haryi’s mother was also very sad. She was worried about her husband,” Michael remembers. The team shared the gospel with the family, and Michael shared a testimony, then they prayed for the man’s father and mother. “They were so impressed by the care from us, as non-Turks,” tells Michael.

After dinner, Hayri took the team to visit a ruined Armenian church, where the team prayed and sang worship songs in Turkish. “This was for the Hayri’s benefit, so he would clearly hear the gospel message,” shares Michael. Michael and Rebecca praised God that the Holy Spirit had led this man to them: “We don’t know what we can do in the future, but the Holy Spirit will show us the way and fulfil everything.”

Michael tells another story of their experience in one small city in Turkey. The central area of the city is home to many restaurants and shops. Amongst these is an open-air café with a large area of tables and chairs around a central café building. Part of the Turkish lifestyle is to visit this place to talk and drink tea, chatting with friends and meeting new people. “We sat down at a table and looked for opportunities to reach people,” tells Michael. “Many of the people are interested in talking with people from other countries, so they can practice their English.”

One guy fell into conversation with an English team member. The team member talked with Asan* and his brother, Mazhar*, about the gospel, and they spent many hours discussing the differences between Christianity and Islam. “The discussion never ended,” tells Michael. “The next day was Mazhar’s birthday, so we were invited back. In the end we spent three nights with these people in the café!”

Throughout that time Michael, Rebecca and the team had discussions with many people. “We made lot of new friends,” says Michael. “Many were introduced to us by this one person—Asan! God gave us an open area to share the good news.” When the time came to move on, the team invited Asan to come to a Sunday service in the city the group were visiting next. “God showed us the different spiritual needs in Turkey,” tells Michael. “Someone has to go to them. Otherwise what chance do they have to hear the gospel?”

Pray for the people of Turkey to be open to the gospel. Pray for those seeking Christ to discover what it means to follow Jesus. Pray for people to go to Turkey, both long-term and short-term, to serve the people and meet their needs.

Do you feel called to serve God in Turkey? Take a look at OM’s short-term and long-term opportunities.

*Name changed for security

The team visited two churches to run five-day long holiday clubs, with this year’s theme being “Lionheart and the Great Wild West Adventure”. Run in partnership with the churches, each club involved two hours each morning, packed full of exciting activities. Connected by the theme of the Wild West, the craft, parachute games, puppets and singing all helped to communicate the Bible story for the day.

“It’s wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the children,” shares Julian, one of the two members of the Kids ‘n’ Things team. “We give them a Bible verse to memorise each day and, on arrival the next day, you see them rushing in to find a leader who they can quote the verse to!”

“It’s that moment when the club starts and you hear the excitement,” adds Kees-Jan, the other long-term team member. “The kids absolutely love it.”

The Kids ‘n’ Things team looks to present the message of Jesus to children in a way they can enjoy and understand, and gives the children the opportunity to choose how they want to respond. “Many children have a wrong picture of who God is,” says Julian. “We want to give them a true picture of our faith.”

Often the impact of the Kids ‘n’ Things work is not seen immediately. “We’re sowing seeds,” states Julian. “To begin with, all the growth is underground, but God is working in lives and communities. Being in ministry long-term means I hear things such as, ‘Coming to a Lionheart club was the beginning of my journey to faith’. We have to remember what we do is a partnership; we provide the club, and the church builds on that foundation."

“Once the church has contact with local families they can be invited to weekly kids’ activities that the church runs,” Kees-Jan adds. “In both of the churches we visited this summer, many families attended the service at the end of the week. On a usual Sunday, these churches see very few children.”

The journey to make a success of the clubs was not an easy one. The team relies on short-term volunteers to help run the clubs, and Kees-Jan tells that, “up to two days before we were to begin the first club, we had no extra team members.”

“It really stretched my faith,” says Julian. “I believed that God would provide, but I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘Have we crossed the line between faith and stupidity?’ I had to trust that it would work out.” Thankfully it did and, at the last minute, volunteers were found for both of the club weeks. “God’s idea of last minute is very different from our own,” states Julian, reflecting on his experience. “We also faced other obstacles like health issues, the council digging up the road and our van breaking down, but God brought us through them all.”

As the Kids ‘n’ Things team look to the future, they dream of a Kids ‘n’ Things Academy, where people can come for training in kids’ ministry. They would like to offer the opportunity to learn the theory and theology behind kids’ ministry, alongside practical experience gained through participating in Kids ‘n’ Things outreaches. They hope to equip prospective and existing children’s workers with the skills to plan and run their own programmes.

Pray for new members to join, both those skilled in children’s work and those with the ability to train others. Pray for the team’s vision for a Kids ‘n’ Things Academy. Pray for two or three people to express an interest in starting training in January or May 2019.

Is God calling you to children’s ministry? Click here to find out more information about the Kids ‘n’ Things Academy.

OM workers have been supporting this little shop since it opened in July 2017, but not for its quirky sales plan. The shop has a strategic position in a community of people from least reached places—in particular, Turkey and Kurdistan. Fuelled by donations, this shop exists not only to provide affordable products for the poorest members of the community, but also to create a neutral space for people to explore questions about Christianity.

Philip, an OM worker in the UK, volunteers his time to staff the shop three days a week and to build relationships in the community. “It’s about sustainable mission,” he says, explaining that its profits cover the cost of outreaches, while the shop itself is a helpful addition to the neighbourhood.

“We’re very new here—we opened in July,” says Philip. “But by September, we’d already hit the sales target. It’s a miracle, actually; I thought it would take us six months to hit it, at least.”

God has blessed the shop in other ways, too: the team have been amazed by the sheer quantity of donations the shop has received. A contact in one of the wealthier hotels in the area donates any unclaimed items that holidaymakers leave behind, and a couple of shop owners were so taken with the vision of the charity shop that they donated the rest of their brand-new stock upon their retirement.

OM has been present in this area for years, running an outdoor book table. Team members found it frustrating to have a weather-dependent ministry, and the fact that they had to change locations week by week made them difficult for people to find.

“We wanted to have a hub for the community,” Philip says, “a neutral place, where people can come and see us, without having to go into a church. That can be a really big deal for them. This shop is for transitions.”

The volunteers are implementing a regular hospitality ministry: a chance for customers and staff alike to enjoy Turkish tea and a relaxed space for deep conversations.

“We just share the news of Jesus wherever possible,” says Philip.

Please pray for Philip and the other volunteers as they make connections with the community around them and try to share the love of Jesus with those who haven’t heard. Pray for more Turkish-speaking volunteers to help run the ministry.

Today there are over 1.6 billion* Muslims in the world. It is likely that you live in or near a city where Muslims reside. No matter where you live, Muslims are now your neighbours. Sadly, over 80 per cent* of Muslims today do not personally know a Christian. We are told in Leviticus 19:18 to love our neighbour as ourself. In Luke 10:27 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (NIV).

You might ask: How do I love a Muslim? Don’t they speak a different language, believe in Islam and think Jesus is a prophet who did not die on the cross? Doesn’t the media portray Muslims as dangerous and untrustworthy?

Jesus does not call us, as Christians, to love people who are just like us. He says to love your neighbours and your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. So, what does it mean for us to love our Muslim neighbours? 

My wife and I learnt much from living in a Muslim neighbourhood in North Africa for many years. We discovered that Muslims are friendly, social, hospitable and religious. They love children, food and music, they honour their elders and they are devoted to their families.

We raised our three children in an apartment building, where they played on the street with our Muslim neighbours. We discovered that if we were intentional and open in our relationship with our neighbours, God gave us countless opportunities to share the love of Jesus.

How can you love your Muslim neighbours?

Firstly, smile and greet. Learn the common Muslim greeting (As-Salaam-Alaikum). If they speak another language at home, learn greetings and phrases in their native language. Feel free to introduce yourself as a Christian or a follower of Jesus Christ. Religion is a vital part of their life, as much as your Christian faith is to you.

Secondly, take an interest. Ask questions. Learn their names and practice the correct pronunciation. Ask about the meaning of their names. Find out about their culture, their family and their religion. In doing these things, you communicate that you value them as people.

Thirdly, learn. Allow your neighbours to teach you something. Learn some of their language or how to prepare a traditional dish from their culture. Learn about where they shop, what sports they play or what apps they like. Be willing to be a receiver and learner. It will give you the opportunity to share with them later.

Fourthly, make yourself available. This is a challenge with our busy schedules. When you start to get to know a Muslim in your community, try not to look at your phone, wondering what’s next on your schedule. In North Africa, my local friends would often say, “You Westerners all have nice watches but no time. We don’t wear watches, but we have lots of time!”

Finally, practice hospitality. Paul tells us to do this in Romans 12:13. My wife often tells me that she learnt hospitality from our Muslim friends. She learnt how to make tagine and couscous sitting in the kitchen for hours helping her friends prepare food. There is nothing like sharing a meal with a Muslim family in their home or inviting them into your home. If you are worried about what to serve, look up dishes online from their culture, serve hallal meat or go vegetarian. When you share a meal together with a Muslim in a home, so many walls come down and you will have freedom to relate.

Loving our Muslim neighbours is an opportunity and privilege. God has brought them to our doorstep. Now, you not only have a Muslim who lives in your city, you have a neighbour, made in the image of God, whom you know by name, and whom you can reach out to with the love of Jesus.

*Statistics provided by the Joshua Project and Pew Research Center.

The exhibition showcased various pieces of art from both Janice and others in the community. “There was one piece I painted that people visiting the exhibition gravitated to. I originally intended the painting to symbolise Jesus pouring out His life for us, and us having this treasure in jars of clay,” Janice explained.

However, for people with minimal knowledge of the Christian faith, this may have been an unusual concept, so “when people of other faiths showed an interest in the painting, I told them the story of the Samaritan women, and how Jesus is the living water, and how we can know Him.”

One man whom Janice spoke to was particularly interested by this story. “I was born a Muslim,” he said. “But just because you are born a Muslim, it doesn’t necessarily mean that is the truth. I have been looking into other religions because I want to know the truth”.

Janice was inspired, “hearing of the potential to host something at the church, as part of the festival.” Her vision for the event was to make connections with the local community and share the gospel with them through visual art.

She also wanted to “encourage the church that it can reach out to the community.” As people came and went, volunteers were on hand to talk to people and make them feel welcome.

Janice believes the event was a huge success, but it was not without its difficulties. “The church itself has only a very small congregation, made up of mainly elderly people,” says Janice. “The challenge was turning the hall into an art exhibition when no one on the team had done this before. It took three days to get the exhibition ready.”

One of the standout pieces of artwork from the weekend was one far more permanent than the rest of the exhibition. “It was amazing to see Chris Steinz, from the Netherlands, who came for just two days and managed to paint a whole wall in the hall with the Lord’s Prayer,” says Janice. “This hall is used in the winter as a night shelter for homeless men; what a testimony to have them lay down to sleep under the glow of the electric wall heaters and read the Lord’s Prayer.”

Pray for Janice as she uses her talent for art to show God’s love to people. Pray that she would have opportunities to develop ARTreach in the area. Pray that God would send more workers to form an OM team in the area. Pray for this partner church as it looks to refurbish its building to accommodate more outreach in the area.

"One day,” recalls Janice, looking back on an art class she was attending. “[The teacher] asked me ‘How did you get into all this religion stuff?’ I said, ‘Give me ten minutes and I’ll share.’” Janice was able to explain her testimony and the gospel with the whole class, sparking a discussion.

But the reach of this ministry has not been limited to art classes; Janice has also taken her painting to OM UK’s weekly outreach in Birmingham's city centre. She invited people to paint with her, each person adding to a collaborative piece.

One man approached the artwork, curious and Janice asked him if he went to church. “You mean a place of worship?” he replied. “I go to the mosque.” “Are you a good Muslim?” Janice asked, and when he looked bemused, she pressed on. “Do you read the Injil?”

When the man didn’t know what the Injil – the Arabic New Testament - was, Janice introduced him to her colleague. The OM worker, was then able to have an in-depth conversation with the man for the next 40 minutes. “We used art to start a conversation,” says Janice. “And who knows where that conversation goes?”

Janice hopes to continue using her painting to engage people that may not otherwise come into contact with the gospel. “For me, it’s not about the final product,” Janice says. “It’s about using the vehicle of art to do what we’re called: to evangelise.”

Please pray for Janice as she shares the gospel with those who connect with her art. Pray for OM teams following up with the people contacted through art outreaches.

* surname not included for security reasons

Street of Arabs

Seven years ago, the contract on the house Simon and Becky planned to buy unexpectedly fell through. They waited a year until they found a house in the neighbourhood near an iconic stadium where they now live. “When we moved in, we had no idea how big the Arab community was. We had no idea the Syrian influx that was about to start. The last two years, it was a wave that you could physically see,” Simon described. “We feel that for such a time as this, God shut a door. We knew we’d outgrown our flat, but the door shut for the area we thought we wanted to be. God opened the door for a different place, and now we can see why: We have all these Muslims on our doorstep.”

A stone’s throw away from their house, Arab shops line a bustling street. Three months ago, a Syrian food shop opened next to an Iranian pizza place. Across the road, a Lebanese man runs a bakery. Further along, there’s a Syrian restaurant, a Moroccan clothes shop, and the Iraqi barber shop Simon frequents. On his way to the OM centre, Simon passes another street, one side Somali, the other Afghan. “It’s so rich culturally,” he said.

The area also has a strong Islamic presence. Within the last two years, Simon said three new mosques have opened—in addition to two existing mosques with over a 1,000-person capacity.

Still, Simon sees many openings to talk about Jesus.

Outreach

Historically, Simon’s team focused on literature-based outreach, including mass distribution and book tables. In the last two years, however, he’s focused more on friendship outreach. “We’re wanting to open up conversations and listen to stories,” he said.

Weekly, Simon stops in shops along the street of Arabs to talk to the owners and meet other customers. Through that, “We’ve made some really good friendships, had opportunities to hear people’s stories and talk about our faith in a low-key way. People know that we’re praying for them.”

The stories Simon hears contain emotional and spiritual struggles—losing family members through the war, having loved ones disappear, being separated from spouses and children.

He met a Palestinian businessman who had become bankrupt twice. “But he was a fighter,” Simon stated. Twice, he managed to rebuild his business. “But what really broke him, what broke his spirit, was that one of his sons went to fight for ISIS and was killed,” Simon explained. “He was just a broken guy.”

Within a couple of months, Simon met three families with similarly sad stories. His hairdressers, two brothers from Iraq, also lost a third brother to a car bomb that had detonated outside his house. He left behind a young child and his wife, who was pregnant with their second child. Simon sat and listened to their stories. He also gave the two brothers Bibles.

Simon has met another man on the bus multiple times. “He’s going the same direction on a route. There’s dozens and dozens of buses,” Simon noted. “It seems fortuitous that we keep bumping into each other. He’s the one who’s heard the gospel most clearly through an Egyptian itinerant evangelist.

“The relationships we’re developing in the community are real, vital relationships where we can share clearly the truth and power of Christ to many people who have lost almost everything,” Simon explained.

“Becky and I, we are very intentional about wanting to be witnesses of Christ and His life and His salvation. We want to communicate that through words and through actions. Actions could be the sitting, listening, talking, and praying. It could be helping families with their children.”

During the week, Becky meets with several Muslim-background believers (MBBs), discipling them and praying together. “Many of these women, as believers, are witnesses within their spheres of influence,” Simon said.

Strategic partnerships

Beyond befriending Arabs, Simon also focuses on diaspora networking—linking with like-minded people from OM and other organisations for the common goal of seeing Muslims in Europe come to Christ. “A real joy is being able to work, week by week, with people from other [companies] in strategic ministry and seeing new things happen,” Simon shared.

This collaboration of organisations has developed several resources, including a course teaching ordinary Christians how to share the gospel with Muslims and, most recently, a second series equipping the church to receive MBBs. “It seems that the church has been stirred and awoken to be more of a presence to the growing Muslim community in the UK,” Simon noted.

Too, he shared that OM still incorporates literature as an intentional part of its work. For the last few years, his team has shipped materials to Scandinavia, facilitating ministries there. Over the next year, he also plans to facilitate times of strategic intercessory prayer for different zones in London with strong Arab presence.

“God’s breaking into the lives of individuals,” he said. “We are seeing more and more fruit in the Arab Muslim community.”

*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.

According to Operation World, this people group is around 96 per cent Muslim, so having such a significant population of unreached people in the UK presents a great opportunity for sharing the gospel. That said, workers like Deniz are encountering some hurdles. Because many members of this community have poor English, they struggle to find jobs that pay a fair wage and may be forced to work long hours just to support themselves. “They work as many as 12 hours a day, sometimes seven days a week,” he explains. This leaves little time for rest, let alone spiritual exploration and growth.

There are challenges among the Turkish believers, too; Deniz finds that many people coming to the UK as Christians come from shaky theological backgrounds. Although believers may no longer follow false teachings, deep-rooted misconceptions can mean they are unable to sustain themselves spiritually and may be very dependent on external workers.

“So what we are doing,” says Deniz, “is trying to build them up and encourage them to study Scripture for themselves, so they are able to teach others.”

He shares that there are multiple Turkish fellowship groups meeting regularly, and they have plans to plant another church in 2018. In spite of the obstacles, workers have seen the gospel changing the lives of both believers and non-believers.

“I think a lot of them are people who desire to know God and see how that applies to their life,” says Deniz. “There was one Muslim lady coming [to our house group] for eight months, after she saw Jesus in a dream. She accepted Christ—it was a real joy for us. Now she brings another friend who is Muslim—she has not accepted Christ yet, but she has been coming for eight weeks.”

There are a lot of young people in this community, too; this year OM was able to send some Turkish background teens to TeenStreet, where they had the opportunity to encounter God along with an international community of young Christians.

“We have a lot of kids, too,” Deniz adds. “Altogether in London we have about 20 children.” At the moment, though, these young people lack a youth or children’s worker. Although the young people are enthusiastic, inviting non-Christian friends to meetings, Deniz shares that they are praying for someone to commit to and invest in the young people.

And Deniz’s own story is a reminder of God’s faithfulness in working through even the smallest ministries: Brought up in a nominal Muslim family, Deniz was first introduced to Jesus as a child—by a 15-year-old girl leading Bible studies for her peers in her basement.

“So you see,” he says, “people come to faith in very different ways, and we see how God shapes them.”

The work among Turkish people can be slow, according to Deniz, and it takes a lot of time, energy and visits to people. There is much work still to be done, and many have yet to hear the gospel, but God dearly loves the Turkish people, and they are not forgotten.

Pray for spiritual growth among Turkish believers in the UK, so that they can be equipped to serve, and to share their faith with family and friends. Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to speak truth to those who have been taught false doctrines. Pray for someone to work with the youth and children in this community.

MDT UK will start in January 2018, and run for five months.

Could you tell us a little about your background in missions?

Nicky: Arthur is a minister by profession, and I’m a trained primary school teacher. We both did Theology degrees at London Bible College – that’s where Arthur and I met.

Arthur pastored a church in Hertfordshire for 13 years, and I was a primary school teacher before we headed to Guinea (in West Africa) with BMS World Mission. We were teaching in a Bible College, training pastors for rural ministry and church planting. Then we moved to Uganda, and taught degree students at the Kampala Evangelical School of Theology.

In 2009 we came back to the UK to keep working for BMS, at their international missions centre. We were involved in training everyone who went overseas with BMS.

What’s different about having an MDT in the UK?

Arthur: The programme will be based in the UK's super multicultural cities. According to research from the University of Birmingham, Birmingham is home to 187 different nationalities – they call it a city of ‘superdiversity.' And London is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. So MDT UK allows people to experience that. If you think you might have a calling to mission amongst the homeless, or Muslim people groups, or children – all that can be part of the MDT programme.

Nicky: We have a very diverse multinational team on the training site, and we’re hoping to attract multinational participants, so people will learn about crossing cultures just by living in community with people from different nationalities. It’s really good preparation for an active Christian life.

What will the MDT UK programme include?

Nicky: We’ll be looking at understanding Scripture, and God’s mission story from the beginning of Genesis right to the end. Participants will be looking at their own walk with Jesus, and we’ll be working through some of those personal issues that people bring, and trying to give those to God.

They’ll also be looking at crossing cultures, and sharing their faith with other people groups. We’re hoping they will regularly plug into local projects across Birmingham, so they can have weekly contacts and journey with people over a period of time. We’ll also be doing outreaches with least reached communities in London and Birmingham – we’ll serve with Muslim people groups, homeless people and refugees.

And then there’ll be a section on looking ahead – what this means for them later, and how they will continue their mission journey. We’re making connections and partnerships all over the OM world, so that if people want to extend after MDT, there are some really good opportunities to give them some overseas experience as well.

What are you most looking forward to about the programme?

Arthur: When we were in conversation with OM about coming to do this role, we went to one of their morning prayers. We listened to a family who’d just been on a short-term mission trip. The daughter of that family talked about how she’d been dragged to Moldova, although maybe she wasn’t really a Christian. But she went, and now she was standing up in that meeting talking about how it had transformed her, and that she wanted to keep sharing God’s love for the rest of her life – she wanted to go back to Moldova and take other people with her.

That was a light bulb moment: this is what MDT is. It offers us the opportunity to be involved in a programme that shapes people to be connected to what God is doing in the world.

What impact do you think this training will have on the students?

Nicky: We’re hoping they get bitten by the mission bug for a lifetime! Our passion is to see people just looking at their lives and saying, ‘God, where do you want me?’ Whether that happens to be getting on a ship, or on an aeroplane, or whether that just means going around and having a huge impact on their own environments, and on other people’s journeys. We’re hoping for a bit of a domino effect.

Arthur: Not everyone coming on this programme will stay with OM, but if they do, it just offers an unbelievable breadth of opportunities for people to serve and be involved in mission. It’s exciting to think of where some of the people who come on MDT might end up.

Pray for the right people to sign up for MDT, and that God will be preparing them for the programme. Pray for Arthur and Nicky as they settle into OM, and as they organise and promote MDT. Pray for the rest of the MDT team as they prepare for the new students arriving in January.

Interested in joining MDT UK? Apply here!

Kris: Tell us something about your testimony.

Andrew: Like many baby boomers of my generation, growing up in the ’70s and the ’80s, Christianity was not very relevant to me personally. Even though I attended church on a regular basis, it was through meeting people who are passionate about Jesus and making Him known that I made a commitment.

After two years with OM in Belgium, where I met my wife, Marcia, I was ordained as a pastor. I ministered in the US for 17 years prior to returning to Europe as the pastor of an international church in France in the early 2000s, which also involved planting a local church.

Kris: What is your role within OM United Kingdom, and what does that entail?

Andrew: Last year, as OM United Kingdom and OM Lifehope merged into one ministry, OM’s UK Director, Matthew Skirton, invited me to steer forward evangelism ministries across the country. This coincided with OM developing a new international mission statement: “We want to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers and among the least-reached,” which allowed us an opportunity to refine the focus of OM’s ministry here in the UK. Practically, that means I give oversight, direction and support to teams working amongst ethnic minorities such as Somalis, Turks, Pakistanis, Syrians and Chinese.

Kris: What does ministry in the UK look like?

Andrew: OM ministry in the UK is not a new thing, and, actually, has already been focused on reaching these people groups over the past 60 years.

The difference is that we are now more focused on seeing these peoples not just finding Christ but becoming part of a local church, which can reproduce and continue the work of evangelism, discipleship and leadership training amongst second and third generations. What is really encouraging is that amongst multicultural churches and ethnic churches there is a desire to reach not just their culture but also those who live around them whatever their background.

Kris: Many missions wouldn’t recognise Europe, and certainly not the UK, as being least-reached. Is this the same for OM?

Andrew: We are living in a wonderful period in UK history. Even with the great number of churches who are engaged, there are still communities of people who do not have a vibrant fellowship amongst them that relevantly proclaim the good news.

That could be because they are isolated by language (i.e., The gospel is not being presented to a community in their mother tongue.) or they could be isolated culturally, ethnically and, perhaps in some instances, geographically. OM brings a wealth of experience in cross-cultural missions, and this is the area in which OM can uniquely equip the British church in expanding its reach.

Kris: What do you envision UK ministry to look like in five years?

Andrew: In five years’ time, I could imagine that we would have individuals and teams in the UK’s major urban cities—where the least-reached are living—who are partnering with others to evangelise, disciple and train leaders so that we can see believers who can reproduce disciples, workers, missionaries and even churches.

Kris: What will it take for us [the Church] to get there?

Andrew: It will take individuals who are called, willing to be trained, sent out and have a passion to reach across cultures and languages to effectively present the gospel. Right now, we have teams in London and Birmingham. I think we could soon see teams grow in Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester.

Those who have abilities in the arts, music and sports as well as children’s workers can all play a significant part in helping us. The ability to evangelise, disciple and train leaders is a unique gifting—no matter the approach we take.

Kris: What can the Church do to get involved?

Andrew: I believe we need to continue listening and explore partnership ideas with the local church, with individuals and with the other organisations already doing great work. Local churches can partner with us by sending people to learn, grow and serve through our UK Missions Discipleship Training programme.

Probably the hardest challenge is that traditionally for OM in the UK, other nations have sent us workers. Now, we need the British church to be begin responding to the mission field that has come to the UK. If we can reach them, I believe they will, in turn, send out a new generation to the rest of the world.

Pray for the new opportunities the church has to partner with OM ministries around the UK.

Their vision, to reach the 360+ million Urdu speakers in their own countries or the Diaspora with the news that God loves them and has a plan for each of their lives, was made possible through 21st century technology in broadcasting.

Technology enables truth to come directly to those who seek it - through computers, tablets, mobiles and other media – straight into people’s homes and hands, through media apps.  Not only making truth available, but providing answers to seekers, and well-made programmes that develop and grow believers in Jesus to greater understanding and knowledge of the God of the Bible.

By making programmes in people’s heart-language, by mother-tongue hosts who understand and belong to the culture - gifted speakers and knowledgeable expositors of the Bible – relevant topics can communicate to meet people’s spiritual needs. For although many people hunger for the Truth, there are only a small number of good quality programme makers and broadcasts available in Urdu to meet their spiritual hunger. This partner ministry is committed to bridging that gap; committed to :

1. Broadcast good quality programmes into the Urdu-speaking locations;  
2. Provide a training ground for broadcasting skills and expertise to be acquired;
3. Offer other heart-language programmers with the same vision opportunity to hire purpose-built facilities.

The ministry needs

• Prayer - for safety, for effective production, and rapport with its audience. Join our ministry prayer partners!
• Recruits - enthusiastic volunteers, or gifted and skilled experts. Join our tekkie team!
• Shared awareness – both within and outside OM of the ministry, its news, stories, prayer needs, financial requirements. Join our list of champions!

Pray that as Urdu-speakers hear and receive through this ministry, lives will be changed. That Urdu-speakers will come into personal relationship with the God who brings transformation.

“We took up the reins of running Manna House toward the end of April 2016, and since then we have enjoyed learning the ropes," writes Andrew. "This has involved hosting people from many nations, hearing their stories of different mission fields, as well as providing a haven for individuals, groups and families passing through London.” 

“People in full-time service often face unique challenges: living in a different culture from their own; working in a second or even third language; and sometimes living somewhere economically or politically unstable,” he continued. “A break from such challenges is often needed.”

Andrew (UK) and Rachel (Brazil) first met at an evangelism training programme in London 19 years ago. They and their two daughters, Hannah (13) and Joy (9), have remained in the Bromley area, where Manna House is located, throughout their married lives.

Toward the end of 2015, Andrew and Rachel asked the Lord for clear direction in knowing His will for their lives. They became aware of the need for new managers at Manna House, and although not immediately sure of its rightness, God confirmed to them in many ways that this was His plan for their future.

“Before we even heard of Manna House, Rachel had a dream of being in a kitchen which she knew was her own, but not the one we had at the time. As she opened the cupboards, bread fell out of each one – suggesting a House of Bread,” Andrew recalls. “Each possible hindrance to our taking up residence simply melted away; through our own prayers, and the advice of others, we felt great peace that this was where we should be.”

One week before their final interview to work at Manna House, Andrew was offered a job that paid more than he had ever earned before: “In one very special moment, God spoke to me, saying that I could choose this job, as my heart was to provide for my family, but that I should not forget how He had led us so far.”

The Carter family is enjoying the ministry of Manna House greatly. They provide others from many countries a home away from home with a warm welcome, a bed for the night, and a listening ear. In so doing, they underline OM Founder George Verwer’s belief that: “The bottom line in mission work is people work... loving them, serving them and helping them become strong disciples of Jesus.”

Manna House accommodates a maximum of 19 people spread between five guest rooms that accommodate from two to six people each. Larger groups can be accommodated using ‘put-up beds’ if necessary on a short-term basis. Located in a quiet residential area, Manna House is within walking distance of three local rail stations that give easy access to central London and offers an ideal place in which to come and rest for up to five nights at a time.

Comments in the guest book - a great source of encouragement! – include:

“It is a joy coming back after so many years. Thank you Andrew and Rachel – you shine for Jesus!” Alan and Dora*, Ecuador.

Mark and Esther* from Germany: “Thanks for such a warm welcome and pleasant stay – you’re doing a great job!”

Dave* from Kenya felt it was like “coming to an oasis in the desert”.

Susie and Tim* from Sweden were blessed by “a wonderful home and opportunity to see London.”

Ken and Laura* from Romania appreciated “a place of refuge, which helped make possible a very special family time.”

Andrew, when asked of current challenges, shared that finances and raising support have been difficult. Conversely, being close to home rather than joining a field far away in a distant land, enables the family to be part of the same home church, see the same friends, and keep their girls at their existing schools. These blessings, however, do make it more difficult for others to understand that they are in full-time missions and need as much financial support as those serving overseas.

Please pray for the hospitality ministry of Manna House, for strength and wisdom for the family running it; that God would provide for all their needs and that Manna House will continue as a haven of rest for many travellers. Please email Andrew & Rachel at manna.house@om.org (or phone them on +44-(0)208 464 8978) if you’d like to book your stay!

* Surname not included for security reasons

Wet, tiring, team-building are just a few adjectives describing OM Lifehope’s Adventure Week (AW). Venturing out for a special week, the training participants leave by faith, not knowing where they are going.

“I was so cold because I didn’t take my sleeping bag, so I was doing push-ups,” says Zakk*, a former student of the short-term programme, reflecting on his past experiences during Adventure Week.

“It was so good, though, to finally have time to process,” says Hanna*, referring to “solo time”, one aspect of the week.  

AW invites missions students at OM Lifehope in the UK out of the dorms and into the unknown. Before they head out to work alongside different churches throughout England, they go on a week-long team-building adventure.

The programme is disliked by some and held in honour by others. But in one thing they agree: AW is a great team-building experience.

“Be FAT,” says Greg Weaver, head of the training, “flexible, adaptable and teachable.”

Teamwork means dealing with differences.

“You are put into situations with other team members, and they are going to handle those situations differently than you, and if they have the tendency to explode, they will, because it’s AW and that’s what’s going to happen,” says Geert*.

Opportunities to listen to insights about oneself and others stick out as a benefit of the week. Time for reflection and debriefing ensure that wisdom can be drawn from these exercises.

“The short time you have available for these exercises is really a preparation for conflicts that can occur in a team,” says Geert.

“Especially helpful was to share our life maps,” Irmela* says. Taking off masks and sharing openly about one’s past invites vulnerability and strengthens relationships.  “You get practically equipped with tools you can use later as a team, when you go about starting a program in a church.”

AW may be a wet, tiring, team-building experience, but add God into the equation and He does the transforming work, leaving an imprint on the hearts of the students.

For more information about opportunities at OM Lifehope, visit the website here.

* Full name not included for security reasons

The eleventh Transit Team recently headed to Ireland to start a five-month journey of spreading the Gospel in Europe, a trip that includes cultural exposure, team work and adventure on the road. Their first stops are Ireland, Montenegro and Austria.

“The cool thing is,” Mpumi explains, “you see God doing something within the teams and through the teams.” The participants grow because they have to depend on one another.

“God told me to jump off the cliff,” a girl, who had joined TC, said. “And I had to learn that He catches me.”

Jenny Wei, Addie Moore, TaeHee Son and JongKoo* recently left the OM Lifehope base in Halesowen, UK, to start their journey of embracing 1 Corinthians: Learning to suffer with one another and growing together as a family in Christ, Mpumi explains.

“I expect to be taken out of my comfort zone, but also to grow so much, seeing God burn away the ugly parts in me,” says Addie.

“I expect God to work in my relationship with Him and with my teammates,” Jenny and TaeHee add.

Sent onto the road after two weeks of training at the OM Lifehope base, the team supports other OM teams, like-minded ministries or field workers as they travel throughout Europe.

“They have to do a lot of things by faith,” Mpumi says, “but they also will get encouragement from us, and we pause them on the road for training and rest.”

Conflicts of all kinds that come up in the team will be dealt with, and as JongKoo voices, “It might also be difficult to work together as a team at times.”

Each participant has a story, and each story carries the footprint of God.

“When my grandmother died, I started to look for mission opportunities,” shares Jenny, from Taiwan. Moving forward, she ran against many closed doors. Visas for Taiwanese people turn out to be hard to get. Not giving up, she turned another direction that lead to OM.

The individual stories of the participants share a common theme: God is sovereign.

Yet in His sovereignty, He is personal, confirms TaeHee: “When I was in the US for language training I heard that I couldn’t do the [OM short-term] programme. I was severely discouraged, but the manager prayed for me this one sentence that really touched me: ‘Being a missionary is not so much about planning,’ he said, ‘but being challenged every day to live the best way possible in Christ.’”

In TC, small teams of people from different nations work together and are transformed together. Change is viewed as something good, and God doesn’t fail to teach the team members in humorous ways.

When Jenny arrived in the UK, her luggage didn’t arrive with her. She shared that that is not amusing for a 20-year-old girl, and her first reaction was tears. “But then,” she continues with excitement, “God gave me peace. He even took my homesickness away and told me to be brave.”

She smiles as she concludes the story: “My luggage was really heavy, and now I didn’t even have to carry it because eventually they delivered it to me.”

Packing their travel bags into the van the night before they leave, the team gathered together for their last meeting before venturing into the unknown. The unknown might seem scary, but really, they know it brings blessings: God can become their security. So, they head out and leave their securities behind.

Please pray for the Transit Challenge team over the next five months as they travel around Europe supporting OM ministries and bringing the Gospel to those they meet.

*Full name not included for security reasons

Andrea has works with a church and a growing church plant, which gives her opportunities to build relationships with local people. Her week is filled with kids’ programmes, assemblies at schools, religious education lessons, Bible studies, home visits and Sunday school at church.

Alongside her packed schedule of church-related ministry, Andrea also volunteers at a kids’ programme run by the community centre where the church plant is held.

“The church had already started, but the church and the community centre were not working together nicely,” she remembers when she first arrived. “The community centre had a lot of hesitations about having a church there, and they were really not very happy about it.”

After praying about the situation, she began volunteering with the centre’s youth club.

“Now I feel like there’s trust between the church and the community centre, and they’ve even asked the pastor to be on the building’s committee,” she says. “That’s really been a great thing, and I feel like that’s been a really wise decision that God helped me to make.”

A problem Andrea faces is the complacency that people get stuck in: “People are just content with where they are, and their lives, and they don’t see a need for God. I think it’s just apathy and just not wanting to hear about God.”

Despite these difficulties, she says God still provides answers to prayer when a challenge arises. “Sometimes it’s like you’re pushing against a brick wall and things don’t move forward, but sometimes things are great.”

One young lady, Nicole*, had been attending the church’s youth group for several years and loved helping out.

“She was really involved, but she just wouldn’t make a commitment [to Christ],” says Andrea.

During a prayer night at the OM Lifehope base, Andrea asked for prayer for Nicole. About a month later, Nicole made the commitment to follow Jesus. Since then, Nicole has been baptised and joined Andrea, Steve, and other members of the youth group on a mission trip to Moldova.

“It’s amazing to see that growth in her and just basically an answer to prayer,” she says. “It’s just really exciting.”

Seeing changes happening in tangible ways has encouraged Andrea, who concludes, “We don’t want to just be nice people; we want lives to be transformed.”

*Name changed

Operation Mobilisation has missionaries in more than 110 countries who work to demonstrate and proclaim the love of God. Some work with rural communities, some live and work in larger groups, and some are based in cities and towns where they are isolated from other OM workers.

Graham Sandersfield lives in Sheffield with his wife and two children and has been working with OM for three years.

“I looked around to try and see what I should get involved in,” he said. “I had been involved in sports ministry, so I got in touch with OM SportsLink, who are really involved in supporting the fields around the world and helping them to develop their ministry.”

Graham focuses specifically on Latin America and has been developing relationships and walking alongside OM’s sports ministry in that region of the world for the last three years.

“I’m really passionate about developing leaders because I think that’s how Jesus worked and operated,” he explained.

His work with international remote locations means he has to rely on tools like online training and Skype to support his fields.

“We have to be strategic and focused when it comes to maintaining our relationships. Jesus spent a lot of his time with a small amount of people who he raised up to be leaders—leaders who go out and disciple others,” said Graham.

Graham also helps organise a local event in Sheffield as part of Run/Ride for the World, a global event that raises money and awareness for projects around the world.

“We encourage people to use this event for their local situation. The idea is to run around the world in a day together, so we try to have an event in every time zone,” he said. “Last year we had 6,000 participants, raised around $80,000 and achieved 26,000 km. The circumference of the earth is 40,000 km, so that’s our goal. We are trying to create a movement.”

Although sports and leadership are Graham’s passions, working from home without support nearby can be lonely and challenging.

“I do miss working in a team. Most of my contact with others from OM is via email and Skype…but for me, in one way or another, this is about unity—the Body of Christ coming together and doing something we can’t do alone.”

This year Run/Ride for the World takes place on 26 September. For more information about how you can be part of this global event, visit the website: www.r4tw.org.  

What exactly is the Persian ministry and what do you do?           

We have about 15,000 asylum-seekers or refugees from Central Asia living in Birmingham and the area. The idea was to start to develop a partnership with the local church and to find out if there were any fellowships specifically for Farsi speakers. Now we have a partnership with four different churches in Birmingham. We help them distribute literature – New Testaments in Farsi, Christian books in Farsi –  that we give it for free. We do a lot of evangelism with book tables where we meet a lot of Iranians. We also organise once a year a leadership training programme specifically for Farsi speakers, where we focus on spiritual growth, discipleship and evangelism.

What are some challenges that you face?

Working among refugees, you need to understand how they think. They leave their countries hoping to find a paradise outside of the situation they’re leaving, thinking they’re going to have a wonderful life, they’re going to prosper, they’ll be rich, they’ll go to university. But once they arrive here they’re just refugees. Then they start to realise that it’s not paradise. So the motivation they have to have a wonderful life is sometime a challenge for us, because they need to prove to the government why they’re here, why they’re coming as asylum-seekers, and that has been a challenge for us…[learning to]  trust in what they’re saying and [discerning] if there is an interest, a real interest to give their lives to Christ, or it’s just something they are trying to gain.

What is one of your favourite things about this ministry?

It doesn’t matter where we are, we can talk to them about Jesus, invite them to our home. We can develop all these training programmes to help them to become not just Christians but also how to develop their faith in Christ, becoming more mature believers. I really enjoy the friendship I have with these young Iranian guys and also different Iranian families around Birmingham, I just love it.

How have you seen God working throughout your time here?

Recently I met a guy called Ahmad*. We just found out that we lived on the same street at the same time [when I lived in Iran], but I didn’t meet him there. Then we met one another here. So Ahmad has been reading the Bible, he gave his heart to Christ, and he accepted Christ as his Saviour. I have the pleasure of discipling him here in England. We became good friends, we hang out, we go to restaurants, we pray together, and he’s going to be baptised. So it’s just unbelievable to see how God has His own time to connect us with people, and also helped me to understand that it’s worth it to be here, that I made the right choice coming to the UK. This kind of story just makes me feel happy that I’m doing the right things, I’m on the right path that God has chosen me to do. So I’m both excited to see him come to faith, to understand who Jesus is, but it’s also important to me to be sure that I’m doing the right thing.

Another good thing is to have my wife, Christina. She is someone also that God brought to my life and she’s going to develop ministry among the young ladies from Iran, who many times feel alone here. I’m excited that my wife and I can share ministry.

If you would like to know more about this ministry or are interested in joining, please contact us.

*Name changed

Monday morning involves door-to-door outreach—Monday night, leading youth group. Wednesdays include teaching music class and Bible study. Friday night is prayer night.

“People in this church, they’re very hungry for the Gospel,” says Zakk*, leader of OM Lifehope’s Community Encounter team currently serving at Chorley Mission in London. “People start conversations and ask questions which are really difficult.”

The training that Zakk, Sadie*, Moseas*, and HyeJeong* are receiving from Lifehope helps them answer difficult questions and aids many other aspects of their ministry. Chorley Mission is a small church made up of mostly elderly people, and the Lifehope team helps bring new life to their services, especially by working with children and youth. One of Sadie’s favourite parts of their ministry is, “seeing people’s passion for the church and how much they want Chorley to grow. That passion is contagious.”

One person whom the team has come in contact with is Melissa*. A single mother of twins and an immigrant from the Caribbean, she began attending Chorley Mission after a Logos Hope outbound team met her while doing door-to-door evangelism. Melissa was already a Christian, but didn’t have a church and was very isolated from family and friends. Now she regularly attends every church event possible.

“You can tell that there’s such a hunger to know God, and her kids can see that,” says Sadie, the assistant leader. “It’s so great to get to have a young family come in, and to see the elderly members with the young family—it’s just so great how the dynamics have been.”

As they keep busy and active in their ministry, the team’s life is not always easy. Living on a multicultural team with one American, one Thai and two Koreans can be rewarding but can cause misunderstandings and conflict at the same time. It can also be a struggle to find their own way in their ministry after following in the footsteps of the Logos Hope outbound team.

“It’s kind of hard because we’ve been planting seeds but we haven’t seen a lot of them grown,” Sadie says. But the team keeps working, serving God and growing closer to Him. Zakk and the rest of the team enjoy being able to work with the church: “We help them and we learn from them as well,” he says. “We do what we can do.”    

OM Lifehope’s Community Encounter programme is designed to train and equip Christians both spiritually and practically before sending them out onto the mission field. Participants receive initial training at the Lifehope base and then are placed on teams to serve local churches throughout England. This article is part of a series documenting the current Community Encounter teams and their ministries. To find out more about this programme, click here.

* Full name not included for security reasons

England’s Lake District is known for its country charm and beautiful scenery. In the picturesque Eden Valley, an OM Lifehope Community Encounter team has worked hard to plant churches in an area that may be full of external beauty but still desperately needs to hear the good news of Christ.

Based mainly in the towns of Kirkoswald, Penrith and Greystoke, the team is made up of four young people from four countries who joined Lifehope with the same intention: to serve God. JuHye Park, Waldemar Eziner, Blake Van Duser, and Isabel Ngo have invested in several different kinds of ministries, especially working with the small number of local youth.

“I think my favourite part so far is just that what we do here is exactly what I wanted to do coming into the [Community Encounter] programme, ministry-wise: working with young people and music and sports,” says Blake.

One challenge that the team has faced is not having an already established church that they’re working with.

“We planted a new church and had to start everything from the beginning,” says Waldemar.

“We didn’t know that we were church planters, not church workers, so that was kind of a surprise,” said JuHye.

But they have put in the work and began a youth church where they lead worship and share the Gospel. Working in the tight-knit rural farming communities hasn’t been easy, though. “They’re really close to each other… We are foreigners. It’s really hard to reach people and bring them into church or our group,” said JuHye.

Learning to push through unexpected difficulties has taught the team important lessons about trusting God and not getting discouraged. They have many stories about things that God has done through their ministries. From their youth church, one girl has expressed a passionate interest in missions and another girl has opened up to share her story.

“She never shared her story in the other group but then in this group with people she didn’t know, she was actually willing to share it, which was pretty interesting,” says Isabel.

After living and serving in the Eden Valley for almost four months, the team must prepare to move on, either heading back home or moving to different ministries. But they will continue trying to “just be a blessing,” wherever they go.

OM Lifehope’s Community Encounter programme is designed to train and equip Christians both spiritually and practically before sending them out onto the mission field. Participants receive initial training at the Lifehope base and then are placed on teams to serve local churches throughout England. This article is part of a series documenting the current Community Encounter teams and their ministries. To find out more about this programme, click here.

Although London is a city filled with Christian monuments, relics and years of history, now more than 12 per cent of the people living there belong to the Islamic religion. In this city alone lives 40 per cent of England’s entire Muslim population. This makes it an extremely strategic place to be for those interested in sharing Christ’s love with people from a Muslim background, and the Turning Point Community Encounter team in northwest London is taking advantage of that.

The eight team members spread their time between serving three churches, evangelising and taking classes about Islam, all while keeping up with the homework and demands of the Community Encounter training programme. Much of their time is spent in Bible study with each other, church members, or other OM Lifehope teams in London. They attend Speaker’s Corner at least once a month to debate and discuss religion, and have done café ministry, going into a local coffee shop to start conversations and raise questions about Christianity.

A big part of the team’s work is helping with a Turkish and Kurdish church plant.

“We have some visitation from the church: church members who are young believers, just beginners,” said Katie*, who also said that discipleship is one of her favourite parts: “To meet some of the church members regularly, get to know them better, really build relationships with them, being part of their growth… just being part of this spiritual journey.”

David* enjoys the time the team spends in the town centre interacting with people and handing out free Christian material.

“We’re doing book table every week, so it’s just good to share faith and show what we are doing. Sometimes Muslims come and we try to talk with them,” he said.

Although handing out tracts can often seem useless and a waste of time, God recently showed them that their time at the book table has not been fruitless.

“Three weeks ago a man came to our church in the morning having a tract in his hand that we gave him,” Katie explains. Since then, he has come to every Sunday service and every Bible study offered. “It was really encouraging to see that all the ‘tracting’ we’re doing has worked.”

OM Lifehope’s Community Encounter programme is designed to train and equip Christians both spiritually and practically before sending them out onto the mission field. Participants receive initial training at the Lifehope base in Birmingham and then are placed on teams to serve local churches throughout England. This article is part of a series documenting the current Community Encounter teams and their ministries. To find out more about this programme, click here.

*Name changed

Kids’ clubs and street evangelism, food banks and youth groups—community encounter teams are kept busy as they seek to serve their local communities and bring Jesus to their neighbourhoods.

“We have different activities, but one thing we do is the over-60s ministry every Thursday. They come from this area—some come by bus and some come alone, some are church members but many are not. We provide a place of fun and fellowship,” says Grace*, a member of the OM Lifehope Ward End team in the UK.

Though the area of Ward End in Birmingham is 90 per cent Muslim, Christ Church and the over-60s group is made up almost entirely of British elderly. For Anna*, being involved with the group has become a special time.

“When I first heard about it I didn’t know what I was going to find. But I found a lot of joy and laughter and stories. I just love them,” she said.

Many have lost partners and live alone, and the group is a significant part of their week and their social life, especially for May*. “I’ve been here for four years, and I have met many of my friends here,” said May. “I have never been a church person, but I like it here.”

The group shares lunch together before playing Bingo, and the team helps with preparations and spends time with them.

“It’s very good to talk with the elderly because they want to tell a lot of their story. It’s very encouraging. This is their life, and it’s great to be able to share in it,” shared Paul*. 

The team has been working together for almost three months and each have things they enjoy or find challenging. For Paul*, working with a cross-cultural team is one of his favourite things about community encounter.

“We are different, but we can use our gifts to work together and live together and understand the church. We have come here to share the gospel in the UK,” said Paul.

For Jacob*, independence plays an important role: “I like that we are free to do things we enjoy. There things that are compulsory, but we can also choose ministries for ourselves.” 

Anna* finds that a challenging aspect of the community encounter mission are the time limitations. “It’s a short time,” she said. “Some things we won’t have time to finish, and I find that difficult. We have invested in a lot of relationships we will have to leave.”

The Ward End team seeks to reach the gospel-poor neighbourhoods of Birmingham for Christ. They have learned to listen, live with challenges, act with humility, sit with people and love them.

“With open doors there is a Muslim woman, and one month ago she asked us to pray for her in Jesus’ name. She’s quite open to Christianity. She has started to learn about the Bible, and every week she asks us to pray for her. It’s quite an awesome experience for me to see how God works through our relationships,” recounts Emily*. “I came here as a missionary, but I think I’m still learning what mission is.”

OM Lifehope’s Community Encounter programme is designed to train and equip Christians both spiritually and practically before sending them out onto the mission field. Participants receive initial training at the Lifehope base and then are placed on teams to serve local churches throughout England. This article is one of a series documenting the current Community Encounter teams and their ministries. To find out more about the programme, click here.

*Name changed

At OM Lifehope in the UK, art ministry is growing and being shaped into a tool that can be used anytime, anywhere, whether it’s traditional art, like stained glass in cathedrals, or more modern art, like video and digital media.

Amy Williams, leader of the arts department at Lifehope, says, “I think as humans, we put a great deal of emphasis on what we think and what we believe, and we forget sometimes that there’s also the emotion of what we feel. From a perspective of wanting to minister to the whole person, arts are very powerful because it makes you think, and it also touches the emotion, so it goes to both the head and the heart.”

From 7-18 April, Amy and her team ministered to the local community in partnership with a group from the HQ School, a year-long programme in the Netherlands that focuses on spiritual formation and how to use the arts as a form of expression.

They partnered with Oakham Church to hold a series of events. Lifehope’s arts team has been working on a partnership with Oakham for a while, and having a short-term group there helped provide new opportunities.

“The church itself has a unique place in the community,” said Amy. “It’s kind of the unofficial community centre. There are not a lot of places for kids to play or for events to happen, so people naturally look to the church.”

The Dutch team opened many doors and engaged people in different ways. Before coming to Lifehope, the team spent time in Belgium, performing the Stations of the Cross, a Catholic tradition, with various forms of art: spoken word, painting, dance, etc. The group was excited about this opportunity to share with the Belgian people.

“Most of them have a Catholic background,” explained Amy, “so they know what the Stations of the Cross are, but they don’t necessarily believe or practice their faith. It shows it in a fresh way, in a way that hopefully grabs their heart and kind of forces them to consider again who Jesus is and what He’s done.”

The experience in Belgium also prepared the group for the work with Lifehope.

While serving with Oakham, the team experienced how many ways the arts can be used as mission. They spoke and performed at a youth group, held an open house for kids and parents, did street evangelism, went into schools and shared their story, and more. Even after this team went home, art ministry at Lifehope continues on.

“It’s not threatening, and it opens people up, whether that’s because it gets at their heart, or surprises them, or just because it lowers the defences,” Amy said. “It creates space, is the best way I can put it. And then in those spaces, you can have deeper conversation...and just begin to point them to the Lord.”

“I love children’s work, but caring for people is really where my heart is, so I wanted to find a way to combine those,” said Rachel.

After finding out that Birmingham Children’s Hospital accepts volunteers, she applied on their website, thinking, “All right, God, if you want this door to open, you open it. I’m just going to click the button and see what happens.”

God definitely had a plan in place for her, since she began weekly volunteer work there last September.

Rachel’s time at the hospital includes cleaning the play space that children will be using, directing kids to the toys when they get restless and helping out parents, bringing them coffee or tea. She loves the smiles of relief on parents’ faces when she offers them a drink.

“You know you’re providing something that meets a need for them: just that need for comfort and support,” she said.

She also provides a friendly face, willing to listen. Some of the parents come in and don't want to be approached by anyone, while others are more interested in talking. Being American can help this aspect by opening up opportunities for Rachel to talk about why she came to England in the first place, possibly leading the conversation towards God.

She’s had several chances to pray for families, and was able to sit with a girl who was on suicide watch. Rachel was able to share with the girl, who was being bullied at school, that sometimes we begin to start believing lies people say about us, even if they're not true.

“It’s little moments like that. They don’t happen every week, but they’re very special to me. They keep me going," Rachel said.

Above all, Rachel’s goal at the hospital is to glorify Christ. Her theme verse comes from Matthew 25:35-40 (NIV), “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

For Rachel, “It’s more than serving tea. It’s trying to show the love of Christ.”

Kelly Norman

I have always loved to write. I love finding words and threading them together until a reader’s imagination is so vivid, so animated, that they can see what I have seen and feel what I have felt. I love it when a black and white page stops being only words and becomes a picture with the brightest colours, or lyrics with the most vibrant melody.

I love finding new ways to illustrate Jesus, using real people or fictional worlds, so that without going anywhere readers can meet Him and experience his radical grace.

Working with OM for the last few months has allowed me to do all these things. I have had the privilege to meet with missionaries, hear about their lives and their passions, laugh with them and get to know them. They have allowed me to tell their stories, so that people on the other side of the world can meet them too.

OM Lifehope is a family made up of so many people with so many talents, and I am so grateful to have been able to contribute to the mission of winning souls for Christ.

Brenda Lozano

For about a year I was praying that God would show me a way I could use my photography and design skills for His kingdom. After I waited for an answer, He replied. He pointed me in the direction of OM Lifehope, and I submitted my application solely by faith (and perhaps a side of fright). It turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

While at Lifehope, I had the hardest time trying to connect the thought of being a missionary and a photographer, while also bringing honour to God. And then I thought of a photograph. A photograph is meant to capture memories, tell stories, bring you back to a special moment in a person’s life—it strikes an emotion. God started speaking to me then, telling me how I was going to be able to capture moments of missionaries spreading the Gospel or people coming to know Christ, and those photographs would be displayed all around the world, touching other people’s lives.

Being part of this team at Lifehope has encouraged me to believe in the gifts God has blessed me with and to keep developing them, never holding anything back. We never know how our talents can reach someone across the world and ignite a spark, just how God did it for us. 

Megan Peet

When I was preparing to come to Lifehope, people often asked me what I was going to do there. It was easy enough to say I was going on a missions trip, but beyond that, I wasn't sure quite how to explain it. People don't always understand how missions and communications (journalism in particular) fit together, and I often had to ask myself that same question, reminding myself of the answer.  

In Romans 10:13-14 it says, "…'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?...” (NIV).

I believe this doesn’t just apply to evangelists and preachers, but also to writers. So much amazing stuff is going on at Lifehope, and God is working in so many different ways, and those stories need to be shared. If nobody hears them, how will they know what to pray for? How will they be encouraged to keep pursuing their own ministry? How will they be inspired to become a missionary?

I hope people have read and enjoyed the stories that we’ve written during our time at Lifehope, and that at least one of them will have sparked a passion inside somebody—either to join Lifehope or to serve God with their life in some other way.

Are you interested in using your gifts and talents in writing, graphic design or photography in missions? Check out OM’s opportunities to serve in communications around the world.

Public evangelism is not a new concept. Modern street evangelists are not pioneers in the Great Commission to win souls for Christ, but carry on a mandate that has been chronicled throughout the Old and New Testament.

Noah was called a “herald of righteousness”, and Jonah preached in the streets of Nineveh. John the Baptist was the first to evangelise publicly, and in Acts 2 Peter preaches on the streets of Jerusalem, declaring, “People of Israel, listen!” (NLT). Jesus himself delivered His most famous sermon in public—the Sermon on the Mount.

ELCO—English Language and Community Outreach—is a programme that OM Lifehope in the UK coordinates to equip those considering serving God in missions. Students are tutored in English-language communication and given opportunities to participate in hands-on cross-cultural missions. ELCO regularly uses a variety of evangelism methods in the city of Birmingham to engage with passers-by who typically wouldn’t enter a church.

“We heard them before we saw them,” a spectator recounted. “We could hear them singing on the other end of New Street.”

Singing, dancing, dramas, surveys, book tables and face painting are a means to one end: The opportunity to show people Jesus and tell people about Jesus. Some people stop, many duck their heads and walk by quickly, and a few look on curiously, waiting to see what will happen next.

One ELCO student, Katty, spoke with a Muslim woman who approached the book table.

“We shared with her and gave her the New Testament, and she agreed to read it because she wants to know more,” said Katty.

For many ELCO students, public evangelism is a new experience that is made even more difficult by language barriers.

“Evangelism is very difficult for me,” says MinJu. “English is my second language, and it's not very good. People can say very harsh words; they can be mean when I try to tell them of Jesus.”

Elisabeth, an ELCO team member involved with surveying, thought it was a good experience.

“It was strange at the beginning because I have never done it before,” she recalled. “Often you get rejections and it's painful, but to get 10 rejections and one conversation makes it worth it.”

 “Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.” – John Wesley

OM has a heart for Europe and longs to see the Gospel reach the unsaved across the continent. In response to this need, OM Lifehope, based in the UK, coordinates a Transit Challenge, sending out teams to love, serve and proclaim Christ.

Each July a new Transit adventure begins, with five or six team members travelling around Europe in a Ford Transit van. In December 2014, Mpumi Maweni and Marvin Schaefer took over the coordination of Transit, both having served on and led teams in the past. Marvin has been on two Transit trips, once in 2012 and again in 2013.

“You work in about six to seven countries and travel through 10–15,” he explained. “Some countries we tend to work with more often because they are really needy or willing to have a team, but usually we pray and ask God where He wants us to go.”

While serving on Transit, Marvin and his team were involved in a variety of ministries, from harvesting olives to cleaning churches, from street evangelism to kids’ programmes, and singing, praying and preaching.

“You need to be flexible and available to do anything, and serve in any way,” he said.

Marvin’s experience with Transit and his encounter with Europe’s spiritual poverty developed in him a passion to see people come back as long-term workers.

“We see God breaking participants’ hearts for different countries, and I want to help mobilise them to invest their time in those countries after their Transit trip,” Marvin explained.

One such person is Mateo Roniller, whose time with Transit in 2014 inspired him to go into ministry long term.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but it was one of the best things I could do in my life,” Mateo said.

“Transit was an opportunity to share God's love in a different way. In Montenegro, I saw kids who enjoyed football and sport, so when I came to England I decided to get involved in sports ministry and learn, because I want to go back to Montenegro and start a sports ministry there."

Marvin and Mpumi hope to see as many as five teams on Transit around Europe each year.

“We have more countries that want a team than we have a team for, which is why we urgently need more people to come and be a part of this journey,” they said. “Our desire is to see more people join, and for people to think of Europe when they think of missions.”

Transit runs for six months every year, starting in July. The team begins their journey with fellowship and training at Rome’s Transform Conference. For more information, click here.

The team had arrived at Ladypool Road Congregational Church an hour early to set up for the last day of Easter holiday club. They quickly set out craft supplies or prepped Bible stories, while volunteers from Lifehope and the church helped wherever possible.

After everything is prepped for the day, the group debriefed about the previous days. The first day of the club brought 24 kids, and on the second day, close to 45 attended, so the team anticipated a good turnout for the third day.

“People knew about it, heard about it, and they came,” says Kees-Jan Koster, leader of this week’s club.

The team closed in prayer and children gradually file in, getting started on a craft. The kids are divided into three teams: Yellow Shooting Stars, Green Pearly Seaweeds and Shiny Sharky Submarines, fitting with the theme of Lionheart’s Great Undersea Adventure.

Soon around 40 kids have arrived, and the group transitions from craft-making to game time. Children squeal and shout as they play Sharks and Fishermen, thoroughly invested and having a wonderful time.

After a short break for biscuits and juice, the team shifts modes once again, gathering the kids to watch a puppet show featuring the main character Lionheart, and then performs a “funky song”. Acting out various hand motions, the children sing along to the lyrics: “You’re the God of the impossible, and I’m wonderstruck by you.” Next, a few children are selected from the audience to participate in a short drama, where they learn about the importance of the Bible, saying, “Maybe you should read it for yourself.”

Teaching truths about God and the Bible takes up the rest of the day. As the children learn “How do we know it’s true?” they are introduced to Christian topics they might otherwise never have heard.

Tamara Verboom presents the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. According to Kees-Jan, “It shows God’s power and who God is.” The children are restless, as children are, but some of them are focused and paying attention. As Tamara talks, the mothers in the back look on, and one Muslim father walks in, sits down and watches too.

Soon the room is empty except for the workers who clean up and take down the set. It’s hard to tell how many of the children or parents were affected by what they heard during the day, but all the team can do is sow seeds and obey what they had sung during their final song: “Don’t worry, trust Jesus.”

It’s dark when we pull up, the bitter cold fighting to slip through the gaps of our old minibus. Blurred figures huddle in doorways, and the discarded embers of their cigarettes drift to the damp ground. A few come forward immediately, some clutching worn backpacks, others with pockets full of numb fingers. I hear the faint hum of unfamiliar language, and those who hang back watch with cautious curiosity.

A team member begins to read out names—there are only 12 spots available, only 12 men we can give a warm bed. Each name is met with a breathless “yes,” and one by one the men retreat into the darkness of the bus, relieved. They are not what I expect. Some sit with quiet dignity, their hands clasped and their eyes downcast. Many are coarse and unkempt, the stench of tobacco and alcohol clinging to their clothes. One man gives a toothless grin and kisses my hand; another stares out the window. One is young, handsome and neatly dressed—I am surprised to see him there. Most of the men are Polish, a couple are Lithuanian, and there is a young German—few can speak English, so they chatter amongst themselves, anxious to go.

We drive a few cramped miles to the church, where beds have been set up and a hot meal will be served. We have barely parked when they clamber out, eager for the light and warmth of shelter. Volunteers usher them out of the cold, and each man seems to know what to do. Beds are claimed and I get the sense that this is a fortress for them, a place where they can be safe, even if just for the night. Soon dinner is ready and we sit down to share a meal together—they eat quickly and quietly, only talking after their plates are clean.

I try to move around the room to talk to everyone and find myself sitting with my friend Chris Burton and the two Lithuanian men. Our conversation is limited, as only one of them can speak a little English.

“My English is catastrophic,” he says, his eyes laughing. We talk using a combination of hand gestures and Google translate—we scarcely understand each other, but we laugh together. He tells us about his daughter and the circumstances that brought him here, his expression betraying his pain.

“If there is one thing we could pray for you,” Chris asks, “what would it be?” It takes a moment to explain the word “pray”. He looks at me, and his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, “Pray? No, I am not a good man,” he laughs quietly. “I am not a good man.” There is a deep sadness in him, a brokenness that I can’t grasp.

After dinner the men disperse. Some smoke, others play chess, and some are already in bed with the blankets pulled over their heads. I take a moment to watch them and reflect. These men are so far from their homes and their families. They live on the streets, but food and shelter isn’t all they lack—they are starved of affection and regard. They live on the outskirts, in the darkness—discarded humanity. I watch them and I feel their hopelessness. They need to know that their worth is not defined by their homelessness. They need to know Who died for them, and who can set them free.

This is why we do homeless ministry. They are why we do homeless ministry. 

“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” – James 2:16 (NIV)

This was the challenge given by Dancelink to participants of Lifehope’s Christmas and New Year’s outreaches. Dancelink is an OM Arts team passionate about showing the beauty of God through dance.

In planning their role in the outreaches, the Dancelink team challenged participants to consider how dance, and other forms of art, can speak in a unique way of the glories of God, whilst also giving people practical tools to use in reaching out for Jesus.

One way they did this was to teach participants a flashmob, usually performed in a public place and starting with a single dancer. Step by step, as the dance progresses, more dancers emerge from the crowd and join in. The final result is a large group dancing in unison.

The spectacle of such an event usually catches people’s attention, leaving them with questions about what they saw, who the people dancing were and why they were doing it.

When the Dancelink team performed a flashmob in Birmingham, UK, with about 60 people participating, it gave them a natural way to connect with people individually in the crowd, answer their questions and share about their faith in a relaxed environment.

This was especially appreciated by participants who were inexperienced in street evangelism, or those for whom the use of art, in the context of outreach, was a new idea.

For others it was a time of healing. One participant, who had stopped dancing years before because of hurt she had experienced, felt that she could start to dance again with joy and for God.

“The church is slowly reawakening to how God can speak through the arts” says Amy Williams, Dancelink’s team leader. In the future she hopes that the full range of artistic disciplines—dance, drama, music, visual arts and others—will deepen both the internal worship of the Church and the external, reaching out to those who do not know Christ.

She hopes that OM Arts at Lifehope will be part of this, with artists of a variety of disciplines joining for short- and long-term stints.

Using their talents to reach out into the local communities, collaborate with the diverse ministries at Lifehope and beyond, whilst investing in each other, artists will develop their artistic gifts for the glory of God.

For more information about serving with OM Lifehope in the UK, as well as opportunities to use your dance skills to glorify God and reach out to others, visit OM’s website here.

When he was 16, he worked as a sport’s teacher at a Christian primary school in a small village near Quito, Ecuador, where he also did sports outreaches. Recently, Mikael travelled to London, England, to participate with OM Lifehope on a sports outreach with a short-term team. He put into practice what he had learned during his mission’s trips to South America.

In Hyde Park, Mikael and his team set up a football (soccer) match. After a while, some kids and teenagers came to play with them and had lots of fun. Playing games provided a good opportunity for him to share his Christian faith with the youth’s parents and friends.
Although he felt sick with a headache during the game, his passion for evangelism made him determined to carry on playing the soccer match with the guys. He said, with a happy smile, that his mission in London had to be completed; otherwise some people wouldn’t meet Jesus.

The next day, the training and outreach came to an end, and it was time for him to return home to Norway, but Mikael shared that the OM Lifehope event will not be his last missionary trip —in Central London, in Europe, or wherever God wants to call him to serve.

Please pray for Mikael and the other young people on the outreach team, that they will continue to grow in their personal relationship with God and know His guidance for their future involvement in missions.
 

When OM Lifehope’s outreach team at Ward End in Birmingham, in partnership with On the Move International, held their annual community barbeque, they did something a little different to enable the locals, the majority of whom are Muslims, to join them.

During live worship music and as they distributed Christian literature, team members talked with people who had questions about faith, or who needed to have a listening ear. This year a special halal option was offered for Muslims.

Halal is meat that has been specifically prepared according to Islamic religious guidelines. If it is not prepared in this way, Muslims will not be allowed to partake of it. Reverend Peter Smith of Christ Church Burney Lane believes it is important to tell Muslims, “We care about you.”

“One gentleman asked for the halal option,” related Reverend Smith. “We had a very good conversation, and he said he may come to church. This may not have happened otherwise. Jesus met with people over food. We have to meet the people where they are.”

The next time you come upon a community barbeque in Birmingham, where groups of women in colourful veils and men in long tunics are enjoying burgers, it could be OM Lifehope’s team reaching out again. This is just one way OM Lifehope takes initiatives to meet people exactly where they are.

For more information about the ministry of OM Lifehope, visit their website at lifehope.om.org.

Team members worked specifically in two areas of Glasgow. At West Glasgow New Church they put on a holiday club entitled “Fit for a King”. Children from the surrounding communities enjoyed games, songs, crafts and dramas with a Commonwealth Games theme, along with face painting and balloon making.

Elisa, a short-term outreach member from Switzerland, related her amazement, saying, "See how the children were happy with such a little thing, like a balloon”. The team also hosted a Commonwealth Café, a place for folks to drop in for food, activities, or just to have a friendly chat with team members.

Meanwhile at St. Georges Tron Church, another OM Lifehope team engaged with the Commonwealth crowds in the city centre. Some handed out the Penny Gospel tract, which is the Gospel of Luke and available for one penny each. Others talked with and encouraged people in the church’s hospitality facility.

“We are here as a team,” said Diana Chavez, an OM Lifehope team member, “and our desire is to support the church in many different activities and be a blessing for the people here by praying for them, sharing the Gospel in the streets, and trying to show love and hope for the people of Glasgow."

Dominic Notegen, a 27-year-old ELCO (English Language Community Outreach) student at OM Lifehope, felt he was called to spread the Gospel abroad when he was in Israel and a Swiss evangelist told him that he would work in missions.

Prior to that conversation, Dominic, from Switzerland, had already felt bored with his job as a computer specialist. The evangelist may have been the catalyst that helped open his eyes to new opportunities.

Soon after, Dominic saw a flyer at his local church about OM's ship ministry, Logos Hope, and called Operation Mobilisation about pursuing missions.

To prepare for his service on the ship, Dominic joined the three-month ELCO programme at OM Lifehope to improve his English. In the autumn of 2014, he plans to start serving on board Logos Hope for two years.

“At first it was difficult to work with all the people from different countries,” said Dominic. He discovered there were significant culture differences, such as tone of voice in a conversation. Dominic says for him, it’s normal to speak in a louder voice, but for some people at OM Lifehope, that comes off as aggressive.

Despite the culture differences that Dominic has been learning to hurdle, he feels himself growing spiritually. “I’ve learnt to take it easy here,” says Dominic. He says that before coming to OM Lifehope, he used to become angry when problems arose, but now he shakes them off more easily.

“I’ve also learnt to love people as they are,” he said. Dominic hopes these lessons will stay with him for the rest of his life.

To learn more about OM Lifehope's ELCO programme, visit OM Lifehope’s website at: http://www.lifehope.om.org/index.php/training/elco.

When Rev. Graham Clay, Pastor of Stratford-Upon-Avon Baptist Church, decided to have an OM Lifehope (UK) ministry team work with his church, he didn’t hesitate to take action. Already familiar with OM through their work in Coventry, he contacted the organisation at the end of April, and an OM staff member came and spoke to the congregation one Sunday morning. Two weeks later, a vote was taken in favour of the idea, and by the end of May, the very first OM ministry team arrived to serve in Stratford.

“[We] sense the Lord has opened doors in ways we didn’t expect,” said Graham. A product of post-modern, secular Britain, the congregation of Stratford Baptist is comprised mainly of elderly people, who knew something had to change to ensure a future for their church.

“We all recognise we need to be doing something,” Graham stated, a sentiment echoed by others in the congregation.

“Sometimes a church can start to look inside itself,” one member declared. “When there is fresh vision, it will expand.”

Since their arrival, the team members have been busy connecting with people, building relationships, and exploring areas of possible ministry.

Fortunately, opportunities for ministry abound. So far, the team has been involved in youth clubs, school assemblies, and one-on-one Bible studies with local teens. One unique outreach they have begun is “shop-to-shop evangelism.” Team members hit the streets for an afternoon, visiting area coffee shops. They engage with the young people working there, talking with them, and getting to know them. They also invite these young people to church activities, with the hope that they will eventually become interested in the Gospel.

“It reminds us [that] it’s not immediate results we’re getting,” said Jerelyn.

“Friendship takes time,” added team member, Mark.

And how does the congregation of Stratford Baptist feel about this new adventure?
 “So far, so good!” several members reported happily. Judging by this response, it is likely there will be more OM ministry teams in Statford-Upon-Avon.

Last month, people roaming through London were asked this question by OM Lifehope students and staff after they had attended training by evangelism coach, Richard Sharp, who taught them his outreach method called ‘One Wish’.

The question is not to be confused with a fairy tale where a genie or fairy godmother offers to grant three wishes. “This is not a magic show or a trick show,” says Sharp. Instead, Sharp's outreach scheme seeks to approach non-believers in a ‘non-religious’ way by asking them to share the biggest desire of their heart. Then he asks them permission to say a one-sentence prayer about their wish. “What matters to you matters to God,” Sharp tells them.

To prepare for their outreach, workers were divided into teams and given ‘One Wish’ t-shirts to wear. They were also given bracelets to use and give away. The bracelets depict four images that share the gospel message:

•    a diamond representing our value to God;

•    a half-black, half-white square, showing that we are in the darkness and God is in the light;

•    a hand with a dot in the centre representing Jesus who takes away our burdens and sins;

•    and two clasped hands, which represent acceptance of a relationship with God.

“Right away [this method] comes across as loving and compassionate,” said Lifehope children's worker, Rachel Rice, who participated in the outreach. “I think most people could do it easily, and it seems to be something that could be done with anyone at any place.”

Others at the outreach shared about encounters they had that afternoon. “I want to live forever,” said one boy to James Sinsel, Team Chaplain. Sinsel said the boy and other children playing basketball with him eagerly accepted the bracelets.

“You can use [this outreach method] in churches, youth groups or make it an active part of your lifestyle,” said Rachel Sharp, Richard’s ‘Hunny’ as he likes to call her. “It helps you be a little more intentional with your faith.”

Richard concluded, “Make friends and introduce your best friend [Jesus].” To learn more about One Wish, visit Richard’s homepage here

“Behold I stand at the door and knock…” Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

Christ Church in Lye, England, is typical of many churches across the UK. It is a large, impressive building, but attendance has dwindled through the years to just a few. Though small in number, the congregation is very intentional in reaching their community. One way they serve is through door-to-door evangelism.

Each week members of the congregation, along with OM’s ministry team at Lye, visit different neighbourhoods to invite the residents to church, hand out tracts or take prayer requests.

Reactions to the team’s message vary from house to house. An elderly lady was very happy to share her prayer requests and talk with the team. Another young mother claimed her family “doesn’t really need anything”. One man would not even open the door; unfortunately reactions such as this are not uncommon.

“It’s more my message they’re rejecting than me,” said Elizabeth Bailey, a member of the OM team. Despite some negative responses, she still believes door-to-door evangelism is effective.

“It’s really personable,” Elizabeth stated. “At the door we say, ‘We are praying for your street. How can we pray for you?’ Some [people] are more than willing to share, and there are some who are just so closed.”

Going door to door has shown to be a benefit for the community and the team members.

“[It is] good for me to get the experience in starting the conversation,” added Manuela Suter, whose first language is not English. “I have had to step out of my comfort zone.”

Please pray for the outreaches of Christ Church Lye. Pray that through their efforts, many people will open their hearts to the message of the Gospel.

The number of people in need of food in England has grown exponentially since 2006, according to the Black Country Food Bank. Located in Brierley Hill, a town west of Birmingham, the food bank has served a total of 22,000 adults and children during 2013 alone.

Recently, the English Language Community Outreach (ELCO) students from OM Lifehope took a trip to lend a hand to the volunteers at the food bank.

For many of the students, it was the first time they had heard of a food bank, a charity organisation that helps vulnerable individuals and families in crisis through the provision of emergency food supplies, while a longer-term solution is developed.

During the visit, one food bank volunteer explained how the organisation works in its fight against hunger and waste of food products. Sharon*, an ELCO student from Japan, commented, "I was very surprised to hear about the amount of food stored in the food bank. That means there are a lot of needy people in England."

Adriana*, a student from Brazil said, "With this round I learnt that we not only have to sympathise with the poor, but also take interest for them and their needs, just as Jesus did.”

Let's thank God for this day, which has helped to raise awareness of poverty in England between the ELCO students. Pray that empathy, love and compassion grow every day in their hearts.

To learn more about this food bank, check out their website here. 

*Name changed

Americans, South Koreans, Swiss, Russians and others studied topics such as Prayer and Personal Growth, Testimony as a Gospel Tool and British Culture. There were also special skills classes available for the students to choose from, including drama, sports and music, as well as an afternoon of team-building activities at a nearby park.

“I think the day in the park was a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow as a team. It taught us to be more efficient and learn cooperation,” says Courtney Ginger, a summer intern from the United States.

Over the course of the week, trainees worked together, overcoming differences in language, culture, and personality to become a unified team.

Though classroom training was demanding, there was time for fun as well. One morning, for example, a staff member found his office occupied by mountains of balloon creatures. Additionally, they held a pudding party (a party with lots of desserts) and friendships were formed.

Team members train at Lifehope for a variety of reasons. “[I came] for the opportunity to be reminded of my calling through actual experience,” said one young lady, a youth ministry major. Others participate to receive university credit or prepare for service on other OM fields.

Despite the individual circumstances that bring people to OM Lifehope, everyone who participates is stretched, learns to grow and learns to seek God’s call on their life.

After Toolkit, participants are placed on ministry teams and sent out to work with churches, spreading the Gospel and reaching out to local communities.

"When I came to OM Lifehope, I wasn't prepared to do street outreach," said Emma* from Mexico, aged 34. "I'm more relational and like to build friendships, so having a short conversation with someone and handing out tracts from a book table was a challenge.”

But Emma served faithfully each week with the outreach team. On one occasion, a Christian woman came to the book table and started talking to her. She told Emma about using henna to build relationships with women who live in the area.

"I can't even draw a flower," thought Emma, "so I don't think I could do this ministry at all.”

But the woman invited Emma to come to her house and learn how to draw designs illustrating Bible stories.

After that night, Emma started practising on her own by copying simple designs from the computer and learning the Bible stories, like patterns for the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.

One night, she attended a youth club event and drew henna designs on the hands of girls who attended.

“When I saw my drawings, I got excited and felt encouraged!” she said. “I could draw flowers and butterflies, and realised I could do this!”

Emma wasn't sure how she would begin this ministry, but after praying fervently for God to help her enjoy her work, she made a sign that said “Free Henna” and took it onto the streets. She brought her tube of ink and book table, and propped her sign up on a bench nearby. She and the other workers started shouting, "Free Henna! Free Henna!" But it was a cold night and nobody stopped. 

Finally, one of the other workers stepped into the path of a woman walking past the bench. She told the woman they had free henna, but the lady didn't want to put down her shopping bags. The girls assured her that her bags would be safe, and the woman agreed, saying she'd like some henna because she was from India and had had henna for her wedding.

"But this henna is different," Emma explained. "This henna has a story from the Bible. Can I share it with you while I'm drawing?”

The woman agreed, and as Emma drew the design, she explained the symbols and how they related to the story of the Samaritan woman: about forgiveness from God, His love, and how Jesus changes lives and is the living water.

After she finished drawing, Emma was pleased to hear the woman say she'd enjoyed the story, but Emma wanted to connect, so she asked simply, "Can I be your friend?”

The woman's face softened, and they exchanged phone numbers and are planning to have coffee soon.

Please pray for Emma's friend to come to know Jesus and blessings on this creative new ministry.

*Last name not included for security reasons

About two weeks ago the Go Outdoors spring catalogue fell on our doormat. With bright colours and nice photography, it advertises the latest in outdoor equipment for those who have an adventurous spirit. I like the outdoors and like to think of myself as being adventurous as well, so these kinds of catalogues appeal to me. Skimming through the pages during breakfast, I pictured my family and me going for a nice hike and maybe even spending some time camping.

In Birmingham, there are people who also spend a lot of time in the great outdoors, but for them, there is not much choice, and their challenges are quite different than the ones of the average outdoor enthusiast. The homeless of Birmingham live on the edge of society, some by choice and others through circumstances that may have grown out of their control. They beg for money, sometimes to buy drugs or alcohol to numb their physical pain or the perception of their state of living.

When I walk through New Street or The Bullring, the contrast is painfully clear: men and women wearing dirty clothes sitting in front of exclusive shops, and it is easy to ignore them or maybe even judge them, blaming their situation on their own bad choices.

Working with the homeless is not easy. What does handing out a sandwich and having a short conversation really do for these people? Sometimes it seems too easy to go out of our centrally heated houses after dinner and reach out to these people, but we are the body of Christ, His Church. We are called to show the love of the Father to these people, His creation, whom He loves. We are to look beyond their circumstances, their addictions, and their (sometimes) even repulsive behaviour and attitudes, and draw them to Jesus. Not for them to get a life of wealth and prosperity, but to live out the purpose that God has for them. It is His commission for us, and He will arrange for the right circumstances and a divine appointment.

Jesus told a story once about a Great Banquet where many people are invited. When the man throwing the party sent out his servant to get the people who were likely to come, they all said no; they were too busy living their lives. So the host became angry. He wasn't going to have this party alone. "Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame," was his response (Luke 14:21; NIV). When there was still room, he asked the servant to go out to the highways and hedges and even compel the people he found there to come to the party so that the house may be filled.

We work with different initiatives amongst the poor and marginalised people who are living on the streets of Birmingham. We invite them to join the Great Banquet feast with our Lord Jesus who loves them.

*Full name not included for security purposes

Mateo (Uruguay), JuHyeong (South Korea), Diana (Colombia), Caleb (Hong Kong) and Evelin (Switzerland) organised a holiday club, Christmas events and community outreach, while still learning English with OM Lifehope's ELCO (English Language and Community Outreach) training programme, from August to December 2013.

This four-month programme equips those preparing to join OM or considering serving God in missions with English language communication skills and hands-on experience of cross-cultural mission. Students spend 15 to 20 hours a week in English class, take regular progress tests, and a final proficiency test. They serve on a church placement team and spend time reaching out with God’s love to local communities and helping with church activities.

Pastor Mark said, "There wasn't much time to prepare the holiday club, but they did a great job with the theme of the armour of God, including the songs and artwork, as well as making armoured costumes for the children to wear."

Each missionary gave his or her testimony while Mateo and JuHyeong also preached at separate services. Mark added, "The way that they blessed the church was far more than the projects undertaken. Their enthusiasm for God really inspired the congregation, particularly our few young ones.

"To see young people worshipping and singing and just talking afterwards was a tremendous blessing and encouragement to us all. Just being there with their love, gentleness and gracefulness was something hard to put into words."

For more information about OM Lifehope, click here.

We began the morning by praying through the space before the girls arrived. Personally, I couldn't even form words for what I was feeling for those girls, so instead I danced my prayers. The sun trickled through the window, and I could feel the Holy Spirit move; God’s peace settled in the room during that moment.

When the girls arrived, they were quiet and reserved. We split them into two groups; I went with the older girls, and Sarah and Aseneth stayed with the younger. Our team leader, Amy, was in charge of warm-ups and teaching choreography. The piece we taught was about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

They took it all in and learnt the steps. Then the two groups performed for one another. Before the older group danced their piece, Amy asked if any of them could tell the younger ones the Bible story. One girl, about 12, retold the whole story of Lazarus, not missing a single detail. It was amazing for us to see that she remembered the story.

At the end of the workshop a few girls asked for the name of the song we danced to. The main chorus in the song says, “The dead come to life only with you, God.”

When asked why she liked coming to the girl’s club, one girl said she enjoyed being around people of another religion and learning about their beliefs. Later, I found out that a lot of the girls have been asking for more stories about Jesus. There is definitely an interest!

Please pray for these girls and the workers reaching out to them. For more information about the Dancelink ministry at OM Lifehope, click here.

During a prayer time a few months ago, the OM Lifehope team in Coventry read through the gospels and asked God to show Himself in more real ways through their ministry.

A few days, later they set out for their weekly visits in a local estate. As they walked, they met a few new people and had good conversations. However, they felt that the days’ ministry was not over yet. They prayed that God would give them one more encounter.

Soon after praying, they felt God pointing them to a specific house. They didn’t know why exactly, but they approached it. They knocked on the door and an 80-year-old woman, named Lorna, answered.

This first encounter started weekly conversations between the team and Lorna about spirituality. The conversations then became weekly Bible studies. The Bible studies provided Lorna the opportunity to make Jesus Lord of her life.

Over this time, Lorna became a dear friend of the team and quickly made friends with ladies from the church.

The OM team participants are thankful to God for this opportunity to reach the communities in Coventry and for the training they received at OM Lifehope.

For more information on missions in the UK, check out OM Lifehope’s website.

OM Lifehope has been involved with the Flower of Justice Church and their annual Daisy Dip outreach for the past seven years. OM Lifehope team member Brent Greiner leads the outreach.

It has been a journey of faithfulness for Brent and others in the church, who have consistently given of themselves during the Daisy Dip outreach week, called Dip Week. Long-lasting friendships have formed as local people attend the events of the week.

“It is also great to see how friendships with the OM teams quickly developed over a matter of days as they spent so much time together,” said Brent. “It is encouraging to see spiritual fruit as the result of this partnership. Lives have been changed over the past seven years.” 

This year, seven people were baptised on the last day in the local river.

Hinke, 16, was a part of the outreach team. She may be small, but Hinke has big ideas. She heard about TeenStreet Europe and TiM, and desired to attend both, so she began to make and sell cupcakes, pies and Christmas bread. She sold them door to door, at her father's work and in her church.

Her hard work paid off in the amount of 4,000 euros. Having exceeded the amount she needed to attend the events, Hinke decided to donate the rest of the money to Flower of Justice Church to help with Dip Week. The money Hinke donated provided t-shirts for the children who attended Dip Week.

With leftover money, Hinke purchased children's Bibles. During Dip Week, she walked around offering the Bibles until she had given them all away.

"When I was sharing the Bibles, there was a girl in my team named Ella," Hinke said. "When I gave her a Bible, she was almost crying. And I gave [a boy] Karl a Bible, and the next day his mum came to me, and she was so happy because he never had his own Bible. And there was another girl I gave a Bible to, and she had the Bible for 10 minutes, and she asked her mum to read it for her, so they lay in the grass and read the Bible."

Praise God for the work He did through these outreaches in Southampton, and pray for these connections to result in more fruit. Read more about OM's work in the UK at their news page. 

When I first arrived in the UK, I thought that there would not be a lot of problems apart from language. What I did not know was that I was about to experience stress from working and living with people from different cultures.

Labour with one another

We were put into various teams to serve different churches. Each one in my team was uniquely gifted that we were able to co-labour in service. For example, I could help with schedule planning and communications. On our team, we also had an American who could make great films, an excellent guitarist from Brazil and a children’s ministry expert from Switzerland.

However, our cultural differences often brought us challenges and conflicts. For example, the Westerners would prefer pizzas, bread and sandwiches when it comes to food, and they normally would need more time and space to rest. Also, my co-leader was not someone with great memory and there were team members who never talked during our meetings.

All these things put me under a lot of stress and I had no idea how we could work well together. Even though we had a team meeting every week, we were still very far from solving this issue.

Love one another

After discussions with mentors and other leaders, I found out that other teams were also having similar problems. So we all shared our experiences and thoughts, and they encouraged me to talk with one teammate at a time without evading or ignoring the problems.

In the end, I was compelled by the Spirit to have a chat with several team members individually. I was thankful that we were all willing to look at the problems seriously. After discussing a few times, the tension and stress that we first had started to ease and a deeper relationship was built. Through this God made me understand that mission was a lot more than just learning how to evangelise and develop ministries – to cooperate and love one another among ourselves was also a big task! No wonder the command that Jesus Christ gave us was to love one another (John 13:34).

Praise God for helping Mabel work through differences with team members, and for deeper relationships that were built as a result. Pray for unity amongst Christian workers around the world, as they labour and love together.