Emmanuel Schwartz (France) spoke to students in a park and met two teenagers with whom they had deeper conversations. When the young men, Marcos and Joaquin, heard that the volunteers were from Logos Hope, they were interested in knowing more about their lives and experience.

One of the local men, who comes from a Christian family but isn’t a believer, was moved by Emmanuel’s story: He explained that he had gone through a phase of struggle and had been living what he called a ‘double life,’ but that God had changed him. Emmanuel said later, “Now I am in mission and to the guys, that is amazing.” One commented that Emmanuel’s coming on board was a miracle.

Marcos and Joaquin asked if they could see Logos Hope and were eager to hear more about the volunteers’ backgrounds and journey. They asked many questions; wanting to know if it is possible to be a Christian without going to church; what being a ‘Christian’ really means; what ‘mission’ is; and other subjects.

“Our testimonies were appropriate; both guys were touched,” Emmanuel recalled, realising that God had placed the right people in their path. “Their reactions to our stories and the fact that they were interested, even though they weren’t Christians, showed me God was at work,” he said.

Before saying goodbye, the teenagers said, “We will remember meeting you for our entire lives.” The team agreed that they felt grateful for the impact they could have on the people they met on this somewhat improvised day of ministry. “God knows what is best and He knows the best way to use us,” Emmanuel concluded. The crewmembers learnt that even in unplanned circumstances, God is sovereign and will work with ready hearts.

How did you hear of OM?

Jose: I came to know the Lord when I was around 13, and the person who shared the gospel with me was (at that time) the field leader of OM in Argentina. When I was around 17, the Lord gave me the passage Luke 14:25-27: “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.'" (NIV)

I felt like God was calling me to something else in my life. He said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple has to leave certain things,’ and there were some requirements I didn't fit at the time.

I went to my leader, and I said: “I see this passage, and I am beginning to see that the things of this life can’t fill me up. I don’t want to have a normal life with the things of this world. I want something else.” 

I started to be more involved with OM and also went to different fields in countries around Argentina serving with OM there as well.

What brought you to Southeast Asia? 

Jose: I actually never thought I’d come here, but then I joined a programme of OM in Asia called the Asian Challenge Team (ACT). In this programme, you have to spend a year in two different countries in Southeast Asia. So I did that, and while in my second year, my leader asked if I wanted to help start this programme in a different Southeast Asian country. So I prayed and I decided to go.

After that, I began to realise God wanted me to be here, that He had been preparing many things beforehand for me to serve in this country.

What are you doing in Southeast Asia? 

Jose: There are a lot of opportunities to share the gospel here, but we need the right way to do this because we are in a closed country, so we have a coffee shop. The purpose of it is to help us stay in the country with visas, but this also helps us be near the people of our community.

I can’t go up and share the gospel with a person outside on the street, but inside the cafe, we try to approach them in a way that is most secure for them and for us as well. Having the cafe also lets us employ locals from surrounding villages, people, who if they don’t receive help in the form of jobs, they will end up in prostitution or something like that. We give them housing and a job, share the gospel with them and disciple them.

This is more than just teaching the Bible, even though that is so important. We need to be with them, to help them and to help them make decisions. Sometimes we even have to teach them how to dress for employment and also how to have healthy relationships.

Some of them come from villages where they have nothing and they don’t know anything about the outside world, so we spend a lot of time with them teaching and helping them understand the world today.

How did your life in Argentina prepare you for overseas work? 

Jose: When I was a teen, I had many jobs. I worked in coffee shops and as a carpenter, and many of those things I use now in my ministry in Southeast Asia. 

What is one story you can share from your time in Southeast Asia?

Jose: In the discipleship that we do, we have around 15 young people. Twelve are working in the cafe and in the part of the discipleship, and we have been discipling them for three years. Some of the girls have grown in their faith and are more mature, so we’ve been able to put them in leadership and in different roles in the cafe.

We were even able to send one girl to work on the ship! This was a girl who had a lot of potential, but no one in her family or village could see that. So I started to encourage her that she needed to do something else for God—that He gave her a lot of potential to do something else. We found out a dream of hers was to meet people, help them and to help bring them to God. So I talked with my leader and asked if we could send someone to the ship, then I encouraged and challenged her to go.

At first, she didn’t want to go, but then God showed her she needed to go. Now she is on the ship and she is doing really well. They are even preparing her for some leadership roles there!

With the ship being in Argentina this year, it means ministry has come full circle. I came from Argentina to Southeast Asia, and now there is someone who we discipled in Southeast Asia on the Ship in Argentina, sharing God’s love in my home country.

What are some challenges in your service country? 

Jose: 1. Education: Because I am in a closed country, one way the government tries to control the people is by not giving a good education. So most of the people don’t know and understand a lot of things that happen in the world, because the government also tries to manipulate the decisions of the people. Many people from villages have their own perspective of the world. They think the only thing they need is money. If the government gives them a small amount of money, they will give everything up just to have it.

2. Drugs: My country is one of the biggest growers and exporters of opium. About 80 per cent of the population are addicted because there isn't a good medical system here. Many people use opium to solve health or psychological problems.

3. Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: Many teenagers are being taken across borders for prostitution. People come to our country and tell them they will be given a job in a different country. Those who leave with them end up being sold in prostitution.

There are a lot of young people who want to come out of this system. They don’t want their future to be someone who was prostituted or addicted to drugs. They want a good life where they can achieve something. They want opportunities. So when we started to do discipleship and give them opportunities to make good decisions, I started to see a lot of change in these young people. We are seeing God work in their lives. We’ve been teaching them that God has a purpose for their lives, so many of them are focusing on finding their purpose. They are realising that they can do what God wants them to do.

This is a good example of how serious it is in this country because many young people end up doing things that aren’t good. So when they see these young people doing what God told them to do, it is a really good example and testimony that others can do it too.

What is something God has taught you during your 10 years with OM?

Jose: I have learnt that God takes time in our lives to prepare us for the future. I’ve been in missions for 10 years, serving in different countries, but today I can see many of the things God was doing in my life before I came to Southeast Asia was to prepare me for the season I am in now—like working in cafes and learning carpentry work. Because God has a purpose in this country, and He placed me here and I have to be faithful to what He wants me to do here.

Like Jose, do you have a talent or skill (like working at a coffee shop or carpentry skills) that you can use to serve God overseas? What if God gave you those opportunities and abilities in order to do them as ministry? 

Contact us to explore what it could mean for you to share God’s love overseas through your occupation!

*Name changed

Kristen Torres-Toro loves to tell stories about what God is doing in the world. She currently serves as a Brand Contributor for OM in Argentina.

The vessel has emerged from six weeks of scheduled repair work and renewal of maritime licences at a shipyard in Montevideo.

Two hundred and fifty non-technical members of crew vacated the ship to allow 130 of their colleagues room to work on a job list of more than 500 tasks. These ranged from lifeboat repair and testing to cleaning and re-chlorinating the water tanks, installing a new transient power supply, repairing the vessel’s emergency generator and laying new soft-play flooring on the outdoor ‘fun deck’ for the children who live on board.

The Ship Ministry’s Technical Project Manager, Matt Blair (Australia), says: “It takes a lot of planning to manage our deck and engine crew working alongside the shipyard and other sub-contractors and sequencing their tasks in such a way that we do not get in each other’s way. I’m glad we have such quality leaders taking responsibility for the areas they were assigned. Morale has been high and we are grateful to everyone who has supported, prayed and encouraged us.”

The International Café on Logos Hope’s Visitor Experience Deck has also undergone extensive refurbishment. The space offering refreshments and promoting connection with crew has more than doubled in size and now has new flooring, furniture, kitchen equipment and will be able to cater for more guests than before.

It’s Harald Smit’s (Netherlands) job to negotiate arrangements with shipyards and suppliers, including timeframes and prices. He’s grateful that the ministry received a discount from the Uruguayan dockyard and enjoys each opportunity to introduce others to the unique concept of Logos Hope.

“Four fishing vessels were being worked on alongside us,” says Harald. “Their crewmen were from East Asia and had been at sea for almost two years without access to facilities like the internet. It was great to see members of our crew who could speak their language connecting with them right away; about food from their countries and the hope that motivates us to serve God from this ship. The Asian seafarers were excited when we gave them each a gift and a copy of The Jesus Film in their language. It was really neat to discover people who might otherwise be hard to reach were berthed right beside us,” he says.

Once the maintenance and clean-up was complete, Logos Hope held a celebratory meal to thank the workforce. Containers of books and food were loaded and fuel was pumped on board.

As the rest of the ship’s community returned to Montevideo, there were joyful reunions with colleagues who had been serving with Operation Mobilisation and other ministries across Latin America and around the world. Catching up on each others’ adventures, crewmembers have been reorganising their cabins and settling into ship life once more. They are now on a short voyage to Rosario, Argentina, where the freshly-painted ship will be open to the public throughout the month of June.

Santa Cruz is Bolivia’s largest city. In one of its poorest neighbourhoods, we partnered with an initiative that cares for children and their mothers. Kids can come every Saturday and receive food (physical and spiritual), while their moms attend different workshops; such as sewing, personal care and how to make the most of the little income they earn.

Our contact, Vanesa, told us that her mother started this ministry more than 10 years ago but when she passed away, Vanessa didn’t know how to continue it. “It was really difficult, not just taking care of these children, but teaching the mothers,” she said. “I didn’t feel prepared because I am not a mom yet, so I thought that they wouldn’t accept my advice.” With the help of her sister and some other members of their church, these ladies continued the outreach and as we helped out, we could see that the kids are blessed by it.  

We also spent time with Kairos Church, working in indigenous communities where children are suffering in many ways: their fathers may be in the grip of drugs and alcohol, mothers can send their children to beg in the street, or their parents may be in jail. Eleven-year-old girls are having babies of their own. These are some of the circumstances the girls we met had faced before they were rescued and brought to a safe house.

The church houses them in groups of no more than twelve people and is developing a scheme of adoption for the girls when they turn 18. Christian families will take in a girl at that stage, so she doesn’t have to worry about paying rent and buying food, but can focus on studying and getting a job. It’s also an opportunity to live with a real family.

We spent afternoons with these beautiful girls; helping them with their homework and English classes. We played games, they showed us some of their traditional dances. Our time encouraging them with the love of Jesus blessed us so much and we unexpectedly received so much love back from them.

In another city, we joined a project that was started by a British missionary twenty years ago. It relies on donations to take care of children whose parents are in prison. Some of the kids even live with their mothers inside the jail, which is permitted until the child is seven years old.

Volunteers pick the kids up from school and bring them to a centre where they have lunch and then help them with their homework. Most importantly, the volunteers teach the children about God and read them Bible stories. Our team was impressed that the kids are learning about different countries and missionaries around the world, and when we introduced ourselves with our flags, the older ones knew each of the countries we come from. We taught them how to share about Jesus’ sacrifice for us by folding and tearing a piece of paper to make the shape of a cross.

During this month away from the ship, I celebrated my 22nd birthday. My birthdate was also my 100th day since I left home to volunteer with Logos Hope. I shed some tears the day before, as I realised I would spend the occasion far from Argentina and away from not only my natural family, but also from my new family – the community on board the ship.

I worried about how the day would unfold, because back home, I’m the one who decides what to do, where to go, what to eat... but this year everything was out of my control. I was nervous that my day would be boring, that no one would notice it was my birthday, that I wouldn’t like the food… But in reality, it was so different!

I received video greetings from so many people: my family and friends in Argentina and my ship family, spread out all around the world. The people on my team here in Bolivia bought snacks and treats and I had a special lunch with the pastor’s whole family. My birthday cake was the biggest I’ve ever had. Everyone sang happy birthday in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, German and Quechua! A group of kids appeared suddenly in a square, giving free hugs. We visited children in a hospital; in a burns unit and a cancer centre. It was so humbling and rewarding to share Christ with them in their situation and to witness one young boy accept Jesus into his heart.

I realised that I have had 21 years trying to plan the best birthday ever – and I just needed to leave everything in God’s hands to have it!

It has been challenging, but the Chibuye family has grown even more in love with the village as they see God working through their obedience to stay.

Crocodile Island, which is shaped like a crocodile, is an island that consists of four different fishing villages on Lake Tanganyika. There is one community school and no clinic on the island, which is a half-hour public boat ride away from Mpulungu, the main town on the Zambian side of the lake. If one misses the boat, the only way to town is by paddling three hours. The people on the island are known to hold tight to witchcraft for fishing, successful businesses and physical protection.

There were churches on the island, but no pastor was willing to stay and help the people grow spiritually. Occasionally, pastors would visit on a Sunday to preach, but without a strong Christian influence, the issues of witchcraft, polygamy and drunkenness were still common in the churches. Realising the need for biblical role models, OM partnered with a church in Mpulungu to send a local couple, Kelvin and Florence, to Crocodile Island as missionaries in 2016.

At first, the Headman of the village was not open to receiving the couple. He couldn’t believe that outsiders would be willing to stay on the island with a pure motive of sharing God’s love and truth. “The Headman said that he would beat us until we explained why we wanted to stay,” said Howard Sichilima, an OM worker who first surveyed the village. Understanding the need for a spiritual breakthrough from God, the OM team went with Kelvin to fast and pray on the island before they officially moved in.

The couple wants to make sure that people from all backgrounds have a chance to experience the love of God. They don’t want people to just attend church but experience a real transformation from God in all areas of their lives. From house visits to youth and children’s ministry, leadership development to Self Help Groups, they make sure people on the island have opportunities to grow. Every night, there is Bible study and prayer time at their house that is open to all on the island.

Ministering through prayer

In the beginning, people were sceptical about the couple and some even tried to stop their work. However, God protected the Chibuye's without them even knowing.

Kelvin and Florence always seek to love their neighbours. As a result, people have started to ask for prayer. One neighbour who originally was sent to teach about Islam on the island came to know Jesus himself. 

One night, an unconscious young man, David*, was brought to the couple's house. They started to pray for him and continued overnight. “He was troubled by evil spirits and later on we learnt that he was practising Satanism,” said Kelvin. After David came to his senses, Kelvin invited him to stay with them for a while. “I wanted to make sure he understood what had happened and start to live a life right with God.” 

“I am so sorry for what I did to you,” David said to Kelvin and Florence. David shared that he had tried to attack their house. “When I came the first time with my group, we saw a wall of fire surrounding this house. We were not able to harm you.” The couple were amazed at how God had protected them. They forgave David and visited him regularly to help him grow in his faith.

David was baptised and has started sharing his story with other youth.

Challenges

Running a small business on a small island has not able to fully support the Chibuye family. However, the financial challenge didn’t deter their passion.

Now, they work in town for a few days during the week and then go back to the island on Friday and remain there until Monday. The weekend has a packed schedule of ministry.

Over time they have developed young believers to stand on their own and to help with the work. Many share their testimony to others of how God has set them free from drinking and witchcraft. Even the Headman who once was against the family is now open to know more about the Bible. 

*name changed

But then things happened to silence those nagging doubts, like the time Saskia went to visit a Gypsy family in their home. Although her spoken Albanian was barely good enough to keep the conversation going, Saskia and the family ended up singing worship songs and dancing Albanian dances together. “The joy I saw in their faces that day reminded me why I am here,” recalls Saskia. “I might not have been able yet to tell them about God’s love, but He let me show it and let me spread His joy amongst His beloved children.”

One or two months later, at one of the first Roma and Gypsy youth meetings that she attended in Albania, Saskia met a teenager called Elira*. She had an indefinable ‘something’ which made her stand out from her peers. Although most of the girls who go to the OM meetings regularly attend school, Elira was in and out of school, living in one area and then another with various relatives. Would her earlier dreams of an education ever be fulfilled? More importantly, would she become a wholehearted follower of Jesus?

Fast forward about a year from meeting Elira, Saskia had learnt enough Albanian to be able to lead a discipleship group for the Roma/Gypsy teenage girls, and things were changing in Elira’s young life. After a failed attempt in going to school in Durrës, a coastal city in Albania, Elira was back living in her home town. She eventually started meeting one-on-one with Saskia to study the Bible after the other girls had stopped attending the discipleship group. In September 2018, Elira went back to high school and joined a newly-founded church in town, even getting baptised last October!

Saskia has now finished her commitment with OM, but what a privilege to have journeyed with Elira in this way, as the heart of this ministry is to see the lives of the Roma/Gypsy people transformed by Jesus. Saskia was amazed how God changed Elira in the few years that she had known her — transforming her from a troubled teenager to an excited follower of Jesus!

Please pray that Elira would finish high school and grow in the Word as she serves at her local church.

Pray for Roma/Gypsy girls like Elira and those who had been a part of Saskia’s discipleship group for God to be their first priority. It can be incredibly difficult for Roma/Gypsy girls once they are engaged or married to be as free to be a part of meetings or to pursue their education. Pray that Elira will one day marry a believer who will encourage her to pursue most importantly Jesus, as well as education or whatever path God is leading her towards.

Please pray that new OMers will have persistence and success as they study the Albanian language, which can be very difficult for foreigners to learn.

Praise God for times of encouragement which help them see that in His wisdom, God can use them anyway, however they feel!

*name changed

In this article, we hear from one volunteer who felt unprepared for the challenge of prison ministry but relied on God to give her the right words. Schani Wong (East Asia Pacific) shares her story of receiving a powerful picture of freedom in the most poignant place:

I was nervous when the pastor of the church we are partnering with took us along to a women's prison. When they heard we were coming, the inmates were very rowdy. I told my team I didn't feel prepared for this. As we were coming to the end of the programme, I was put on the spot when the leader asked me to share the message of the gospel through the tool of the paper cross. I was reluctant, but I took a piece of paper and began to fold it and tear it, explaining the story of how God redeems our lives.

A commotion developed. Everyone was screaming and shouting; looking out of the window. We saw that two young women were being released from the jail at that very moment. The room lost all control and nobody was paying attention. I stopped speaking as I just didn’t know how to continue and get people to listen again. I prayed to God for help.

As the chaos subsided, God put something in my heart and I was able to say to the women, “I see how happy you are; cheering for your friends who are getting released and gaining their freedom. I know you are looking forward to that for yourself.” A few girls began to cry.

But I said, “This freedom and happiness is only temporary. The only happiness that lasts forever – the truest freedom you can enjoy forever – is in Christ.” I spoke to them about not giving up and that it is ok to have a shameful past, because everything is new in Christ and you can have new hope in Him. By now, most of the room was in tears.

The pastor who brought us to the jail ended our session by inviting the inmates to pray a prayer of repentance and accept the salvation that Jesus offers. They were crying and praying so sincerely. I could see that God was indeed at work: in them and through us. It was an amazing moment where I experienced God speaking through me when I didn’t know what to do, and I thank God for the souls that accepted Him that day.

Saskia was, at that time, a new OMer from Germany working in the town of Lushnjë with the Roma and Gypsy community–a marginalised people group whom OM in Albania has worked with for over 15 years doing kids’ clubs, Bible studies, house visits, providing material help, offering support in educational development and running youth meetings which was where Saskia found herself. Saskia–to whom everything and everyone was still new–found 16-year-old Elira outstanding.

Elira lived with her grandmother and was a troubled girl. After some time, Elira just up and left Lushnjë. The OM team did not know where she had gone, and heard different stories concerning her whereabouts. Eventually, they discovered she was with her mother in Durrës, a city on the Albanian coast, working in a factory.

This seemed a long way off from pursuing her dream of education. Elira at age 11 had told Christine, the current leader of the Roma and Gypsy Ministry: “I would like to go all the way to university. People in my family want that for me, too.”

Christine then prayed: “God, as long as I am in Albania, I would like to help this girl reach this goal.” Amazingly, OMers in Durrës were able to connect her to a local school; but Elira quit after a short period.

Back in Lushnjë, with winter around the corner, Saskia started a discipleship group with some of the girls from the youth group. She had a special interest in disciplining a girl named Kristina* who happened to be Elira's sister. Saskia asked Kristina and one other girl if they would be interested to be a part of this discipleship group; they agreed, and each had a sister they wanted to join as well. By this time, Elira had moved back to Lushnjë after her failed attempt to go to school in Durrës. Later, a fifth girl was added to their group.

Saskia led the girls’ discipleship group in reading the book of John together and was surprised how much Elira, in particular, knew about the Bible. Saskia enjoyed having conversations with the girls and seeing them grow.

However, pretty soon the group started to get smaller. Kristina got engaged and was not allowed to attend the meetings anymore. Two other girls lost interest, and later the fourth girl also got engaged and moved to Greece. Only Elira was still willing and able to attend the discipleship group.

“It was heartbreaking to see the girls leaving or losing interest,” Saskia remembered. “I really wasn't sure if I would like to continue with the discipleship group after the summer break at all. There was not much of a group left.” Saskia, however, received encouragement from God and decided to continue the meetings and focus on Elira.

To Saskia's joy, Elira decided to go back to school in September 2018. Also at this time, Elira began attending a newly founded church and was baptised. Saskia and Elira restarted their meetings in October, and Elira went every week with her Bible and notebook in hand, and the desire to get to know God more in her heart.

Saskia has finished her commitment with OM, but feels privileged to have journeyed with Elira. She was amazed at how God changed Elira in the few years that she had known her—transforming her from a troubled teenager to an excited follower of Jesus!

Please pray that Elira will grow in the Word as she serves with her local church. Also, pray for the other girls who were part of Saskia’s discipleship group—that God would be their first priority (One of them was baptised at the same time as Elira!).

*Name changed

As usual, we were receiving rain because it was rainy season.

[The village] didn’t know about the cyclone. Everyone was surprised at how the rain was cause it was unstoppable. We didn’t have real information that something was happening like what happened. 

I think it was four days [that it rained]. All the time; day and night for four days. 

We didn’t think that it would reach a point where it would collapse the houses and also wipe away all the fields.

The third day, that’s when it got worse. During the night we were hearing something like a gun or someone shooting but it was the walls falling—the houses collapsing.

So the fourth day that’s when it was a disaster now. Many houses were collapsed. People [whose houses had collapsed] came to the OM school asking to stay in the classrooms and dining hall.

There were eight families and 16 singles, so close to 40 people. They didn’t run to their neighbours because everyone was affected. Even if the house didn’t collapse, the house was still affected [usually by cracks in the walls or water coming in through the roof]. So people rushed to the schools. I think they put their trust in the schools because the buildings are cement and plaster rather than like the houses that are mud. 

We encouraged [the people who stayed at the school] saying: ‘don’t lose hope’ and we were visiting them—morning hours, afternoon—to see how they were doing. It was a privilege for us as well to get in touch with them. Some of them were people who were closed people and don’t even usually talk to us because we are Christians and they are Muslims. So it was an opportunity just to encourage them during the two weeks [they stayed at the school]. 

After the rain

The fourth day, that’s when in the evening time the rain stopped. It was like community now. Families coming together and somebody cooking there, somebody cooking there. People were helping each other. 

Some of the (local disciples) were coming to say: ‘I’ve got this, I just want to give, to help.’ So I said: ‘Yes, that’s a very good idea. …You can show love especially at a time when somebody is in need.’

People always experience God in times of trouble. I don’t think that anybody was arguing to say: ‘No, why are you sharing about Jesus?’ everyone was just responding. 

Even the chief came and said: ‘Thank you for keeping our people. We have seen the goodness of having a school in the community; it’s not only just to learn but also in times like this, that’s where we can be helped to have a place to stay.’ So it was like a social time with the community, especially the chief and people who were not understanding the reason why we [are in the village]. 

Because Christ loves me, it isn’t difficult to share with boldness because of what I passed through [in my life]. …To say the truth, I share the love of Christ because [I’ve experienced it] and I can feel it. Even now as I’m talking.

Moving forward

From the radios, we heard OK, in Mozambique there were people affected as well, in Zimbabwe too. That’s when we came to realise, it’s not only for us—it’s other countries that were affected.

The total number who were affected by the cyclone [in this area] according to the numbers we gathered is almost 220. The houses collapsed completely, and some of them, their fields were wiped away. We’re going to do the follow-ups, see how the people are doing. …That’s where we are very much focused—to see that these people are stable, they are cared for and they are encouraged by the Word of God. 

If you help someone with something that they are struggling with, I think that’s when they can experience the love of Jesus.

The OM teams in Malawi and Mozambique are currently planning how to respond to the affected populations. 

OM 在这群福音未及的群体中推动了好些儿童营，其中一个营会特别关注弱势儿童—尤指孤儿及单亲家庭长大的孩子。短宣队里有部份队员是第一次参与穆斯林文化背景的营会。为此，他们发现要确切地服事来自不同背景的儿童实在不易。

「我不是很了解营会的宗旨。我祷告祈求上帝指示我该怎么做，明白我为何而来」 其中一名队员分享道。「上帝垂听我的祷告，祂引导我意识到这群孩子非常孤独，他们需要我们的关心。他们需要有人陪他们一起玩，陪他们聊天。感谢上帝使用我把欢笑带给他们。」

虽然队员们无法公开地分享他们的信仰，但他们透过与其建立关系和教导以圣经为基础的「道德课程」来宣扬真理。

 「我们虽然没有办法公开谈论耶稣基督，但这并不拦阻我们为这群孩子们祷告，分享上帝的爱，成为上帝手中的器皿。我们爱这群孩子。他们乐意亲近我们，且愿意向我们敞开心。」另一位队员说道。

「每天早晨，这群孩子迫不及待等着活动的开始，迎接新的挑战。因上帝那丰盛的慈爱，祂召集义工们和孩子们相聚，使得信徒有机会可以和这群孩子做朋友。」

为这群参加营会的孩子们祷告—祈求上帝能让所撒下的福音种子能在他们心中滋长，但愿他们能渴慕寻见真理。

“We were shocked to learn that 40% of the pupils’ parents are involved with drug trafficking and violence, and at least one parent per household is in prison. The children's mindset seems to have already accepted that, by the age of 17, they will be in jail too. This stunned us.

Four years ago, the school appointed a new principal and Pastor Renato Antinori was invited to bring his programme to the school. On the first day he was there, the children didn't want to listen to him. They threatened him and then proceeded to rob him; stealing everything he had brought except his computer and speaker. The oldest child in the school was 12 years old.

Pastor Renato did not shout at the students or even try to stop them. He simply told the principal that he would not be back, since all his toys, sweets and equipment had been stolen. The headmistress was so impressed by the way he handled the situation that she replied, 'Please come back next Thursday' – so he did. I think I would have run for the hills!

Over time, the children have calmed down and now they love the pastor’s visits. Their response to this programme is nothing short of a miracle. Seeing them interact with him amazed me, considering their history. He has persevered and God has worked wonders in the hearts of many of these young people. This is clear to me that God's love always overcomes evil.

The pastor and his wife work in nine schools, reaching out to thousands of children each week. They run the Peruvian branch of Metro World Child, an international ministry that teaches Biblical values and introduces young people to Jesus. It was our privilege to join their visit to this school; telling the kids how we serve God on board a ship and sharing some of our experiences.

We pray for these young people to be protected from the negative influences around them, that they may come to know the Lord personally and that they will find and fulfil the God-given purpose for their lives.

We praise God for Pastor Renato and his wife, Irma, and were blessed by their example of faithful service and trusting the Lord for all their needs.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*name changed

Today, church planting has come to play an increasing role in the life of OM in Turkey, a country that even in 2019 is still known in mission circles as the ‘most unreached nation in the world’.

One church plant in the East of Turkey—an area best known for its apricot orchards—is a gateway for ministry in the entire region.

“We moved to [the East] specifically because it is literally surrounded by provinces which have little to no access to the gospel. Also, the church is a thriving church, which really wants to reach other provinces for the gospel and is a sending church. We wanted to be part of that vision to send locals and plant churches in every unreached part of the country, particularly in the East,” said worker Berni*, who grew up in Turkey.

After going abroad for university, Berni said the Lord nudged him back toward Turkey—first through some friends that asked him to translate for a Turkish ministry overseas and later to be a representative at a children’s camp facilitated by the same ministry. While there, “the Lord opened my eyes to see the Turkish people, as Jesus said, ‘like sheep without a shepherd.’ I felt that the Lord had blessed me with the language and that I should obey the commandment in Matthew 28 and go!”

Berni’s wife, Carla*, originally wanted to serve amongst the Japanese and studied Japanese literature to help her reach them. But whilst headed to join an outreach in a Muslim country in 2008, Carla’s team got diverted to Istanbul when a war started in their original destination. Hosted by a local family, Carla prayed every day for opportunities to talk to them about Jesus. Those moments made her decide to serve in Turkey instead of Japan, and she returned not long after the outreach.

Berni met Carla in Turkey, and the two got married. “It is wonderful to serve with a person who loves Turkey!” he shared.

“The East is the new frontier for the work as there are millions and millions of people in the East without access to the gospel. So many provinces around us have no churches, no believers and no workers,” Berni explained. “In addition to this, we love the people of this area. They are just so warm and friendly, and you can have a gospel conversation with just about anyone! Why not follow where the Spirit is already in motion?”

Seeing the boldness of new Turkish believers has encouraged Berni in his ministry. One brother, Kadri*, had become disillusioned with Islam when he was 12 years old. A professed atheist, he also led many friends to quit their belief in Islam. Eventually, Kadri met another believer from the church who shared the gospel with him. Though Kadri thought it was ‘crazy talk’, he started having dreams where he heard God tell him, “I am real.” After 30 days of the same dream, Kadri went online to find something about Christianity that he could make fun of. Instead, he found an article on the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

“He has never been the same,” Berni described. “He has since shared the gospel with more than 500 people online and continues to preach the gospel with veracity everywhere he goes.”

A somber history

Despite the growth of the church in the East today, the region has a somber history. On April 18, 2007, three men were murdered for their faith in one of the cities.

During the period between 2004 and 2007, workers living there had seen incredible developments. There was a whole family of believers in one city. The children of this believing family married believing brothers and began to serve around the area.

A publishing house was continuously distributing the good news message in many cities as well, with workers seeking to share the gospel and establish churches in many eastern cities.

Of course, all this activity was not overlooked. Police officers continually stopped the brothers in their activities. In many places, there were good and loving officers, some of whom were interested in the church. But there were also those who hated what was going on.

Suddenly, after the murders in 2007, there was almost no one left in the church in the East. Most of the foreigners had to leave, based on the pressure from their mission companies or from their own fears. Local believers were also dispersed.

Still, the dream of seeing the gospel spread in the East of Turkey continued. Before Berni and Carla even arrived, other workers had been praying for many years that this province would become a sending base for foreign and local believers alike.

“The Lord has shown us that as we have been transparent about who we are and what we are doing…, people are more likely to open up and ask about Jesus,” Berni said.

New life

Praise God in the last 12 months, there have been two visible churches planted in eastern cities! One church is currently run by partners, and the workers in a nearby city do BCC follow up for them. The second church is a direct plant born from a partnership of a local church and OM. Currently the building is not big enough to house the entire church for Sunday meetings. The church would like a bigger place to fit all the believers and interested people into one space. The planting church hopes to send a local couple to the new church in order to do evangelism and discipleship in the next couple of months.

Berni and Carla continue to pray for more foreign and local workers in order to plant visible churches in two other eastern cities before the end of 2019. Meanwhile, they meet with people who have requested New Testaments from the BCC and tell them about Jesus. They also do street evangelism and meet new people who are interested in Jesus and then become believers. “We attempt to immediately have them preach the gospel to their friends and family and be in community with other believers,” Berni said. “We want there to be nobody in our area who does not know that there are Christians who they can find out more about Jesus from.”

*name changed for security

“We had such a large age range too,” Helen, OM office administrator, said. “We had everyone from 16-71 years old!”

“I’m thankful that God is still burdening and calling people to serve Ireland,” Irene (OM Human Resource Director) said, “and that they’re willing to give up time and money to come serve.”

With the guest house and chalets of Lacken House, we were blessed to be able to house everyone onsite. For some, this was their first visit to Ireland. For others, this would be their first time doing street ministry. Trained at and sent from Lacken House, the participants were sent to five different church partners around Ireland: Letterkenny, Cootehill, Longford, Athlone, and Newcastle West.

Each team’s ministry was a little different, based on the needs or plans of the hosting church. Everyone participated in their local St. Patrick’s parade in some capacity. The Big Red Bus was also able to be a part in a couple parades. Teams were handing out gospel St. Patrick’s tracts as well as doing street evangelism.

Letterkenny. “We got to Letterkenny and joined the youth group that night, Benjamin — the youngest member of our group — was asked to share his testimony on the spot. It was his first time sharing his testimony. It was amazing to see,”  Danny (USA).

Cootehill. “During our time doing street evangelism, I was able to share the Gospel with an older lady who brought up the apparent brokenness of politics in the region. I spoke about God’s design for the world and the way that Christ’s death and resurrection makes it possible for God to hear the brokenness in our hearts,” Rebecca (USA).

Longford. “As my husband and I went door to door, God allowed us to encounter a young man who had been dealing with bigger questions: How can there be goodness without a God? How can one maintain an atheistic viewpoint when it is unreasonable? We were so excited that God had already started working in his heart and mind,” Wendy (Canada).

Athlone. “We connected with three young men from the time we got there. Right after we set up, these three guys came up. Gene from our team connected with them through his background in the States. It was incredible to see how easily we were able to connect.

"After the parade on Saturday, God brought one of those guys back to us [even though we were in a different location than the night before]. We talked with him for about an hour. Then on Sunday, we were in a different part of town, and he showed up again. So we got to talk to him a third time," Jeff (USA).

“It’s amazing to see how we’ve never been out witnessing before, but we connected with these teens. The second day they were so excited to see us that they introduced us to their friends. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have been part of OM’s mission ministering out on the streets,” Gene (USA).

Newcastle West. “During our mall outreach, myself and Monja were able to share the full gospel with two guys. It was cool watching their faces as we shared. They seemed like they were really listening and considering what we said,”  Lela (USA).

“It was a joy to see Lacken House full with St. Patrick’s Challenge participants,” Alastair (OM Ireland national director) shared afterwards, “being trained onsite and how they are passionate about going out and sharing their faith. I would love to see more Irish initially equipped here at OM Ireland with for something like St. Patrick’s Challenge and then sent out.”

“What brought us down to Lacken House?” Alastair Kerr, OM field leader in Ireland, was asked. “The simple answer: God.”

When a fire destroyed the OM office in Donegal in 2006, the team began exploring options for a place near Dublin, a logical location given its high concentration of people.

“We were quite far along in the process when we first heard about Lacken House,” Alastair said. “The day we drew up plans for the new office, we got a phone call about this property owner in the centre of Ireland who wanted to sell to a Christian organisation.”

The 2008 purchase of Lacken House for €1.1 million was a step of faith, but the relocation proved to be a strategic move. Alastair shared how God’s direction held a deeper purpose for OM’s ministry in Ireland.

“God was directing us to areas where others had not focused very much, giving us an opportunity to minister where the need was the greatest.”

Lacken House’s central location allows it to be a gospel presence to the surrounding communities. Ireland’s population is about one per cent evangelical, and many towns have no gospel presence at all.

“Looking at this year’s St. Patrick’s outreach,” Cornel (OM board member) said, “we were distributed over the whole of Ireland. Being central for that is important, because we can bring participants here first for training, and then send them to places like Letterkenny and Newcastle West. It’s also a key point for staff visiting other teams like the Missionary Discipleship Training (MDT) programme or the Philippian Project, because they can go out and back in a day. It’s important for us to be centrally located, because now we can reach more places more easily.”

A haven away

In its ten years in Rahara, Co. Roscommon, Lacken House has been a home away from home for hosting as well as training to equip volunteers, church workers and short-term teams to reach Ireland and the world.

“It’s safe to say that thousands have stayed here since we bought it,” Alastair said. “Our hope is that each person who’s stayed here better understands the spiritual needs of the nation and would leave knowing something of what God is doing here in Ireland.”

Lacken House can easily accommodate large groups up to 30 people, and is tucked away in a peaceful and rural setting.

“We are remote enough that folks can focus on the preparation and training and learn something of the needs here. Lacken House brings a certain tranquillity, a chance for people to get away and actually spend time with God.”

Lacken House is available for local use, a place to rest for anyone who may need to step away for a time.

“We wanted Lacken House to be a bit of a haven away from all the busyness of life,” Alastair said, “somewhere people can come to get refreshed but also mobilised to go back and make a difference in their situations. I would love to see more local believers and pastors come here and spend time being refreshed. It’s so much more than a good experience. There is a certain peace that comes from connecting with God in the beauty of nature around our site.”

Release to reach

Since the beginning of OM in Ireland, there has been the heart to mobilise more Irish believers. However, one of the greatest restrictions at times has been finances, particularly the payment of Lacken House. Over the past ten years, God has provided for 80 per cent of the cost. The team wants to be good stewards of what He has given, so is hoping to pay the remaining balance with one final campaign.

As finances are freed at Lacken House, more funds will be enabled to reach others through various ministries. One dream is to be able to facilitate more Irish involvement in missions. Would you pray and consider joining with the team in Ireland to finish the last 20 per cent in order that they may be 'Released to Reach'?"

“We’d been working in Australia [for awhile], so we were praying about how we’d return to Ireland,” David recalled.

Cheryl suggested looking at roles with OM. “We were open to whatever, although we were looking for roles specifically suited to us. At the time, [OM in Ireland] was looking for a youth coordinator and an operations worker with gardening experience. These were the specific jobs we’d been looking for.”

Starting in January 2012, David and Cheryl served with the team at Lacken House. During the next three years, God trained and prepared them for a big step in their future ministry.

“By May 2015, the Lord was putting church planting in Ireland on our hearts,” Cheryl said. “Alastair [OM in Ireland’s national director] approached us about the Philippian Project, which was hot off the press at the time. David kept saying ‘It’s going to be horrible to leave the church we’re attending.’ Then in January 2016, he came home from church one day and said: ‘I actually believe it’s [our church in Ballinasloe] we’re meant to work with.’ David then contacted our pastor, who’d been praying that we would want to come work alongside the church.”

David and Cheryl transitioned into the Philippian Project with their local church at the end of February 2016; Irish witnesses to the community. The Philippian Project places couples or families with a local church to serve full-time, providing the church with support to grow and thrive.

“My heart was there,” David shared. “I knew that the Lord was asking me to get to know these people. I was trying to meet people who were living in the town or connected with the church. I have gotten to know them and work with them in the community. Then they get to know who I am. Through that witness, I can talk to them about the church and about the Lord.”

“In the past couple years,” Cheryl added, “we’ve seen a vulnerability in folks in conversations that we wouldn’t have seen [without being based in town]. We love that you have one Gospel conversation at a Horse Fair, see that guy later, and are able to invite him over for a cuppa to answer his questions.”

The church recently moved to a new building in the town centre which means an opportunity for more interaction, and impact, in the community.

“Key people who are known throughout the town have been dropping in,” David said. “The Lord is bringing people in and weaving this thing together for us. We’ve got a new building and a few new believers. We want to see families transformed in our town and Jesus being lifted high.”

“The more concentrated time we spend in a community,” Cheryl noted, “the more we realise that the fields are ripe. There’s a real beauty in the local church, in knowing that He’s going to work through you. It’s the Lord’s work, church, body, all these various little pockets. Everyone [in Ballinasloe] is feeling a bubbling that God is going to work through His Spirit.”

For David and Cheryl, God brought them from Lacken House to Ballinasloe where they now serve and faithfully wait to see how God will move in their town.

“We’re not [totally] prepared,” David said, “but God is.”

As I watched the ending scene (it lasted about three minutes) I thought about the “happy ending” notion. Is it real or is it a fairy tale? A utopia created by Hollywood to give viewers a false sense of hope in the reality of a broken world? And so, I said to myself: I believe in happy endings.

As a child, I believed in happy endings because I wanted the fairy tales to be a reflection of reality and my hope was that life could end the same way it ends in movies. However, my belief in happy endings today isn’t based on the movies. Rather it is based on the perfection God promised us to have in His Kingdom for all eternity. There is indeed a true “utopia” awaiting followers of Jesus where there will be no pain, sadness, conflict or any other negative thing that we struggle with. When time ends and eternity begins, it will be a glorious joy that we will never be able to fully imagine or conceive in our minds while on earth.

So yes, I believe in happy endings. This truth has been my hope and helps me to go through the ever-changing journey called life.  

A couple of months ago, I returned home from my first two-year commitment with OM. The re-entry process was harder than I expected, though I’m fully enjoying being with family and friends and being in my home culture. Eating all my favourite foods, hanging out at my usual spots and exploring new places is exciting and relaxing. 

However, the parts that are difficult for me to process mentally are: infrastructural changes that make me feel like a foreigner in my own town, family dynamics that I missed out on, friend dynamics that make me feel like their lives are moving forward while mine is standing still and personal feelings of not being sure where I fit in anymore. 

This all took a greater toll on me than I anticipated. Feelings of ‘happy to be home’ and yet ‘is this my home?’ bombarded my stream of thoughts daily. Being home no longer felt familiar but very unfamiliar and made me wonder how I will continue to navigate a life of entry and re-entry. 

As I spend time with friends, a lot of talks about home ownership, safe places to live, raising a family and travelling, wise financial planning and lucrative career paths came up. While I tried to contribute to these topics, in my mind I thought: I can no longer relate to these things the way they do.

Yes, I’m in the awkward, overwhelming season of learning to say hello and goodbye constantly. I’m learning to settle in and make my home wherever I am, though, by the time I figure it out, it might be time to leave again. Yes, this season is a lot for me but my hope in a “happy ending” keeps me going and keeps me focused on my purpose and the mission at hand.

“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” – 2 Peter 3:13 (NIV)

Many people working on the missions field making disciples are burdened with the complexities of darkness. Disappointment when we can’t see lives being transformed, frustration with systemic social ills like human trafficking and aching for believers who are constantly persecuted and killed for their faith overwhelms us. Coupled with this are personal challenges whether it be health, financial or relational issues that also put our faith to the test. Our trust in God is tested time and time again and when these issues arise they sometimes make us wonder: “Where is God? What is He doing?” Trudging through the battlefield called “time on earth” can indeed distract us from the hope we have in our blessed Saviour and the beautiful eternity that awaits us. 

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” – Revelation 21:3-5 (NIV)

No matter what we go through on the field or in our personal lives, the truth that one day this will all end should give us joy during the sad days. It should give us the strength to not give up on the mission during the days when we feel weak and peace for the confusing days. 

As I watched that tv show, I didn’t know how the episode would end until it came to the end. I may have had ideas, but I watched it with great uncertainty. As followers of Jesus, we don’t have to go through life with any measure of uncertainty. We have the assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ which means we can rest assured how our life will end or better yet, continue into eternity with Jesus. 

So, we can believe in happy endings. An ending that begins in God’s Kingdom. 

Ava, from the Caribbean, hates to write, but loves having written, therefore she is compelled to write and be God’s voice of power through the written word. She loves to plan for the future, while reminiscing on the past, over a hot cup of tea and a delicious meal.

A simplistic view of salvation is to consider it a legal transaction, a 'get out of jail free' card from the consequences of sin or avoidance of hell—at best, an incomplete and imperfect gospel. The New Testament view is that Jesus came to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:23), not merely the consequences of those sins. For us to obtain salvation, we first agree that it is a gift of God through Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:9) who freed us from bondage to sin and the evil one. Then comes the process of submitting to the transformational work of the Holy Spirit to form us in Christ-likeness.

I wonder where the concept of people ‘accepting’ Christ came from. It has the scent of a promotional advertisement on it: “Just accept this special offer! You can choose to receive this message now.” So easy, so passive, so deceptive. The heart of the gospel is not that we accept Christ, but that through Him, God accepts us—a difference that is worlds apart. For this reason, we should examine our vocabulary and scripts that we use in presenting the gospel. The cross is not a tattoo or jewellery; it is offensive, and the cost of truly following Jesus causes many to turn away. Salvation in Christ means submission to Him and His agenda for His church and the world. This submission transforms every aspect of our lives. Jesus told interested people to count the cost, with no compromise on offer. Is this clear in the gospel we are spreading? Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16, NIV). God is the initiator of our relationship with Him. We are in no position to set the terms.

OM has enhanced its mission from merely proclaiming the gospel to making vibrant disciples of those who trust Christ—a process that is long, costly, and utterly necessary to fulfil Jesus’ command. Recently in a Himalayan country, I met with 68 people under the age of 25, all from villages, many semi-literate. They were being trained as disciple makers to be sent a week’s journey away to live among least-reached people. In the last 18 months, they have led and then discipled 154 people to be Jesus followers, forming ten new churches. They are continuing to multiply today. I would rather support that work than invest in thousands who never develop beyond being fans of Jesus.

Fans or followers?

Jesus initially had few followers among countless ‘fans’. The crowds that enjoyed the very best entertainment—miracles, meals, clever arguments—disappeared when Jesus made it personal and risky. Fans are passive spectators and admirers, whereas followers serve a leader, submit to that leader’s teachings, and imitate his example. Many people are fans of Jesus, admiring His values, respecting His teachings, but do so without committing wholeheartedly to His cause. Jesus is looking for followers, not fans. With Jesus, I want to wholeheartedly learn all I can about Him, adopt His ways, and live by His teaching.

Are we sufficiently clear in our own minds that the gospel we proclaim promises these two kinds of people two very distinct futures? Jesus warned false disciples (fans) to be certain of their final outcome (Matt. 7:21–23). Is this central to our message?

In God’s grace, fans can become followers. How can we overwrite ‘accepting’ Christ with the good news that, in Christ, God accepts us? How will this change our effectiveness in mission? Jesus deserves nothing less.
 

Thank you for your prayers and support of all OM ministries worldwide. 

Lawrence Tong

At the age of 15, God placed missions on her heart. “It has been a God-process with me. He told me I would go to the least reached, so I knew that would be my focus,” shared Ariela. “I chose my professional career with that in mind. I knew I’d work with vulnerable, at-risk kids and children with disabilities.” In fact, since childhood, she’d had a desire to specifically work with people from Myanmar.

After earning her degree in child psychology, she asked God: “What now?” A friend randomly told her about a group working with refugees in the Middle East, and she went on a short-term trip there.

“That was when I realised God had called me to work with the most vulnerable kids in the world: refugees,” Ariela declared. 

As she began to pray about opportunities, the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh had just begun. Part of one of the fastest growing refugee crises in history, the Rohingya are a Muslim people group from Myanmar. More than 800,000 men, women and children fled on foot into neighbouring Bangladesh, due to what the UN has called an ‘ethnic cleansing’.

Soon, working with the Rohingya became Ariela’s primary focus.

In 2018, Ariela boarded a plane to the UK, where she planned to get a visa to Bangladesh and then spend six months serving the Rohingya there.

But God had other plans.

Due to restrictions outside of her control, Ariela was unable to serve directly with Rohingya refugees. Her first two months involved a lot of prayer and waiting, until one night she asked God: “Please, either let the permissions appear, or show me a way out, because I don’t think I can stay here waiting without doing the job I came here to do.”

The next day, Ariela received a message from the OM office in Argentina, asking if she’d consider serving refugees in Serbia or Greece. “I’d never thought about that, but I felt like it was God’s answer to my prayer from the night before,” Ariela explained. “So I decided to go to Greece.”

Greece

On her first day in Greece, Ariela was invited to join a group of women and families at a local beach. “We were on a tourist beach with long sleeves and coverings, and we even taught them to swim. It was a lot of fun,” Ariela remembered. “That day, I realised that God had redirected me to meet up with people from the Middle East. There were a lot of similarities in our cultures, and I felt like I could relate to them.”

Ariela spent two months in Greece volunteering with different ministries. “I went to a church where they did local outreaches like giving out lunches twice a week, handing out clothes, helping with paperwork, etc. That place was amazing. I also helped with kids ages three to five while their parents were in English class. Twice a week they did a devotional there and we saw some amazing things.

“These refugees came from countries where Christians cannot openly share the gospel. But in Greece, there is more freedom to talk about God. They came to the gospel instead of the other way around,” said Ariela.

Serbia

When her time in Greece ended, Ariela went to Serbia to serve at a camp near the Croatian border. Most of the refugees there were from Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Somalia.

“We were able to talk with them and share Jesus’ love with them,” Ariela remembered. “We were in a refugee camp, so we couldn’t have official meetings. But they would ask us: ‘Why are you doing this for us?’ We were able say it was because Jesus loves them. I had some really good talks with the people there.”

Ariela especially connected with a 16-year-old girl from Iran who was waiting with her family to go to Germany. “She was worried because her brother was trying to cross the border and travel to Germany, which can be dangerous.” Ariela recalled. "This girl came to me and said: ‘I want you to pray for my brother because I know Jesus listens to the Christian people.’ I said: ‘Yes,’ but I knew this was God saying to me: 'You need to talk with her, because her heart is open to hear of me.’

“I developed a good relationship with her and gave her the Gospel of John. One day she said: ‘You are a really good person. I want to be Christian, just like you. But I want to be in a better place. So when I get to Germany, I will find a church.’

“It was really difficult to leave her. She was incredibly smart and had learnt English just by talking with people. Because she’s a refugee, she couldn’t go to school and her dad couldn’t work. They were stuck in time. They had dreams just like everyone, and they struggled with not having a future there.

“They were from Iran, which is one of the top 10 nations for persecuted Christians. It’s really hard for people from Iran to hear the gospel and also for people to convert. They could go to jail or even be put to death. The fact that they are in Europe meant they were in a safe environment where they could hear the gospel and even see a Bible for the first time.

“My prayer is that she will find a real hope for life, because they are hopeless without Jesus, but also that they will be in a better physical place where her father can work, and she can go to school.” 

Back in Argentina

Needless to say, Ariela’s trip didn’t look anything like she’d imagined. She ended up going to seven different countries in seven months, including attending a training for disaster response in Germany. While she didn’t get to serve directly with the Rohingya, Ariela said: “I sensed God saying: ‘Right now this door isn’t open to you, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t in the future. Right now the door is open to speak to refugees in Europe. When the war ends, the refugees will stop coming, and it will be harder to get to them.’

“I get this feeling like God is not going to put me in one place for my whole life. He is trying to teach me to be flexible and trust that He is in control. It’s about learning how to rest in Him.”

Now back in Ushuaia, Ariela is preparing to return to Serbia, this time as a long-term worker. “There are so many opportunities to serve at the camp. And recently I heard that even a few Rohingya have come through there!”

When God placed missions on her heart at the age of 15, Ariela had no idea the turns her story would take. The same was true for when she left Argentina for Bangladesh. But through every surprise and each new challenge, God was with her every step of the way—writing a much greater story than she could ever imagine.

After two similar outreaches in Vienna, it was a privilege to bring the joy of Easter to the people of upper Austria through music and testimonies. God enabled the team to compile a colourful programme of gospel, classic and pop music with singing, piano, German flute, oboe, English horn, violin, guitar, cajon and ukulele!

Reaching the young and old

When the choir sang quiet songs like “Do You See the Lamb” and “The Power of the Cross” some residents in an old people’s home had tears in their eyes, and they clapped along to “Oh Happy Day.” Even the young caretaker helping the team with the technical equipment was moved. New perspectives opened up for him when a young woman from a partnering church shared with him about Jesus and invited him to church.

Generous hospitality and successful teamwork

The team really appreciated the hospitality and abundant provision of food from partnering churches. An afternoon concert in a church served to dedicate the new premises, as well as enabled the team to contribute to a dynamic church service. Some team members interviewed pedestrians on the street about their thoughts on Easter. A church member made a great video from the interviews that was later used in several concerts and church services.

At another church, the team had the opportunity to provide the musical part of the services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The Easter Sunday service was packed. Some guests were there for the first time, including a student from Mongolia. It was such a joy to see a team member’s former employer and her daughters excitement over the clear message of the resurrection.

Our efforts are not in vain

Special highlights included the evangelistic outreach on the streets, and a concert in a smaller town. While walking through the sunny streets, the team met many people who were open to talk about Easter and Jesus. A spontaneous concert on the main town square with Gospel Magic and a short message from an Open Air Campaigner completed the afternoon.

Two days later, about 20 new visitors, together with many Christians, enjoyed a multifaceted concert at the church and clearly heard the gospel. The guests learnt about the concerts in a multitude of ways: through friends, the newspaper or even through the weekly programme of the local rehabilitation clinic.

Walter *, who expected a rather lonely birthday, was overwhelmed after being sung “Happy Birthday” as well as getting a cake and prayer. “I will hang (the birthday card) in the kitchen”, he promised. “When I die that card shall be buried with me!”

Who would have thought a few years ago that out of the small beginnings in this town, God would grow such a dynamic, loving and inviting church? Truly, our labour in the Lord is not in vain. He is building His church. The challenge is to continue to be faithful in labouring.

*name changed

It is here that Yaro* is from.

Married with two young children, Yaro was an islamic teacher who was very well versed in the Qur'an. Over time he found himself drawn to Jesus over Mohammed and wondered: Why are we not teaching about Jesus in the mosque if the Quran mentions Him so much and with so much virtue? When he went to his leaders, they told him not to ask such questions.

One teacher did answer him, however. He said: "This is a secret; if we started to teach about Jesus in our mosques then we might as well open churches." That comment stayed with Yaro, and when he heard the gospel, he committed his life to Jesus.

When word of Yaro coming to faith reached the other Islamic leaders and teachers, they confronted Yaro, beating and interrogating him. Despite the pain, Yaro stood by his decision to follow Christ and would not deny his new faith.

Because Yaro was an Islamic teacher, everything he owned had been provided by the mosque. By deciding to follow Christ, Yaro lost a stable income as well as his home and everything in it.

During this hard time Saida*, Yaro’s wife, decided that if her husband was a follower of Jesus, she needed to be one as well and gave her life to Christ. Together with their two children they were stranded, without a home or food and with just the clothes on their back. Family and friends turned them away, saying that as long as Yaro and Saida were Christians, they could not help them.

The OM team in Tanzania, who regularly visit the area, heard about Yaro and his family and started building a relationship with them, finding a house in a different village for them to stay in and helping them grow as believers.

“For me what has been most amazing was just seeing how Yaro has fallen deeply in love with Christ,” said OM worker Ofhentse. “This guy is really eating up the Word of God.”

Yaro has passionately begun sharing his faith with those around him. He says he knows the lies that people are blinded by in Islam because he, too, was bound by them for many years.

After seeing one of their own walk away from Islam, a few people from Yaro’s old village have begun questioning Islam. People who hear his story are amazed that he could know so much about the Qur'an and yet still believe the Bible holds the real truth.

Yaro and his wife were baptised and are growing in their relationship with Christ. Pray for them as they continue to spread the good news with their family, friends and the wider community. A church has been planted in the village; pray for people’s eyes to be opened and for them to see the light and love of Jesus.

*name changed for security

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

Sorani Kurdish is the second most widely spoken Kurdish dialect, and is the mother tongue of about eight million people from Iran and Iraq. Now, those eight million people can read the Scriptures in their heart language, allowing believers to edify their faith, grow in their knowledge of God and understand more fully what the Bible says.

For those who live in the Middle East, however, very few bookshops stock the Kurdish Bible, making a paper copy difficult to access.

OM has worked with partners to create a simple Kurdish Bible app, so that Kurdish people can easily download Scriptures in their own language onto their phones.

“It’s hard to carry your paper Bible discreetly if you’re a secret Christian,” explains one OM worker. “They’ll question why you have a Bible, but no one’s going to question why you’re going out with your phone.”

The basic app has been available since April 2017, and has had over 6,000* downloads in its opening year. OM is partnering with developers to make the app available on more devices, including Windows computers. They are also adding functions that will allow users to share verses on social media, highlight passages, and make their own notes.

Pray for the development and distribution of the Kurdish Bible app and for Kurdish believers to take ownership of creating relevant resources.

Pray that the new Kurdish translation would have an impact on the Kurdish church and there would be an increase of Jesus followers.

*Numbers accurate at time of writing

A week before Cyclone Idai turned into a category four storm and flooded the city of Beira, it hit the area of Mocuba. Relentless rain pounded down on the area, making it difficult for people to go anywhere.

So loud was the rain and wind one night that Amina’s children moved from the bedroom they shared to their mother’s room, where they all sat together unable to sleep. Amina remembered feeling fearful and helpless as there was nothing they could do but wait out the storm. That night the side of the house with the children’s room collapsed. The next day, when everyone was out of the house, the remaining room crumbled.

Larger items that had been in the home, such as a bed and chairs, were salvaged and stored at a friend’s house. Smaller items suffered water damage and were mostly beyond repair. “I feel bad that my children lost their school books and belongings,” said Amina.

The family stayed at a neighbour’s house for two days before moving to a government-designated camp for those living along the river whose homes had been destroyed by Cyclone Idai. The white tent the family was given was one of about two dozen such tents surrounding a large tree.

The camp itself is situated on the outskirts of town—far from the riverbanks where Amina’s house once stood. The distance has proven to be a challenge. Amina—who used to buy peanuts and then cook and sell them at the market—can no longer work as the place where she bought peanuts is located on the opposite side of town. Her children, aged 5 to 18, must walk two hours to get to school, except for her oldest daughter, who stayed in town. The daughter has been staying with a neighbour so that she can sell peanuts at the market in place of her mother after school. Any profit from the peanuts gets sent to her family.

Others from the camp have already moved back into their damaged homes by the river, citing the distance from town as their reason for returning. The stretch along the river is known for flooding, and residents have repeatedly been told to relocate, but life by the water is what they know and what they return to.

After meeting Amina at the camp, the OM team has continued to meet with her, hearing her story and looking at ways to help.

“One thing that really touched me when we were talking to Amina was that when she was talking to us, she didn’t talk about food,” said Mutita Kashimoto, Field Leader of OM in Mozambique. “She talked about the future of her children, especially their education—and that touched my heart.

The OM team enrolled Amina in Tabitha—a Freedom Challenge project that empowers widowed and vulnerable women by teaching them how to sew quality items in order to be self-sustainable. The classes start middle of April.

The crewmembers explained to the young people that they are just like them, and that they have decided to go and serve God in other nations. Pastor Montes said the young people were as yet unaware about global mission, so the crew's visit was an opportunity for them to discover a new perspective.

Carolin Kluepfel (Germany) told the young church members about her journey to serve on board. She joined Logos Hope as a ‘STEPper.’ STEP (Short Term Exposure Programme) is a programme for volunteers who stay on board for a shorter time than most crewmembers: three months. Before coming on board, Carolin worked with prisoners and studied social work. When her sister mentioned the idea of volunteering on the ship, she thought living with people from many different cultures would be interesting.

Carolin prayed about the idea and received her answer through a Bible verse. “I applied to come on board and said, ‘OK, God, if this is your plan, then it will happen.’” When she was accepted, she sold her car after having an accident. The insurance money she received covered the amount she needed to raise to serve on the ship.

“It all came together, and I was able to come here,” explained Carolin. She wanted to show the young believers that nothing could stop them from going to serve God. “A seed was planted, and I believe God will be working in their hearts,” Pastor Montes commented, as he drove the volunteers back to the ship.

“Today we learnt that we must share the good news with people around us and realise that we must all be missionaries,” Pastor Montes said, as he reflected on the message another crewmember had given. “But not only where we live – the message of the gospel must be shared with the entire world. This is why having this time with Logos Hope’s crewmembers was so important.”

The pastors and church members thanked the volunteers for their visit and for the message shared with their youth. Many had a lot of questions and showed their encouragement and support through praying for the crew and their mission work.

Mercy, a single mother of three living in a village along Lake Tanganyika, has not had an easy life. At one point, her mother took Mercy to the Muslim community to get financial help, which is how she became a Muslim.

Still struggling financially, Mercy was introduced to a Self Help Group (SHG) in a nearby village. The facilitator of the group was Purity*, a local lady from the community. She had a similar background to Mercy—a single mother with three children to raise. However, Purity had found hope in Jesus that took her out of the vulnerable situation. She knew that Jesus was who Mercy needed too.  

During the six weeks of SHG training, participants learn how to connect with God and people, as well as how to address political and economic issues through God’s eyes. In the beginning, Mercy was unsure how to pray and do the Bible study sections; she was not familiar with how to speak to God.

Throughout the weeks, God opened Mercy’s eyes. One thing in particular that she noticed was that the Christians around her sincerely cared for her and wanted to help. Having discovered who Jesus is during Bible study, Mercy decided to follow Him. 

Mercy was afraid to leave the Muslim community, but the members of the SHG supported her. They helped her find a flat to rent in a different area and start a business to sustain herself, as well as connected her with a church. Now Mercy is sharing her story with others and is looking forward to the day when she can share her faith with her former community. She is still part of the SHG where she continues to grow.

Purity was very happy to see how God once again touched a fellow woman though the SHG. Since being trained in 2016, Purity has been the most dedicated and faithful facilitator. She might not have the most education or strong family background, but she has a heart full of compassion and love. God has been using this ordinary lady to transform dozens of vulnerable families and the stories will continue.

Praise God for what He has done through SHGs along the lakeshore. Pray that more vulnerable women will join SHGs and their lives will be transformed by God. Pray that the facilitators will have wisdom, strength and patience from God to know how to bring the participants to follow God.

*name changed

It felt like every little thing came under the microscope. How much did culture shape the way I prayed, expected to hear God, treated people of different backgrounds or ethnicities and disciplined my children? I felt like an alien from outer space – not knowing the rules; not knowing how much of ‘me’ I get to keep.

A small example: I needed to learn to ask: ‘how are you?’ every time I greeted anyone. Easy with friends but more difficult when you’re asking a question of someone in a supermarket. In the UK it would be odd to start a sentence with ‘how are you?’ to a stranger but in South Africa it’s rude not to.

I frequently needed to change my behaviour, my language and my expectations to consider my new cultural norms. Sometimes, however, I needed to resist adjusting. We had a street WhatsApp group and many times people would make racist comments encouraging others to think the same – a hangover from Apartheid days. We would need to hold on to different values; ones we had learnt from an alternative culture. In these instances, we needed to be comfortable in ‘offending.’

As time went on, I started asking myself different questions. What did I need to change that wasn’t helpful in my own culture? What did I need to resist adopting from the culture I was living in? What would Jesus do? Living according to biblical values is the obvious ‘answer’ but sometimes the Bible has been used to argue a point either way. Life isn’t that black and white, and I needed to learn to live in the grey.

A friend of mine explained that South African laws require companies to have a certain percentage of non-white workers. This was problematic for my friend’s company as it was much easier to find white applicants with the right skills, due to a history of preferential education. The company decided to try harder and spend more time looking. They resisted the urge to be impatient. They hired a black lady – not just for her colour but also for her skill. My friend recounted: “We now have someone in our team who brings a different outlook, a fresh voice and sees things from an alternative position. It has made our team that much richer and we are so grateful we took the time to find her. Now everybody wins.”

I learnt that my culture doesn’t have all the answers. It’s not better to be British or worse to be South African. It’s also not better to be South African and worse to be British. I needed to take responsibility for the cultural failings of my home culture and learn new ways of living. This is the most interesting and exciting part of living elsewhere. You learn things you cannot read in a book, understand on a trip or have explained to you by someone else. Investing in deep friendships with locals brings a richness to life that has changed me forever.

Today, after six years in South Africa, I am living back in the UK and I find I feel more an alien than ever before. Starting a conversation with ‘how are you’ gets raised eyebrows! I could easily slip back into conforming to all cultural norms, but instead I find I continue to question if they are helpful. I realise the experience of living in a different culture has changed me and taught me to be a global citizen, always considering culture as an influencing factor. England no longer feels like home like it used to and I miss my ‘other’ home in South Africa. But I am richer for the experience. I seek out people from other cultures, I make the effort with people ‘not like me’, and I hope that means that everybody wins.

I am now an alien wherever I go, and I love it.

Having arrived unexpectedly earlier this year after six years in South Africa, Ali currently lives on the south coast of England with her mum, her husband and her two young children. Ali serves as OM’s Internal Communications Director, working part-time and spending the rest of the time making puzzles, painting and enjoying the English countryside with her kids. She previously worked for global companies in the telecommunications and film industries, joining OM in 2013.

A balanced response to cultures

The myriad of cultures in the world is a gift from God reflecting His beauty and diversity. Engaging complex cultures should not frighten or discourage us. Yet no culture is above the teaching of the Bible. Cultures change constantly; Scripture does not. We should never allow the ‘culture card’ to be a negotiating tool exempting one cultural group from international standards or agreements. Cultural clichés are no excuse for double standards in a global organisation.

At the same time, every culture deserves respect and understanding. No single culture is better than another; failing to acknowledge this accounts for many of the problems in our world. We are too quick to label people and end up using stereotypes that block us from seeing someone made in the image of God. People become targets and commodities when lumped together in the name of missiology. I have met well-meaning missionaries whose goal was to change others’ culture in the name of progress rather than infusing their hosts’ cultural worldview with Biblical truth. This type of thinking needs to change. Every culture makes assumptions about other cultures that are often false or distorted. We accept that every culture should be respected, but we can fail to recognise that all cultures – including our own – are fundamentally broken before God. We can share this common brokenness rather than strive for superiority.

Heaven is ready for all the cultures of this world: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9, NIV). In the meantime, our task as Jesus followers is to engage with other cultures for the sake of the gospel.

Love covers all

In OM, we are so accustomed to people from dozens of different cultures living and working together that cultural boundaries fade. They are only re-activated when someone offends another’s culture. It might involve a sense of humour, an unwitting hand gesture, or whatever. If a foreigner makes a cultural mistake, we have an obligation to correct them, but in private. The Chinese see burping as a compliment to the chef but, when I once did so, naively, on the ship, my table mates were deeply offended.

However, when we offend, do our sincere apologies create an opportunity for growth in the offended party? We have no right to go around insulting others, but the world we operate in does so. Equipping our people must include teaching them to handle insult and offense in a godly way. If we want our people to be durable and flexible in foreign fields, we should not overly shield them. Rather, they need to learn to face cultural offense with grace and determination. One way is to train ourselves to find the good in other cultures and to learn from them, especially in areas where another’s cultural practice might be an improvement on ours!

Discerning human nature and culture comes with maturity and experience. Ideally, we will learn to recognise the difference, which is useful in team situations. If a person is acting out of line, is it a matter of personal character or their culture? Both require a suitable response.

Release your cultural baggage into heaven’s culture and follow its rules of grace. Look to Jesus and how He dealt with offense: He confronted wrongdoing as needed, He rebuked His errant disciples in private; He never belittled anyone for their ethnicity.

Let us set an example in being gracious to other cultures without needing to apologise for our own. Learn to lighten up, because the journey ahead may be long!
 

Thank you for your prayers and support of all OM ministries worldwide.

Lawrence Tong

The missionaries gave some general advice on what is good for couples, as well as more specific advice for those who wish to serve God in mission. They explained that both husband and wife need to have a calling to this way of life, and that if one spouse feels called and the other doesn’t, serving God according to His will could become complicated.

Robert and Angela told the church that they had each sensed a strong calling to a specific part of Asia. This confirmation that God led them there has helped the couple remain strong in difficult times, and they are able to remind each other of their purpose and remain committed.

“It is also very important to pray together, to have fellowship. It is important in your home country, but abroad, there are more difficulties socially, physically and spiritually, when you work for God,” explained Robert. “Satan doesn’t want healthy couples and families to succeed, so he may attack a lot. Spiritual unity and fellowship is essential,” he told the gathering. Later, Angela reflected: “We have people back home who pray for us. We reminded the church to also pray for those they have sent out.”

Viviana Calvo, a church member who arranged contact with the ship, spoke about what she would take away from the session: “Their story was very useful, especially the advice that both should feel a calling to serve – otherwise, it won’t work,” said Viviana.

Robert and Angela observed that the church was open to sending missionaries and that the couples were encouraged to hear what God was doing in far-off places. At the end of the meeting, they gave the audience some examples of Argentinians who are missionaries, and invited them to also consider going to the least reached to share the good news.

The missionaries and the church are still in contact; the church’s pastor and his wife invited Camila Babativa (Colombia), who had also been present, to talk about Logos Hope on a local radio show, and the missionary couple also had the opportunity to talk about their ministry in Asia.

*names changed

The leaflet, entitled Maria, was designed by OM EAST and written by an outreach worker. The fictional story of a woman called Maria was inspired by the life of Mary Magdalene. It describes her brokenness and how, one day, she met Jesus Christ who told of a new kingdom where anyone can become a child of God through faith in Him. Maria expresses the wonderful change in her life as she experienced her Saviour’s acceptance, forgiveness, love and comfort.

“I was thinking about the verse in Matthew chapter 21 where it says those trapped in prostitution will enter the God’s kingdom ahead of others because they believed,” reflected an OM EAST worker. “This gives such hope that women today would also put their faith in Jesus and receive new life in Him!”

The Maria leaflet has been translated into nine languages, including Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Chinese. OM EAST will print a total of 4,700 copies to help outreach workers offer hope to hundreds of ladies this Easter.

Please pray many women read the ‘Maria’ leaflet and believe in Jesus and His promises. Please pray they would trust their Saviour to provide them with a way out of prostitution. Please pray individuals receive the healing, restoration and freedom only Jesus can bring.  

“Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.” - Matthew 21:31a-32a (NIV)

OM EAST’s literature and media ministry produces high quality print and digital media in over 25 languages. Always working with partners, they seek to share the gospel, strengthen churches and bring hope to people groups throughout Eurasia.

Within Turkey, Tunceli is a very different place as it consists of religious and ethnic minorities that have Christian roots. After incidents in the early part of the 20th century, many of these people went into hiding and were too afraid to find out more about Jesus. Some are even outright Alevi Muslims now. This history translates to a modern-day mostly agnostic population, of whom a high percentage do not care about Jesus.

In 2018, there was a Turkey AfriAsia Creative Outreach (TACO) outreach to Tunceli with some fantastic musical and theatrical elements. Alevi people love the arts and, miraculously, permissions to do this outreach were given by the municipality. In the East, these things can be very difficult. Many people gathered to watch the show, perhaps 600 or so in total.

A group of five or six young men were there making fun of the show. Atheists, they were joking about how silly it was that Christians would come and talk about 'religion' in their area. Carla and Berni had the opportunity to speak to these youths for five hours. They spoke of all kinds of things: the Kalam Cosmological Argument, the moral argument, teleology and the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Several local brothers also shared their testimonies. The young guys said: “Our teachers ('Dedes' who are said to have descended from Ali, the prophet Mohammed's nephew) don't teach us about these things!”  Berni asked if they could meet for tea the next day.

Lo and behold, the young men all turned up the next morning. Two of them said that they had seen Jesus in their dreams and were baptised. However, they promptly left for another province to study at university and Tunceli went back to having zero believers again.

However, in the last month the Lord has again been working miraculously, and there are now 12 believers in Tunceli! There are so many, a meeting space needed to be rented, and now there is a hope to have some 25 people attending on Sundays. The Lord can do the impossible.

*name changed

Now, with churches filled and thousands of people coming to faith, the couple recognise a new need: believers in Algeria know about Jesus, but they don’t know about missions.

Algerians for Missions, Youssef and Hee Tee’s new ministry passion, aims to send out 1,000 Algerians for missions by 2025 within Algeria and beyond. By the end of 2018, Youssef reported that 130 Algerians had already been sent on short-term trips.

To facilitate this process, Youssef and Hee Tee advocated for, fundraised and oversaw the building of a new missions training centre: the Timothy Mission School. “That building, as far as I know, is the first in the whole Middle East and North Africa that recruits Muslim-background believers, trains them and sends them out for missions,” Youssef stated.

They inaugurated the building in December 2017 and immediately put it to use. “When we finished the mission building, we invited all the construction workers to come inside, and we shared the gospel with all of them (Christians and Muslims), and now quite a few of them want to come to church,” Youssef said.

With 18 rooms and three apartments, the building can accommodate about 72 students. Though there are still walls to be painted, floors to be tiled, heat and gas hook-ups to complete and a garden to be outfitted, the space has already been a blessing to the community. People regularly stop by the centre for prayer and pastoral care throughout the week, culminating with prayer and fasting every Friday. “Prayer and deliverance are a huge ministry. A lot of people come from many different backgrounds, tough relationships with parents, families, all kinds of things,” Youssef explained. “One of the greatest needs is a safe place where people can come and feel confident that the trust is there. By God’s grace we are building the place.”

Between June and August, the building will be available for churches across Algeria to rent for summer camps, seminars and retreats – a great benefit for groups who previously struggled to find venues that would rent to Christians.

Developing a local missions school was not only strategic but also necessary. “Algeria is very hard to get a visa to come to, and it is very hard to stay as a missionary, so we have to work with the nationals,” Youssef noted.

The inaugural class of nine students already graduated from the Timothy Mission School in June 2018, with a second round of six full-time students taking their place. Drop-ins are also encouraged, so up to 15 people often sit in on the lessons.

“There is huge potential to send out,” Youssef said. “I believe that we’re coming into the stage where we are seriously, practically training and getting teams ready to go.”

In 2019, Algerian short-term teams are preparing to go to places such as Mauritania, Tunisia, Lebanon and Niger. Several workers will also go to Tunisia to serve long-term. One Algerian believer has joined the Near East field’s Arab internship programme, designed to equip people to serve in the least-reached places on the field, which includes Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. Two missions organisations plan to visit Algeria to recruit ten Algerians to join them in the Near East as well.

“Truly God has a special plan for the Algerian church, and He is putting all the puzzles together to accomplish His plan,” Hee Tee said.

Praise God for the many doors he is opening for Algerians in missions. Please pray that He would provide financial support for the Timothy Mission School and for the Algerian brothers and sisters willing to serve in other countries.

Safe, but hardships ahead

Safely on Lesvos, many hardships awaited 38-year-old Solomon and his teenage son. After being registered as refugees, they continued travelling onto the mainland, expecting to finally find shelter and better conditions. It was March; the weather was still cold. They longed for a shower, even cold water would do. However, the ‘shelter’ in the port city was an empty warehouse. “I felt so dirty, like insects crawling all over," recalls Solomon, “but the sanitary conditions were basically non-existent. We were 200 people sleeping in this warehouse, yet the nights were freezing cold.” Two months later, the police moved them to a refugee camp, gave them tents to sleep in, and provided some food.

The misery of refugee life was almost more than he could bear, and now he had even become a diabetic with no money for medication. Solomon despaired, regretting that he had left his beloved Afghanistan, even though there had been threats on his life. The fact that he worked as a translator for foreigners, was enough to cause serious trouble with the Taliban, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he was arrested or worse, if he had stayed. He was able to contact a friend in Afghanistan and asked him to pray. Anton did more than pray. He connected Solomon to a friend in Greece; this friend happened to be the OM field leader in Greece, Gabby Marcus.

His only hope

Dirty, smelly, broke and downcast, Solomon felt too ashamed to meet Gabby, but it was his only hope of changing his situation. They had agreed to meet at a metro station, so with no money left, Solomon sneaked onto a train, hoping not to get caught. “Gabby was very kind to me,” says Solomon. “We talked a bit and walked to the OM office. Gabby asked discreetly if I wanted to take a shower. The office had a full bathroom; towels, soap and shampoo were provided, and I stayed in that bathroom for an hour! The first shower in months, and with hot water, felt like the top of luxury!”

The gift

Solomon had grown up in a Muslim family and had no plans of becoming a Christian. However, in Afghanistan, he had been able to secure a job with a Korean couple who were starting up a business. They kindly let him sleep in their compound, in a small room close to the guard at the gate. After some weeks, the Korean asked about his Muslim faith, commenting that he never saw Solomon pray. He also gave him a book to read, which Solomon left on the shelf. Yet, when his boss a week later asked if he had read the book, he said, “Yes,” not wishing to offend his boss. He thought he had better take a closer look at this book. After all, he had no other books to read and maybe next time, his boss would ask more questions.

He liked what he read, especially the parts where Jesus talked about forgiveness and loving your enemies, not to mention that prayer and fasting should be done in private and not boasted about. He even recognized some stories from the Qur’an. Plus, he was disillusioned with his Muslim faith, having seen so much fighting, so many dead bodies. How could Muslims kill other Muslims when they all believed in the same God?

Fellowship

Some time later, before the Korean couple left Afghanistan, they introduced Solomon to another Korean lady who helped him with in-depth Bible studies. In due time, she also connected him with a small fellowship of Afghan Jesus-followers. For Solomon, who had thought himself the only Afghan Christian, it was utter joy.

Solomon now moved to a translation job at the US Army base hospital, where he noticed how caringly the US doctor treated his patients. It was very unlike what he had experienced before. When he asked the doctor if he might happen to be a Christian, the man laughed and said: “Of course, I am a Christian!” His reply gave Solomon the courage to share that he, too, was a follower of Christ. He was invited to join the fellowship in the base chapel but was reluctant to go. Many Afghan eyes were keeping watch; it would be dangerous for him to attend a Christian meeting. When he managed to secretly slip in, the doctor anointed him with oil and Solomon cried and cried. It felt like a baptism, although Solomon’s baptism in water would only happen later, in Greece.

Time to leave his beloved country

The threat of danger kept rising. Solomon had moved on to work for a Christian NGO. When a friend was stabbed because he worked for foreigners, Solomon knew it was time to flee the country. Reluctantly, he discussed it with his wife, and they made their plans. Solomon and his teenage son made it into Iran. They then continued by taxi towards the Turkish border and the seemingly endless 12-hour walk in the dark and cold of night. Together in a group of a hundred Afghans, some too weak for the walk and needing to be carried part of the way, they made it across the mountains into Turkey. “My son,” said Solomon, “kept holding my hand, encouraging me to move on.”

Later, his wife and five younger children moved on to India, safe from the Taliban. As for many refugees, life is difficult, and the separation hard on all of them. 

Working for OM

In Athens, Gabby and Solomon met up again a few times, and Gabby asked if Solomon would be available to help them in the office. They could not pay much, but the nearby Filipino church provided accommodation, and life started improving.

Serving for 18 months with the OM team, Solomon led many Afghans to faith. He got baptised and studied for a diploma in theology at a Greek Bible College, graduating in January 2019. His dream is to study further and become a pastor.

Discipling others

Currently Solomon is serving in two churches as well as OM’s café, discipling new Afghan and Iranian believers, preaching and translating. He is also teaching English to refugees through one of OM’s programs. With his background, he is bringing his Muslim understanding to the situation in a way that is unique and can speak into other refugees’ lives as no one else could do.

Homesickness

Life has certainly improved from those first months of utter hardships. However, as the Afghan proverb says, ‘A woman is half your faith,’ meaning that only together you are complete. Solomon questions how long he will be able to continue on without his family, including the loneliness, temptations and desire to be part of his children’s childhood. And, of course, his wife and children long for the same!

“I love my country and my people,” shares Solomon, “and we pray for peace in Afghanistan. My hope is to one day go back and live there, in peace, with my wife and children.”

*Name changed for security

Solomon’s oldest son Hassan is still with him in Greece. Please pray for the rest of his family to be re-united soon. Pray for Solomon’s ministry and the ongoing ministry among refugees in Athens. God is doing a great work in this city, yet there are many hardships.

As they were looking for ways to share the gospel, the sisters found out about OM Transform, a mission conference held annually in a European country. Appreciating OM’s core values and doctrinal statement, they felt like this was the right option for them. In July 2017, they arrived at the conference in Spain. Most participants go on an outreach right after the conference, but for the Chapa sisters, this proved difficult due to other plans already made.  

However, undeterred by their time restraints, they decided they would still return the following year, even if only for the outreach! It was an unusual decision but definitely possible. This time they arrived in the north of France, ready to work with a small church in Bruay-la-Buissière, together with team members from Switzerland, France and the USA.

“The opportunity to spend a week with five other people sharing our stories and lives with each other is what I am most thankful for,” said Nadia. “The icebreaker games helped us get to know each other right away and immediately began the process of building trust and confidence in each other. This continued to grow and develop during the week and made us a very strong team.”

Chanel perfume

“I came to France expecting to meet superficial people smelling of Chanel perfume, wearing expensive clothes with expensive handbags on their shoulders!” recalled Nadia. “Instead, I met two different types of people: the first was a small group who were surrendered to the will of God, Christians with warm hearts and a desire to serve in the church. The second group of people was a much larger ‘non-believing’ community who was thirsty for the love of God. This became clear to me as we did ‘faith surveys’ on the streets.”

Zaira shared about visiting a refugee centre and meeting a man from Eritrea, who told her he had to leave his family behind in his home country. “Even when he said he believed in God, I shared the gospel with him,” said Zaira. “And when he asked why a girl from Mexico would come to France, I told him I came to meet him and talk to him about God. I told him how we prayed for Mexico and other countries the previous evening and now I wanted to pray for him and his country.” She told the man that she would also pray he’d soon be reunited with his family.

Nadia said: “While my teammate and I were conducting the surveys at a square, I was very amazed that people were acknowledging not believing in God, yet very willing to give us their personal information, even looking desperately for an ID card to make sure we wrote their address correctly. Unbelievable! This is something I keep remembering from time to time and makes me think how thirsty and ready people are to receive the gospel.”

However, Nadia and Zaira agreed: “Participating [in an outreach] right after the Transform conference has an advantage because one gets really inspired by the praying, singing, learning, sharing and praising the Lord along with other missionaries. Listening to all the conference leaders’ teachings and anecdotes, including how they experienced opposition in some places, and how the Lord has been with them always, was very encouraging. OM did a great job equipping us!”

Zaira added: “We consider the outreach in France a successful outreach. As teammates, we had times for devotionals, time to study and share, worship and pray in the church. We also did a prayer walk on the city streets, made surveys, visited a centre for refugees and, after giving out invitations to the citizens of Bruay La Buissière, we also had a family party in the church garden and a concert night; both were fully attended, with 75 people filling the church to the brim and many new people showing up.

Having been made aware of the spiritual situation in Europe and the need for people to share the gospel in France and other countries, the sisters concluded with the words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 9:37-38: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

In 2019, the Transform conference will take place in Athens, Greece, with several outreaches in Greece, as well as to Serbia, Romania, Albania and Turkey.

As they were looking for ways to share the gospel, the sisters found out about OM Transform, a mission conference held annually in a European country. Appreciating OM’s core values and doctrinal statement, they felt like this was the right option for them. In July 2017, they arrived at the conference in Spain. Most participants go on an outreach right after the conference, but for the Chapa sisters, this proved difficult due to other plans already made.  

However, undeterred by their time restraints, they decided they would still return the following year, even if only for the outreach! It was an unusual decision but definitely possible. This time they arrived in the north of France, ready to work with a small church in Bruay-la-Buissière, together with team members from Switzerland, France and the USA.

“The opportunity to spend a week with five other people sharing our stories and lives with each other is what I am most thankful for,” said Nadia. “The icebreaker games helped us get to know each other right away and immediately began the process of building trust and confidence in each other. This continued to grow and develop during the week and made us a very strong team.”

Chanel perfume

“I came to France expecting to meet superficial people smelling of Chanel perfume, wearing expensive clothes with expensive handbags on their shoulders!” recalled Nadia. “Instead, I met two different types of people: the first was a small group who were surrendered to the will of God, Christians with warm hearts and a desire to serve in the church. The second group of people was a much larger ‘non-believing’ community who was thirsty for the love of God. This became clear to me as we did ‘faith surveys’ on the streets.”

Zaira shared about visiting a refugee centre and meeting a man from Eritrea, who told her he had to leave his family behind in his home country. “Even when he said he believed in God, I shared the gospel with him,” said Zaira. “And when he asked why a girl from Mexico would come to France, I told him I came to meet him and talk to him about God. I told him how we prayed for Mexico and other countries the previous evening and now I wanted to pray for him and his country.” She told the man that she would also pray he’d soon be reunited with his family.

Nadia said: “While my teammate and I were conducting the surveys at a square, I was very amazed that people were acknowledging not believing in God, yet very willing to give us their personal information, even looking desperately for an ID card to make sure we wrote their address correctly. Unbelievable! This is something I keep remembering from time to time and makes me think how thirsty and ready people are to receive the gospel.”

However, Nadia and Zaira agreed: “Participating [in an outreach] right after the Transform conference has an advantage because one gets really inspired by the praying, singing, learning, sharing and praising the Lord along with other missionaries. Listening to all the conference leaders’ teachings and anecdotes, including how they experienced opposition in some places, and how the Lord has been with them always, was very encouraging. OM did a great job equipping us!”

Zaira added: “We consider the outreach in France a successful outreach. As teammates, we had times for devotionals, time to study and share, worship and pray in the church. We also did a prayer walk on the city streets, made surveys, visited a centre for refugees and, after giving out invitations to the citizens of Bruay La Buissière, we also had a family party in the church garden and a concert night; both were fully attended, with 75 people filling the church to the brim and many new people showing up.

Having been made aware of the spiritual situation in Europe and the need for people to share the gospel in France and other countries, the sisters concluded with the words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 9:37-38: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

In 2019, the Transform conference will take place in Athens, Greece, with several outreaches in Greece, as well as to Serbia, Romania, Albania and Turkey.

Apart from school, there is hardly anything to do in the town. No sports, no music lessons, nothing. After school you might sometimes go for a swim or hang out with some friends, doing nothing. Many of your classmates have a similar life. Some of them moved away over time. Others are involved with crime. Some are stealing in order to care for their families, but most of them are stealing to buy drugs and alcohol. They just want a few moments to forget the misery in life. Recently your best friend was so desperate that she tried to take her own life. Thank God she survived, but mentally she is still in a bad place. Is there any meaning of life in this terrible mess?  

This life is reality for many children and teenagers in Tkvarcheli. Tkvarcheli is a town in the south of Abkhazia, which was severely damaged in the ethnic war with Georgia. The town once flourished as an industrial centre of the region, but 25 years after the war, the town is still shattered, and almost nothing has been rebuilt. Children are on their own and often drawn to crime. These children live under the spiritual oppression of the pagan traditions, which are common among the Abkhazians. In such conditions, the teenage club at the church is a beacon of light for the children and teenagers in the town. It is a place for kids to develop, learn new things and spend quality time together.

One of the local kids is 10-year-old Tamila*. Tamila has several sisters and a mother, who works only in the summertime, when tourists visit this country. Tamila and her friends like to come to the church to spend time there. When this church started two years ago, one of the believers began to work with kids. He organized a movie club, which gathered a lot of kids and teenagers each week. But it was not enough for the ministry with the kids. They had a great need for quality time and activities. OM, who is partnering with this church, decided to send four second-year MDT (Missions Discipleship Training) students to serve a one-year internship with these kids and teenagers.

Just before the MDT students came to this city, the children were told that new people would come and spend time with them. Tamila and other kids were very happy and looking forward to meeting with new friends. Once the four second-year MDT students came for their internship in Tkvarcheli, they quickly became friends with the local children, especially with four girls (one of whom is Tamila).

The students are responsible for the children’s and teenagers’ ministry. They organize a children’s and teenagers’ club twice a week. More than 15 teenagers and children come to play games, have tea and then discuss some topics. Besides this, students show an example of Christian life and God’s love just by living there. Every morning, the students spend time with God and read the Bible. The children see this. One day Tamila got very curious about the book they read. Sometimes she also took the Bible and sat next to the students. She, too, read the Bible and was looking for what was interesting in this book, which didn’t have any pictures.

The students also befriended the parents of these girls, and they allowed the girls to have sleepovers with the students. It was a nice time of fellowship—they cooked dinner together, drew and did some crafts. Before going to bed, they read stories from the Bible.

One of these nights, after prayer, Tamila suddenly whispered words, that touched one of the students. She said: “I really want to be like you, be a Christian. What should I do for it?” The students suggested to pray, and Tamila called on God. “I know that Jesus loves me so much, and died for my sins,” Tamila shared.

Now the Bible is the most important and precious thing for her. She takes it everywhere and always wants to read it. One day Tamila left her jacket at the church, and when her mother came to pick it up, she said: “My daughter has several jackets, and there is Bible in each of them.” Especially Tamila likes to read it with one of the students because she remembers Bible stories better when they read the Bible one-on-one, rather than with the other kids.

The children’s and teenagers’ club at the church has impacted the lives of the local kids very much. They not only hear the truth but also learn how to make different crafts, sing songs and have fun. “I have never made such beautiful crafts,” said Tamila, delightedly.

Tamila and other girls have changed a lot. They care about others, are more obedient and respect their parents. Seeing the practical Christian life of the students, the local children want and try to be like them.

*name changed for security

“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

As churches began to pop up in the towns and cities throughout Algeria’s Atlas Mountains, believers continued to fast and pray. “God answers through prayer. It’s very natural,” explained Hee Tee, who with her husband, Youssef, established OM’s ministry in Algeria.

“We have seen the power of prayer,” Youssef agreed. “We have seen God inspiring believers with true vision from heaven. We have seen people getting released (from spiritual bondage) and signs and wonders….People expect God’s going to move.”

Nonetheless, this faith has grown under fire. From the inception of the Algerian Church, Christians faced opposition, Youssef and Hee Tee shared. Some lost their jobs. Some lost their families. Churches wanting to rent space for retreats or conferences found hotels cancelling their contracts when they discovered that Christians wanted to use the rooms.

In September 2017, believers in Algeria faced a new wave of persecution when government officials began systematically inspecting—and then closing—churches for alleged violations of building code. “In the last 17 months, it has been tough,” Youssef said. “We realised the government’s plan; they wanted to close down as many churches as possible, maybe all of them.…Once we realised that plan, we moved into fasting and praying to stand firm, we continued our teaching through house groups, we continued meetings and we started an advocacy campaign outside of the country.”

When the first church was sealed by the government, “we were already praying and fasting,” Hee Tee said. “But the persecution has helped because we pray even more, we fast even more.”

And, this time, all the churches are involved. On 26 September 2018, the Algerian Protestant Association (L’Église Protestante d’Algérie or EPA) announced a year of 24/7 prayer and fasting to its 46 member churches. Each church chose a day of the week, and within the fellowship, people picked which hours they would commit to pray.

As a result, churches are experiencing unity for the first time, and believers are seeing a new move of the Holy Spirit and increased openness to the gospel. One pastor told Youssef that 60 per cent of those attending his church were new believers.

Everyday life is filled with opportunities to share, Hee Tee reported. “I saw a man on a tractor. We were talking about the sewage problem. From there, I shared the gospel and asked him, ‘Do you want this?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Would you like to have Jesus?’ ‘Yes.’ He prayed the prayer. In the shop, when I was talking to the dress maker, of course I shared the gospel.…I asked her, ‘Would you like this?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Would you like to pray?’ ‘Yes.’”

The Algerian Church’s ongoing corporate commitment to seeking God “has helped us overcome fear,” Youssef stated. “I really believe that we have seen this new move of the Holy Spirit because of prayer and fasting.”

Three churches in Algeria remain closed. Pray that the government would lift its ban on use of these buildings. Pray for believers in Algeria to be strong, unified and encouraged to boldly share their faith.

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.

Boyd and Ribka Williams have made prayer—and cultivating a rhythm of prayer—their ministry. It’s not just part of their ministry: it is their ministry. After 15 years in North Africa, the Williams moved to Belgium and started Prayer Hub as a resource and encouragement to their team and to other OM fields.

“After North Africa,” Boyd shared, “we talked about creating a community of prayer, so we spoke with Graham Wells (OM’s international prayer champion) about what’s happening globally with prayer. Some area leaders picked up on it. They asked, ‘Could we have a community of prayer within OM that helps to resource and mobilise prayer?’”

Prayer Hub emerged. “We created the vision: a space to meet daily to pray for the leadership, the ministry of OM, and the least reached people of the world. It’s specific and distinct.”

And Belgium is a strategic location for Prayer Hub. “Being here means that we are accessible to North Africa and the Middle East, north and central Asia. We can also be mobile if need be.”

Lots of people have access to a network of family and friends who can pray, but Prayer Hub specifically exists to stand with others in prayer for ministry.

“You can bank on us praying because that’s what we’re here to do.”

Boyd and Ribka understand that, for some people, prayer is difficult. Prayer Hub also hopes to help people develop a strategic prayer life by building stamina through experience.

“We can do that virtually or in person,” Boyd said. “Someone can come to us for a period of time, get themselves into the rhythm of prayer, and then take that back to their fields.”

Prayer Hub is more than just spoken or written prayers. Boyd and Ribka both have creative backgrounds, so they want to include the creative community in this ministry.

Boyd shared that “There are creative people who’d like to explore how their creativity can be expressed in prayer and worship. You don’t always need to have the words; there are other ways to express what’s on your heart. We like the idea of art as prayer.”

The impact of prayer is two-fold, both for the pray-er and the focus of the prayer. “I’ve seen that when there is substantial, dedicated prayer time for something, it bears fruit,” Boyd said. “The community of people who gather to pray blows me away. In North Africa, there is an opening to the gospel and more stories now of people saying ‘yes’ to Jesus. It’s been an encouragement to me to be able to learn from guys younger than me, spend time with them, and draw on their passion.”

Boyd and Ribka are currently the only full-time members of Prayer Hub, but they hope for more.

“If you’d like to explore the daily rhythm of prayer, we’d love to have you join us.”

“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

Nicky Andrews: What does OM do here in the camp?

Jude Murray: The project is officially called Refugee Relief Serbia. Our OM Serbia team consists of me (the only full-time OMer), four local employees from the nearby town and a stream of OM volunteers from around the world. We own a massive tent, which acts as a daytime meeting place, where we serve hot drinks. It’s like a huge café, and we can seat up to 150 people at a time. Sometimes we show cartoons for all ages at the weekend. There’s also a laundry service which we run, in another part of the site. At the moment there about 800 people in this camp, mostly young guys from places like Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. They can’t cross the Croatian border without a visa, so they’re stuck in Serbia for now. It can feel like a really hopeless situation.

NA: How many drinks do the OM team make every day?

JM: We work in two shifts and between us, we serve about 3,000 cups. The hot drinks are really popular when it’s very cold. It can get down to -25C here! Unless our heating breaks down, it gets quite warm in the tent and the guys love hanging out there….chatting, playing table tennis, chess and ludo.

NA: You must have a big shopping list!

JM: Well, our refugee friends like their drinks very sweet, so each week we get through 140 kg of sugar, three and a half kilos of loose leaf tea, five kilos of Turkish coffee and 20 litres of milk. That costs about 300 euros (about 338 USD). And in winter we have to budget for heating the tent, too – that’s about 200 euros (about 225 USD) a week for the bricquets which feed the heating boiler.

NA: How do you and your team witness for Jesus in the camp environment?

JM: OM is officially registered here to provide a humanitarian service on behalf of the UNHCR. So because this project is not an outreach, we can’t be having large Bible studies or worship times (etc) in the tent. Also, we must always be careful not to favour the Christians who are refugees. Sometimes our volunteers are frustrated by all this. But the truth is, when we deal with people’s dirty washing, or serve them drinks, we are showing God’s love. I’m always inspired by that verse where Jesus says: “When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink.”

The refugees are always watching us as we work with them, and how we do it is a huge witness in itself. We’ve had volunteers come here from as far away as Australia and South Korea, and the refugees can’t believe they came all that way, at their own expense, to serve them teas and coffees. That sort of thing can lead to conversations about the Lord! These guys also look up OM on their smartphones, so they know we are Christians, and if they ask us what OM is about, we can tell them. So even while we work, we can be sowing seeds about God’s love, and maybe in other countries, people will remember what they saw and heard in Serbia.

NA: How did you come to Serbia yourself?

JM: I had done admin work for OM in north Africa in the mid 1990s. Then I left to do teaching, and that took me round the world, to Kenya, Cyprus and Afghanistan. In 2007 I rejoined OM and was promoting sports ministry in Europe for some years, based in the UK, and also working with my home church. Then in 2016, at the OM European Leaders Meeting, I heard how individuals from OM Montenegro had been coming here to Serbia since 2015, when the refugee crisis began. They were coming one week at a time, to coordinate OM’s efforts in serving the refugees. It was all a bit chaotic. There was a desperate need for someone to be based in Serbia, as a full-time project manager. I sensed God’s call! I arrived in Serbia in January 2017 for an initial three months…two years on, I’m still here!

NA: Tell me more about your role here with Refugee Relief Serbia.

JM: It would be quicker to tell you what I don’t do! I work six days a week, coordinating every aspect of this project. So that includes admin things like managing finances, drawing up work rotas, recruiting and managing international volunteers and our Serbian employees, plus liaising with the camp authorities. There are logistics too, like maintenance of the OM tent, kitchen, heating system and the team car, and of course, shopping for supplies! I can delegate some of these things to my Serbian colleagues, but I’m still very closely involved – someone has to know everything that’s going on. I’m the ultimate troubleshooter!

NA: Do you ever get time to work in the OM tent yourself, serving the teas and coffees?

JM: Yes, surprisingly. Most days I’m helping out and I really miss that contact with the refugees if management stuff keeps me away from the camp. One job I also enjoy is in the camp laundry. One of us runs that every weekday. Even doing 70 loads of laundry, I can somehow zone out and process all the things I have to think about!

NA: Tell me some of your highlights so far…

JM: I love seeing the refugee kids go crazy with joy when it starts snowing, so I had great fun building a snowman with them one time. It’s very rewarding too when the people express sincere thanks for what we’re doing here. I was really moved recently – some families, who were being transferred to a different camp, said they didn’t want to go because OM wasn’t there. And I’ll never forget drinking tea with a young guy called Azfaar* whose best friend had just died during an attempt to cross the border. He was heartbroken because he and his friend had been together ever since leaving Afghanistan. I didn’t say anything, it was just about being there for Azfaar in his bereavement. I suppose you can’t really call that a highlight, but it was certainly a huge privilege. 

NA: Are there any downsides to this sort of work?

JM: There’s always something going wrong with equipment – one of the two gas burners in the kitchen stops working, for instance. Or a washing machine breaks down, or the team car develops some fault. Personally speaking, I have very little time to myself, and it’s a massive responsibility being the one person who keeps everything going. Even when I’m back in the UK on holiday, I can get phone calls asking me to sort out emergencies! OM wants to recruit more full-time people for our Serbia team, including a deputy manager. That would really reduce the pressure on me.

NA: Who would be suited to join OM Serbia?

JM: We would love to hear from people with maturity and lots of compassion but who also won’t let the refugees’ situations affect them too much emotionally, because some of the people in the camp have tragic back-stories. We need practical outdoor types with plenty of energy who love to serve, and see this as a valid form of witness. And if you can speak even a few words of Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, Bengali or Urdu, you will be a firm favourite with the refugees! The refugees are mostly young Muslim guys, who seem to relate especially well with our male volunteers, so I would particularly encourage men to join us.

NA: How can OM supporters pray for you, and Refugee Relief Serbia?

JM: For me, I need great wisdom in my working relationships here with all my different colleagues, especially as volunteers are constantly coming and going. It means you never have a fixed group of people to work with and get used to.

Please pray too for new full-time recruits for OM Serbia, and I would especially love the deputy manager post to get filled! Pray too for greater financial resources for this project; there is so much we need to spend on daily running costs, never mind essential improvements for the tent.

Lastly, please pray that many refugees will come to know the Lord. This is a situation where the ‘least reached’ are literally walking through our door!

If you would like to give financial support to the Refugee Relief Serbia ministry, please visit http://www.om.org/en/give and mark gifts for 'OM Balkans Refugee Relief Serbia'.

To find out more about Serbia, and opportunities to serve there with OM, please visit https://www.om.org/en/country-profile/serbia and scroll down to 'Go to Serbia'. Alternatively please contact your national OM office.

*name changed

“Women of our time were all housewives. We did not worry about the need to read or write for our place was in the home,” recalls Chenai. The same was corroborated by Sekesai; however, she was quick to add that she wished she was “able to read the Bible after becoming a Jesus follower.”

“Sometimes our pastor gave Bibles to people, and even though I was a member of the church for over 20 years, I was never considered simply because I can’t read,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. 

Sekesai and Chenai were finally remembered when their pastor obtained audioBibles from OM in Zimbabwe to give to the functionally illiterate and the blind in the church.

“I have been in the church for over 30 years. I felt honoured and worthy when the pastor called my name to give me the audioBible,” said a cheerful Chenai.

Hearing the Word 

Church leader, Pastor Israel Fernando, under whom Chenai and Sekesai fellowship, said audioBibles were a helpful tool that would aid with the discipleship process in his church. “Discipleship is difficult if you as the pastor must read, interpret and instruct instead of someone discovering truths and asking questions. Thus, someone can be in the church for 30 or more years and yet remain an infant in their faith,” said Pastor Israel.

He added that the audioBible would revolutionise his church, especially in rural areas where a lot of the poor and uneducated live.

“Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The audioBible will assist in church growth by improving the faith of the blind, the functionally illiterate and the elderly who cannot read or struggle with small print Bibles due to eye sight issues.”

OM has declared a bid to reduce Bible poverty in Zimbabwe by helping provide printed Bibles and audioBibles to marginalised people. The team hopes efforts such as these will improve Bible literacy and breathe life into the church in Zimbabwe. 

To ‘the ends of the earth’ or to ‘the end of the earth’?

Field worker ES moved to Arctic Russia with the dream to share the gospel by translating the Bible for the Nenets people. The Nenets are indigenous reindeer herders living in Northern Siberia, including the Yamal Peninsula. Yamal means 'the end of the earth'. Out on the tundra, locals travel by snowmobile or reindeer sled. To reach particularly remote villages, it takes two to four hours by helicopter from Salekhard, the main city in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. 

The Yamal Peninsula is home to more reindeer than people, and winter lasts nine months. “It’s very cold; minus 40°C can be pleasant for a walk if there is no wind,” joked ES, an OM EAST partner. ES previously worked on an OM team. It was during this time that her vision for Nenets Bible translation began. In 1992, an OM colleague challenged her to pray for the Nenets. She received a book on minority groups, which offered just a few lines of information about them. Eight years later, ES relocated to Northern Siberia where she has invested 18 years of her life bringing the gospel to 'the end of the earth'.  

Understand or misunderstand?

The minority group has a population of around 45,000 people. Half of them live in Russian-speaking villages, while the other half are nomadic reindeer herders who live on tundra and speak the Nenets language.

“Nenets is the heart language of the reindeer herders. It’s much easier for them to understand,” ES said. “Translation is a complicated process because there is a great gap between two totally different cultures.” ES found it straightforward to learn Nenets since the word order is similar to her own native language.

When local woman N read a passage in Nenets, she discovered she had misunderstood the same Scripture in Russian. “This is why we need the Bible in our own language!” N expressed. Four books of the New Testament are in print, while others in progress. Two illustrated Bible storybooks have been designed and published by OM EAST.

A book of light or a lighter load?

“I moved to Arctic Russia during December, the darkest month,” ES recalled. “One day when I was testing translations, the electricity suddenly cut out. We sat without light all day. It was dark! Then I understood the meaning of light.”

For ES, this experience of the Arctic winter darkness is a picture of life without Jesus Christ. She desires that the Nenets would know Jesus as the light of the world. It is Jesus who frees people from sin and gives them the light of life if they ask Him for forgiveness and choose to follow Him. “I want every Nenets child to have a Bible,” said OM EAST’s partner, who has distributed thousands of Bible storybooks over many years. ES has observed children taking more interest in the Bible storybooks than the chocolate she offered.

A nomadic lifestyle makes it difficult for the reindeer herders to carry a collection of Christian literature. “They don’t have extra things—just the minimum is enough,” ES explained. “They have one pot, one kettle, and they don’t need a freezer!” However, they do have mobile phones. Her solution is to develop publications into applications so they can be stored on mobile phones, also allowing individuals to listen to the text. OM EAST plans to help provide these resources digitally. “Apps are able to help bring salvation to the Nenets!” said ES. 

Faith seen or faith to see?  

ES met N 16 years ago at a church in the town of Salekhard. Later, N invited her to visit two family members on the tundra. ES tested a translation by reading some Scripture verses to their hosts. They reacted by walking out, leaving her alone in the tent. Jesus’ teaching had touched a nerve. “N came in, angry, asking me what I had told them,” ES remembered. “But N showed me pity because my face was black and swollen with frostbite. She let me read another passage to her, which described how to be born again into a new life of following Jesus and gave the example of selling everything and giving to the poor. This made her more angry!” However, when they next saw each other, N had changed, and she had decided to be baptised and wanted to give ES a tithe to print the Gospel of Mark. Since then, ES recovered from frostbite and, over the past decade, N has sometimes joined ES and another woman early in the morning to pray. 

“Not many are excited about the Bible,” said ES, crying as she spoke. “I’m looking for revival!” There are around 200 known Nenets believers, representing a small percentage of the population. The indigenous people group believe in numerous gods. For many, the reindeer are their life, their source of food, clothes, transport and shelter. ES longs for the Nenets to acknowledge their Creator as their true provider and life-giver.

“A few have faith, and I see some who want to read the Bible. Through them I have hope,” reflected ES. “There is hope that they will know Jesus. I see beyond reality. We need to be patient, keep serving and not give up.”

Give praise to God who is light. Give thanks that He speaks through His Word. Please pray Nenets will put their trust in Jesus and receive His salvation. Please pray for wisdom as ES helps make God’s truth available. Please pray that believers grow strong in their faith. 

Scripture reference: “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12 (NIV)

OM EAST’s literature and media ministry produces high quality print and digital media in over 25 languages. Always working with partners, they seek to share the gospel, strengthen churches and bring hope to people groups throughout Eurasia.

Elham*, a newish believer, focused on his 'rescue from the pit.' Esther remembered how God had used Moses to open the Red Sea for the people of God and saw it as symbolic of our great deliverance in Jesus. I commented on God's father-like compassion and Julyan was struck again by the brevity of human life in contrast to God's everlasting love. Maryam* felt the enormous scope of worship in the Psalm and how we must tell our souls to join in, even when we don't feel like it. That was the action point, so it led naturally to a time of worship and prayer for one another's needs. We all left feeling we had been fed by the Word and had connected with each other.

DBS is a Bible study tool that emphasises obedience in keeping with the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 20). Purists of this method insist on obedience steps after every study and on the group holding each other accountable. Scripture is, after all, profitable for teaching, rebuking and correcting (2 Timothy 3:16). One week Maryam knew she had to make a difficult phone call to a friend she had wronged. And she did it! Obedience trains in righteousness and her report back to the group the following week brought joy to us all. In our experience there isn't always a specific action point for each person. The Word is God-breathed, often evoking a godly sense of awe and gratitude which shapes our values and attitudes.

A simple format

There are several positives I see in using this style of study. It is enjoyable because everyone is fully participating. We read, listen, think and all share so we remember what we have learnt, especially if it has involved an action point. The newest member can contribute as easily and sometimes with more freshness of insight than the mature believer. Anyone can lead and therefore it's reproducible. Our more traditional style of study didn't happen if the leader was away. This method doesn't look to 'a sage on the stage but rather a guide at the side.'

If we are going to see our mission of vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached fulfilled, we will need a way to help believers and seekers get into the Word of God. Our understanding of God, His gospel, His ways and purposes must be informed by the Bible itself. It was finding Jesus in the Scriptures that caused the disciples' hearts to burn on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:32). Vibrancy comes from the Word of God kneaded into our lives by the Holy Spirit. As we humbly submit ourselves to hear and obey, our faith communities will have a strong foundation and a life that reproduces. This simple format of DBS enables even new believers to start their own groups.

Of course, it isn't a magic bullet or the whole story and teaching and mentoring leaders will be essential for the spiritual health of any movement. Nevertheless, Discovery Bible Studies will be a key contributor to seeing vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached.

I would encourage anyone interested in this topic to learn more about the DBS rationale and how it is being used by God in both rural and urban settings. You can watch a short YouTube video about how it is being used in Africa.

*names changed

From 1980-1995 Lenna and her husband, Julyan, lived in Turkey, focusing on discipleship and church planting. Now they live in Scotland where Lenna supports Julyan in his role as Ambassador for OM's Muslim ministries. Locally, the couple are involved with their church's ministry to Iranians, Kurds and Turks.

Living with change

Change is part and parcel of everyday life. It is impossible to exist without encountering change. God’s people are not exempt: The Apostle Paul went through many changes, yet he could see how God refined and empowered him to accomplish far more. The Bible is full of stories of such people.

In fact, the heart of the gospel message – that which OM and the church exist to spread – is change: a change of master, of destiny, of life attitudes, and of purpose. Thank God for the ability to change, be changed, and change others. Change really is the good news! When our lives are surrendered to Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins a transformational, redeeming work to form us to be more like Jesus. That change is what the gospel is all about.

The changes we are making in OM will position us to remain relevant to the cultures we work in. Our Biblical convictions are the same, our core values remain unchanged, and our commitment has deepened. However, our method, our approach, and our strategy must adapt to changing cultures and trends. The changes underway in OM today are disruptive, but they are essential for our growth and effectiveness in the future. There is no other way to achieve that.

I am so grateful that OM at 60 is able and willing to make bold moves in evaluating everything we have done. A number of leaders have voluntarily stepped aside to allow space for a new generation of leaders.

Guidelines for effecting change

• Start at the top. The International Director’s leadership team must be committed to change We cannot assume that everyone will agree and align. Our implementation process is ongoing to ensure that everyone moves forward together.
• Involve everyone. We spent 18 months engaging with frontline staff before settling on planning strategies. The task of rolling out change is much smoother when people are engaged early for input on issues that will affect their ministries. Achieving broad involvement within our organisation saves untold headaches. We were able to hear confidentially from participants, and because they’ve had a hand in developing a plan, they are now more invested in it. In change management parlance: “You have to go slow to go fast.”
• Engage, involve, participate. Sustaining effective change requires constant and creative communication. Many leaders mistakenly assume that an initial strong message of change will be sufficient. Such ‘leaders’ are deceived. The more other leaders are involved and participating, the greater the likelihood of successfully executing the change.

For Asians, having a voice is more important than having a vote. As the International Director, I presently vote on a number of issues. But my term is limited; in a relatively few years, I will move on and no longer have a vote. However, I want to still have a voice that people will listen to. There are those whose long service and wisdom merit respect; when they speak, people should listen.

Make change personal

Think of one or two things in your life that could be changed to help free you from the rut of ‘tried and true’. It may be a regular routine, making new friends, or breaking a bad habit. You also can change for the better!

When I took on this role, I gained a lot of weight. I learned that I was a stress eater. A doctor gave grave news: change my lifestyle or else. So, I had motivation to change. My attitude towards food had to change, and it did. I learned to enjoy vigorous exercise. I also learned to not immediately answer every email.
 

Discovering a need for more churches – even in Pisa

Pisa is a city with a rich heritage, historically and scientifically. The university called Scuola Normale is famous all over Europe for its high standard of education. Around one third of the city’s population, about 50,000 people, are students.

About a year ago, a team was commissioned from a small evangelical church in the neighbouring town of Lucca, to plant a new church in Pisa. The church in Lucca had been dreaming for several years of planting a church in Pisa that would reach the students and young people with the good news of Jesus Christ. That church also had to release members of their own 30-person congregation to start the new church plant. But the vision to bring the gospel to young people who otherwise might not hear about Jesus made it all worthwhile.

The first year of church planting has been a time of challenges, discouragement and doubts, but also blessings and confirmations. One of the hardest questions coming from atheists, evangelicals and Catholics alike has been: “But aren’t there enough churches already in Pisa?” The answer, however, is “No”. According to the team’s research, there are only a few hundred evangelical Christians (including the many ethnic believers) in Pisa. Therefore, their answer is as simple as it is strong: “If the church is the way God uses to reach people, then we need more churches.”

Building community

Over the past year, the team has been building a community. Every two weeks, a Bible study at the house of church plant leader, Michel, including dinner and Bible discussion, has taken place. When the group finished reading the first chapter of the gospel of Mark together after some weeks, they celebrated with a social dinner in the city centre. “A party is always a good reason to invite new people,” they thought. So they did – and 20 people came!

The team also introduced other creative ways to get in touch with the students and young people, such as an art exhibition, English language classes in a pub and open mic evenings in a bar. It also meant that the other churches in Pisa could get to know and reach out to locals, through the various activities creating opportunities to build new friendships and invite people to learn more about Jesus.

Forming a core team

A year after the first seed was planted, the church now has a core team, which unites people from four different regions of Italy and four different countries. God has miraculously brought them together with the same desire to honour Christ and live close to Him. In addition to the committed team, consistent groups of people regularly attend the various activities. As the relationships grow deeper, the team sees God working in the hearts of the students they meet, opening them up more and more to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Becoming a church

Establishing official church services is a big step. It makes the church visible. The team document says: “As we begin to hold outreaches, we will be able to formally launch the official existence of a new church.” Having a visible church, with regular services, will help to disciple the new believers to have a life with Christ and to be a witness to others themselves.

Today, a vibrant community is emerging. The first service of the La Torre church was full of joy and thankfulness. In his sermon, Michel explained how the La Torre church name reflects, of course, the famous tower of Pisa, but also God, who is a strong tower for the righteous. “And righteous,” he goes on to explain, “does not mean perfect or obeying all the rules but accepting Christ as Saviour, and honouring God.”

Staying connected

The church plant is not meant to become another institution, but to remain a community, with contributions from all its members. That is why, at the end of the service, people are invited to fill out a short questionnaire to give feedback on the service. Lively conversations continue after the service, as half of the congregation spontaneously goes out to dinner together. Another vibrant community of Jesus followers is on its way to impact Italy.

Agustinus was born into a Christian family in Indonesia. His parents were some of the first to become believers in their area, which historically adhered to traditional beliefs. 

In Indonesia, Agustinus has been working at an OM centre for the past eight years; helping in the area of education. Children visit the centre to attend kindergarten, do homeschooling or to receive help with their homework. The gospel is demonstrated to each individual through workers showing God’s love to them. The team makes a point of building relationships with each child’s family and visiting them at home to show they care. 

Wanting to expand his world view, Agustinus asked his leader about serving outside of Indonesia. Originally he thought about going to the Logos Hope, but his team leader suggested he attend Missions Discipleship Training (MDT) in South Africa to further develop himself. 

“MDT for me was not just training; but restoration in my life; a time to be closer with God and restore my relationship with God. It changed my life,” said Agustinus. 

Going deeper

MDT disciples and equips believers to be part of God’s transformation of lives and communities locally and among the nations. Six-months long, the programme exposes participants to living cross-culturally, gives them practical experience through hands-on outreaches and helps grow their faith. 

Missions Mobilising Training (MMT) is an intensive week-long training within MDT where participants learn about other countries, how to pray for them and how to mobilise others to be involved in missions through various presentations, skits and simulations. To Agustinus, MMT was one of the most impactful weeks of MDT. 

“We heard a lot about persecution in other countries because of Christianity and missions. I was so emotional because it’s not like you just do a simulation — the real thing happens in my country,” said Agustinus thinking of Indonesians who have been persecuted because of their faith. 

Stories of foreign missionaries who had faced persecution deeply touched him as well. “There are many people who go to other countries. They have a good life in their home country, but they’re willing to go to another country to share the gospel. They may face persecution but still a lot of people want to go to other countries. That was a big revelation for me.” 

To the Maasai

After MDT Agustinus travelled to Tanzania to work with the OM team there for three months. “Tanzania was no longer training, but the real thing of what to do in ministry and how to work together in another country in a team; working together with the local people,” he said.

In Tanzania Agustinus was involved in village outreaches doing activities such as door-to-door evangelism, showing The Jesus Film, helping build a church and encouraging local believers. 

Some of the local believers he connected with belonged to a Maasai tribe who meet in the shade of a large tree for fellowship. Agustinus enjoyed worshipping together with them under the stars during their prayer evenings and building friendships. 

“I try to learn from them how to greet someone. I want them to be like: 'OK, this guy really wants to know us, not just come and go.’ I try to make relationships, personal relationships with them. Our conversations are difficult [because of language barriers] but I enjoyed our time together,” said Agustinus. 

Not so different

“I think [Indonesia and Tanzania] have similarities,” said Agustins. “Collective culture is also in Africa, so it’s not so different. Collective culture is group decisions. You live in community. It’s important to you — community — not individuality.” 

Another similarity he found was the beliefs of people he met in both Indonesia and Tanzania. Islam is very common in both countries, as well as traditional beliefs involving spirits. Tanzania however, was the first place Agustinus saw multiple people accept Christ as their Saviour at a time — one day he witnessed 20. 

“My favourite part [of outreaches] was when I saw a Muslim confess to Jesus,” Agustinus said. “Like someone has been looking for something really important in their lives, and then they find what they are looking for in Jesus. They are so happy when they find what they are looking for. I saw that in the Muslim community when they found Jesus.”

‘You must go’

“My family does not understand why I am involved in missions. For them, it is so far that I go to other places like Africa,” said Agustinus. “[To the people who say I should stay in Indonesia]: a missionary from another country came to our country. Do you think they didn’t have problems in their own country? They had problems also. They still had people who didn’t believe in Jesus, but they still went to another country. You cannot say: ‘Why do you need to go to another country if in your country are still a lot of people who don’t believe? ’ — if God is calling you to another country, you must go.”

“I thank God that I can do ministry; it’s only because of God,” Agustinus said. “It’s amazing what God has done in my life.”

Instead of accepting this tribal segregation, local OM team members are working for peace. In 2018, they organised a seven-day youth conference that brought together 140 young people, aged 20 and above, from multiple different tribes. As the young people spent time together learning, playing sports, worshipping, praying, sharing and reaching out, they established personal cross-cultural connections, experienced forgiveness and created a new future for their generation. “These young people will not see themselves in the tribes; they will see they are Christian,” shared OM team member Elia. Instead of letting their tribal history dictate their behaviour, the youth at the conference learnt to embrace their identity in Christ and their role in bringing peace.

One young man flew in on a UN flight. Because of the violent conflict between his tribe and another prominent tribe, he had been forced to live within the confines of a UN compound for the past five years, along with around 20,000 people from his tribe. But he wanted to attend the OM conference and share his story. When the topic of reconciliation came up, the young man started personally greeting participants from different tribes. Other youth, from opposing tribes, took pictures together, hugging each other. “From this conference, they are coming to the conclusion that they can come together,” Elia recounted.

The woman who cooked for the youth conference also worked toward a new future for the country. “I have known her for a long time, since when we [were] in Khartoum” (before Sudan and South Sudan split), Elia said. The woman grew up in a Muslim family, without the opportunity to experience God’s love, until she attended an OM conference and heard life-changing good news.

Because the woman learnt about Jesus and gained courage to announce her faith in Christ—despite being the only believer in her family—she decided she needed to give back in whatever way she could. “She’s not well-educated; the only thing she can do is cook,” Elia described.

So for every OM gathering since 1991, the woman has volunteered to go to the market, gather all the food and cook big meals so that others could find the same hope she did. “I’m very happy that I’m contributing to the same ministry that opened my eyes to Christianity,” she told Elia. “If OM conferences [made] me know Christ, there are many people like me, looking for a platform to openly share their faith.” Her willingness to serve, without pay, to make sure the next generation knows Jesus, encourages Elia to keep looking for ways to share the good news and bring peace.

The young people of South Sudan aged 25 and under represent over 60 per cent of the total population*. A powerful majority, they will undoubtedly shape the country’s future, and they are ready to engage now. “They are energetic. They are looking for someone to stand with them, equip them, train them and send them,” explained Elia.

South Sudan has faced tribal warfare and power struggles since its establishment, but it does have abundant natural resources, including oil, and sits strategically as a gateway to Africa. Recently, Elia has watched Islamic organisations buy land and fund scholarships for some South Sudanese to study in the Arabian Peninsula. English is the official language, but the continued widespread use of Arabic, the language of the Qur’an, could make South Sudan an attractive base for the islamisation of Africa, Elia suggested. Young people need to be engaged in shaping their country’s future, or “any movement will come and take them,” he cautioned.

Instead, OM wants to take every opportunity to introduce the youth to Jesus and encourage them to share with others how to have a personal relationship with God. “Let us start to focus [on] the young people — equipping them, giving them knowledge about Islam and how to reach Muslims, giving them the idea of the vision, giving the idea of cross-culture, so that it will be easy for them to reach the other groups,” he explained.

The city of Juba has seven main roads, each leading to an international border. As OM plans for the 2019 youth conference, they want to send seven teams on outreach after a time of training. Already in 2018, many of the young people travelled down one of the roads, meeting people, asking questions and preparing the way for the gospel.

Relief outreaches

At the end of 2018, the UNHCR reported 1.8 million internally displaced people in South Sudan. For the past year, OM’s team members in South Sudan have partnered with other believers to reach out to the villages and communities of displaced people surrounding Juba. They have met people who have experienced violence, suffered major injuries and illness with no medical treatment and lost their entire families. Water pollution and inadequate supplies of potable water continue to be issues across the country, and people are at high risk of infectious diseases like malaria, rabies and meningitis*.

Youth conferences are aimed at developing the next generation. However, monthly relief outreaches help the neediest people: the elderly, the widows and the orphans. The teams spend four days among each group of displaced people, assessing needs, listening to stories, preaching the gospel, training people to study the Bible together in small groups and providing limited medical care when possible.

Volunteers quietly distribute relief items to the most vulnerable people. “We will try to give them hope that they are not being forgotten, that they are not being left out,” Elia said.

The team served one displaced woman, whose husband was jailed after enquiring when he would receive his wages. Since she worked at the same office, she stopped working after her husband’s imprisonment. Later, seven months pregnant, she reported that her children had stopped attending school. She prayed that God would intervene in her situation. When the volunteers offered her a relief packet, she responded: “Your provisions of these food items have given me strength, faith and hope to tell the truth of my story.”

Another person, whose family members were killed during the tribal conflict in 2016, had been planning revenge. But after listening to the OM team share and praying, he said: “I want to confess and forgive those who killed my family members…I now have peace in my heart.”

A third displaced person, who approached the outreach team to receive food, admitted that she had previously been a believer but had stopped attending church two years earlier. The relief packet and the volunteers’ compassion helped restore her relationship with God. She said: “I received blessing, got my faith back, and I learnt to thank God in all situations because His plans and ways are not ours. I had planned for food, but God planned for my soul.”

Bookshop

Between conferences and outreaches, the OM team runs Apaya Bookshop in Juba. “The bookshop is the centre of our ministry…All of our ministries depend on the bookshop,” OM team member Tony said. In fact, the bookshop supplies Scripture for all of South Sudan and neighbouring countries. In past years, the team have donated Bibles to the Bible Society, pastors, churches and other non-governmental organisations. They also set up book tables on university campuses and in public markets as well as hosted events at Easter and Christmas. Since its inception, students have tended to spend time in the bookshop, along with other curious visitors wanting to know about the difference between Muslims and Christians.

Nonetheless, OM has depended on ongoing donations to stock their shelves, and demand is higher than supply. When the books run out, activity dwindles. “When there’s not books, there’s not people coming or asking [questions],” Tony explained.

In 2018, George Verwer, OM’s founder, sent 300 Bibles to the bookshop. The entire stock sold out in one week. Another OM worker, who visited South Sudan in 2018, brought four suitcases full of Arabic Bibles. Those, too, ran out within a few days.

In early 2019, the team received a new shipping container full of books, Bibles, water purifiers and mosquito nets — a gift nearly a decade in the making, as the last shipping container had arrived in 2009. “For us, this container is a big relief for us…It is giving us another momentum of go ahead,” Elia said.

Not only will the new books bring life—and visitors—back to the bookshop, the sale of stock will provide needed rent money and income for the team member who oversees the shop. The team plans to distribute the water filters and mosquito nets to internally displaced people during their monthly outreaches. They also expect believers from nearby nations and refugee camps to come and take literature to distribute throughout the region.

“Indeed, God has answered our prayers. For the last ten years, we never received Bibles and Christian literature in such a big quantity,” Elia wrote after the container arrived. “What a blessing to OM in South Sudan.”

Pray that the youth in South Sudan would receive sound education and biblical training so that they will be prepared for future ministry. Pray for the families of OM workers, who have experienced suffering and need perseverance. Pray that the container of books and supplies would bless ministry in Juba and beyond. Pray for the peace of South Sudan.

*Statistics taken from The World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/od.html accessed 3 January 2018)

Pason, a Rohingya refugee living in a camp in southern Bangladesh, responded that there are eight brothers and nine sisters in his family, of which he is the youngest. His father has a small carpentry business in Myanmar. After getting married, Pason started his own carpentry business. In August 2017, when the army started attacking villages and burning houses in his village, he and his wife and their young child fled from Myanmar. He did not know what would happen to his parents or siblings.  

When Pason arrived in Bangladesh, some local people gave them money to buy food and make a small shelter for his family. After a week, they didn’t have any more food because there weren’t any organisations to help them. After a couple weeks, different non-government organisations started distributing food, and he felt safe to stay in Bangladesh. Still, he could not sleep. He had flashbacks and bad dreams when he remembered how the army killed their neighbours and burned houses. After a few weeks, he was finally able to reach his family and find out they were safe in Myanmar but staying in different places.  

While Pason was relieved to know his family was alive, many difficulties arose in the camps. He discovered the land his family had settled on was not government-owned but private land. He would have to pay about 5 USD a month to stay there. To pay rent, he had to sell the food given to his family. Sometimes they didn’t have anything left to eat. 

Pason recently went to the camp hospital for weakness and stomach problems, but medicine was not helping. Because the doctors didn’t speak his language, they had not been able to help much. He was daily losing weight and becoming weaker. He didn’t have the money or the ability to see a doctor outside of the camps. 

Hearing about Pason’s medical issues, Farhan asked, “You are very sick now. Why do you come regularly to play football?” 

Pason responded: “I like to play, and I like your company when you talk with us after football and spend time with us. I haven’t seen my brothers and sisters for many months. I feel like you are my brothers here because every time you come, you ask about us and talk to us, but many people don't.” 

The OM team started running football programmes in the refugee camp where Pason lives last year. Six days a week they spend time with boys and men who have experienced serious trauma but say they forget everything while they play. The football players, like Pason, can see a difference in the OM team members and the care they give by showing up every day and caring enough to hear their stories. 

A few months later, Pason was feeling better but still was experiencing weakness in his body. Farhan visited him at home with his wife and two children and prayed for him in the name of Jesus Christ. The team continues to pray for him and share the gospel with him. They have also been able to help him buy medicine and some gifts for his family. 

In 2018, 120 people from the camps as well as the local community participated in the football programme. Plans are underway for a tournament early this year.  

Please pray for relationships to deepen and for OM workers to have opportunities to share the love of Christ with the Rohingya people and the local community. Pray for health and provision for Pason’s family and many like them, who see little chance to improve their situation. Pray for the team to be able to share with them where true hope can be found.

Matthew and his fellow OM team members had always handed out Bibles to committed new church members as chosen by church leaders. One day, Matthew and a local church leader distributed Bibles to members showing the most commitment and promise, as usual. However, despite this seemingly 'good approach,' one encounter left him convinced that no method is infallible. 

Bibles have always been distributed in the heart language of the local people, and through the local church leader or missionary working among the people.

“We always thought this was the best way to give away Bibles,” said Matthew. “But ever since I met this young boy asking me for a Bible, I’m not so sure about this anymore.”

After one church service, Matthew was chatting to people when a young boy approached him, asking to see his personal Bible.

Unsure of why the lad had asked, Matthew half-heartedly gave the boy his Bible and put his focus back on the conversation he was having.

Barely a minute later, the OMer heard the young boy scream with joy: “I have found it, I found it!” At this, the boy was soon joined by two other boys who came rushing, and the trio sat to read a portion of the Bible.

Mystified, Matthew enquired of the boys: “What have you found? What is so special about this passage?”

One of the boys responded: “Our teacher told us of the story of Jonah. He did not finish it but asked us to go and read it at home. But none of us have a Bible at home!”

Matthew was shocked, but managed to ask if any of the boys' parents had received a Bible when distribution was done in the church.

“None of our parents attend church,” replied one boy. 

Matthew gave his personal Bible to the trio.

“More than two billion people have never had a chance to read God’s Word for themselves. That’s why I am passionate about fighting Bible poverty, and raising funds to buy Bibles and distribute them to the needy,” said Matthew. 

“However, the encounter with these boys was like a reprimand to never overlook anyone. This reprimand just re-ignited my passion."  

A change of heart

While the Bible remains the most popular and most read book across the globe, more than two billion people have never had a chance to read God’s Word for themselves. That’s why OM in Zimbabwe is making an effort to reduce Bible poverty among the least reached.

In 2018, OM made available—free of charge—over 500 Bibles to 58 different new and up and coming churches located in some of the least-evangelised communities. After learning that OM helped churches receive Bibles, some church leaders started approaching OM, wishing to get some Bibles for their established congregations. However, OM’s approach is to help church leaders and missionaries working among the least reached.

Upon hearing this vision, some church leaders who had come seeking Bibles for their established churches had a change of heart and were inspired to go and share the Word among the least-evangelised and least-reached communities. Reverend Edmore Tshuma is one such church leader, who was inspired to plant a church because he knew OM would help him with audio and printed Bibles. This has seen a numerical increase in church planting processes among least-evangelised communities.

*name changed