Engage issue 53 - 2022

Issue 53 • 2022

The BMS World Mission magazine AN UNEXPECTED HOMECOMING Felix’s calling to mission brought him back home WELCOME TO EUROPE Thank you for walking with people on the move in Eastern Europe and on the Greek island of Lesbos WEATHER REPORT Enabling farmers to cope with a changing climate

Ray’s got the weight of her family’s future on her shoulders You can support students like her in Cambodia today

Editorial

LOOKING AHEAD Hannah Watson April 2022

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO BMS World Mission works in fragile states and unevangelised communities, serving some of our world’s most marginalised people.

We also work with people on the move, supporting them on their journey from insecurity towards peace, or enabling them to remain in the nation they call home.

With your help, we send UK Christians and support local believers, working alongside trusted partners on four continents. Our highest goal is to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ and experience life in all its fullness.

Have something to say in response to this issue of Engage?

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@bmsworldmission

Use the freepost envelope included in your mailing to send us a note, a cheque or anything else in response to this issue!

t looks like 2022 will be another busy year – and Engage is all about giving you a taster of what’s to come. Flick forward just a few pages, and you’ll get an early look at Good Land, the BMS World Mission Harvest appeal for 2022 (page 4). It takes us into the heart of the Himalayan mountains, to Ghusel village in rural Nepal. This appeal feels special because Ghusel’s villagers are at its very heart. After seeing BMS-supported development work taking place in nearby villages, they invited workers from BMS’ partner to live in Ghusel, to help them assess the needs and bring lasting change. It’s their dream, but our partnership. Could you help us transform this village?

That’s just scratching the surface of what you’re making possible this year. Next to our news piece about Good Land, you’ll see our commitment to ongoing support for Ukraine (page 5). While much of this magazine was written before the heartbreaking invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing refugee crisis, you’ll be able to learn more about BMS’ ‘people on the move’ work in other places through our article, ‘Welcome to Europe’ (page 16). There’s also news about two strategic projects, pioneered by BMS but made possible by you – such as the creation stewardship work that’s helping farmers to weather climate change (page 13), and the local-led mission transforming lives in Peru (page 7).

And then there’s our outreach work in Cambodia, featured on the cover. I’ll have to leave you to read Ray’s powerful story for yourself (page 10). Please do look out for opportunities to pray for and support students like her, hoping for a brighter future.

I pray that Engage leaves you feeling encouraged about the impact of your support in 2022, no matter what the rest of this year holds.

God bless you, Hannah Editor

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We look forward to hearing from you!

Write to me at magazine@bmsworldmission.org

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In this issue

4. News Good Land: a sneak peek at our 2022 Harvest appeal

5. Resurrection hope Dr Kang-San Tan on the everlasting hope found in Jesus

6. Thank you!

The fundraisers and fellowships making a difference

7. An unexpected homecoming Felix followed God’s call, and it brought him back home

10. Ray’s choice What would you do in her shoes?

16. Welcome to Europe You’re walking with people on the move

18. A letter from…

Palestine “If there are suspicions that you are a Christian, people will follow you”

19. Letters We love hearing your views

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Weather report Helping Ugandan farmers cope with a changing climate

BMS World Mission Website: www.bmsworldmission.org Tel: 01235 517700 Email (general): mail@bmsworldmission.org The Baptist Missionary Society: registered in England and Wales as a charity (number 1174364) and a company limited by guarantee (number 10849689).

Managing Editor: Matthew Fearon Editor: Hannah Watson Design: Malky Currie Front cover photo: George Nickels The views and opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of BMS World Mission.

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© Copyright 2022 BMS World Mission ISSN 1756-2481

News

You can help people in the Nepali village of Ghusel transform their futures this harvest season.

DREAMS FROM GHUSEL: A sneak peek at our 2022 Harvest appeal.

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estled in the heart of the Nepalese Himalayas, the village of Ghusel looks picture perfect from above.

But speak to the people who live there, and you’ll soon learn how hard life can be in rural Nepal. Over the past few years, people have had to cope with disaster after disaster, from terrible earthquakes to the threat of Covid-19 – and that’s on top of the base level of poverty that many people live with. But that’s not the end of the story.

The people of Ghusel have dreams.

They dream of better education for their children, of better training to take care of their livestock, of better health and access to clean water. And you can help them realise their dream when you save the date to run a harvest service in your church.

Our 2022 Harvest appeal, Good Land, is all about enabling the people of Ghusel to work together to improve their own community. You’ll be supporting workers on the ground as they come alongside Ghusel’s villagers to determine

where they need help, and how they can put their ideas into action to make a better life for themselves and their families.

And we know they can do it – it’s a model we’ve already seen bear fruit.

Back in 2020, your support made it possible for people in the nearby village of Ikudol to do the exact same thing.

When the project first began, education levels in Ikudol were low, people struggled to raise enough livestock to support their families and clean water was difficult to find. But now, Ikudol is thriving. The villagers have worked together to help get training for their teachers and farmers, to get clean drinking water to over 200 people and so much more.

Could you help people in Ghusel transform their village? Put a date in your diary now to run a Good Land service in your church – then watch out for the release of the appeal feature video and supporting materials later this year. You can make a huge difference to people in Nepal at harvest.

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Ghusel fact box

2,200m

distance above sea level

2,400

population of Ghusel

Animal rearing and milk production: main source of income

From the General Director

RESURRECTION HOPE Kang-San Tan

UK Christians joined with their European neighbours to give refugees a place of safety and welcome.

THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING IN UKRAINE

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n unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine has sparked what could become ‘Europe’s largest displacement crisis this century’, according to the UN. At the time of writing, over four million Ukrainians have sought refuge in neighbouring European nations such as Poland, Romania and Hungary. In the face of such devastating need, BMS World Mission supporters offered up close to one million pounds to turn churches into safe havens and welcome hubs around Europe, providing people with blankets, food and emergency supplies as they arrived with little more than what they could carry.

“Humanly speaking it is terrible. It takes time for you to bring your mind back to the Word of God. It takes time to go through from

eeing death, pain and suffering affecting the poorest in our world should cause us to yearn for a certain hope that can never falter. Today, let’s revisit the timely message of Easter that such a hope exists! The Bible reminds us that everlasting hope is found not ultimately in dishonest politicians or in corporations that multiply profits from the poor – but in the counter-cultural message of the gospel, our sure hope in the crucified and risen Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Christian hope is not a groundless sentiment, but an absolute certainty established on the bodily resurrection of Jesus on the third day. Paul declares that if Jesus had not actually risen from death to life, our Christian preaching is all but useless (1 Corinthians 15: 14).

For BMS World Mission and our partners, we see certain hope for the future in the face of suffering lived out in the actions of our workers, with hundreds of baptisms taking place in India, refugees welcomed in Greece, gunshot wounds healed in Chad, and discipleship training taking place in Thailand. We also see our partner churches living in expectation of resurrection renewal. Your generosity proclaims Christian hope to our world, that the crucified Son of God has come to offer people life, and life to the full.

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helplessness to hope in God,” one Ukrainian pastor told us.

Thank you for being part of that journey of hope.

You gave people like Oksana a safe place from which to face a difficult future – and let her know that you were standing with her. Oksana begged her family to join her in fleeing Ukraine. For reasons she likely still can’t understand, they couldn’t or wouldn’t leave their home in Volyn Oblast.

It took her eight hours to reach the Polish border, but when Oksana arrived, she found safety at a Polish church that had opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees.

There, she had access to a warm bed, food and essential hygiene products, thanks to your support. Want to find out more? Head to www. bmsworldmission.org/ukraine

to learn about the impact of your generous giving.

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Thank you

a r i s d e n rs and u f e h T s p i making h s w o l l e f a difference

Filling the fuel tank While others might celebrate their 70th birthday with cake and a party, Garry found himself spending his on a nine-mile walk, fundraising for BMS World Mission. Garry

had seen BMS’ I Will Stand appeal, which called Christians to stand with believers Garry encouraged both his church family but also those who in hard places. “It aren’t church-goers to engage with the message of I Will Stand. convicted me to do something real for something I £507. believe in,” explains Garry.

“For me, a sinner saved, it Nine miles is an impressive helped me indirectly through I distance but those who donated Will Stand to spread the gospel,” to spur Garry on knew just what says Garry. “I filled the fuel tank, the walk meant to him. “I have but others drove the vehicle, so had my right hip replaced twice to speak.” And after 31 years in the past seven years and I am as pastor of Cross Hills Baptist still suffering pain,” says Garry.

Church, Garry has also achieved Luckily, with mild weather and one of his long-term ambitions to a friend by his side, the pair walk from home to church – all for managed the distance in just a good cause. “Thank you BMS,” three hours – raising an incredible he says, “for showing me the way.”

From Asia to Ipswich Whether it’s serving on the Myanmar border or running a collection for the BMS World Mission Stamp Bureau in Ipswich, BMS volunteer Jennifer hasn’t stopped in her desire to make a difference. Since returning

from six months in Mae Sot, Jennifer has helped the congregation at Colchester Road Baptist Church to collect stamps, the sales of which generate funds through the bureau. The church has close connections with BMS’ Action Teams programme. “Asking them to save stamps was an easy next step,” explains Jennifer.

Thanks so much to Jennifer and all the stamp collectors at Colchester Road!

A Day of Prayer Thank you so much to the wonderful church family at Shipley Road Baptist Church for writing to us about your BMS World Mission Day of Prayer.

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Hearing about your prayers for our workers and projects was such an encouragement. We look forward to you joining us again in 2023!

Leadership

An unexpected homecoming Felix’s calling to mission brought him back home Words: Laura Durrant

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elix Manuyama is a hard man to pin down. After a few attempts of trying to organise an interview with him, it’s not hard to see why. He grins at me over the laptop screen (we are, as is the norm these days, speaking over Zoom) as I ask him what a typical day looks like for him at the Nauta Integral Mission

Training Centre (NIMTC) in Peru where he works, supported by BMS World Mission. He reels off activity after activity, from prepping daily devotionals for his students, to coordinating the clean water project in Nauta and running football practice for local teenagers. I tell him that I can’t believe how busy his days are. His response tells me just about everything

Felix joined the team at NIMTC in early 2020 and has got fully stuck in with the activities of the centre – from training local pastors to running football practice for local teens!

I need to know about him: “Always.

But God gives me the strength.”

Felix’s commitment and dependence on God form the backbone to his whole character. He tells me that before he became a Christian back in 2005, he was very sad, and that experiencing God’s love for him changed his life. And knowing where he grew up, it’s not

Laura-Lee has moved on from NIMTC to start her new role as Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator in Piura. But she knows the centre is in Felix’s safe hands.

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Leadership

The team at NIMTC offer training for local pastors so they are well equipped to share the Word of God across the Loreto region of Peru.

hard to understand why. Felix grew up in Nauta, deep in the Peruvian Amazon, where poverty is rife, and where low levels of education make it hard for anyone to have ambitions of leaving. “A lot of people believe that if you were born poor, you will die poor,” says Felix. “I don’t accept this phrase, but it’s a very commonly held view in this region.” Felix is one of the fortunate ones. Three years after becoming a Christian, and after volunteering and training opportunities in Peru, he eventually accepted an offer to study theology in Brazil.

While Felix was in Brazil, God’s work was still being done in Nauta.

NIMTC was ministering to local pastors and working with the community. BMS workers LauraLee Lovering and Dave and Michele Mahon helped run training sessions for pastors working in villages on the banks of the Marañón River, a tributary of the Amazon River, and set up projects growing food and providing clean water for local people.

At the heart of their ministry was the desire to hire someone from Nauta itself to join the team at NIMTC. But they weren’t sure if they would ever see that dream come to fruition.

“Nauta is in the back end of nowhere,

as some people say, so if you have any decent qualifications or any real aspirations, you do not want to stay in Nauta,” says Laura-Lee, who’s been working in Peru with BMS for over ten years. The team at NIMTC didn’t know whether their hopes would ever be realised, but God works in powerful ways – and he was about to bring a solution.

Back in Brazil, Felix was struggling to know what to do next. Having completed his studies, he expected God to call him somewhere far across the world. So he didn’t know what to think when he felt God telling him to go back home. “I wanted to come back to be with my family. That was the human part,” says Felix. “I had to struggle between the will of God and my own will.” But once he got in touch with the team at NIMTC, Felix knew going back to Nauta had always been part of God’s plan for him – for the team at NIMTC, Felix was the blessing they’d been waiting for. So, at the beginning of 2020, Felix returned to Nauta, to start his ministry and share God’s love with the community he had grown up with. But nothing could have prepared him for what was in store.

Peru has been the subject of major tragedy throughout the Covid-19

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GOD GIVES ME THE STRENGTH pandemic. It experienced the highest death rate in the world (at the time of writing), with more than 6,000 deaths per million people – over two and a half times the death rate of the UK. The whole country went into lockdown in March 2020, but in Nauta where many people already struggle economically, living hand to mouth, being stuck in their homes made things even worse. Felix desperately wanted to reach his community, but strict curfews with fines for breaking quarantine made it impossible to meet in person. With few people having access to technologies such as video calling or streaming, there was only one way Felix could reach people – over the radio.

Felix spoke to the local radio

station, and managed to get an hour-long slot. Seven days a week.

During the height of lockdown, Felix reached the local community every day, discussing different topics around faith and the pandemic for anyone who was listening, not just in Nauta, but across the region. And during what was an incredibly difficult time for many – Felix himself caught Covid, along with most of his family – Felix’s radio show brought hope and joy to people’s homes. Different members of the team at NIMTC came on as guest hosts, along with local pastors, discussing the character of God, the blessing of spiritual gifts, and praying for people who called in.

“I really understood how God gives us a moment to make a big impact on people,” says Felix. “I really saw God moving at this time to give people hope and encouragement at a time when there was nothing.”

In a time of fear and separation, local people in Nauta found hope through Felix’s radio show – and a big part of that was because they knew him. They had seen him grow up, they’d watched him leave Nauta – but they had also seen him come back.

For many, Felix shows them what they can achieve in their own lives. “Being able to travel, being able to study is

MY STORY SHOWS THAT IT IS POSSIBLE very rare for people,” says Felix. “But my story shows that it is possible. And from there I share with them about Christ.”

Two years on from the first lockdown in Peru, Felix has stopped doing his radio show. But thanks to the connections he made doing the show, he’s been able to link people up with local churches and disciple his neighbours in their faith. Despite the hardships experienced through the pandemic, Felix and the team at NIMTC know that God is moving hearts in Nauta. “[The pandemic] has united us more,” says Felix. “People call me now and they never used to.” And Felix is working harder than ever to show people that anything is possible, when they get their strength from God. •

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Thank you for supporting Felix’s amazing ministry.

Please do pray for him and for BMS work in Peru.

Please pray:

• That God will continue to

work through Felix and the team at NIMTC. Pray that God will give them strength and wisdom, and that he will enable them to reach even more people.

• For the people in Peru

who are still recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Pray especially for those who lost loved ones, that God will be with them as they grieve and heal.

• For the people of Nauta –

pray that God will show them that with him, all things are possible.

• For everyone who became a Christian after listening to Felix’s radio show. Pray that they find local churches that will encourage them in their new faith.

Cambodia

Pastor J, called from the Baptist Church of Mizoram, is one of BMS’ workers engaged in Global South cross-cultural mission.

If not for the dorm, Ray would have taken work in a Cambodian factory.

Ray’s choice Building a brighter future for students in Cambodia Photos: George Nickels

ay has the weight of her family’s future on her shoulders. And now she’s got a choice to make.

What would you do?

At school, Ray never let poverty hold her back. Growing up in rural Cambodia, she loved learning and dreamed of higher education. But when she won a scholarship to attend university in the capital, Phnom Penh, she faced a heart-wrenching decision.

Her parents were rice farmers, and with seven children to feed, money was tight. “My parents could not support me,” says Ray. With a heavy heart, she set aside her

university dreams and applied for an unskilled job in a clothing factory.

But then she heard about a dormitory run by BMS World Mission worker Pastor J in Phnom Penh. Set up in 2015, Horaios dorm provides safe, affordable accommodation for disadvantaged students while they complete their studies.

Pastor J and his team also offer classes in English and computing, giving their students a headstart in finding skilled employment. And they help young people like Ray source safe part-time work, so they can support their families without sacrificing their education.

“If there had been no dorm, I

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don’t think I could have studied at university,” says Ray. “I think I would be in the factory right now.”

Instead, Ray, now aged 23, is delighted to be in her fourth year of studying public administration – and is getting great results. In the future she hopes to work in local government in her village, helping to create a better life for families like hers. Thanks to the work of Pastor J, more students like Ray have every chance of their dreams becoming a reality.

Ray’s life has changed in another vital way since she came to the dorm. Through Pastor J and his church, she heard about Jesus and his unconditional love

I WOULD BE IN THE FACTORY RIGHT NOW

Students at the dorm have access to English and computing classes.

for her. She made the decision to follow Jesus, and was baptised several months later.

“When I have problems, I pray to God, and he answers my questions,” she says. She is the only Christian in her family – but next time she returns home, she would like to tell them about her new-found faith. In this way, the gospel is spreading out from the city into unreached parts of Cambodia.

The dorm’s name, Horaios, comes from a Greek word meaning both “beautiful” and “at the right time” in the Bible.

It’s a very fitting description of the way these young people’s lives are being transformed.

Making connections Horaios dorm is just the start of Pastor J’s exciting vision. He longs for more people across Cambodia to know the love and hope Jesus brings. “We want to

focus on the youth at the same time as meeting the needs of the country as a whole,” he says.

In a nation where fewer than three per cent of the population identifies as Christian, the need is huge. But doors are already opening because of Pastor J’s strong relationships with the students. At Christmas, he and his team travelled many miles to visit students’ families in their home villages. They brought gifts of rice, cooking oil and sugar, and shared the good news of Jesus with them.

Wonderfully, the father of one student has become a Christian. And the friendships kindled in these villages will pave the way for further outreach.

There is one village that is particularly on Pastor J’s heart – Trapeang Run, where there is no Christian presence as yet.

He has visited several times and started building relationships with the local people. But

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because of the pandemic, progress has been slow.

“Sometimes I give up hope,” he says. “But my heart asks me: maybe the Holy Spirit wants to work over there?” This year, he and his church plan to focus on this unreached area. They have produced a leaflet explaining the gospel in Khmer, which they hope to gather funds to print and share.

It all begins with relationship – sitting and talking with people, visiting their homes, and when the time is right, telling them about Jesus. “Having a connection with people and preaching the gospel – I enjoy that,” says Pastor J.

Breaking the cycle Pastor J is passionate about showing the love of Jesus practically as well as through his preaching. He has seen firsthand the poverty rural families

RAY IS THE ONLY CHRISTIAN IN HER FAMILY

Pastor J has a heart to work in Trapeang Run, a village in rural Cambodia.

are grappling with – and has identified a concrete way his church can help. “In Cambodia, villagers are working very hard without proper training,” he says. “We want to help them be more productive.”

This year, Pastor J is organising a training programme in Trapeang Run to help families farm their land in a more profitable and sustainable way.

They’ll learn new techniques for growing crops, raising livestock and marketing their produce. His team will also run a free medical clinic, complete with health and hygiene training. “We hope this will be the beginning of a good start for the villagers,” he says.

In the future, Pastor J wants to do even more to help the people of this village lift themselves out of poverty.

“My personal vision is to have a proper centre over there – a school and training centre,” he says. He values your prayers that one day this will be possible.

WE LOVE TO PRAY FOR EACH OTHER Selfless service Working alongside Pastor J is an enthusiastic team of volunteers from his church. One of these is Nearodey – himself a former student at Horaios dorm. He is now an active leader in the church, helping out with the music and administration. He also interprets for Pastor J, who as a cross-cultural worker from India is still learning Khmer.

Nearodey is hugely

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Pastor J and his team long for your prayer support as they share the love of Jesus in word and deed across Cambodia. Stay tuned to hear about more ways to support this pioneering ministry.

encouraged to know that you are upholding him in your prayers. “I’m grateful that we have partners to pray for us,” he says. “And we also pray for all of you. As we are one family, we love to pray for each other.”

Ray agrees. “When I became a Christian and I stayed here [at the dorm], I felt like I was staying with my family,” she says. “I feel so happy and thankful to all of you for praying for me.” •

Creation stewardship

Weather report You’re helping farmers cope with a changing climate in Gulu, Uganda Words: Hannah Watson • Photos: Jesse Johnson James Muto

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hen it comes to the colossal issue of climate change, a key concern for many of us is the damaging impact that changing weather is already having on vulnerable communities around the world. But how often do we hear from people from those communities?

In ‘Weather report’, we asked BMS Agriculturalist Genesis Acaye to interview the farmers he’s been working with for us about how they’ve noticed their livelihoods, dependent on

Patrick Ocira Labora Sub-county

“It is important to have training on how the land can regain its fertility.”

Biggest challenges to farming: Patrick, his wife and four children depend on farming, but taking produce to market is challenging due to poor road conditions. The market price of the produce Patrick can grow is also low, whereas good seeds are expensive. Storing produce can be risky as it is mostly kept in grass thatched houses which catch fire in the dry season.

Impact of changing weather: “Weather patterns are irregular compared to when I was young.

predictable weather and good harvests, being affected. Patrick, Christine, Babra and Esther not only farm to support themselves, but also to support children and elderly parents. They’re up against blistering sunshine, erratic rainfall, flooding and the rising price of seeds. They’re also up against devastating deforestation rates in Uganda, with 63 per cent of the country’s forest cover being lost in the past 25 years. Read on to find out more, and about how two BMS-supported projects are helping them weather the challenge.

Sometimes there is too much rain or too much sunshine and this has greatly affected production.”

Crops: Rice, beans and groundnuts.

Future plans: Patrick planned to use proceeds from his sales to pay for his children’s school fees when schools re-opened after the pandemic. He would also like to save up for oxen and hopes one day to move from a house with a grass thatched roof to a safer tin-roofed house.

Best thing about the project: “I believe that it’s possible to have better lives through the training and support given on the group project. The seeds given to

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support the members were very helpful and we had good yield.”

Message for UK Christians: “Pray for the projects and participants so that they use the opportunity to learn and grow through farming.”

Patrick, pictured with Genesis, says that continuous farming has reduced the soil’s fertility.

Christine Abalo Patiko Sub-county

“It’s not like in the past when we would have bountiful harvests.”

Christine, in her own words: “My harvest this year was not as expected because of irregular rainfall and sunshine in our area.

There is always a lot of rain that causes flooding. Or dry periods that cause plants to die. Soil fertility is low.

“I’m married and I have one child. We’re a peasant family that depends on farming for our livelihood. I had participated in

an earlier project, and when the agroforestry pilot project came up, I became interested.

“The trees I am growing through the project are still young, but I’ve learned a lot about how to plant and grow trees and crops together. I expect to earn money from the sale of the timbers and the trees will help to improve the environment too.

“I want to thank the churches and BMS and ask for prayer for my family. People are very interested in participating in this project in the future should there be another opportunity.”

Babra Jane Ajok, Labora Sub-county

“In the past, we had a lot of tree cover, and the leaves would fall down and make the soil fertile. But most of the trees have been cut.”

Babra’s story: Babra is 29 years old. Along with her own children, Fred, Aber and Sisto, she also takes care of four other children, living as an extended family with her father, Michael, and her mother, Bicentina. With seven young children running about, the bills for food, school fees and medical treatment run up quickly and endlessly. Babra and her family have also struggled with illness this past year, asking for prayer for better health for the family and for healing for Bicentina’s bad foot. Add to that the changing weather Babra’s noticed, with a dry spell that has affected the rice, groundnut, cassava, beans and vegetables she is dependent on growing and selling to make ends meet. “In the past, most crops were grown without spraying,” explains Babra. “But

now you have to spray in order to have a good harvest.” It’s no wonder the past year has been so difficult.

Babra found out about the agribusiness project through her church. “I was able to grow onions and after selling them, I used the money to buy beds for the family,” she says. She’s excited to begin more of a business buying and selling produce, so that she can pay for school fees and have money left

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over. She’s also learned about the need to plant more trees to regain back the soil fertility she’s lost on her land.

“I would like to thank the churches for rendering the support to us,” says Babra. “We pray that your family will be safe especially during the time of Covid-19 challenges.”

Babra’s just 29 years old, but she has seven children in her care. The agricultural project will mean she can afford to send them all to school.

Christine’s soybean was affected by erratic rainfall and sunshine.

Through perseverance and the pilot project, Christine was able to harvest a bagful to sell, and used the money to buy three piglets. She’s also excited about how tree planting could help combat climate change and improve the growth of her crops.

Esther’s loved sharing the knowledge she’s acquired about banana growing with other farmers and has been able to get them started on their farming journey by selling them offshoots from her plants.

Esther Abur Paicho Sub-county

Participant in a banana-growing project “The land is tired and less fertile. I think we need to learn new methods of farming.”

Biggest challenges to farming: Esther is 59 years old. She’s widowed and relies on farming to provide for the seven children in her care. She often worries about missing the right window for planting out her crops as she has to till all her land by hand, using a hoe to open up the soil. It’s backbreaking work.

Impact of changing weather: “There are more dry spells these days, and flooding in the rainy season compared to the past when rain was well distributed throughout the year.”

Crops: Rice, groundnuts, cassava and bananas. Esther planted her banana plants after participating in a 2016 project.

She’s proud her banana garden

is still feeding her family and supporting them financially.

Sharing knowledge: Esther has been able to sell the fruits and plant offshoots to other farmers who want to grow bananas.

She’s noticed lots more people becoming interested after seeing how a banana garden can be managed sustainably year on year and welcomes regular visitors who want to learn about growing and managing their own garden.

Best thing about the project: “Every week, I get money from the sale of bananas from my garden and this has helped a lot in feeding, farming and paying school fees, medical bills and others.”

Message for UK Christians: “I thank Christians for their support. It has been a great help to us and may the Lord bless you. Pray for our family and farms and the general Covid-19 situation. My family is trying to save money and buy land because where we are now is not our land.”

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Thank you for enabling BMS work that’s both taking care of the environment and helping farmers to feed their families in challenging circumstances. Find out more about how you or your church can support Genesis Acaye in giving and in prayer by visiting his mission worker profile at www.bit.ly/GenesisAcaye

People on the move

In the most tragic of circumstances, you’re walking alongside people on the move.

Words: Hannah Watson

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elcome to Europe’.

Those are the words daubed on the roadside leading to the burnt-out remains of Moria refugee camp. Just beside them are three more words: ‘human rights graveyard’.

You might have heard of the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. Built for around 3,000 people, in January and February of 2020 there were more than 20,000 people living there. The conditions were unimaginable. Hundreds of people sharing one shower, one toilet. And then in September 2020, fires broke out inside the camp, and it was all but burned to the ground. A new camp named Mavrovouni has been set up to rehome some of the thousands of refugees now living in and around Lesbos in makeshift shelters. People feared that the conditions would be even worse than Moria.

Mavrovouni camp (meaning black mountain) is intended to be a temporary solution while a more

organised reception centre is built on Lesbos. But for the thousand or so occupants living there, the situation feels far from temporary.

The majority of the refugees on Lesbos are from Afghanistan, now caught in an awful limbo between the terror of their previous lives and the present uncertainty. There are also people from around 70 other nations, including D R Congo, Iraq and Syria.

Their journeys to Europe and the situations that drove them here will have been unimaginable. Thankfully, now they’ve arrived, they’ve got BMS World Mission supporters walking beside them, through the work of BMS’ new partner, All4Aid. Danielle Aguilar is a BMS-supported worker on the ground in Lesbos.

With the team there, she’s helped establish a safe place for women and children to come to disconnect from the Mavrovouni camp. “Lockdowns to protect people from Covid-19 trapped inhabitants inside a very traumatic environment,” says Danielle.

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The centre is a place where people can rest, shower safely and wash their clothes, knowing their children are being looked after. As well as the washing facilities, BMS supporters are helping to finance a ‘Living Timber’ project, where people can enjoy the use of a woodworking workshop and build essential items such as shoe racks to help keep their spaces and shelters clean.

Aside from enabling people to stay healthy and feel restored, Danielle sees part of what she does as really loving people well, and sharing the love of Jesus through her actions and friendships. A common misconception that Danielle comes across is the assumption that the people at the camp would all have come from impoverished backgrounds before circumstances forced them to leave home. While that is the case for many, she’s also had doctors, lawyers, architects and engineers pass through the centre doors. The hospitality and generosity of the centre users also

Mavrovouni facts

Meaning: black mountain Population: around 1,800 inhabitants (at time of writing) Demographic: over 70 nationalities represented, with a majority being Afghan refugees Left: a typical shelter from the Moria camp.

Bottom: Danielle shows the BMS team around the new centre.

surprises people. “A lot of times, we’re the ones who are most blessed by these interactions,” says Danielle, describing the spontaneous gifts or food that people bring with them to show their gratefulness for the centre’s workers.

Before the fire, the community centre was a mere 200 metres from the main gate of Moria camp. People could come and go, and stay all day.

A big desire for the team was to move back within walking distance, and in March of 2021, All4Aid were able to move into facilities within a 15-20 minute walk from the new camp along a main road. Being so close by meant coming into contact with people Danielle knows she would normally never meet. “Most of the people we work with here come from some of the most unreached places in the world,” she explains. It’s one of her favourite things about her job: having the chance to share God’s love with people on the move.

Sometimes, it’s helping in the smallest of ways that can have the biggest impact. Danielle tells the story of sitting across from Massara*, a

Syrian mother who was in tears after travelling alone to the centre. Having someone there to hold her hand as she wept was just as important as being able to shower in a safe space and bathe her two-year-old and six-month-old children. But despite the encouragements that come with each person helped, the team feel the weight of the huge needs that remain. Danielle explains that the full impact of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan hasn’t hit the camps yet.

“Sometimes the needs are very, very overwhelming,” she adds, “and we need to just continually surrender that to the Lord.”

Thank you for standing with Danielle and her team as they support people on the move in Lesbos. You’re giving refugees a warm, kind and loving welcome – to Europe, to God’s love for them – whatever other kind of reception they might have had at the camp or on their journey. Danielle knows her work wouldn’t be possible without you. “I just think it’s really beautiful the way God weaves us all together,” she adds. “All4Aid is the one there on the ground, but that

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THE SITUATION FEELS FAR FROM TEMPORARY wouldn’t be possible without BMS, and the people who support BMS. And that goes beyond finances. Having a team of people behind you praying for you, even if you’ve never met them in person, is just really encouraging. And we’re really grateful.” • *Name changed

Please note: this article was written before the devastating invasion of Ukraine and ensuing refugee crisis.

To learn more about how BMS is supporting people on the move in Eastern Europe, please go to www.bmsworldmission.org/ukraine

Letters

A letter from Palestine In Issue 49 of Engage, we spoke to Mahmoud*. He became a Christian while living in Palestine, and after graduating from a BMS World Mission-supported seminary in the Middle East, he’s now back in his hometown and has got engaged. Here, he shares an update on his ministry.

Dear friends, I graduated from the seminary in October 2020. They haven’t started it yet, but they want to start up a master’s programme.

I’m waiting for that – I want to continue my studies. Along with my fiancée, we were thinking about studying somewhere outside of Palestine, but we haven’t decided. Now we are thinking more about the wedding, and the ministry here.

It’s still very hard to go to church. If there are suspicions that you are a Christian, people will follow you, especially on Sundays. So the best way to meet is through visiting. When I was single, it was [culturally unusual and] difficult to go and visit a couple or a family, but after the wedding, we’ll have more opportunity to host people in our house.

Now everybody follows social media – kids, young people, elders. They didn’t use to hear from Christians or see Christians, because Christian TV channels and magazines were banned. I remember 5, 6, 7 years ago, we were talking a lot about our faith and people had no idea. But now everybody has the basics. When you say something, everybody responds, “Oh, I

heard that from someone. I read that, but I didn’t understand what that meant.”

Before we had to build a relationship, we had to find a door to begin a conversation.

But now the doors are open, and all we have to do is enter, to talk. I was surprised that people around me asked me about my faith, especially at Christmas. They asked about Jesus being born and why Christians celebrate it. And about Jesus’ death, about resurrection.

I have a group for teenagers in my village.

We spend time together each week and talk about many different things, some religious and some of them principles in general.

Dignity is a word you hear a lot from Arab people. People think that if someone says sorry, it means he is weak. So we talk about our culture and I can share about what the Christian faith says about this subject.

Please pray for our wedding and the ministry. Pray too for Christians to integrate more with their Muslim neighbours. And pray for peace between Palestine and Israel.

Thank you, Mahmoud *Name changed

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NOW THE DOORS ARE OPEN

LETTERS FROM... THE UK

Reporting back Dear Hannah, I have read the latest Engage: It is very encouraging – thank you. I pray for the North African situation and will keep Z [from I Will Stand] on my prayer list. I wanted to suggest that we get follow up on some of the people you feature, eg, you gave details on two young students from the theological college in the Middle East [in Issue 50]. I would like to have details of their ongoing story.

Thanks again for the insights you provide.

Blessings, Malcolm Potter

Dear Hannah, Thank you so much for the BMS World Mission magazine, Engage, Issue 52, 2022 – which I always look forward to…

The work BMS is doing, I just can’t believe the multiple ways you are helping underprivileged people, how you have helped them in all walks of life.

May God continue to bless you, Cecilia

Editor’s comment: Thank you so much for your note asking whether I could follow up with the students from the Middle East. You’ll see that I took up your suggestion in the Letter from Palestine, opposite! It’s great to hear what supporters would like to hear more on. I really appreciate you writing in!

Dear friends, Praising the Lord for so many ways he is building his Church. Thank you for keeping us informed in Engage and the Prayer Guide. In the first article a few years ago, you mentioned Helen and Wit going to Wang Daeng where there were no Christians. Then Suree was the only Christian… Praise God for the vision’s progress – churches, Christians, baptisms and local Christians bringing others to hear the message of Jesus – just wonderful!

We’ll keep praying and praising our amazing God for his wonderful love.

Blessings and love to you all, Prema

Just Love Bath January 24 •

Will you stand with Christians living in hostile places?

Watch this amazing video from BMS World Mission, that tells some real and inspiring stories.

Get in touch!

If you’ve been inspired or challenged by anything you’ve read in Engage, have been busy raising money for us, or have anything else you want to share, we would love to hear from you. Get in touch using one of the methods on page 2!

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THEIR DREAM YOUR PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER WE CAN TRANSFORM THIS VILLAGE

Presenting Good Land, BMS World Mission’s Harvest appeal for 2022, coming soon.

Watch this space for more details, and save the date for your Good Land harvest service today!