Global Impact Report 2021 by Witness Magazine

Global Impact Report 202 1

OUR MISSION FAMILY Our network of missional teams is working to make Jesus known in 70 nations. These teams are made up of; 76 Global Workers trained and sent long-term from North America, 19 Global Workers, sent from MB conferences in other nations and, 80 National Leaders working in partnership and alignment with Multiply’s regional mission strategy.

2 15

7 2

16 13

Numbers are of nations in each region with at least one missional team.

Our missional teams and their projects are actively supported by; 268 North American churches, 4,000+ North American households and, many members of our International Community of MB Churches.

This report is also available online at multiply.net/2021report

Hope Remains For many, 2021 began as a year of hope! We hoped the pandemic would be over. We hoped churches could resume regular activities. We hoped life would return to near normal. But we were all disappointed, and sometimes tempted to despair. Yet how often during these difficult days we heard stories from near and far that gave us hope. We received strength to press on. We read in Scripture about “the God who gives endurance and encouragement ... the God of hope” (Romans 15). Later, Paul writes to a discouraged church: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:7-9). It has not been an easy year for Multiply. We have experienced numerous challenges and setbacks, yet, by God’s amazing grace and compassion, we too can say, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.” In the midst of a pandemic, new opportunities for witness in word and deed have emerged. In a world of closed doors, some exciting new doors have opened. While some workers are retiring or moving on, new Timothys and Esthers are emerging “for such a time as this.” Over our collective mission journey as a Mennonite Brethren family, our forefathers have also faced times of testing. A century ago, the Spanish flu ravaged the world with even more deaths than COVID-19. At the same time, mission work all but shut down in Russia while many believers faced not only the restrictions of Communism, but also civil war and starvation. Yet, even in the midst of all that, there were encouraging stories of love, good deeds, and Gospel expansion in Russia, China, and elsewhere. I hope, as you read our impact report (multiply.net/2021report), you too will be encouraged to have hope, and to press on in your assignment from our missionary God. I also invite you to prayerfully consider how you might be an instrument of hope to those in need of good news. Thank you for your partnership in this Gospel of hope.

Vic Wiens I NTER I M G ENERAL DIRECTOR

Central & South America We are seeing increasing ownership among the churches to reconcile their nations to God without having to depend on the north. There are a number of encouraging initiatives.

RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

We are assisting Brazil’s MB mission agency (COBIM) as they bring together church planting networks in the farthest reaches of the Amazon rainforest.

Franz Wolf and a team from Brazil provided Missional Leadership Training to a network of church leaders in the Dominican Republic.

Jorge (our Colombia conference leader) and his wife, Estela, attended COBIM’s mission training group with leaders from as far away as Mozambique. We expect these relationships to bear much fruit.

The Matthew Training Center in Mexico is expanding its vision to serve our whole emerging network of missional MB leaders throughout Latin America.

Emerson Cardoso R EG I ONA L TEA M LEADER

GLOBAL WORKERS

NATIONAL LEADERS IN PARTNERSHIP

HERBAL MATE AND A BULLSHORN GUAMPA (CUP)

Pass the Guampa Families can be complicated. So can churches, and groups of churches. This seems to be true everywhere, including Latin America. “Trust does not come easily,” said Emerson Cardoso, Multiply’s Regional Team Leader for Latin America. “Churches with different religious structures are often reluctant to work together, and this impedes growth. Structure matters, but it does not create church growth. Doing the will of God does. And God’s will for the Church is that we be united in love.” What does love look like in this context? In Latin America, poverty, corruption, and disease, including COVID-19, have created an ever-widening rift between the privileged and the impoverished. In years previous, as a pastor, Emerson led his church in running an orphanage, a drop-in center for at-risk teens, and a shelter for unwed mothers and others in need. He argued that a holistic presentation of the Gospel was key to uniting individuals from vastly different religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. It was also the key to uniting vastly different churches, allowing them to serve together in reaching the world for Jesus.

was the policy of his sending organization to focus only on planting churches in communities of 5000 people or more. While understanding this decision, Basilio could not let go of the vision that he felt God had given him for the isolated rural communities of this country. It was then that the Uruguayan Mennonite Brethren conference stepped in and offered him the use of a church building that had closed its doors some years previous. Basilio began to realize that God was leading him to look beyond the parameters of his own church family to also embrace the extended family of another denomination, for the sake of the expansion of the kingdom of God. So, he accepted the offer from the MBs and began to partner with them. Within a few years, the church grew and planted other congregations, resulting in over seven hundred people meeting in seventeen different locations throughout northern Uruguay. Basilio eventually connected twelve more churches that he had previously planted over the last twenty years into this network.

“The Church,” he stated emphatically, “must be a home for those who have no home, and a family for those who have no family to turn to.”

It took time for the groups to become familiar with each other and to overcome their cultural differences. “There were some difficult and lengthy meetings over those six months,” said Emerson, “but we just kept passing the guampa around and drinking a lot of mate!”

Emerson pointed to Uruguay as an example. In 2018, Basilio Schur, a mission worker associated with a denomination of churches in the United States, set out eagerly to plant churches in a remote village of northern Uruguay. However, he was denied funding because it

Over time and tea, the balance of opinion tipped toward a merger. In the past two years, this partnership between the more charismatic values of the newcomers and the structure of the MBs has galvanized church growth in Uruguay like never before. 4

Europe & Central Asia In each of the European countries where we have ICOMB conferences, we are growing in the health and fruitfulness of our partnerships. In Central Asia, we are celebrating baptisms almost every month in a very Muslim country. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

Two couples and two singles have committed themselves to training for bi-vocational church planting in East Germany.

We now have two missionaries engaged with LCC, a Christian university in Lithuania whose president is a former Multiply board member. There are 861 students from 56 countries, many of which are hard to reach.

Johann Matthies R EG I ONA L TEA M LEADER

We’ve registered our third official MB church in Central Asia. All our leaders come from a Muslim background. After four years we have four churches and two church plants.

In Eastern France, we have a missionary couple who live in a community of about ten thousand North African Muslims. Their courageous enthusiasm is starting to bear fruit.

GLOBAL WORKERS

NATIONAL LEADERS IN PARTNERSHIP

Motivated by Relationships For Sarah Reed, ministry is all about relationships. “I am motivated to see people in right relationship with one another, and with God,” she said recently from her new home in Austria. “When I think about my calling as a missionary, I think about the importance of partnership and seeing people work together in unity, despite their differences.” In late 2019, Sarah completed her initial training for longterm service as a global worker with Multiply. However, because of COVID, her departure to Austria was delayed, and it was not easy for her to embrace the new timeline. “But God used that time of uncertainty and those feelings of insecurity,” Sarah recalled, “to help me refocus. I learned how to be more content with each day and more present with people.” As she waited in Canada, God gave her an idea. At her home church in Waterloo, Ontario, there was a group of Persians, mostly Iranian immigrants, that met regularly after the Sunday service. “I had visited the group many times,” said Sarah. “It was a great way to get to know people and to observe their language and culture.” Sarah was also well aware that there were numerous Iranian refugees in her future church family in Steyr, Austria. So, with the leader of the group in Canada (an Iranian immigrant) and the blessing of the pastor in Austria, Sarah helped start a group online. As they began to meet

weekly, Sarah was amazed at how God built bridges within the group and brought strength and growth to those who came together to learn. After the first few meetings, some of the group members in Austria asked if they could invite friends from Iran to join the online video calls. “We said, ‘Of course!’” Sarah recalled. “I was so encouraged by the questions people were asking in the group. People were so engaged and hungry to know Jesus.” For Sarah, it was perfect preparation for her move to Austria. “Through the group online, I was connecting with people there, serving the church there, practicing my German (and learning some Farsi too!), and I was also growing a stronger relationship with my home church in Canada.” In November 2020, God finally opened the door for Sarah to move to Austria, where she began settling in, continuing language and culture studies, and building relationships with church leadership. She still met online regularly with the Persian Bible study group in Canada, and she was eventually able to meet face to face with members of the group in Austria. With COVID, it is hard to know what will change and what will stay the same, but regardless, Sarah is eager to keep investing in relationships. 6

Sub-Saharan Africa For people who are already familiar with suffering, COVID-19 brought a whole other wave, with many more people out of work and unable to eat, and other places racked with violence. Our African leaders are praying not that they would be saved from their trials, but that the church would respond in the Jesus way. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

In Uganda, we are developing a delightful, holistic missional partnership with thirty-eight churches that have longed to join a family, and they feel like they’ve found it with us.

In the midst of extreme hardship in DR Congo, exacerbated by COVID-19, Nzuzi Mukawa is working alongside 96 denominations, helping them understand and become engaged in mission.

In Burundi, we started Discipleship for Development training with many of the church leaders. Eyes are opening leading to a new outlook on outreach.

The Dzaleka refugee camp, where hopelessness abounds, is the epicenter of the MB church of Malawi. And from there, they bring hope to surrounding villages.

Doug Hiebert R EG I ONA L TEA M LEADER

GLOBAL WORKERS

NATIONAL LEADERS IN PARTNERSHIP

God Sent Grace “It started in my wife’s heart,” said Robert Mponye about the ministry to vulnerable children that he and his wife, Esther, began several years ago in their home country of Uganda. “She was an orphan herself.” When Esther was thirteen, her father passed away. Her mother and her extended family couldn’t care for her, so they discarded her. “They threw her away,” Robert said, recalling his wife’s tragic story. “And so she lived with this sense of rejection.” Two years later, at the age of fifteen, Esther met Jesus and her life was transformed. She was immediately given a heart to serve others, especially children who had been rejected. When Robert and Esther met and got married in 2000, they had a dream together of caring for orphaned children. “We knew we wanted to take them into our arms and love them,” said Robert, “but we didn’t know where to begin.”

hospital where doctors immediately went to work on her, to remove the filth from her eyes and mouth, and to give her the medication she needed to survive. But once the doctors saw that Grace would live, they didn’t know what to do with her next. At that point, one of Robert and Esther’s children heard about the incident and came home to tell their mother about the baby who had no one to take care of her. “At the time, I was on a ministry trip in another part of the country,” said Robert, “Esther called and said, ‘There is a baby in the hospital who I feel the Lord is asking me to bring into our house.’ I responded, ‘If the Lord is speaking, then let’s obey.’”

Grace was a baby who was born to a mother who didn’t want her. On the day of her birth, Grace was wrapped in a plastic bag and thrown into a public toilet.

For Robert and Esther, that was the beginning. They took Grace into their small house and cared for her like she was one of their own. When Grace was five years old, the couple started King’s Kid Home School. Now, more than twenty years later, Robert and Esther are involved in caring for hundreds of children. Today, 359 children attend daily classes at the school and 107 are full-time residents in the home. “It started with Grace. She was our first King’s kid!” said Robert. “But God sent many more Graces to us.”

Fortunately, the bag ripped as it tumbled into the toilet and Grace was able to keep breathing. The next morning, at 5:30 AM, a woman came to use the toilet and heard a baby crying. She called for help and people came running. Together they rescued Grace and brought her to the local

Over the years, this ministry to orphaned children has developed into a broad ministry that now includes a network of church plants, a Bible School, a vocational school, a children’s choir, a medical clinic, evangelistic outreaches, farming and much more.

Then God sent Grace into their lives.

Middle East & North Africa We can’t share too specifically because people are still receiving lashes, being thrown in prison, or getting killed for their faith. Nonetheless, we see more and more house churches, and a network of leaders coming together to support each other in mission. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

A team just returned from one Muslim stronghold that had almost zero believers just five years ago, reporting that many disciples of Jesus are connecting and sharing their faith.

One of our Egyptian leaders initiated a trip to Sudan, where many believers were filled with boldness to witness. One of the participants then took the Gospel into Libya.

Nasseral’Qahtani R EG I ONA L TEA M LEADER

Our North African partner churches have experienced severe hardship over the last several months, but our brothers and sisters continue to report amazing testimonies of new believers and baptisms every month.

In the Middle East, in the country that looks the most hard-pressed in the news, we’re working with the most mature believers we’ve met in the region. Suffering produces character.

GLOBAL WORKER

NATIONAL LEADERS IN PARTNERSHIP

Touching Heaven Online Names have been changed for security reasons Irfan has been a part of leading an online Arabic Bible School for years, but recently he adapted some of his learning and experience toward another creative idea. With a sincere desire to reach more people with the Gospel, Irfan started offering online workshops that provided instruction on commonplace topics such as how to develop better communication skills, how to think critically, and even how to manage stress and anxiety. In the midst of a global pandemic, so many more people were at home and online with extra time on their hands. Many of them were also finding it very difficult to stay positive mentally and free from worry. Irfan set up the workshops so that anyone could join, and he quickly found that a broad spectrum of people were eager to participate. “In the past few months,” Irfan reported, “these workshops have really exploded in the best possible way! During COVID, people are so hungry for positive interaction.” In the workshops, basic instruction was provided and then participants were invited to discuss with each other what they were learning and what solutions they saw for their problems. Most of the participants were Muslims, but Irfan has recruited many of his fellow followers of Jesus to join the classes as well, so that different perspectives would be shared and friendships would develop.

“Every class includes handpicked, mission-minded followers of Jesus who are eager to share their faith with their classmates,” said Irfan. “Many Muslims in this region have never met a follower of Christ, so these relationships have been very significant.” Irfan estimated that 700 Muslim students have participated in the workshops during the first ten weeks they were offered, and many of those were building friendships with Christ-followers. As well, many of the participants were pursuing connections privately outside of the workshops, which was where deeper conversations were happening and the Gospel was being shared openly. One Muslim participant said, “I feel a unique kind of peace during the workshops.” Another said of the facilitators, “It is as if they make us touch heaven during the class.” Since the workshops have been growing, Irfan has reported no shortage of local partners. Churches are hearing about the success of the courses and offering to help. Also, according to Irfan, more and more Muslims are promoting the workshops among their own people. Many are reporting that the help they receive is not only genuine, but is answering questions for which they have never heard answers before. 10

South Asia There’s a real warmth in the relationships we’ve formed with our many partners in this region, partly because there are so many obstacles to the gospel being shared. The detailed stories can’t be told in this format for security reasons, but behind the many house churches started each year are real people whose lives are being transformed. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

Our partner’s church planting network across twelve states in the north is growing significantly, so we have helped them build a much-needed training center to support their growth.

Other parnters have recently started a church planting network in a large city. Wee are now seeing new churches start as people move to other states.

DH R EG I ONA L TEA M LEADER

One partner is working among his own Muslim people in the far north, which is one of the most unreached areas in the world.

In the south, our long-time partner leads a network of church planters on behalf our Indian MB Conference. They are also bringing the gospel to a completely unreached tribal group.

GLOBAL WORKERS

NATIONAL LEADERS IN PARTNERSHIP

A Family Set Free A family in a small village in South Asia was tormented by an evil spirit. One by one, each of them was oppressed by the spirit: the father, mother, three sons, and one daughter. After leaving one of them, the spirit would attack another. The family’s sleep was disturbed, and they were constantly threatened by evil. When our partner heard about the family, he sent a team of four church planters, including Pastor Kumar, to visit them. After getting to know the family’s suffering, the team decided to spend three days fasting and praying for their deliverance. The family also attended the prayer vigil. Pastor Kumar said to the family, “Believe in Jesus and accept him as your Lord and Savior and he will help you to come out of the bondage of this evil spirit.” On the final day of prayer, the entire family was delivered from the attack of the evil spirit. As a result, they were all baptized, and now they come regularly to the worship services, even though the place where they are held is more than thirty-five kilometers away. “We have seen an amazing transformation in the lives of these family members, especially the one son, Sam,” said Pastor Kumar. “There is such a difference from when he was under the power of the enemy and now when he is under the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Southeast Asia After years of faithful service, many of our missionaries are experiencing increasing fruitfulness as they align with our growing network of Thai and Myanmar church leaders. It is a joy to witness the maturing work of Christ in these local believers and a privilege to serve them. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

Pastor Naat was a Buddhist housekeeper for our missionaries twenty years ago. Now she leads an emerging conference of churches with a vision to reach 199 communities in Thailand.

The Sinclair-Peters were forced to leave Myanmar and start over in Thailand a few months ago. They are once again leading people to Christ and sending them out as evangelists.

Hundreds of people gave their lives to Jesus during the Christmas outreaches in Myanmar. Through COVID-19 and a coup, our team continues to plant churches in new villages.

Somdy started a church his first week in the unreached Isaan region of Thailand. Now this church ran an outreach where 200 people heard the Gospel for the first time.

Louise Sinclair-Peters R EG I ONA L TEA M LEADER

GLOBAL WORKERS

NATIONAL LEADERS IN PARTNERSHIP

When Everything Goes Wrong By Louise Sinclair-Peters It was over two years ago that God gave us a vision for the Beautiful Butterﬂy Project, a vision to teach young Buddhist women in Myanmar how to sew. Making marketable goods would not only provide them with a sustainable income, but also provide us with a platform for sharing the Gospel. As we prepared to launch this program in Yangon, we were full of faith.

instructor quit. I wondered; did we even hear from God at all? Then one of the young Myanmar women told us earnestly, “Please don’t give up.” We prayed even more earnestly for the vision that God gave us to reach these young women.

Then everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

Within days we met a sewing teacher, fluent in Thai and with great influence in the community. Not only did she introduce us to many Buddhist women eager to learn to sew, but she brought six of them to church! When we began our classes I saw right away how open these women were to the Gospel.

The pandemic forced us, along with so many global workers, to leave the mission field. Then a military coup took place, making a return to Myanmar impossible for the foreseeable future. It was discouraging. When we were finally able to return to Southeast Asia, we settled in Mae Sot in western Thailand. Bordering Myanmar, Mae Sot had a large population of refugees fleeing military oppression, internal displacement camps, and extreme poverty. Seeing so many young Buddhist women in need of help and hope, we realized that we could bring both by launching the Beautiful Butterfly project in this city. Again, everything went wrong. The national pastor leading us was hospitalized. The shipment of cloth from Canada ended up at the wrong port. Our sewing

And everything that could go well, did go well.

“God created the world,” I told them, “and he created you!” Contemplating this, one girl said, “Then I must be special!” Yes, I told her, you are. In that moment I felt so grateful that we had not given up when everything was going wrong. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised … we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. - Hebrews 10:36, 39 14

East Asia PK’s ministry over the past few decades has been an inspiration to this whole region. He reached his goal of raising up 1,000 leaders by 2020 and now is sending Khmu workers into several surrounding nations. We honor him for modelling God’s love to so many people. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

We’re working with a group of inspiring Japanese evangelists who are breaking their own social and cultural norms to share the Gospel in parks and on the streets.

In Thailand, Siriwan and her husband, Wichian, have started a holistic discipleship program on their farm, as well as leading a ministry to girls in juvenile prison.

In Northern Thailand, Chaloerm and his team are planting churches in six northern provinces. They are seeing many people coming to know Jesus through prayer and preaching. They have targeted six new unreached villages in 2022 and there are fourteen emerging leaders receiving Bible college level training to prepare for serving Jesus.

Our churches in the Philippines that started from campus ministries have gone back and started their own campus ministry. They’re already seeing fruit in spite of COVID restrictions.

Bob Davis R EG I ONA L TEA M LEADER

GLOBAL WORKERS

NATIONAL LEADERS IN PARTNERSHIP

Ayumu’s Journey Ayumu went on a long journey to meet Jesus. As a 26-year-old man in Kyushu, Japan, with a speech impediment, Ayumu one day decided to run away from his job and his hometown. He simply left work and started walking. As he travelled, he found himself heading towards Osaka, which ended up being a journey of over 600 kilometers that took him over a month to complete. To survive, he relied on strangers for food and shelter, strangers who were not put off by his disability. Even so, it was a long and arduous journey. When Ayumu finally arrived in Osaka, he found himself in Nishinari’s Triangle Park, where our Roses Church meets outdoors every Wednesday and Sunday. That night, he went to sleep on a park bench, and the next morning he woke up to find himself surrounded by a group of people who were all talking about God. His first thought was, “Wow, I didn’t know there were still people who believed in God.”   It was beautiful to see how Ayumu was able to join our group so naturally. Nobody worried about whether he had been drinking, and no one was bothered by his speech impediment or his homeless status. People took turns talking with him and sharing the Gospel. We spent the

whole day together and, afterwards, we made sure he had a safe place to stay for the night. It was all part of his long journey to meet Jesus. Over the next month, one of our church members helped him find a more permanent place to live. Ayumu began volunteering at our soup kitchen, and someone there was able to help him to get a job interview. We watched Jesus transform his life as Ayumu journeyed from having absolutely no interest in God—and no knowledge about Jesus whatsoever—to being baptized. That journey seemed, in some ways, much longer than the walk from Kyushu. But he was no longer travelling alone, and he made it. That day when Ayumu first came to Roses Church in the park was beautiful. For me, it felt like watching the Church operate as she was meant to, helping one man’s journey to be full of love. The Bible tells us that God is love. Is it possible that love is more powerful than we think it is? With Ayumu, we are seeing this before our eyes. 16

North America COVID-19 has brought shared suffering to North America in ways we haven’t experienced in decades. This has shaken both believers and unbelievers, with many reconsidering what life is about. In our mutual vulnerability and uncertainty, we share the hope of the Gospel to those in the most need. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

Sherry Heidebrecht has six churches working together in Abbotsford to bring a church planting network leader (Arun) from India to lead us in bringing the Good News to Punjabi immigrants.

Derek Parenteau is working as a prison chaplain in Ontario, seeing many prisoners turn to Jesus in their desperation and receiving the call to tell others when they are released.

God is on the move through the Congolese. Doug Hiebert is working in partnership with local churches in Saskatchewan and Ohio to empower Congolese leaders on mission locally and globally.

Our newest First Nations leader received credentialing in partnership with the Canadian and Ontario conferences. Six more are in mentoring relationships with local church pastors and have almost completed the program.

6 CROSS-CULTURAL WORKERS 17

We’re just starting to get involved in cross-cultural mission in some pockets of the US and Canada. We look forward to what God will do through these indigenous and immigrant leaders and their teams.

Tibetans in the Neighborhood Names have been changed for security reasons Kora lives in a Tibetan neighborhood where she serves as a youth worker. It’s where she first encountered a Tibetan boy named Champo. They met when Champo was about twelve years old. “He was kind and friendly,” recalled Kora, “but he was also filled with self-loathing and convinced that no one liked him. He told us repeatedly, ‘Everyone hates me.’” Kora and her team of youth workers kept speaking truth over Champo and asked if they could pray for him. “One day he said yes,” she said. “We prayed over him, and he began to change. Over time, we noticed that he stopped talking about hating himself. Then he told us one day that he knew God was real because he felt his presence inside him.” When Kora asked him to share more about his newfound faith, Champo was hesitant. He was nervous about how his parents would respond. He thought they would likely perceive his relationship with Jesus as a rejection of Tibetan Buddhism and kick him out of their home. It was difficult for Kora and her teammates to know what to do. They understood that for most people within this immigrant community, to be Tibetan was to be Buddhist, even if they lived in North America. That’s right, Champo and his family don’t live in Asia—they live in one of North America’s largest cities, where there are, according to some estimates, as many as 10,000 Tibetan immigrants spread out across the city. “There are over 4000 Tibetans in my neighborhood alone,” said Kora, “all within just a few city blocks. To my knowledge, that’s the densest population anywhere outside of Asia.”

Kora grew up in Southeast Asia as the daughter of Multiply global workers, but when she moved to North America, she began to learn about immigrants from all over the world living in the city where she settled. She was especially intrigued by the large Tibetan population and saw both the needs and the opportunities within this unique Buddhist community. “Of those ten thousand Tibetans in our city, we know of only ten that are followers of Jesus,” she said. “They make up a very small fellowship, but they are meeting together regularly.” According to Kora, only a handful of Christians in the neighborhood are reaching out to the Tibetans among them. With some disappointment, she said, “In the whole city, I know of only one church among hundreds that is actively engaged in outreach to their Tibetan neighbors here.” “Most churches in North America still have the mindset that cross-cultural ministry is overseas,” concluded Kora, “it’s somewhere else, and it’s something only a few people are called to.” Kora hopes that this ministry among Tibetans will challenge churches in North America to embrace the idea that all believers are called to reach out to their neighbors, wherever those neighbors are from. “Because no matter where you live,” she continued, “most of us have neighbors now from other cultures. Maybe God brought them to our streets so they could hear the Gospel from us!” 18

Come Join a Team EMERSON CARD OSO - L ATIN AMERICA REGIONAL TE AM LE ADER & L ARRY NEUFELD - DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP S

In a vision, the Apostle Paul saw a man beckoning to him and calling out, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” This story from Acts 16 causes me to ask two questions: first, am I attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in the same way as Paul and his team? And second, am I aware of the same call for help today? In Latin America, we live in a time of awakening to the Macedonian call. During this pandemic, our workers have needed to reinvent themselves to meet the needs of those around them, and as thousands of immigrants are coming to our region from the Middle East, Africa, and Central America, they are crying out to us like the man in Paul’s dream. >

Latin America is calling out for more workers to support travelling evangelists in their discipleship of young believers and help establish them in faith communities. Others on our team there are serving among suffering migrant workers, remote indigenous churches, the poor and the marginalized. They are working hard to support, encourage and train leaders for these ministries. Come join the team.

In South and East Asia our national leaders have a vision to grow their established churches, and plant new churches in communities that have never heard the Gospel. They are asking for even more workers to help build relationships with locals through outreach initiatives, sharing the healing love of Jesus with the broken and hopeless. They are looking for people to invest in and support young leaders whose vision is to lead and grow their fledgling house churches into missional outposts. Come join the team.

In Central Asia and the Middle East, a vibrant, growing Church is struggling under oppression. They are asking for even more workers to come and encourage and disciple young believers, especially women who, in these regions, are in particular need of support. Religious and political restrictions make it challenging for us to establish a presence in these countries, but more workers with a business or vocation can help our team members to gain access in this context. Come join the team.

In Africa, Asia, Europe, and in many countries around the world we are hearing a call for more people who are willing to surrender their lives to bring the Good News to the lost.

Today, we are being called to respond to this spiritual dream with immediate missional action. All around the world we are hearing of the urgent need for even more workers to join our teams, serving alongside local believers and our national partners to see lives and communities transformed by the Gospel. Would you pray about joining one of our mission teams? It may be that today’s Macedonian call is for you. To learn more about how to get involved go to Multiply.net/serve

“ If you dare to b elieve that you are b elove d b efore you are b orn , you may suddenly realize that your life is ver y, ver y sp e cial . You b e come conscious that you were sent here jus t for a shor t time , for t went y, for t y, or eight y year s , to discover and b elieve that you are a b elove d child of G od . The length of time do e sn’ t mat ter. You are sent into this world to b elieve in yourself as G o d ’s chosen one and then to help your brothers and sis ter s know that they are also B elove d Sons and Daughter s of G od who b elong to gether. You ’re sent into this world to b e a p e ople of re conciliation . You are sent to heal , to break down the walls b et we en you and your neighb or s , loc ally, nationally, and globally. Before all dis tinc tions , the separations , and the walls built on foundations of fear, there was a unit y in the mind and hear t of G od . O ut of that unit y, you are sent into this world for a lit tle while to claim that you and ever y other human b eing b elongs to the same G od of Love who live s from eternit y to eternit y.” —HENRI NOUWEN , FINDING MY WAY HOME

ICOMB International Community of Mennonite Brethren

We initiated regular meetings with ICOMB to discuss how the church and the mission can work together more effectively. It has been a sweet season of collaboration. One outcome of this is calling our networks to fast and pray for the nations the first week of January. RE G I O N A L H I G HLI G HTS >

We continue to serve ICOMB through the development and delivery of Missional Leadership Training (MLT) in partnership with MB Seminary. MLT modules are currenlty being translated into ten differnt languages.

Multiply and ICOMB cooperated to deliver individual scholarships, investing in 17 church leaders (Bachelor to Doctor levels); and collective scholarships to schools, investing in over 90 students.

19 INTERNATIONAL PARTNER MISSIONARIES 21

Bob Davis, while continuing to serve as E. Asia Regional Team Leader, has also been seconded to serve as an advocate for ICOMB in USMB churches.

Mensagens Missionais (Missional Messages), a Portuguese collection of sermons and articles, edited by Victor Wiens, was published in 2021, resourcing pastors and evangelists in Brazil, Angola, Portugal.

Bound for Peru “We’ve never been to Peru,” said Pablo Chavez, “but we can honestly say that we are in love with the people there and the churches, and we can hardly wait to serve among them.” Pablo and his wife, Maricela, are from Orange Cove, California. They are in training to become full-time global workers with Multiply, and they hope to begin their longterm assignment in Peru in 2022. Both were born in Mexico, but Maricela came to California with her family at the age of ten. As a young adult, she came to faith in Jesus and went on a short-term assignment with MCC in Mexico, where she met Pablo. Several years later, Pablo came to the US on a fiancé visa, and they were married in California. In Orange Cove, the congregation appreciated Pablo’s leadership gifts and within two years he was invited to become their pastor. Eventually, Pablo finished his education and became a full-time middle school math teacher, which allowed him to serve as a bi-vocational pastor. Maricela had studied counseling and worked first as a school counselor, then later, after further studies, as a marriage and family counselor. The couple was also blessed with three sons: Isaac, Joshua, and Samuel. By 2020, Pablo and Maricela were positioned well to build on their professional success and financial stability. “God had blessed us,” Maricela said. “We were

comfortable and secure. But we felt we had to ask the question, ‘Now what?’” As the couple talked and prayed together, they sensed that God was inviting them to consider trusting him with more. “At that stage, we could have indulged ourselves with new cars or a bigger house or a more exotic vacation,” Maricela confessed. “But we decided to trust God with something bigger. We felt like it was time to lay down those other desires and let God lead us.” Not long after, the couple attended a conference and met with Galen Wiest, Multiply Mobilizer out of Fresno, California. As he shared with them about Multiply’s work in Latin America, Maricela said her heart was pounding, and she was asking herself, “Could this be it?” In the days to come, it became clear that this was indeed the door that God was opening for them. After eighteen years of marriage, three children, and sixteen years of pastoral ministry, Pablo and Maricela were ready for the new adventure that awaited them in Peru. On a recent online video call with church leaders in Peru, Pablo’s heart was stirred in a way that brought confirmation to his own sense of calling. “We heard about some of their struggles, and I just felt a strong spiritual connection with them. I believe that God himself is the one fueling our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Peru.” 22

North American Mobilization MIS SION DE VELOPMENT PROGR AM >

TREK Central Canada ended with a debrief retreat, and now all the participants are in missional placements with local outreach ministries and in the marketplace! Despite COVID, Jesus brought together sixteen risk-takers to grow in their missional impact!

| CAROL LETKEMAN >

Both SOAR Saskatchewan and Heartland were able to flourish during COVID in a hybrid mode of delivery. Both programs were international, with Saskatchewan partnering with Panama and Colombia. Heartland saw participation from Japan, Europe and USA in addition to a large Manitoba showing. Missional training is so much more holistic as we engage with Jesus from many cultural perspectives.

E ASTERN CANADA TE AM | ROBYN SEREZ >

What started as one youth pastor approaching Multiply to learn about mission opportunities for his youth has turned into nine churches (and counting) discerning together how to disciple their youth on mission and to work towards a SOAR Ontario program for the summer of 2022. The most exciting development is that the youth leaders and pastors are the planning team and are actively invested in finding the populations of the least reached in their own communities.

At the September Pastors Credentialing Orientation, the First Nations Ministry team from Multiply, along with a newly credentialed First Nations leader, facilitated a first ever afternoon of dialogue for new credentialing candidates. The panel discussion raised more questions than answers, stirred more discomfort than satisfaction, and shed fresh light on the long and challenging road of reconciliation that is ahead for the church and the First Peoples.

CENTR AL CANADA TE AM | LLOYD LETKEMAN >

Reconciliation comes through listening and walking together to form a common story of mutual understanding, respect, and love. We were able to facilitate over a dozen Blanket Exercises with churches, mission trainees, and Christian educational partners. kairosblanketexercise.org.

MUD Cafes and One-Hour Mission trips: Rebecca Hiebert and Pastor Naat, hosted a Mission-Under-Discussion Cafe” at the height of lockdown. A small group was able to meet in person (while others joined online) to sing together, enjoy a bonfire, and hear how our Thailand churches served a COVID field hospital and loved the community well. The church grows through this time! multiply.net/1-hour

BRITI SH COLUMBIA TE AM | GREG L AING >

Our First Nations Ambassadors, John and Jenn Johnstone, were busy in ministry when the discovery of the unmarked graves at the Kamloops Residential School rocked our world. Since then, they have been heavily in demand engaging deeply with numerous churches and contexts. A very touching testimony was published in the MB Herald: multiply.net/mbheraldtribute

Thanks to generous churches and donors, the global workers who were temporarily grounded in BC with COVID restrictions were redeployed. We sent one BC TREK participant to serve in Africa and one Global Servant intern to assist ministry development in France. There are encouraging reports from BC-based global workers using creative means to share Christ while developing their local communities. Locally, we assisted four BC churches to innovate a shared, churchbased young adult discipleship pathway. Several churches have begun to collaborate and serve newcomers in our midst, especially immigrants from the Punjab in India and migrant workers. D&S, long-term workers formerly based in South Asia, are working towards mobilizing a missionary with church planting gifts from India to Abbotsford to serve as consultant with our churches.

93 CHURCHES IN THE USA AND 175 CHURCHES IN CANADA WERE INVOLVED IN GLOBAL MISSION THROUGH MULTIPLY IN 2021.

MIDWEST US TE AM | STEPHEN HUMBER >

We hosted the first ever TREK program in our region and sent out nine young leaders in two teams: one to West Africa and one to Burundi. Watch a short video here multiply.net/trek-westafrica

Over 200 people were impacted through the Vision Summit, which was held in two locations in Kansas over four days and featured all missionary speakers. One participant said, “Before the Vision Summit, I felt dullness and distraction hindering me from the Lord. Now I feel a renewed hope and a fresh vision of what the Lord has for me in the future.” Another said, “I thought I was where God wanted me to be. Now I know the stirring in my heart every time mission is brought up is a whisper from God that he has other plans.”

WESTERN US TE AM | GALEN WIEST >

Pablo and Maricela Chavez are in training and preparing to serve in Piura, Peru as long-term missionaries. They come as proven leaders from our Hispanic MB Conference and are engaging these churches in partnering with them in Peru.

Reedley MB has been building a partnership relationship with the churches and leaders in Lithuania. Meetings in December with Johann Matthies have strengthened this vision and given the church practical next steps to continue to build this relationship.

PR AYER MINISTRY AND MHOP | CHRIS WRIGHT & NIKKI WHITE >

People are praying for twenty hours each week, for God’s Church, and the Great Commission.

Our prayer groups are supporting Multiply workers and mission in several nations around the world, including Japan, Turkey, Portugal, France, Germany and Austria as well as USA and Canada, actively involving more than two dozen Multiply leaders and missionaries in our calls.

Multiply’s Prayer Ministry Training seeks to help inspire and equip others toward more effective intercession and personal prayer ministry.

Over the last five years, this training has impacted over twenty-five North American churches, as well as resourcing multiple FOCUS and TREK teams, global churches, university and MB seminary student groups, and even two other global mission agencies.

In September 2021, this course went fully online, with twenty-eight registrants from ten churches. The next online course is scheduled for January 22 - February 19, 2022. See: multiply.net/prayer-ministry 24

Executive Team Vic Wiens has accepted the role of Interim

General Director for a 12-month term until August of 2022. Vic is one of our veteran missionaries whose usual role is Multiply-ICOMB Liaison. Following the conclusion of our initial round of the General Director search, the Board asked Vic to extend his term of service.

Doug Penner is the Director of Global Mission

and works closely with our regional team leaders. He coaches and encourages our global workers and national leaders, and creates strategic initiatives that help us reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus.

Jeff Friesen serves as the Director of

Finance. His areas of responsibility include financial and legal compliance and reporting, insurance, and asset management. Jeff holds a CPA, CGA designation.

Carin Van Den Berg serves as the Director

of Human Resources, oversees all aspects of HR and Team Health, including Member Care, HR Administration and Pre-field training, equipping and resourcing of long-term workers. She represents the people and culture aspects of the agency.

Larry Neufeld is the Director of Global

Partnerships which leads the operational support and resourcing of missionaries and global projects that North American churches support. He also gives leadership to the Mobilization Team which facilitates healthy partnerships with North American churches to equip young leaders for a lifetime of mission.

Doug Penner TEAM LEAD

Emerson Cardoso CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

Bob Davis EAST ASIA

Johann Matthies EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA

Nasser al’Qahtani MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA

Louise Sinclair-Peters SOUTHEAST ASIA

Doug Hiebert SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

DH SOUTH ASIA

Carol Letkemen MISSION TRAINING PROGRAMS

Vic Wiens INTERIM GENERAL DIRECTOR

Daniel Lichty serves with the Media Team

Board of Directors

Viv Johnstone is the Director of Global

Multiply is honored to work in close collaboration with both the US and Canadian Conferences of Mennonite Brethren Churches as their global mission agency. Our Board is made up of representatives from each conference.

as Director of Communications and also gives leadership to the Donor Engagement Team. Daniel holds a CFRE designation and is credentialled as a Stewardship Minister with the BC Conference of MB Churches. Projects and her role is quite diverse. She monitors and helps to ensure all ministry projects are aligned with the strategic initiatives of the region while maintaining financial compliance for the organization. Viv manages the Vine, our interactive tool that houses ministry ideas, plans, finance projects, and reporting. 25

Global Lead Team

More information on our board can be found at multiply.net/about

Financial Overview Fiscal Year in $USD: June 2020 - May 2021 We are grateful to God and to our donors for a strong fiscal year. Our Board of Directors has authorized us to use $400k from our surplus towards important global ministry support and IT projects in our next fiscal year (starting June 1, 2021).

Net Results Fiscal Year ending May 31, 2021 Revenue: $ 10,655,995 Expenses: $ 9,986,624 Net: $ 669,371

May 31, 2020 $ 9,785,509 $ 9,846,776 $ (61,267)*

* Our 2020 comparative results do not include discontinued operations which were reported separately.

In addition to the net operating surplus shown here, our global workers and ministry projects have accumulated $391k towards their reserves which are held separately on our balance sheet (previous year accumulation: $383k).

24% | Church Mission Engagement 17% | Church Partnership Support 7% | Mission & Discipleship Training (includes Short-Term Mission programs)

4% | Missionary Care

(Indigenous & Immigrants)

Equipping & Team Health

South Asia | 6% Southeast Asia | 15% Sub-Saharan Africa | 5% Worldwide Initiatives | 5%

9% | Administration Finance, IT, Legal & Governance

Our Generous Donors Individuals & Families 49%

Estates & Foundations 35%

Churches

11%

Businesses

For more info, contact our Director of Finance, Jeff Friesen at JeffF@multiply.net 26

Thank you for praying, giving and serving.

facebook.com/multiply.net @multiply_northamerica

300-32040 Downes Road Abbotsford, BC Canada V4X 1X5

Visit multiply.net for more stories and mission opportunities.

4867 E. Townsend Avenue Fresno, CA United States 93727-5006