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I’d like to share a story with you that has inspired me. It comes from Joanna Chapa, a Mission Mobilizer from the southern United States who recently returned from serving for several years in Peru. Joanna is a living example of a legacy of faith and discipleship only because someone else was first sent to her people two generations ago. This is her story:
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I grew up hearing my Grandma Guadalupe often say, ‘ Porque ellos vinieron, nosotros conocemos al Señor ’ which means, ‘Because they came, we know the Lord.’ She was one of the first disciples of Mennonite Brethren missionaries from Oklahoma and Kansas who came to our south Texas community of La Grulla in the 1930s and 40s. Grandma remembered those missionaries by name and would often tell and retell us the stories of their love and compassion. She was so thankful for the freedom and purpose in Jesus that they passed on to her, and to us. She was always calling us to remember and not to forget. I can still hear her voice, saying, ‘It is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us!’ Like Timothy, I’ve had the gift of sharing the genuine faith that first filled my grandmother, Guadalupe, and then was passed on to my mother, Idalia. Also, like Timothy, I’ve had many Pauls (and Paulas) in my life. Each one has fanned the flame of faith in me, and because of that, I’ve been enabled to fan the flame in others! Grandma would say, ‘What we got, we now get to give!’ We were introduced to Jesus and now we get to introduce him to others. Now I like to add to her phrase, ‘Because they came, we know the Lord, and now we go and do the same!’
This is how a legacy of faith is built—we are invited by Jesus to follow him, to become like him, to enter into his kingdom, and to experience all that he has for us, and then we invite others to join us on this journey, one generation of faith to the next. It is a person-to-person journey with family, friends, and strangers.
I was recently leading a workshop with Lloyd Letkeman, Regional Mobilizer in Central Canada. Lloyd pointed out that Jesus’ call to discipleship in the Gospels begins with a simple invitation to “come and see.” Then Jesus invites the curious to the greater challenge of “follow me.” Then comes the invitation of exchanging our previous identity and
calling to become “fishers of men.” And then we are asked to surrender our lives fully for the kingdom of God with the call to “take up our cross” and, as we go, to “make disciples of all nations.”
Sometimes, in our mission efforts, we run past discipleship to focus on church planting, or we unintentionally by-pass discipleship to develop leaders. And yet, both church planting and leadership development require healthy, intentional discipleship. We are not only called to be disciples ourselves, but to make disciples who will, in turn, make disciples. We are called to be multipliers.
In 2 Timothy 1:5, we see that Timothy was discipled by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. His family shaped his character and his faith, and Paul encouraged him to continue generations of discipleship (2 Timothy 2:1-2).
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
Each one of us is called to this ministry of multiplication. We must persevere in the task of finding other leaders in which to invest ourselves, to pass on the hope that we have received from our family and our leaders, so that the next generation of disciples will continue the task of disciple-making. As Paul, we need to find our Timothy. As Timothy, we need to find others who will, in turn, teach others. This is how the story of transformation continues.
Another passage from Paul that challenges my understanding of discipleship is from 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 where he describes the evidence of effective discipleship:
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
In today’s world, we know that we can connect with one another remotely through various technologies, but that needs to supplement rather than replace our inperson interactions. Discipleship happens in community as we live life together with others, our lives rubbing up against each other, while encouraging one another in a life of faith.
This mutual discipleship also happens as we serve alongside one another. As we work in teams, we see the strengths and weaknesses of peoples’ gifts, personalities, and contributions. Our lives impact and influence one another’s lives.
We experience this community of discipleship most intensely in the context of family. For me, this has been a very real challenge. I never realized how selfish I was until I got married. I never realized how angry I could get until I had kids. But by the grace of Jesus’ ongoing work of redemption within me, I trust that my family members have also seen expressions of Jesus through me that have impacted and influenced them also.
God has called us to make disciples within our personal families and within our ever-expanding spiritual family. This happens in the simple, everyday acts of following Jesus ourselves, living open, honest, and transparent lives, and allowing the light of Jesus to shine through our darkness. As we also invite others to do the same, may the letters of our lives give honor and glory to Jesus for generations to come.
Bruce Enns General Director
“We’re just not sure we should go back,” said Kyle and Danae Schmidt, upon returning from West Africa to the U.S. in February 2022. They had just completed a threeyear apprenticeship as global workers with Multiply.
Kyle and Danae certainly felt that they had learned a lot through a very rich experience, not to mention developing strong relationships in the country where they served in West Africa. However, they also felt that it was important to embrace a time of debrief and discernment.
partnership. “Through some difficult conversation,” Danae recalled, “it became clear that the opportunities to serve in West Africa did not make the most of our gifts, passions, or calling. So, we decided together that our season of service there would come to a close.”
According to Kyle, it was not an easy decision to make. “We had grown to love the people and the church family in West Africa, so it was really hard to imagine not going back,” he said. “Yet we also had incredible peace that our Father was leading us into a new season of fruitful service somewhere else.”
With the same confidence that God had faithfully led them to serve in West Africa for a time, Kyle and Danae were also confident that he was leading them away. Almost immediately, they began a discussion with Multiply’s leadership about other service opportunities in Africa.
Their first two months in the U.S. were spent reflecting on their apprenticeship. “It was so important for us to unpack our experience,” said Danae. “We really needed to process our years there, because we had some strong feelings about what went well and what didn’t. We needed to sift through the dirt to find the gold.”
At times during the debrief, it was tempting for them to think that something had gone wrong during their apprenticeship or that things had just turned out poorly. “We went through some deep valleys of doubt,” said Danae, “but we just anchored our faith on the experiences we had when Jesus proved himself to us. We recalled the faithfulness of God and remembered his goodness. And by the end of those two months, God had clarified our identity and calling.”
In May 2022, Kyle and Danae sat down with Multiply leadership and their ministry partners from West Africa for a day of conversations and discernment around the
“We still very much wanted to be involved in the work of the Gospel in Africa,” said Danae. “We were eager to invest our passion for discipleship and our practical skills in coming alongside local leaders to further their ministry.”
During this time of discernment, they recalled a verse from Isaiah that spoke simply, but powerfully: “Yes, Lord, walking in the ways of your law, we wait for you. Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts” (Isaiah 26:8).
Kyle pointed out an interesting paradox: “Saying yes to the Lord often means walking and waiting, not quite seeing the full picture,” he said. “We still faced a lot of uncertainty about our future, yet it was our heart to remain committed to God, his leading, and making his name known.”
“It’s like we were waiting in the dark for the next step to be illuminated,” Danae made clear. “But we knew the Father would be faithful to lead us. So, we walked into his invitation to step away from West Africa and into something yet to be seen.”
“Yes, Lord, walking in the ways of your law, we wait for you. Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”
Isaiah 26:8
Throughout the season of debrief and discernment, God reminded Kyle and Danae of his goodness. “Over and over again, we heard the Father saying that we could trust him,” said Kyle, “not just in the good times, but also in the challenging times, when things felt less than perfect. The Father is always faithful. He doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Our trip was everything we hoped it would be,” said Danae. “A foundation of relationship was built with Robert and Esther and God showed us so many amazing opportunities for us to come alongside them in discipleship ministry and supporting sustainability.”
After their trip, Kyle and Danae returned to the U.S. to share the vision for what they felt God was calling them to next. “We have lots of dreams and ideas for our ministry in Uganda,” they said as they prepared, “but our first several months will be filled with observing, asking questions, joining in where we can, learning the local language (Luganda) and getting to know people. We trust the Spirit will lead us into the work he has set aside for us there.”
Kyle and Danae moved to Uganda in late September 2022, and they were again struck with the magnitude of acclimating to their new surroundings. “Even though we knew better, we thought that our two plus years in West Africa would allow us to just pick up where we left off,” said Danae, “but honestly we feel like babies—everything is so new and different—learning a language, adjusting to different roles—everything takes so much time and patience.”
Before long, Multiply leadership presented another opportunity to Kyle and Danae. In recent years, a strong partnership had developed in Uganda with Robert and Esther Mponye. They had started a ministry for vulnerable children called King’s Kid School, where more than one hundred children were full-time residents and almost four hundred attended daily classes. In addition, the Mponyes were involved in overseeing a network of churches, as well as a Bible school, vocational school, medical clinic, children’s choir, evangelistic outreaches, agricultural projects and more.
As Kyle and Danae begin to find their way in Uganda, they are excited about what God has for them in this new place. Yet, during their first year, the emphasis for them is on language and culture learning. “We want to come in slow and low with our ideas and our gifts,” said Kyle, “because we still have so much to learn in order to serve well.”
According to their ministry partner and host in Uganda, Robert Mponye, there is a strong sense of optimism about the partnership. “We are delighted to have them in Uganda,” said Robert. “Even before Kyle and Danae arrived here, our hearts were warmed by their desire to join us. And once they arrived, we right away felt that we had received teammates, not strange missionaries!”
“We immediately loved how the invitation from the Mponyes intersected with our passion for discipleship and our call to partner with local churches,” said Danae. “And we just felt like we could say yes to God’s kind invitation to us, this time in Uganda.”
In the summer of 2022, Kyle and Danae took a two-week trip back to Africa. In West Africa, they said their goodbyes to dear friends and closed the door on a season there. “It was a time of celebration,” said Kyle, “and a time to remember all of the wonderful things that God did during our years there.” A week later, the couple made their way to Uganda, where they visited with the Mponyes face to face for the first time.
In the first few months, Robert was happy to see how Kyle and Danae were exploring service opportunities. “As the days go by and we watch them getting to know our community, I get more and more excited about them being here. I see Kyle serving in practical ways on the farm and other hands-on adventures, and I see Danae diving into discipleship opportunities with young girls and kids. As a couple, they are clearly becoming a part of what our Father is doing here in Uganda.”
Where is God calling you to serve? To watch the latest videos in the Join Our Team series, go to multiply.net/joinourteam
“We immediately loved how the invitation from the Mponyes intersected with our passion for discipleship.”
“That’s strange, who could be calling us from Korea?” Pastor Bank in Thailand said to his wife as he looked at the international number on his cell phone.
When he finally answered, a Thai woman politely said, “Are you a Thai pastor living in Chachoengsao?”
“Yes,” Bank answered. “How did you get my contact information?”
“Google maps,” the woman answered simply. “Since moving to Korea for work, I have become a believer in Jesus Christ. I really want my parents to know the Lord as well. The only problem is that I don’t know any Christians in Thailand. So, I looked on Google Maps for the nearest church and I found you. Would you be willing to go visit my mom and dad and share the Good News with them?”
“I looked on Google Maps for the nearest church and I found you. Would you be willing to go visit my mom and dad and share the Good News with them?”
“Of course! I would be happy to!” Pastor Bank answered.
That week, Bank went to meet the woman’s parents. He was surprised to experience a genuine interest from the elderly couple who were devout Buddhists that had lived in the same village and worshiped at the same Buddhist temple for over seventy years. That day, Bank led the parents and a few neighbors to repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation.
A few weeks later, the mother phoned Bank and said, “Okay, you can come teach us now. We have finished building.”
Building what? Bank thought to himself. A little confused but very curious, Bank immediately went to visit the older couple. As he followed them into their convenience store, he noticed new walls at the back of the store. When he opened
the door and walked in, he saw a beautifully decorated room, complete with a cross, a flat screen TV, flowers and ten chairs all neatly set in rows. “Wow!” Pastor Bank exclaimed. “This is amazing!”
“Well, I thought we needed a place to worship Jesus,” the elderly woman answered. “I want to give this property to God.”
Standing outside the church, still marveling at all that God had done, Bank watched as a woman walked past the store. Noticing the cross, she said, “Is this a church?”
Bank, still in shock, hesitated before answering, “Um, yes, yes, this is a church.” Noticing her accent and her beautiful tanaka-painted face, he asked, “Are you from Myanmar?”
“Yes,” she answered. “There are about sixty of us Myanmar people working in the factory across the street.”
“Well, they can all come too!” Bank said, pointing to the church building. “We even have a Myanmar pastor for you,” Bank announced with new faith and confidence.
“Oh, thank you, Pastor!” the woman said as she ran back to work.
So, at Christmas, this elderly couple hosted their first ever evangelistic outreach at the local school, and about 250 people came! Both Thai and Myanmar pastors from our MB churches brought teams that shared powerful testimonies of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Two aunties were miraculously healed and over thirty people stood up to invite Jesus Christ to forgive their sins and then thanked God for giving them eternal life.
Please pray with me: “Father, thank you for your miraculous saving power! Thank you for those who believe and immediately respond with faith and sacrifice. Thank you for the many Buddhists in Thailand who have heard the message of the Gospel in recent months. Bring your disciplemakers into their lives to follow up and grow these new believers into strong disciples of your Son, Jesus. Amen.”
The following three stories are just a small example of our daily lives as we share the Gospel with the people of our country in North Africa. We are involved in following up with contacts through social media, discipling new believers, training church leaders, and planting churches in our region.
A man named Yassine recently saw one of our advertisements on social media and contacted us to learn more about Jesus. In our conversations, it was clear that he had rejected Islam and seemed bitter and angry about the lies he had been told.
I was able to transition our conversation to discuss the truth and beauty of the Gospel. We began in the Book of Genesis with the story of creation. He was surprised to hear these details for the first time. We continued looking at the Scriptures, specifically how God saved us by the death of Christ on the cross and his resurrection.
“What you are sharing has impacted my heart,” Yassine said, “and I want to understand more and believe in Jesus.”
Recently, he sent me a picture of himself wearing a cross. In the message he asked, “Is this enough to enter the kingdom of God?”
“No, that is not sufficient,” I replied. I am continuing to follow up with Yassine to help him understand who Christ is, and how he can trust him as his Lord and Savior.
Zouhair is an atheist and a philosophy teacher. Through his work, he studies different religions, but he is interested in knowing more about Christianity firsthand. A mutual friend introduced me to Zouhair, so we could spend some time together.
The first time we talked, he said to me, “I know you are a Christian. My goal in calling you was to ask for a Bible, so I can give it to my students. I want them to have an open mind about other religions. I also want some of them to sit with you and hear about your beliefs.”
I prayed about this opportunity. It was a risk, since I did not know Zouhair very well, and I did not know if he would expose me as a Christ follower. Eventually, however, I decided to give him a Bible.
When I met him at a train station in his city, I was surprised to see that he was there with a group of his students. We sat together and discussed Christianity and they asked me eagerly, “Did you bring a Bible with you?”
They had several questions about the Trinity and about the authenticity of the Bible. These young men and women were so eager to learn more about Jesus and the God of the Bible. It was so refreshing for me to see a new generation in my country who are more open-minded and seeking the truth.
Abd-Ali was searching for the truth on social media, so our team met him online. They had several discussions with this fifty-yearold man and answered many of his questions about the Trinity and the authenticity of the Bible.
Just recently, he confessed that he came to believe that Jesus is his Lord and Savior. I asked him, “What convinced you of the truth about Jesus?”
“As I read the Quran, and studied about the life of Mohammed,” Abd-Ali answered. “I never experienced or read about the love of God. When I read the Gospels, my heart was softened, and I saw the love of God in Jesus.”
While he was still searching, Abd-Ali had a dream about a man who approached him and said, “Follow me.” Still in the dream, Abd-Ali asked, “Who are you, that I should follow you?” The man answered, “I am Jesus Christ, the one you have been reading about. Follow me.”
Abd-Ali woke in the middle of the night and prayed to surrender his life to Christ.
However, in the following weeks, problems began to arise in Abd-Ali’s life. His family noticed that he no longer prayed in the mosque or read the Quran. His children and wife began to pressure him. His wife even threatened that she would divorce him. She also began to turn his children against him.
Despite this tension in his family, Abd-Ali said, “Even though I am experiencing this suspicion and rejection, I am eager to follow Jesus. I also want the same for my wife and children. I desire them to know him and follow him as well.”
“What are your plans for the future?” our team asked Abd-Ali.
“I have surrendered my life to Christ,” he said boldly. “I am confident that no matter what comes, my future is secure in his hands.”
It is my desire that our team will continue to grow in our efforts to share the hope of the Gospel with the people of our country, and that the Lord will use us to advance his kingdom. The people in our region are predominantly Muslims, yet many are questioning their religion. More than anything, we want to be used of the Lord to save people, and to place barriers between them and the gates of hell.
The image above is one example of a social media post that Saleh and his team use to engage people with the Gospel in their North African country. This example features a quote in Arabic from the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” Many people respond online with questions and then Saleh and his team follow up with discussion and sometimes in-person meetings.
Will you help bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the peoples of North Africa? Saleh and his team are currently engaged in distributing Bibles to people throughout their country. To support this project, go to multiply.net/saleh-bible-distribution
Ganbold was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2005. At that time, the doctor told him, “There is no cure. You must prepare to die.”
Even by that time, Ganbold had faced serious illness for more than a decade. His liver was compromised. He suffered from asthma and osteoporosis. During that time, he had consulted with numerous doctors, fortune tellers, shamans, and Buddhist lamas. No one could heal him.
By the time Ganbold was finally diagnosed with chronic tuberculosis, he weighed barely forty kilograms. He could not even stand, let alone walk. His brother would carry him from doctor to doctor, looking for someone to treat him. But it was not easy. “I was treated like a sick and contagious criminal,” said Ganbold. “No one wanted anything to do with me.”
Then, Ganbold ran into an old friend who began to tell him about Jesus. “I tell you the truth,” the friend told him, “this God is alive.”
Ganbold was skeptical. He did not believe his friend’s Good News about Jesus. “For me, there was never any good news, only bad,” said Ganbold, shaking his head.
However, Ganbold’s health continued to deteriorate, and doctors told him that he did not have long to live. Ironically, he met a woman at this time, and they fell in love. They chose to be together, even though the time was short. Though there seemed to be no future for them, hope began to stir in Ganbold’s heart.
“I remembered what my friend had said about Jesus,” Ganbold recalled. “Something in me wanted to believe this, so I decided to pray. If God was really alive, then he could heal me.”
He decided to contact his friend again, who introduced him to a pastor at a local church. The pastor shared the Gospel with Ganbold and gave him a Bible. As he began reading, Ganbold felt an overwhelming joy welling up inside him. “I read from the beginning of Genesis,” he shared, “where God first created earth and sky. Such a God could surely heal me!”
Ganbold was eager to know more about this God. In the days to come, he would often read his Bible through the night without sleeping. He also invited his wife to pray with him. Together, they trusted God for healing.
Amazingly, his symptoms began to abate. Weeks passed, then months, then years. Ganbold and his wife had children together, grew in their faith, and became active in their church. In 2011, the church sent them as missionaries to preach the Gospel in the far north of Mongolia, in the province of Selenge, in a town called Altanbulag. While there, he was told that about a well-known physician. Ganbold decided to consult with him, to confirm his healing.
After thorough testing, the doctor said to Ganbold, “Never have I seen a liver so healthy as yours!”
Ganbold and his wife began to pastor a church in Altanbulag. With five children, it was both emotionally and financially stretching for them both. There never seemed to be enough money, or enough time to study, pray, and prepare sermons.
Then, in 2022, Ganbold met Robert and Marlene Baerg, Multiply workers in the neighboring town of Sukhbaatar. As the Directors of Trees of Life Restoration, the Baergs are overseeing an agricultural project nearby that provides discipleship and vocational training in permaculture for people in the region.
“We heard Ganbold’s story and sensed that God had arranged for us to meet,” said Robert. “At the time, we were looking for another manache, a watchman for our property, who could work five days on, five days off. The employment would give Ganbold not just more financial resources to care for his family, but time to devote to the demands of being a busy pastor, husband, and father.”
Today, Ganbold serves as the watchman on the ten-hectare property of Trees of Life Restoration. “As I walk this land, I have space to pray, meditate, read, and write,” he said. “It is such a gift. God has done so many miracles in my life. Healing is only the beginning.”
“Mission starts with friendship,” said Multiply worker Einer Zuluaga as he reflected on the strategy for reaching the Wounaan of Colombia. Originally from Colombia, Einer and his wife, Girlesa, have been serving among the Wounaan in Panama for twenty years. Although it seemed natural to send believers from among the Wounaan of Panama to bring the Gospel to this same people group in Colombia, it was not easy. The two groups were not, in fact, friends.
“The Panamanian and Colombian Wounaan have been divided for one hundred years,” Einer explained. Although they are united ethnically, the two groups have been separated geographically by the vast Darién jungle where drug trafficking and terrorist activity make the expanse even more impassible. “They do not know each other. They do not trust each other.”
In late 2021, Einer and a team of Wounaan believers from Panama travelled to Colombia to make contact with the Wounaan there. They decided to focus their strategy on artisanal crafts. Woodcarving, they thought, was one skill that could be easily shared. Happily, within a few short days, the two groups were carving together and sharing about their lives.
“We became friends,” Einer said, “eating together, drinking coffee, laughing, lamenting.” The Colombian Wounaan listened with interest to their visitors’ stories of the Great Spirit, or Ewandama, whose son, Jesus, had been grievously misrepresented to them by religious authorities in the past. The conversation deepened, and the pile of wood shavings grew.
“This piece of wood is nothing,” Einer told them, holding it up, “without hands to turn it into a work of art. In the hands of an artist, it becomes transcendent. So it is with our lives. Without Christ, life is hopeless.”
While the Wounaan of Panama had fifty years of missionaries sharing the Gospel among them, those in Colombia experienced only the opportunism and religious abuse of false teachers. “The Panamanian Wounaan know the Word,” Einer said. “They know to resist animism and syncretism. But they have not been able to reach their Colombian brothers. They needed something more than knowledge.”
The Colombian Wounaan nodded, familiar with the ways in which the hopelessness of violence, drugs, alcohol, and suicide were eroding their community. “When we place ourselves in the hands of Jesus,” Einer continued, “our lives take a beautiful shape.”
By their last day together, Einer and his team were invited to plan a second, longer visit. Come back soon, they were told by their new friends. Bring more stories. Bring more wood.
PANAMA-COLOMBIA | Nikki White“The Panamanian and Colombian Wounaan have been divided for one hundred years. They do not know each other. They do not trust each other.”
She first reached out to our church in Dortmund via Instagram. The message read, “Hello, I am homeless. But I trust in God, and I believe that he has a plan. Can I come to visit your church?”
When Melissa finally came to church and I saw her for the first time, I took her straight into my heart. She was shy, hiding behind a face mask, and not speaking a lot at first, but when we sat down to pray and listen to God together, she warmed up quickly. I could tell that she was no stranger to God’s Word. Over the next weeks we spent time hanging out on Sundays and at Alpha dinners. Little by little, she told me her story. It was more than I could handle.
“As a child, I was just passed around in the foster system,” she told me as we were walking together one cold, December night. “Maybe that is why I got into prostitution so young.”
Heavy drug abuse followed, and a child that she bore was taken from her by social services. She was homeless, alone, sick, and desperate. “There were church people who talked to me, prayed for me,” she shared. “Some tried to make me repent over my sins.”
Listening to her story, my heart ached for her, but I felt torn. Did she need a place to live, or did she just need a friend to listen? I had been planning to take her to a soup kitchen to get something to eat. Should I just take her to my own place, instead? I did not want to be that person who just blessed her “in the name of Jesus” and then went away to my own warm apartment. In the end, I booked her a oneroom apartment for one week, just to buy myself some time to pray and discern.
Melissa was overjoyed to finally be in a safe place. Later that week, when I came to visit, she cooked me noodles and acted like a real host. I was hopeful that she was starting on a new path in life, but she confessed a fear of falling back into her old ways.
“When I run out of money, it’s so easy to just post online and offer myself to men,” she said. “All my financial needs are gone in one hour. But at night I get visited by demons, like ones that tormented Mary Magdalene.” Her words were blunt, and her voice unemotional. I shivered. Lord, show me what to do to help her!
Three weeks later, I went to visit her, and Melissa was like a new woman.
“Melissa,” I asked, “are you willing to make a clean break with your old life? I know a place where you can get professional help from social workers and have a completely fresh start. A friend of mine in another city is opening a house for women that want to leave prostitution. Are you ready for that?”
Without hesitating, she responded with a yes.
It took only a few phone calls, and before long we were getting everything in order for her to leave Dortmund. Sitting in the car, she became very quiet. The shy Melissa hiding behind her mask was back. Once we arrived at the home, though, and she saw the beautiful room that would be hers, she warmed up quickly. I said goodbye to her that day, confident that she was in the best of hands, even though I would miss her at our church on Sundays.
Three weeks later, I went to visit her, and Melissa was like a new woman. She busied herself with cooking, an exercise routine, all kinds of crafts, and had already found a nearby church that made her feel welcome.
“I feel so at home here,” she said, smiling. “There are people who care for me, but they are also helping me become independent and take charge of my life.”
“What about the demons?” I asked.
“They are gone,” she stated firmly. “I gave them no reason to stay.”
Today Melissa is in trauma counseling, has started a job, and is finding healing community in the church. There is still a long road ahead, but God has been faithful to her every step of the way.
Pray for hope and healing as Melissa embraces her journey of transformation. Pray for workers like Johanna to walk in risk-taking obedience as they engage the needs of those around them.
To receive our Daily Prayer Guide and keep up to date with prayer requests from our global workers, go to multiply.net/dpg
“We felt very restless,” said Rick and Karen Sawatzky as they looked to the future.
In the summer of 2022, Rick was sixty-three years old, and Karen was sixty-two. The couple, both teachers by profession, lived in Winkler, Manitoba. In recent years, while semi-retired, they had taken a variety of short-term job opportunities that always seemed to be available. But this year was different.
“This year, there was nothing on the horizon,” said Karen, “and it was unsettling. We told each other that we wanted purpose in life even though we were at the end of our careers. We didn’t want to miss God’s call on our lives.”
“I just wanted to be obedient,” said Rick. “We knew we couldn’t have a relationship with Christ unless we were willing to follow him every day of our lives, even in our sixties.”
So, as they looked to the future, the couple asked God a simple question, “Is there anything you want us to do?”
In the past, at that time of year, Rick and Karen would get a call from Ewald Unrau with Multiply and they would talk about various projects and opportunities to give. “But this year, I phoned Ewald,” said Rick, “and we talked about our restlessness, and I asked him if there was anything that we could do through Multiply in Europe.”
Ewald was intrigued. He told Rick that the next step would be to talk to Multiply’s Regional Mobilizers in Central Canada, Lloyd and Carol Letkeman. He also told Rick that Lloyd just happened to be in Winkler that weekend on a rare visit to their church and that they should introduce themselves. As well, he mentioned that Johann Matthies, the European Mission Director, who lived in Germany, just happened to be in Winnipeg for meetings. The timing of all this, Ewald noted, seemed to be more than a coincidence.
The following Monday, Rick and Karen met with Lloyd and Carol and Johann Matthies in a coffee shop in Winnipeg.
They talked for two hours about service opportunities in Europe. “By the end of our conversation,” Karen said, “they were ready to move forward, and we were eager to see what was next.”
At that meeting in late August, Lloyd and Carol told Rick and Karen that their next step would be something called FOCUS Internship, a nine-month training experience toward long-term ministry, which could possibly include a service component in Europe. The FOCUS training was scheduled to start in three weeks at Fort Garry MB Church in Winnipeg.
In the midst of these rapidly unfolding events, God spoke clearly to the couple from a verse in the Book of Revelation (3:7-8): “These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open... See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
“It was a bit scary and sudden,” said Rick, “because we still had so many questions, but there were also too many coincidences. Doors were opening and we just kept walking through them.”
Three weeks later, Rick and Karen arrived at Fort Garry for FOCUS Internship training. Even as they drove into the parking lot of the church, they felt the weight of their decision and they wondered if they would fit in with the younger participants. “Honestly,” said Rick, “it felt like we were arriving at a youth night.”
During one of the most stretching times at FOCUS, Karen was feeling very weary. “We were driving down Henderson Highway on our way to Fort Garry,” she said, “and I looked
“See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
Revelation 3:8
over and saw this little wooden sign that said, Press on , and immediately I thought of the verse in Philippians where Paul writes, ‘I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ And I thought, oh, that’s interesting.”
It was Johann who initially pitched the idea of them going to Lithuania for their assignment as FOCUS Interns. “We trusted his judgment,” said Rick. “Johann knew of a number of possible locations in Europe, but that one seemed to suit us best.”
It was not an easy transition to Lithuania. “When we arrived,” said Rick, “we were very aware of how different everything was there. We had left the safety and familiarity of our little city on the prairies.”
However, Rick and Karen adapted, and before long they were thriving in Lithuania, investing in local churches, encouraging leaders, and building friendships. Their hosts in the country are Gediminas and Kristina Dailyde, Multiply workers and church planters in Vilnius.
“Gedas and Kristina have been fantastic,” said Karen, “and so have Pastor Arturas and his wife, Vita, and their congregation. We appreciate them so much.”
According to Rick and Karen, these churches were both hospitable and spiritually vibrant. “We have really seen the Spirit of God at work among them,” said Karen, “and we feel so privileged to be a small part of that. We have been inspired by their love and devotion to God.”
On their drive home that same day, Karen saw another sign just like the first in a completely different location. The next day, on a walk by the river, she ventured off the path and made her way through the trees. On the limb of a tree, seemingly out of sight, there was another sign and the message again, staring her in the face, Press on .
That same day, Rick was in the city and saw some graffiti art on the side of a building. In the midst of the artwork was a simple message, Press on . He took a photo so he could show it to Karen when he got home.
“Literally, everywhere we turned,” said Karen, “we saw that message. We knew God was speaking to us. Then, a few days later, in our FOCUS Bible reading, we read Hosea 6:3, ‘Oh that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him.’ We knew we needed to press on to know him and obey him.”
Rick explained how community life at FOCUS training made adapting to everything easier. “The teaching was amazing, and the fellowship was deep. Our fellow interns were all very accepting. Lloyd and Carol, and Johann and the Multiply team in Europe, have all been so supportive and flexible. In fact, everyone in Multiply has been amazing and helpful.”
During the past few weeks, God has opened many more doors of service for the Sawatzkys in Lithuania. “You know, we came here to serve, and to see where we could fit in during our time here,” said Rick, “but whatever we’ve given here among these people has been overshadowed by what we’ve received from them.”
By the end of April, their assignment in Lithuania will be complete, and Rick and Karen will return to Canada for their FOCUS debrief, which will wrap up in early May. The couple will have much to process at that time about the past year’s journey and about future ministry opportunities. Whatever they face, however, they will remember God’s clear message to them to press on.
Is God calling you to explore your calling to longterm ministry? To learn more about the FOCUS Internship, go to multiply.net/focus
“Whatever we’ve given here among these people has been overshadowed by what we’ve received from them.”
