Witness Spring 2024

together that the world may know Jesus

Joining God on His Mission

Embracing God’s Story, God’s Mission

From the General Director

I was recently in Calgary visiting family and my brother took me to a Calgary Flames hockey game. As we exited the arena afterward, I was immediately reminded of a day twenty-five years earlier when I exited the same arena. That day, I had met with the then President of the Flames, Ron Bremner, who talked to me about the possibility of working in their front office. It was potentially a huge career shift that certainly had its appeal to me. However, I realized that it was not the path God had for me. When I saw my life in the context of God’s greater story, I heard a very different invitation. What is the invitation that you are hearing today?

Our culture in North America pushes us toward being the center of the story. We are encouraged to take control of our own lives, to follow our feelings, and to play the role of hero in our own stories. That is the path to true meaning and fulfillment, we are told. But we end up filling our lives with things that never fulfill us. Instead, we face disappointment, confusion, and frustration. Why?

No matter who you are, or what you are facing, God is inviting you to join him and to find meaning and purpose in a life that is aligned with his mission.

We were created for something else, something more. There is a bigger and better story that God is writing in our lives, and we are being invited to embrace that story. In fact, it’s only in that story that we find our true meaning and purpose.

In the Bible, we find the overarching story of God’s mission from creation and the fall of humanity to the choosing of a people through whom God would bring a Savior, Jesus Christ, to reconcile the world to himself and renew all of creation. In that story, we hear God’s call to enter this salvation story and join him as his chosen people, his beloved, as disciples of Jesus Christ and ambassadors of reconciliation. At Multiply, we’ve been reflecting on this summary statement: “Jesus sends disciples, empowered by the Spirit, on God’s mission to love, reconcile and transform people of all nations.”

Do you see yourself in that story? God is eager for you to find your place within this amazing story of redemption and grace.

Whoever you are, whatever you do, God is inviting you into a bigger story. Whether you are sent by God to serve in faraway and unfamiliar places, or you are a stay-at-home parent just trying to keep up with kids and daily responsibilities, you have an important role to play in the story that God is writing. Maybe you are struggling to find direction, searching for hope, and only hitting obstacles, pain, and hardship. No matter who you are, or what you are currently facing, God is inviting you to join him and to find meaning and purpose in a life that is aligned with his mission.

In the Book of Genesis, we see God forming a people and we come to the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50). He experienced betrayal from his own brothers who threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. As a slave, Joseph was falsely accused and ended up in prison. Even then, God was writing a beautiful story of redemption that included Joseph. And Joseph took courage as he caught glimpses of that story and saw God at work, not only releasing him from prison but elevating him as a leader in Egypt. And when he finally faced his brothers, he was able to forgive them and to point them to God’s bigger purposes. In that encounter, Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:19-21).

I’ve been reading a book recently by Chris Wright called The Great Story and the Great Commission and I’ve been impacted by the author’s understanding of how the great story of the Bible gives us both our identity and our mission;

it not only describes who we are but also why we are here. The book challenged me to ask not what kind of mission God has for me, but rather what kind of me God wants for his mission.

In a very convincing way, Wright explains how we cannot find our place in God’s mission until we find ourselves in the bigger story of the Scriptures. Rather than trying to “apply the Bible to our life” we need to “apply our life to the Bible,” meaning that we need to allow the Scriptures to shape everything about us—our worldview, theology, missional understanding, and practical living. Only as we live our lives within the Great Story will we understand and embrace the Great Commission.

Part of the challenge for each of us is that we still get stuck in the narratives of our own culture and the limitations they bring. We struggle with unbelief, with greed, and with selfcenteredness. Our hearts and minds are set on things below rather than above. We desperately need our story to be reshaped and transformed by God’s story.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul challenges his readers with these words: “Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Colossians 3:1-4

I hope the stories in this edition of Witness will help you set your hearts on things above. In the following pages, you will read stories of transformation from around the world about people like you and me who are finding their place in God’s mission, whether they are prisoners in North Africa, shy interns in Thailand, or church planters in Germany.

Most of all, my prayer is that you will clearly hear God’s invitation to embrace his story and his mission, and I trust that, as a result, your life will never be the same.

Bruce Enns General Director

A Biblical Vision for Joining God’s Mission

An Interview with Doug Heidebrecht |

By Mark J.H. Klassen

Doug Heidebrecht serves as the Director of Global Training for the MB Seminary and as Multiply’s Regional Team Leader for South Asia. He is also currently working on an extensive project with the International Community of MBs to develop a sustainable and biblical training curriculum for global leaders called Missional Leadership Training (MLT).

Mark: What is God’s mission?

Doug: In the Bible, we read the story of how God works in the world, a story that begins with his beautiful creation, but then quickly moves to a world marred by human rebellion, alienation, and death. God responds to that predicament by sending his Son, Jesus, into the world to proclaim the good news of the kingdom

of God, to call people to repentance from sin, to announce the release of the oppressed, to die for the sins of the world, and to offer new life. God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to God’s right hand—anticipating his coming again to establish the new creation where God will be forever present with his people. God’s mission, then, is his undertaking to reconcile all creation to himself.

Mark: Is that something that we, as his people, can be involved in?

Doug: Jesus gives us a clue as to our involvement in God’s mission when he says these words to his disciples after his resurrection: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). In this statement, Jesus declares that the Father is the source of mission. The English word mission is derived from the Latin, missio , which means “to send.” So, first we must understand that mission is the work of God. In fact, David Bosch, one of the most influential missiologists of the twentieth century, noted that for the first 1500 years of the Church, the language of mission was used exclusively for the work of the Trinity. God is a missionary God because he is a sending God.

Mark: Why is that so important for us to remember?

Doug: Well, it’s humbling to admit that mission is not just about us, but it’s about God and the work that he is already doing. His mission is central, and our involvement is to join him. If we want to join God on his mission, we need to understand the story of God’s work in the world. It is God the Father, who, because of his great love, sent his Son into the world in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16-17). When God himself entered his creation, it is the incarnate Son who demonstrated what God’s mission looks like through his life, death, and resurrection. Then it is the Father and the Son who send the Spirit to empower his disciples as witnesses, thus enabling them to participate in God’s mission.

Mark: So, what does that look like? How does Jesus send us as the Father sent Jesus?

Doug: I love how our MB missiologist, Hans Kasdorf, described it, that the mission of God is seen in the actions of God. So, one way we participate in God’s mission is when we imitate his actions. At the heart of his mission is his love—not just that God is love but that he loves . When we love others, we imitate God as his children (Ephesians 5:1). In the Psalms, we read about a God who “will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them” (Psalm 72:12-13). When we act like that, we reflect God’s love. When we care for people by feeding the hungry or defending the vulnerable, we are imitating God.

Mark: Is there also a message that we bring to the world?

Doug: Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God, which was a radically different way of seeing the world. As King, God reigns over his creation, which reflects his goodness, provision, and care. Jesus announced the good news of the kingdom of God by calling people to turn around, acknowledge God as King and live by faith under his rule and authority. God continues to call people by sending us to invite them to be reconciled with God through Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection, and to be freed from sin. Our message is God’s invitation to everyone to respond by faith to God’s love and grace revealed through Jesus.

Mark: How do we know we’re joining God on his mission?

Doug: We look at Jesus and see if our lives resemble his. When the Father sent his Son into the world, he revealed what God’s mission looks like. When we look at Jesus, we see how the incarnate God acts on mission. It is not only through Jesus’ life and ministry that we see what mission looks like but also through Jesus’ death. His death is also a model for how we participate in mission, where humility, suffering, and weakness are ways in which God accomplishes his purpose in the world.

Mark: Do you see this happening through us today?

Doug: Yes, I believe that Jesus is still sending disciples into the world today to continue the ministry that he began, and he is sending his Spirit to empower and enable us to participate in God’s mission. The transforming work of God’s Spirit is shaping us into the image of Christ, whereby our lives can reflect who Christ is through what we say, what we do, and who we are. The Spirit has gifted each believer in particular ways, so that everyone can contribute to God’s mission. In the Book of Acts, we see the example of the apostles and the Early Church. Their story reveals how the Spirit leads people in mission and empowers them to testify to who Jesus is. Today, as we respond to the leading of the Spirit, we also continue to be part of God’s mission.

DISCOVER

What is your role in God’s mission? If you would like to speak with a Mission Mobilizer and pray together about finding your place in God’s mission, call us today at 1.888.866.6267 to make an appointment.

Facing the Death Penalty in North Africa

Mark J.H. Klassen

Conversion to Christianity is illegal in some countries in North Africa. If someone converts from Islam, they may face the death penalty. In recent days, the government in one country has become increasingly hostile toward the Church and toward the spread of the Gospel.

That’s why it was so disturbing for Nasser al’Qahtani, Regional Team Leader for North Africa and the Middle East, to receive news recently that Multiply’s partner in this country was arrested and put into police custody.

When he first heard the news, Nasser sent out an urgent prayer request, inviting as many people as possible to pray for this brother in Christ (whom he referred to as Adam) and for other believers in this country.

Within days, Nasser received another report, confirming that five more church leaders had been arrested and more suspects were being investigated.

Again, Nasser invited fellow believers all over the world to pray: “Pray for Adam and the other brothers in prison to remain rooted in their faith and encouraged by the Holy Spirit. Pray that they will have opportunity to worship the Lord in prison and have opportunity to share the Good News with fellow prisoners and prison guards.”

Understanding the difficult dynamics within the country, Nasser also encouraged people to pray for the local authorities and for their decisions regarding the prisoners. He asked for prayer for the guards in the prison to be merciful. He also invited people to pray that God would provide the right lawyer to represent the imprisoned believers.

For the families of those in prison, Nasser asked for prayer for grace and wisdom as they dealt with questions and opposition from their neighbors. For the Church in the area, the prayer was to remain on fire for Jesus and dedicated to his Lordship.

The next communication from North Africa was again dark and discouraging. “Since my last update,” Nasser reported, “the police have seized Adam’s mobile phone and laptop and are using his contact list to round up others that he may have been meeting with, resulting in more arrests and brutal interrogations for anyone suspected of being a Christ follower.”

According to the full report, a total of fourteen believers were being held by authorities, with twelve of them confessing Christ and likely facing execution. Two had denied Christ out of fear for their lives.

According to the full report, a total of fourteen believers were being held by authorities, with twelve of them confessing Christ and likely facing execution.

As well, the family members of the prisoners were all being investigated by police, and neighbors were protesting outside of their homes, calling for the death of the women and children inside if they didn’t immediately return to Islam.

None of the brothers in prison had legal counsel. Most of the lawyers in the country were Muslims and no one wanted to defend an apostate. Nasser was quick to contact other organizations and agencies to see what could be done through the court system on behalf of the imprisoned, but mostly he invited people to pray and intercede to the One who is the Righteous Judge.

“Pray that the Lord will lead us and give us wisdom in all these decisions,” Nasser pleaded, feeling the weight of the situation. “Pray for the families to be encouraged and have wisdom on how to deal with persecution from neighbors, returning curses with blessing and returning hate with love.”

Once again, Nasser invited people to pray for the oppressors, that the Lord would soften their hearts and change them from stone to flesh. “Pray for all Muslims in this country,” he urged, “as these public investigations are published, may the Lord use this opportunity to draw others who are curious to search for the truth about Jesus.”

As Nasser communicated with others about this ordeal in North Africa, he made it clear that the persecution had arisen after someone posted a video on social media of a local believer’s baptism. Even though the video was shared among believers in another country, it went viral and eventually caught the attention of authorities in this country. At that point, they began hunting for the people identified in the video.

Nasser urged all who would listen to be mindful of sharing photos and videos online and to avoid doing so without clear permission. “I understand the excitement about these new believers and their baptisms,” he said, “but we need to be aware of how these things get shared online and easily become available to those who feel threatened by it. We need to be careful and wise. This is really a life and death issue. It’s very sobering.”

Nasser’s next update was even more grim. “Today, twentythree believers were charged with apostasy, receiving a mandatory death sentence. There will be two days of trial with no lawyer present.”

Prayers were urgently requested. “Let’s stand united on behalf of these believers. Pray that they would continue to choose Jesus and put their faith in him during this battle, even if they are tortured. Ask the Holy Spirit to encourage them, to build them up, and to bring down the plans of the enemy.”

Nasser also asked for prayers on behalf of the prisoner’s families, especially their children, which apparently amounted to at least one hundred. If their parents were declared infidels, the children would also be stripped of all rights, citizenship, and property.

While the court proceedings were happening in the capital city, there were hundreds of believers in the south of the country who were wondering if they should stay or flee to other countries for safety. They needed wisdom.

Immediately after the news of the charges, the government sent a group of Islamic religious leaders to the hometown of the believers, to try and get as many believers as possible to recant their faith in Jesus. Many felt that this was a desperate attempt by the government to provide them a way out of enforcing the death penalty. The government was trying to keep the story out of the news, in order to not draw too much attention.

The next news that Nasser received was shocking. It came from a church leader in a small village outside of the hometown of the imprisoned believers. He shared a simple story about how he had stumbled upon a group of village children gathered to sing praises to Jesus. There were apparently no adults present with them, only children. Some were the children of those who were imprisoned, but others were from unbelieving families. Despite the darkness of all that was happening, these children were continuing to put their faith in Jesus and share the Gospel. It brought a glimmer of hope into a dark story and gave people courage to keep praying.

What came next was even more amazing. “I’m so happy to share that all the brothers and sisters imprisoned were released a few hours ago,” Nasser reported, “according to orders of the highest authority in the country!”

According to Nasser, though the prisoners were freed, their case was still not dismissed. “Don’t stop praying,” he pleaded.

Many people in the country were outraged by the decision of the authorities. The court had ruled that the believers and their families could remain Christian as long as they did not actively share their faith with others. If they did, they would risk being arrested again and severely punished. Consequently, it was advised that the released prisoners be moved to a different part of the country temporarily while the public outcries died down.

“I can’t stress enough that this was nothing short of a miracle,” said Nasser. “It was like hearing about twenty-three resurrections from the dead in one day! The fact that they were not only released but allowed to publicly remain in the faith is truly amazing.”

Nasser confirmed that nothing like this had ever happened before in this country. Yet he urged people to keep praying for these believers and for more freedom in this country and across North Africa. “We are so grateful for your prayers,” he said, “for your love, and for your solidarity with these brothers and sisters.”

PRAY

Praise God for the deliverance of these brothers from imprisonment. Pray for their continued safety and freedom, and for that of their families. Pray also for changes in the policies of their country’s government, that the Gospel would be proclaimed without opposition and that followers of Jesus would be able to live and serve without fear of punishment.

Jesus said, “As the Father has (John 20:21)

Jesus is still sending empowered by the Spirit, to love, reconcile, and transform

has sent me, I am sending you.” 20:21)

sending disciples today

Spirit, on God’s mission transform people of all nations .

A Shy Intern

THAILAND | Jeremy Penner

“How could I be a leader?” Si Ba Lu said. We knew him as someone who was quiet and shy and content to serve behind the scenes. For years, he had attended church faithfully and also worked in a local factory.

They affirmed him as a leader, but he deflected their praise, saying, “I am too shy, too inexperienced in ministry, and I don’t speak well.”

However, the pastors of the church took note of Si Ba Lu’s humility and passion to disciple others. They affirmed him as a leader, but he deflected their praise, saying, “I am too shy, too inexperienced in ministry, and I don’t speak well.”

Then, one day, I was asked to speak at the church where Si Ba Lu attended. I preached from the story in the Gospels about Jesus feeding the five thousand from the lunch that a little boy offered to Jesus. Among other things that morning, I said to the congregation, “It’s not about the size of the gift, but about into whose hands you offer your gift.”

After the sermon, Si Ba Lu ran up to me with one of the pastors in tow. “I feel like I’m ready to answer the call of God,” he said to us. “I want to give what I have into the hands of God, even if I don’t think it’s a lot.”

Soon after, Si Ba Lu entered Bible training and became an intern at the church. He served in practical ways— cleaning, cooking, and picking people up for church on his motorcycle.

The following year, God called Si Ba Lu to begin a weekly meeting at a housing complex for migrant workers. It was located about forty-five minutes away from where he was living, so he decided to move into a local room where people could gather.

This year, I visited Si Ba Lu there and sat with him in his room, a tiny space where now more than forty people gather regularly to listen to him tell stories from the Bible about Jesus. It was so encouraging for me to see how God was blessing Si Ba Lu’s faithfulness.

More recently, I was also in attendance at the first Christmas outreach event in this area that Si Ba Lu helped to host. It was a great party with a lot of good food, presents, dances, and testimonies. A well-known pastor was invited to share the Good News, but the guests were very resistant to the Gospel that night. I saw people staring down into their laps, or even walking away. We were disappointed—there just wasn’t the engagement we had prayed for.

As his voice became stronger, he preached the Gospel, giving testimony about how God had delivered him from sickness, from injury, and from addiction.

However, a little later in the evening, something changed. I saw Si Ba Lu get up and walk to the microphone. In his simple, quiet way, he began telling the people what God had done in his life. As his voice became stronger, he preached the Gospel, giving testimony about how God had delivered him from sickness, from injury, and from addiction. He spoke about how Jesus had given him hope, and how he was able to speak in front of people now when before he had been terrified. People listened, their hearts were engaged, and they responded.

As Si Ba Lu invited people to receive the message of Christ’s love and sacrifice, over half of the crowd surged to their feet! They wanted what Si Ba Lu had. That night, close to seventy people surrendered their hearts to Jesus.

GIVE

Invest in young church leaders like Si Ba Lu by contributing to a unique training course called Missional Leadership Training (MLT), an eighteen-module course that is being used to train local leaders to serve and equip the global church to live on mission. On behalf of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB), the training is being developed through a partnership between Multiply and the Mennonite Brethren Seminary. Currently being translated into ten languages, MLT has three main areas of training: Discipleship Foundations, Ministry Equipping, and Leadership Development.

To give, go to multiply.net/mlt

What To Do?

BURUNDI

| Aurélie Hirschler

Aurélie serves with Multiply in Burundi and is primarily supported by Mennonite churches in her home country of France. She works as a school teacher and pedagogy trainer in the Karubabi Harvest School in Muramvya, a partnership initiative of Multiply and several other organizations.

Not too long ago, I had the privilege of visiting preschool centers in four different provinces throughout Burundi. We went to evaluate how the teachers had applied the training that we had given them some months earlier. The visit allowed us to see how we could improve our training the next time.

The visits, however, turned out to be more challenging than I had imagined. When I arrived in one community, I quickly had tears rolling down my cheeks. Their teacher was brilliant, the classroom felt alive, but people in the community were dying of hunger every day.

The area was in a drought, so no rain had fallen since the sowing. Insects had eaten the seeds and those that managed to germinate were burned by the sun. For the first time in my life, I heard mothers saying that they wanted to die because they couldn’t provide for their children. What to do?

Injustice in the world can be overwhelming. I can easily give in to despair. But I don’t want to give up hope. Rather, I want to invest my time and energy in crying out to God for rain, for food for these families, for reconciliation amid the brokenness, for life and health for the malnourished.

Today, the best I can do is to be aware of the misery, and to put this misery into God’s hands. I do it with many tears, many questions, and many frustrations. But I leave it in God’s hands. He can do the impossible—I cannot. “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:26).

Would you pray with me? It is not a matter of some formula or repetition, it is about an honest heart before God. In faith, we trust that he hears, and he answers.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Colossians 4:2

PRAY

Please pray for hope amid despair in Burundi, and for God’s miraculous provision for those who don’t have enough food to eat, clothes to wear, or clean water to drink. Pray also for teachers in Burundi, that God would provide for their needs and make their investments in children fruitful.

Aurélie’s story was previously published in our Daily Prayer Guide. To receive this monthly prayer resource by email or post and to stay up to date with prayer requests from our global workers, go to multiply.net/dpg

Esperance

NAMIBIA | Janet Meacham

Her name means hope, and Esperance needed a lot of it when she and her family fled their home country of Burundi in 2015 during a national crisis. Several years earlier, she had found Jesus while listening to the radio, and it was her hope in him that gave her strength to endure the trials and challenges of leaving her country and becoming a refugee.

Esperance and her family eventually settled in the country of Namibia, where they began a new life, and she resumed her work as a medical doctor.

“I was first introduced to Esperance through Pastor Alexis in Burundi,” said Doug Hiebert, Regional Team Leader for Sub-Saharan Africa. “He had been pastoring her from afar after the family fled Burundi, but he was recently able to visit with her in Namibia and to offer much needed support and encouragement.”

However, Pastor Alexis also received much encouragement from Esperance. He heard about how she was living out her faith as a medical doctor, often praying for her patients and pleading with God for their miraculous healing. She was being the hands and feet of Jesus in the midst of suffering and pain, her faith inspiring her.

On one occasion, someone came to Esperance with extensive wounds after being attacked by a hippopotamus. The injuries were so severe that medical intervention, it seemed, would serve no purpose. Yet, in full hope that God could do the impossible, Esperance prayed for healing and the person was completely restored to health!

Doug Hiebert and Pastor Alexis continue to receive reports about Esperance’s faith and her influence in the community. As she shares the Good News with others, more and more people are coming to her to learn more about Jesus. Esperance uses her own resources and time to minister to the spiritually downtrodden and, not surprisingly, a fledgling church has formed. With her husband often away from home for work, Esperance carries the load of church leadership alone much of the time. Even so, she has not been deterred. Her faith and hope burn brightly in her heart, shining light into the darkness around her and leading others to the truth found in Christ.

“Recently, we invited Esperance to join us at the Africa Leader Summit,” said Doug Hiebert. “Having this powerful woman of God in our midst was both encouraging, and mutually beneficial, as we could spur one another on in faith and hopeful expectation of all God is leading us to in this region and beyond.”

PRAY

Please pray for Esperance, that God would give her strength for each new day. Pray for the church that she leads, that God would build up a team around her and provide everything that they need to thrive.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Pritzkaus Prepare for Potsdam

GERMANY

| Interview by Eric Geddes

For more than twenty years, André and Olga Pritzkau have been serving as church planters in Berlin, Germany. Now they are moving just southwest of the capital to a city called Potsdam where they plan to start a new church. Both born to German parents in Russia, they moved to Germany with their families in the 1970s while they were young children.

Eric: How did you become church planters in Berlin?

André: In 2000, we returned to Germany after studying for four years at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. At that time, Lawrence and Selma Warkentin, former missionaries with Multiply for decades, got in touch with us, connected us with the church plant in Berlin, and even mentored us in the beginning phases. The mentoring and the support from Multiply in North America were crucial factors in confirming our calling and helping us in our first steps in church planting.

Eric: Why are you leaving the church in Berlin for Potsdam?

André: Our church in Berlin is sending us! It is not easy to leave behind all these dear friends, and yet it is great to see more communities of faith arise in more German cities. So, on the one hand it is saying goodbye, but on the other it is joining God together in seeing more churches planted. And the Berlin church is joining us in that mission.

Olga: Part of the challenge is journeying with our children and coming alongside them as young adults. Our youngest is studying in Berlin and will stay with the Berlin church. Our second son is finishing his studies in Berlin and is serving the church as a trainee on the leadership team. Our eldest is living and studying in Canada. We are blessed to see our children walking with the Lord and serving him with their gifts.

Eric: Do you know anyone in Potsdam?

André: We are making connections with leaders of existing churches in Potsdam, and we are getting to know the city and its people. It has been very good for us to get to know other churches and church leaders and to learn from their experiences in serving the people of Potsdam. It is very important for us to hear from them about what God is doing in the city. That will help us to understand what God wants to do next, where he wants to go from here and what our part can be in that process.

Eric: What is the state of the Church in Germany and what is the general attitude toward the Gospel?

André: As with Berlin, Potsdam is in, what used to be called East Germany which was under communist control for forty years. The indoctrination of atheism left its mark on the people. Most would say that the Gospel is irrelevant today; it’s outdated by science, and nobody needs it. Churches here today are struggling to live out the Gospel in ways that are relevant for unchurched people.

Eric: How will you make a difference in Potsdam?

Olga: We intend to live our Christian lives right in front of the people in our new neighborhood. We are excited to see what pathways and people of peace God is already preparing in Potsdam. We are praying for people, and we believe that God is already preparing their hearts to be touched with the Gospel. Our prayer is that people would turn to Jesus, becoming disciples, and touching others with their lives and stories of transformation, so that others in turn will feel drawn to become disciples of Jesus. We invite you to pray with us, that we would allow God to show us how he intends to bring this about.

Eric: In your newsletters, you often talk about prayer walks. What have your prayer walks in Potsdam looked like?

André: On our prayer walks, we listen to God as we walk, and we observe the city and the people, and we get an impression of what is happening spiritually and socially in Potsdam. They also do something within us—they allow God to give us a heart for the lost and for the people of Potsdam. We want to know how to get involved, how to serve, how to build relationships.

Eric: In your latest newsletter, you talked about one walk in Potsdam called the Priesterweg. Can you tell us about that?

Olga: Priesterweg is German for the priest’s path. It’s a beautiful trail between two neighborhoods in the eastern part of Potsdam. We were there on a prayer walk recently and an older lady approached us. She had no idea that we were church planters, but she told us the story of the Priesterweg , explaining to us that the pastor who formerly lived nearby would always walk along this path to the next village to serve the people there.

André: After hearing the lady’s story, we continued to pray as we walked this path, and we asked ourselves a few questions: What if today is the time for a new narrative? What if God wants to come again to this part of Potsdam and not go away? What if God wants to live among the people here and have them hear the Gospel? What if God sees these people with eyes of compassion and he wants to write a new story about the Priesterweg ? Please pray with us into that new story.

SERVE

Are you inspired by the faithfulness of workers like André and Olga? Where is God calling you to serve? How is he inviting you to join his mission today? To explore service opportunities with Multiply, go to multiply.net/serve

God is writing a new story on the “Priest’s Path” in Potsdam

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