Witness Summer 2017

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mbmission.org

Summer 2017

one mission

L O C A L N AT I O N A L G L O B A L


Witness Summer 2017

Contents

ONE MISSION: NATIONAL

Editorial: One Mission: National...............................2 Praying for the Nations.............................................4

EDITORIAL

Reconciling with First Peoples.................................6 Asha.........................................................................10 Tell Me a Story........................................................12 Soon.........................................................................14

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Staff Editor-in-Chief......................................Randy Friesen Managing Editor............................... Mark JH Klassen Layout & Design.................................. Darcy Scholes Illustration & Design............................. Colton Floris Writing & Prayer Mobilization.................Nikki White Media Team Lead.................................Larry Neufeld Circulation & Administration.................Ann Zauner

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by Randy Friesen, General Director On a recent ministry trip to Lithuania, I was asked to speak to a gathering of church leaders on the theme of God’s healing for a nation. We reflected on the story of Rahab and the spies in Joshua 2 and the image of the scarlet cord in Rahab’s window on the wall of Jericho. The word for “cord” in v.21 is tiqwa in Hebrew, which means “hope.” Rahab was a Canaanite, but she put her hope in the living God, just as her daughter-in-law, Ruth from Moab, did later. Both of these women of faith overcame stigma and cultural barriers to become carriers of hope and faith in the line of Jesus. The scarlet cord still offers hope. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, we are reminded of a significant promise: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 At the gathering, the Lithuanian church leaders identified the sins of their nation, which had grieved God. They acknowledged that hundreds of thousands of Jews were killed by Lithuanians during the Second World War. Although the post-war generation had claimed that Nazis did all the killing, recent historical evidence points to the Lithuanians themselves as the ones with bloodguilt. Arturas, our Lithuanian MB conference moderator, then recalled a private conversation that his grandmother had with a Jewish neighbor during the Second World War. The neighbor said, “Today, you Lithuanians are killing Jews, but tomorrow you will kill yourselves.” It was a haunting prediction. Today, Lithuania has one of the highest suicide rates in the world – despite massive financial investment by the European Union to improve their standard of living.


These church leaders humbled themselves, prayed and called out to God for his forgiveness and the healing of their nation. They sought out a prominent leader of the Lithuanian Jewish community and met with him at a huge Jewish graveyard that had been desecrated and abandoned for seventy years. As we gathered there together, we pleaded for God’s forgiveness and the healing of the land and its people. The cleansing power of Christ’s blood is greater than any sin. That scarlet cord can hold the weight of Lithuania’s troubles and those of every other nation. What about in our nations? What national sins are holding back the outpouring of God’s salvation? When we align our hearts with One Mission, we are invited to think beyond our own tribe to the land we share with many tribes. In Canada, the bloodguilt from the mistreatment of the First Nations prompted a national Truth and Reconciliation Commission which exposed the brutality of many church-run residential schools for aboriginal children across the country in 1876-1996. Church and government leaders have begun to repent and make attempts at reparation. But this work of healing continues. In the US, there has been a similar story with many forcible relocations of thousands of Native Americans. This “trail of tears” involved death, disease and loss of identity. The healing of our nations and the spiritual awakening of our nations are connected. As we engage together in One Mission – local, national and global, we view our community and our nation as

a mission field. God desires to heal and transform our nations as we work together with him on his mission of redemption and transformation. The blood of Christ, symbolized by that scarlet cord of hope, is still enough for us today. As we humble ourselves and confess our corporate sins, we point our nations to Christ – the “hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and “hope of the nations” (Romans 15:12).

When we align our hearts with One Mission, we are invited to think beyond our own tribe to the land we share with many tribes. More than ever, we’re excited about what God is doing among the nations, not only around the world but also in North America. We’re grateful for the growth of the MB-based church-planting network called C2C. After years of fruitful ministry in Canada, C2C is now partnering with USMB leadership and beginning to work hard for one mission collaboration. As the least reached have come to our cities and communities, together we are called to “give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give a reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Peter 3:15). In this edition of Witness, we are sharing stories of transformation that I hope will inspire you and convince you of God’s heart for nations. Thank you again for your support and prayers as we live on mission together.


Praying For Nations by Nikki White As we gathered to intercede for her, we grieved over her painful story. Her first husband had been powerful and dominating, and had controlled her completely. She left him once, but he found her after a few years and dragged her back. She longed for a handsome, strong hero to come and rescue her. When one finally did, she thought she had met her prince, and they ran away together. But within ten years, he left her too. Disillusioned, she went through a series of disastrous affairs, each one worse than the one before. They were violent, traumatic relationships that left her scarred and cynical, impoverished and addicted to cocaine.

When we meet new people, we take the time to get to know them. When we meet new nations, we do the same, as was the case when we first sent teams to Thailand.

Her name? Colombia – the nation of Colombia.

On one occasion, Karen and other team members visited a Buddhist temple that was a make-shift hospital for people dying of AIDS. There was a palpable hopelessness there, people dying without merit, only to have their ashes shaped into idols. Karen asked God, “What could your kingdom possibly look like here?”

In the Bible, nations are often described as if they were individuals with unique personalities and characteristics. Canaan is a merchant (Hosea 12:7), Babylon a harlot (Revelation 17:3-5), Edom a ruthless, vengeful brother (Amos 1:11) and Israel a bride (Jeremiah 2:2), a widow (Isaiah 47:8), or even a child (Hosea 11:4). Each image evokes in us a different emotional response and provokes a different kind of prayer.

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“When we first arrived in Thailand, we asked God to help us understand the needs and characteristics of the nation,” recounts long-term worker, Karen HuebertSanchez. “As we prayed for the nation, one of the images that came to us strongly was of a girl sold into the sex trade by her parents. Our hearts grieved for her.” That image informed both the prayers and actions of the early teams sent to Thailand. They continued to seek God’s heart for the nation.

The team began to pray for Thailand with a new sense of compassion. “We wept with her, and joined together with Thai believers to pray for her healing. We stood


with the nation in confession and repentance. We asked God to show us how he had intended for his image to be reflected in Thailand, and sensed that God was calling her to be a shining example of mercy, kindness, and sacrificial love.” These prayers connected with Karen’s dream of seeing a children’s home started to serve the vulnerable and marginalized of Thailand. Today, the Abundant Life Home (ALH) is a thriving ministry that brings hope and healing to children and adults affected by HIV. In this way, ALH gives a glimpse of God’s redemption of Thailand. In any given nation, there is already a story in progress. There is a personality, a history. We can’t assume that we know God’s heart for that nation, but we look for clues and we listen to those who know the storyline best – those who have experienced the story themselves. Those people can often reveal key insights into the nation’s history – ethnic wounds, political patterns, cultural trends, spiritual climate, and attitudes toward Christ. It is important to follow the lead of those who already live and serve within the nation. Glimpsing God’s perspective on a nation gives us hope and encourages us to persevere in praying for the image of God to be restored in her. We forge ahead in faith, knowing that God desires to see wounds healed, sins forgiven, and hopes restored. Through prayer, we participate in God’s plan for that nation. The Lord’s Prayer offers us a model. We worship, we invite God’s kingdom to come, we petition for practical needs,

we confess sin, we forgive and reconcile with those who have wronged us, we seek deliverance from evil, and then we worship again. We can pray this for ourselves as individuals, but we can also pray this on behalf of others, whether families, churches, cities or even nations.

Glimpsing God’s perspective on a nation gives us hope and encourages us to persevere in praying for the image of God to be restored in her. Following this example, we begin by worshipping the God who breathed the nation into being, giving thanks for all that is beautiful and good in her. We bless all that reflects the image of God in Peru. We invite his kingdom to come and his will to be done in Thailand. We petition God for daily bread, asking for his provision in the midst of the famine in Burundi. What sins can we confess on behalf of Canada or the US? With whom ought Korea to be reconciled? What social injustice needs to be opposed in our nation, what temptations exposed, what chains broken? And then we again turn to worship the sovereign God of the nations, who is able to bring peace, healing and blessing. Let’s ask God how he sees each nation, including our own, and let’s pray for her and bless her according to his heart.


RECONCILING WITH FIRST PEOPLES CANADA An Interview with Lloyd Letkeman, Mission Mobilizer in Central Canada, by Mark JH Klassen

Mark: What intrigues you about the history of the First Peoples in Canada? Lloyd: The indigenous people were very gracious when foreigners first started coming to this land. It’s like they knew the passages in the Old Testament where it says that you should treat foreigners like your own people; you should love them as yourselves. They welcomed the Europeans, and showed the naïve newcomers how to survive the harsh cold, the summer heat, and the dreaded mosquitoes. They lived in harmony with their pale brothers and sisters. They even welcomed the Gospel message that the foreigners brought – that Creator had sent his Son, a great warrior of peace, to show the eternal pathway of forgiveness, faith, hope and love. Mark: What went wrong? Lloyd: Instead of making peace with the First Peoples, the European settlers tried to conquer them. They began a vicious cycle of colonization and controlled assimilation. There were various reasons for this oppression, but it’s clear that the First Peoples suffered greatly at the hands of the foreigners. Mark: Can you give an example of this oppression? Lloyd: Maybe the best example is the Indian Residential School system. During 1876-1996, more than 150,000 aboriginal children were separated from their families and forced into governmentsponsored religious schools where they were to be educated and assimilated into Christian culture. In reality, these children were subjected to a very unsafe, unhealthy, and abusive environment. Thousands died of disease and malnutrition in these schools and many more suffered physical and sexual abuse. Many consider this to be Canada’s greatest historical shame.

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Mark: Were Mennonites involved in these schools? Lloyd: Initially, the schools were run by Catholics and Anglicans. But as Mennonites immigrated to Canada, many accepted teaching roles at residential schools, especially in the Prairie Provinces. By 1996, when the residential school system was abandoned, about half of the teachers in the Prairies were of Mennonite background. Although these teachers were well intentioned and may have not been personally responsible for abuse, they were certainly part of a system that left a deep wound on Canada. Mark: What’s been happening in Canada since 1996 in response to this? Lloyd: Not much at first, since most Canadians didn’t feel responsible. But the wound wasn’t healing and people started wondering if they could do something. So in 2008, government and church leaders across Canada initiated the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which sought to inform all Canadians about what happened in these residential schools and to ensure that the stories of the survivors were documented. These are brutal stories, but if we are at all interested in seeking truth and reconciliation, then this is the only path. The TRC lasted for five years, but the work of reconciliation and true healing continues. Mark: What can we do to help with the healing process? Lloyd: In some ways, the answer is simple and scriptural: love others as we love ourselves. We need to foster genuine relationships with the First Peoples in a posture of love, hospitality and curiosity. As we get to know each other, we grow in understanding. Friendship is the best context for reconciliation. Local, national and global reconciliation is more likely to happen if it begins with people forging personal friendships first.


SOAR participants are invited to identify with First Peoples through the Blanket Exercise

Mark: How have you been involved in reconciliation as a Mission Mobilizer? Lloyd: One example is the Blanket Exercise. We’ve been doing this at our orientation for our shortterm mission programs in Central Canada. It’s a simulation activity, which traces the history of Canada from an indigenous perspective. Blankets are spread out on the ground, representing North America. People move around on the blankets, representing indigenous peoples. A narrator walks everyone through the events of exploration and colonization, and whole people groups are wiped out by disease and war. As controlled assimilation continues, the blankets are ravaged and participants are either isolated or they’re observing from the sidelines because they’ve been “killed.” It’s a powerful exercise. Afterward, there’s a sharing circle when everyone has opportunity to share about how the simulation impacted their emotions, thoughts and actions. Every time we do it, it’s amazing how hearts are opened to the plight of our indigenous neighbours who have lived through generations of persecution and marginalization. People talk to each other differently afterward – they’re more compassionate and caring. Mark: Do you partner with indigenous Christian leaders? Lloyd: Absolutely. At most of our orientation events, we invite a Christian indigenous elder to speak to our short-term mission participants. They always bring a fresh perspective to our journey with Jesus. I remember when Norman Meade came once and started his session by holding a child in his arms and sharing how precious the child was to the Creator and to the community. He reminded us of Jesus’ teaching about what we can learn from children. It was very unique and holistic. Indigenous people

have a lot to teach us about how we are social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual beings. Mark: What about their perspective on the land? Lloyd: That’s a critical piece for me. When I hear indigenous people talking about their connection to the land, it reminds me of the creation account in Genesis and how God entrusted the earth to humankind and asked us to take care of it. We are designed to relate to creation — to the land. Today, First Peoples globally have a legacy of being stewards of the land. They believed treaties would ensure that all peoples, despite their cultural differences, would be able to coexist and care for the land in ways that honour the Creator. Reconciliation must include the land. God is calling us to live at peace with him, with one another and with the land. Our indigenous neighbours understand this at a much deeper level than most of us. And they’re inviting us to relate to one another through the land, not just to own it, but to care for it. Mark: Can you give us another highlight of your interaction with First Peoples? Lloyd: At SOAR Saskatchewan in 2016, I saw something firsthand that I will never forget. My good friend, Dallas Pelly, invited his mother and his aunt to share their personal stories of being students in a residential school. We were privileged to bear witness to their pain and passion. In tears, we entered their stories. It was actually their first time in a church setting in many years. Even though the church had symbolized so much pain for them, they had the courage to join us because Dallas had found a loving and trusting community there. By the end of the evening, strangers had become friends and reconciliation had a face.

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one mission

L O C A L N AT I O N A L G L O B A L

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” MATTHEW 29:19–20


“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20


ASHA INDIA by VG

The moment I saw this little girl, I knew that I would never forget her. My husband and I met her in the market begging, and we invited her to join us for lunch. Her name was Asha. She wore a tattered, pumpkin-orange sweater and a dirty scarf she self-consciously tugged over her dark hair as she entered the dhaba (restaurant). A small girl with luminous eyes, her features whispered of Rajasthan, the desert state. She had a sore on her lip; a tiny plastic gold bauble was clasped around her neck by a piece of thread; and a small mark in her nose indicated where it had been recently pierced. She had no shoes. As we sat down with her, we looked into her beautiful face. When her gaze drifted from us, they seemed to shift into pools of black, glinting with a haunted expression. The look in her eyes – I had never witnessed it before. It was coiled somewhere between despair and hope. It appeared like flitting shadows over Asha’s face, where her soul suddenly seemed to surface in her eyes before being sucked back down into her immediate concern – eating lunch. We noted her courage, and how much of it was required for this little girl to come into the dhaba with us, her presence drawing stares from the other patrons grazing at surrounding tables. Asha told us that she had many siblings, though some had passed away. She said she was six years old, although we thought her to be much older. It broke my heart to watch her try to use a spoon, the handle poised awkwardly in her small fist. She ate her momos (dumplings) thoughtfully, slowly, the juice from within running down her wrist. She didn’t bother to mop it up. We ordered Asha more food than she could eat and she smiled only once during our entire lunch – when she was handed the packet of leftovers just before we left. After saying goodbye outside of the dhaba, I glanced back to see if I could catch another glimpse of her as she walked away, but she had already slipped down an alley. Something about the experience made my heart sink like a stone in my chest. After a flurry of anger and sadness, a terrible ache remained like a bruise.

We see poverty every day in India. About 360 million people in this nation suffer without proper provision of food, clothing and shelter. We are actively engaged in serving, supporting, and discipling the poor in our area, mostly women and children. And yet we struggle with the fact that we cannot do more. No child should be born a beggar. Soon after meeting Asha, I read the story about Jesus feeding the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21) and was struck again by what Jesus said to his disciples: “You give them something to eat.” Then I read the story about him feeding the 4000 (Mark 8:1-8) and again noted what Jesus asked them: “How many loaves do you have?” In both instances, Jesus didn’t just make a feast materialize from thin air, but rather he invited his followers into the creative process of generosity with him and provided through what was already present among them. Does he do the same with us? After my experience with Asha, I noticed something else in those stories – Jesus broke the loaves in order to multiply them. It reminded me again of a quote by Parker Palmer: “When we give our hearts to the world, our hearts will be broken – broken open to become channels for a love greater than our own.” Just like the loaves, we must be broken to be multiplied, not some malicious process of demolition, but like every seed that dies in order that something new might come forth. India has changed us. Encounters with people like Asha have left their mark on our lives. We are not the same people as when we first arrived. We have witnessed more despair and devastation in these short years than in all our previous years in North America. Yet we are full of hope and more convicted than ever before of what God has called us to do.

GIVE Do you have a heart for poor and vulnerable children? Consider getting involved in Justice for Children, a project that supports children’s homes around the world and helps to provide a safe and loving environment for the abandoned and deprived. To donate, go to mbmission.org/justice-for-children mbmission.org | 11


I’ve always loved stories, but only recently have I begun to realize how much of a storyteller God is and how important it is for us to use biblical stories to talk about him.

the deep doctrines of the faith? Are stories only meant as introductions and illustrations, just appetizers to the main course of propositional truth?

In 1995 Robert and I moved from a Mixtec village in Guerrero, Mexico, into a Latino town, where Mixtecs were planting a new church in their barrio. Wanting to fit into their Latino context, they decided to do everything in Spanish. They were convinced that their Spanish Bibles were better guides to truth than the few passages they had translated into Mixtec. They didn’t value the use of their language in public worship. Because of this, the Mixtec believers would often have adolescents speak in the church, because they were the only ones who could read a Spanish Bible. Meanwhile, the parents and grandparents sat on benches, largely oblivious to what was said.

Why do we shy away from using more Bible stories?

One day, one of the Mixtec patriarchs, Antonino, overheard his son working with a Wycliffe Bible translator on the parable of the Prodigal Son. It was the first time he had ever heard a Bible story in the Mixtec language! That night, during the worship service, Antonino could not contain himself; he stood up in the middle of the sermon and recounted the parable several times, going over the details with growing excitement.

It was the first time he had ever heard a Bible story in the Mixtec language! Everyone was shocked. It was rare to hear a Mixtec speak out boldly in his own tongue in a Latino context. But this man, Antonino, after faithfully listening to hours of Spanish preaching, had finally heard a simple story from the Bible in his own language, and he knew that everyone else needed to hear it that way too. The Bible is primarily a collection of stories , and yet we often teach the Bible through doctrinal statements rather than stories. Do we think stories are too simple to carry

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Do we think stories are too simple to carry the deep doctrines of the faith? Of course, the backbone of the Bible is a story, a metanarrative that answers every major question about our humanity: its wreck, its hope, and its destiny. It is primarily narrative, and its characters, every one, reveal not only their own stories, but the glorious story of God unfolding through them. The Bible does not present God as a concept, but rather as the driving character in a master plot. We learn about God’s character primarily through how he interacts with other characters in his one great story. Have we neglected the Bible’s preference for storytelling? If we understand God best through story, then shouldn’t we be presenting God to others through story as well? In North America and Western Europe, systematic theology has dominated our approach to the Bible and our understanding of God. But today, the church from other contexts is challenging us to be more story-based in our approach to Scripture. We have a lot to learn from our brothers and sisters around the world. Here in Mexico, our Mixtec friends have taught us the importance of storytelling. Antonino was transformed through hearing a Bible story in his own language. The experience empowered him not only to interpret and apply the story for himself but also to tell it to others. On another occasion, I saw this happen with a Mixtec named Cornelius in a migrant worker camp in northern Mexico. My husband and I were learning Mixtec and translating Bible stories to tell in the camps. Cornelius


Mixtec believers retell the Gospel story as they celebrate the Lord’s Supper

would listen to our few broken sentences, piece the story back together, and call everyone in the camp together to retell it in his own words. The story was immediately reproduced and interpreted for the whole crowd. In this context, some Spanish vendors in the migrant camp challenged our public use of Mixtec, partly because they felt left out. But what we saw was Mixtecs, who are so often marginalized, hearing the Good News for the first time. And it was a communal event, an exchange between the storyteller and the audience, engaging the Good News together, much like I imagine happened in the time of Jesus. It seems to me that this kind of storytelling is an excellent strategy for starting healthy churches, where everyone participates, helps one another grow, and communicates Good News readily to others.

I realize we are not much used to training leaders through storytelling, but I’m convinced it’s an effective approach. As new leaders listen to Bible stories and teach them to others, we as mentors empower them. Storytelling is a familiar skill to them and invites them to interpret and pass on what they learn. In another Mixtec village, a woman named Petra is the semiliterate pastor of a newborn Mixtec church. Petra said, “If I had to prepare sermons, I could not lead this church. But I can tell stories. I know how to do that.” Petra’s mentor recently told me, “When you tell stories, you have to allow people to retell and apply them. You give up control over the Bible message. It’s the way of self-sacrifice.” I hadn’t thought of it that way. But doesn’t that about sum up God’s way as Master Storyteller?

TELLING STORIES WITH THE GLOBAL MEDIA NETWORK We are building a network of storytellers who are passionate about living on mission with Jesus and using their media skills to serve that mission. We are committed to working collaboratively to tell stories of transformation that bring glory to God. Do you want to join us? Go. Pray. Give.

media@mbmission.org mbmission.org/global-media-network Watch our latest video at mbmission.org/gmn mbmission.org | 13


SOON FRANCE by AK

The young Iranian girl sitting next to me squints her eyes as I ask for her name. “I don’t speak French,” she apologizes in broken English. “I am only here since six days.” I sit up in the pew and say, this time in English, “Welcome to Paris.” My next question might seem frank but, under the circumstances, it doesn’t feel so. “Are you a Christian?” “Not yet.” She grins at me. “Soon.” The Iranian church service is about to start, and I want to ask more questions, but I hold back. The pews in front of us are full of young believers, mostly recent immigrants from Iran who, until coming to France, have never had the liberty to worship in public. Because of their Muslim background, some have never admitted to following Jesus until walking through these doors. You can taste the freedom in the room as voices join together in Persian, praising the Lord in song along with the beating rhythms of the djembe being played on stage. It feels like we have all come home.

Because of their Muslim background, some have never admitted to following Jesus until walking through these doors. But this isn’t home for everyone. At least, not now. And soon I begin to understand why. Two men take to the stage and explain that they have just flown into Paris from Iran only to spend four days to worship with other believers. In Iran, this is impossible for them. They say about their homeland, “There is no one there to disciple us except the Holy Spirit.” The men, Sajad and Kamran (not their real names), tell us that they own a small chain of fish shops in Tehran. Each of them left Islam and became a follower of Jesus at the lowest point in his life. 14 | witness

Sajad shares his testimony first, about when he and his wife found out that they couldn’t have children. He was literally brought to his knees before Jesus. At that moment, he was walking down a street in Tehran and, from the sidewalk, he looked into a building and saw a cross. He needed answers. But how could a Muslim pray to Jesus? “Friends,” Sajad speaks with compassion, “we cannot be afraid to show our brokenness. This is how I came to know Jesus. He met me in this place. He was the answer.” Then Kamran shares his story about how he was on his death bed a few years earlier and asked Jesus for a miracle. The doctors had told him that his life was over, but Jesus healed him. God had plans for his life.


These two brothers in Christ tell us about an older woman in Tehran who stops by their fish shop regularly to pray with them. She is a bold believer who has been thrown into jail on numerous occasions. She comes regularly to buy fish. One day, the woman brought them a copy of the Lord’s Prayer. They taped it to the inside of a fish cooler where no one else looked, and each time they opened the lid, they asked the Lord to teach them how to pray. Whenever the two men need the prayers and wisdom of this old woman, they ask, “Can you come pick up some fish?” When it is safe, she comes to them and gives them whatever help she can. She tells them that, even though there are many closed doors in Iran, she is staying in the country because she believes that all things are possible with God.

When they finally received a Bible, they knew they couldn’t keep it to themselves. Sajad and Kamran have recently begun to take more risks. When they finally received a Bible, they knew they couldn’t keep it to themselves. Eventually, they found a safe place to make copies, where they spent two days printing hundreds, which they hid in their homes and in the fish shops, distributing them whenever possible. They knew these books needed to go out, to give their people an opportunity to read the Bible for themselves. I look at these two men on the stage: Sajad speaks with tears about God’s gift of a child while Kamran thanks God for healing and health. Together, they say to us: “Please pray for us. We need help. We need your prayers. We cannot do this alone.” The brothers tell us that they will return to Iran the next day, where they will continue to share the Good News and seek understanding of the treasure that they have found.

CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE WITH GOD

10 Days

3-6 Weeks

I look at the young girl beside me in the pew. She is singing along with the closing song. I still do not know her name. Not yet. I think to myself, “Soon.”

PRAY Please pray for Sajad and Kamran and others like them who are finding Jesus and living for him in contexts that are opposed to the Gospel.

10 months

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