Summer 2022 multiply.net
together that the world may know Jesus
Witness
The Call to Global Teamwork
Witness Summer 2022
Global Teamwork
Contents Editorial: Global Teamwork................................ 2 The Language of Mercy.......................................4
EDITORIAL | Vic Wiens
Parallel Journeys of Faith...................................6 Guests of the River Folk......................................8 Longing for Family................................................10 When Spring Returns ......................................... 12 Searching for Sebastian ...................................14
Staff Managing Editor..................Mark J.H. Klassen Layout & Design..........................Darcy Scholes
I just returned from three weeks in a very special place that I call, “My beloved Brazil.” Nearly 100 international guests gathered in Curitiba for the annual summit of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB). Delegates from twenty-two member conferences were joined by leaders from ten emerging conferences, together with dozens from our global Multiply team. Following the summit, our visionary hosts invited us to join hundreds of Brazilians for a renewal event called Despertar, which means Awakening.
Illustration & Design..................... Colton Floris
Here are several outstanding memories for me personally:
Prayer Mobilization..........................Nikki White
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Since guests from Ukraine could not come due to the war, the ICOMB crowd gathered around the Ukrainian flag and our European representatives. In strong unity, we cried out to God on behalf of the Ukrainian church, for endurance in suffering and for peace to come.
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With other experienced workers, we offered counsel to Safari, leader of the MB conference in Malawi, as he follows God’s call to leave his current home for missionary service in another country.
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Listening to Thai pastor Naat’s plenary address where she shared, with considerable transparency, how she has learned to grow in her love for God through weakness and shortcomings.
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Translating into Portuguese for two brothers from India and Morocco as they inspired a local Brazilian church with their testimonies of God’s faithfulness and their obedience to the missionary call.
Story Research..................................Eric Geddes Circulation.......................................... Robin Lesser Media Director................................ Daniel Lichty
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There are common threads in these four memories. God is raising up outstanding men and women, equipping them for his mission, and sending them to the unreached both in their own countries and beyond. By God’s enabling, they come with strong Christian character, with resilience learned in the crucible of suffering, and with missionary vision second to none. The international ambiance, enhanced with dozens of colorful flags and a Babel of languages, immediately led me to Scriptures that speak of goings and gatherings. “(I will) gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory… I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations… and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations” (Isaiah 66:1819). And of course, the classic vision that so often has inspired me to carry on reaching out to unreached people groups, “…there before me
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was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). Isaiah looks forward to where God is going in order to gather the nations; in Revelation, John looks back as it were, to declare, “Mission accomplished!” We live in between Isaiah and Revelation, but occasionally we are allowed real-life glimpses of the glory that is to come. It is God’s vision to reach all nations through all nations. In our day, he is accomplishing this vision, which is his mission from everywhere to everyone. One reason the Brazilians asked international guests to stay for a few extra days was to remember an historic event that occurred thirty-four years earlier—Awakening 1988. As a young missionary in Brazil at the time, I remember well that occasion. Led by Victor Adrian, General Director of Mennonite Brethren Missions/Services (our agency’s name at that time), and Jacob August Wall, Director of the Brazilian mission department, 805 delegates from fifteen countries gathered to consider God’s call on “The Mennonite Brethren Mission in the World.” In 1988, the purpose of the gathering was to enable us to encourage each other in faith and life, to grow in our understanding of our mission, and to forge closer partnerships. Out of that gathering, ICOMB emerged in 1990. This network of global MB conferences, with whom Multiply partners on all fronts, has been instrumental in shaping a stronger identity, in facilitating stronger community, and in fostering missional expansion. The purpose of Awakening 2022 was not only to remember with fondness, but with fortitude to reach forward in our common mission. Yet there were some marked differences between 1988 and 2022. Among them was the global teamwork I mentioned above. In 1988, the event was envisioned and led by missional leaders of North American and/or Germanic background. In 2022, the vision, the planning team, the speakers, and the logistics team were truly multi-ethnic and multi-national. Furthermore, the take-away stories above indicate an international collaboration for global mission that our leaders only dreamed of in 1988.
What does this mean for North Americans? Is God still calling us to go, and to send missionaries? If others are stepping up to lead, is it our time to back away? If not, what is our role? In short, I strongly believe that God is still calling North Americans into global mission, and that our local churches must still be in the business of sending workers into the global harvest. The Great Commission is valid for all followers of Jesus and for all generations, until our Lord returns. Indeed, others from the global South are stepping up, but this is not meant to substitute those from the North, but to supplement global efforts to finish the task before us—reaching the last, the least, and the lost. Awakening 2022 made it clear that our global MB family has taken great strides in global teamwork. North Americans are still playing key supportive roles, but there is certainly a greater sense of global cooperation and solidarity. As we continue to find our roles and learn how to work together, we must remember that even the apostle Paul needed his older colleague and shepherd, Barnabas, to open doors for him, coach him and empower him. That said, the call to global teamwork is not about who will lead and who will support. It is about following Jesus, our Team Leader, according to his special assignment, whatever that may be. I came back from Brazil encouraged, humbled, and aspiring to obey. I entrust the same to you. Be encouraged as our mission team continues to grow with wonderful people. Be humble about the role that you will play. Be obedient as God calls you to pray, to give, and to go—because the mission is not over!
Vic Wiens serves as the Interim General Director of Multiply. He will remain in this role until August 31, 2022.
As of May 16, 2022, Bruce Enns became the new General Director of Multiply. In the Fall edition of Witness, Bruce will address readers in his first editorial. multiply.net | 3
The Language of Mercy LITHUANIA | Nikki White It was the right thing to do, of course. There was never any real doubt in his mind. But to have strangers in his home, after living alone for so long—this was not easy to consider. He would have only one room with a bed and a table where he could be alone. He would lose his freedom, his privacy. The refugees, however, had lost everything. When pastor Valdas Vaitkevičius first talked with his church in Šiaulių, Lithuania, about providing refuge for those fleeing the war in Ukraine, the response was restrained. There were only three besides him who felt a simultaneous stirring in their hearts. Others felt anxiety, triggered by painful memories of Lithuania’s own history of oppression and occupation by the former Soviet Union. With Russia on their western border and Belarus to the south, any action taken in support of Ukraine would be a very real risk. Valdas persuaded his church to take that risk. “Suffering,” he told them, “should not be endured alone.” Valdas understands suffering. It was not long ago that his wife died suddenly after an illness of only two months. “When you lose those closest to you,” he shared, “it seems that you lose yourself, too. I could not go back into ministry for almost one year, but the community was there, affirming my calling, waiting for me.”
The MBs became a source of strength to the church in Šiaulių during a time when they were growing weary. For decades the church had been involved in caring for children from broken and marginalized families. The work was draining. “Sometimes it felt hopeless,” Valdas confessed. “No one else in the community seemed very interested in what we were trying to do.” They received consistent encouragement, however, from their MB friends in Germany and Canada. “They listened to us, and never showed disappointment if there were no conversion stories. They just prayed for us and helped us.” By 2014, seven Lithuanian churches had asked to come under the MB covering. “We wanted to join this family,” Valdas said, “and we are glad we did.” After so many years of isolation, it took some time for the church to realize the depth of their new connectedness. “We experienced a tangible sense of global community when we joined the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB). Here were brothers and sisters in Christ who did not
There have also been extensive times of loneliness for his entire church. For twenty-five years, the congregation experienced feelings of rejection in their city. Originally part of a small church movement started by German emigrants from the Soviet Union, they had struggled to find acceptance within the larger religious community. “We were not Catholic, or Baptist, or Pentecostal,” Valdas said. “So, what were we?” Over the years, however, they had frequent interactions with missionaries who called themselves Mennonite Brethren. “As the oldest of all pastors, in the biggest of buildings,” Valdas said, “I found myself taking care of their teams. We saw that they were different; they had humility, an ability to cooperate. We began to wonder, how were we different? How were we alike? We felt ourselves aligning well with these Mennonite Brethren.” 4 | witness
Pastor Valdas at the ICOMB Summit in Brazil: “We are all from different countries, and we may not understand each other’s words, but mercy is a global language.”
speak the same mother tongue, were not neighbors in our city, and did not have our traditions, yet we were family in Christ.” In May 2022, Valdas attended the annual ICOMB summit in Brazil. It was en route to the gathering that he sensed God speaking to him again about suffering and solitude. He found himself alone in the busy São Paulo air terminal, unable to communicate with anyone in his limited English, much less in his native Lithuanian tongue. Baffled by rapid torrents of Portuguese being spoken and anxious about his connecting flight, he had felt isolated and helpless. “There was no one there to understand me,” he said. “No one to share my struggle. I was alone.” Later, he shared this experience with the global MB delegates in Brazil. “We must always draw close to those in pain,” he told them. Listening to the quiet murmur of translators echoing his words in other languages, Valdas went on. “We are all from different countries, and we may not understand each other’s words, but mercy is a global language.” The time Valdas spent in Brazil also led to a personal spiritual renewal. He returned to ministry with a desire to give his all, and to encourage his church to go on speaking the language of mercy in Lithuania, and beyond. Ukraine relief efforts were already an important part of that expression. Within forty-eight hours of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Lithuanian MB churches mobilized teams to drive across the Hungarian border into Ukraine. The drivers moved quickly, at times keeping their vehicle running while dropping off provisions from village to village, picking up as many women and children as they could fit into the minibus to bring back to Lithuania. Before long, the Šiaulių church had found itself hosting thirty refugees in their building, with twenty more in private homes. “Our building was a mess,” Valdas remembered. “Church members volunteered to sort and clean, and somehow we avoided complete chaos, but those first two months we worked from early morning to late at night. People called constantly; the phone was never silent.” Other MB churches within Lithuania were equally overwhelmed. “So, we came together—our churches in Šiauliai, Vilnius, Klaipėda, Šilutė, Panevėžys, Alytus, Kaunas,” said Valdas. “Then, churches from other denominations joined. Suddenly, everyone wanted to help!” Valdas described that initial rush of enthusiasm. “We were getting supplies from everywhere, even the local police department. Farmers provided milk, eggs, vegetables. A factory took on the production of canned pork meat to give away. Local businessmen offered jobs, with
salary advances.” Others brought in washing machines, refrigerators and household goods. A nearby restaurant served free hot meals daily, for two months. The reputation of their church changed almost overnight: they became a social force, recognized and respected. The irony was not lost on Valdas. “Our church went unnoticed for over twenty-five years,” he said. “Then the war happens, and within four hours the whole city knows about us!” Not only did the church’s reputation change, but the members themselves changed. “Before, there was an attitude of focusing only on the spiritual. Now, we are bold with the Word and bold to serve. Before, we were only concerned with our needs; we did not share with others. But that needed to change when the state did not keep its big promises of financial aid. We would have been crushed without the help of other churches.”
“We would have been crushed without the help of other churches.” As the war drags on, Valdas admits that sustained relief work is proving challenging. They are the few, attending to the many. Financial and personal resources are being drained, the spiking cost of electricity has meant incurring debt, and the labor-intensive nature of the work has taxed volunteers to the limit of their strength. Needs change on a daily basis, crisis by crisis, leaving everyone on edge. “We live in restless times,” Valdas said. “We do only what we can, from one day to the next. It soothes our hearts. It brings God’s peace, even to unbelievers.” Their resolve is inspiring, and they do not seem to be slowing down. “We choose to do works of mercy,” Valdas concluded, “not because of the mandate of the state or social institutions, but simply to obey the teaching of Jesus. We do not expect anyone to notice us, and if we are noticed it should be because our mercy is real. The language of mercy is easy to hear. We must speak it to all people, to all nations, together.”
G IVE New churches in Lithuania are empowering a new generation of Jesus-followers to serve their nation and bring a message of hope to their people. To provide financial support to the growing network of MB churches in Lithuania, go to multiply.net/lithuania-church-planting multiply.net | 5
Arun and Anjana and their sons are commissioned in South Asia for ministry in Canada.
Parallel Journeys of Faith SOUTH ASIA / CANADA | Mark JH Klassen
“When our calling shifts, can we listen to what God is saying?” asked Sarah. After living and serving in South Asia for five years, Sarah and her husband, David (not their real names), were called to reposition themselves and serve from a new home base in Canada. “I was reluctant,” she said. “It did not feel like a ‘call’ at the time, but more like something was being taken away from me.” When new visa regulations prevented them from being able to remain full time in South Asia, the missionary couple returned to Canada in 2016 and their ministry focus shifted to global training. “In one way, it was clearly an end, but it was also a new beginning,” said Sarah. “God began to shift my focus to ministry within our Canadian city, which is home to a large South Asian community, predominantly Punjabis. Suddenly, God was giving me opportunities to disciple new Punjabi believers.” For Sarah, the faith journey had Biblical precedence. “I thought about Abraham and what it says in Hebrews 11:8, ‘By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.’ Sometimes, a call comes in stages as we let go of one thing and allow God to shape a new season in our lives.” As the new season began for Sarah and David, they recalled an idea that had surfaced several years earlier as one of Multiply’s key partners in South Asia, John Sankara Rao, 6 | witness
visited Canada. John had posed the question: “Why not send a missionary from South Asia to Canada, to help the churches reach out to their Punjabi neighbors?” The idea waited for God’s timing. In 2018, when David and Sarah were on a trip to South Asia, they were speaking to a large network of church planters and shared about the great need in Canada for the Gospel among the Punjabi people. “We spoke openly about the opportunity,” said Sarah, “and, in our hearts, we prayed and asked God if one of the workers in this network could be sent to help meet this need.”
“Sometimes, a call comes in stages as we let go of one thing and allow God to shape a new season in our lives.” One of the church planters that they met was Arun, a leader within the network. “We observed how Arun’s life reflected humility,” recalled Sarah, “how he passionately led worship, and how he demonstrated mature ministry skills.” It was evident to Sarah and David that God had blessed Arun and his wife, Anjana, and their ministry. They learned that the couple was involved in planting fifteen house fellowships and in raising up leaders for these fellowships among the new believers. They also learned that those leaders had, in turn, started many more house churches within the region, and that Arun was providing oversight to several of them.
“We faced a difficult question,” said Sarah. “How could we approach people like Arun and Anjana about leaving South Asia and take them away from such fruitful ministry? We didn’t know if we should do that, so we continued to pray and wait on God.” Several months later, Sarah and David found themselves driving with Arun to visit one of the house churches. As they drove, Arun began to share about a stirring in his and Anjana’s hearts regarding the need for workers in Canada. He said to them, “I feel like the Lord is leading us to work with you.” David and Sarah looked at each other with thankfulness. In God’s timing, a path was being made clear. For Sarah, it was particularly important to hear that Anjana was also feeling the same call to serve in Canada as was Arun. “We knew about how God had used her in ministry with many women in South Asia,” said Sarah. “Anjana had played a critical role with the discipleship of women in the Punjabi context, especially where male pastors were not culturally permitted to minister directly to women.” By late 2019, Arun and Anjana started to actively engage with leadership about their call to Canada. They began to talk about the idea with their two young sons, Daniel and Joel, and they began focusing more and more of their ministry on preparing other leaders to take over their responsibilities. In Canada, Sarah and David began to share the vision with churches and to build a support network for Arun and Anjana and their family. “The response from pastors and churches in Canada was overwhelming,” said Sarah. “They fully embraced the idea and couldn’t wait to welcome the new missionaries from South Asia.” However, the planning encountered numerous challenges, not the least of which was a global pandemic. As COVID-19 tightened its grip on the world in early 2020, no one was traveling, let alone considering an international move. “Everything slowed down,” said Sarah. “The things that were difficult became almost impossible.” One of the necessary hurdles, of course, was securing an employment visa for Arun. “Even with the help of an immigration lawyer, it took a full year to prepare the case,” said Sarah. “There were just so many steps in the process, so much paperwork, and we all just got so tired of waiting. It was frustrating.” Even when the final paperwork was submitted, David and Sarah were told that it could take another five months to hear an answer, due to an enormous backlog of visa applications. “We asked everyone to start praying,” said Sarah, “in South Asia and in Canada.”
To everyone’s amazement, instead of five months, they received an answer within five days! The employment visa was approved. Arun and Anjana could come to Canada. “Even the lawyer said it was a miracle,” Sarah confirmed. On May 25, 2022, the young family from South Asia arrived in Canada. Sarah and David are impressed and encouraged with how Arun and Anjana have embraced the cross-cultural challenge of Canada. “Transitions like this are not easy,” said Sarah, “but this couple is so committed, and perceptive. They understand how complex it is.”
“Everything slowed down. The things that were difficult became almost impossible.” Upon arrival in Canada, Arun and Anjana moved into a rented suite in a house owned by a Punjabi landlord. “Immediately, the couple is getting to know this family,” said Sarah, “praying with them, sharing their faith in Jesus with them. It’s so beautiful. It’s just a taste of what is yet come. I feel so blessed to have them here in Canada.” Arun and Anjana will work alongside David and Sarah and partner with various churches. “We hope to see an emerging network of house churches that engages both non-English speakers as well as second generation South Asian youth and adults,” said Sarah. “Arun will be a great resource to help guide us in understanding the house church model and South Asian culture, as well as helping us focus on multiplying and discipling leaders in missional outreach.” Sarah and David are not unaware of the significance of what is happening. Over 100 years ago, MBs in Ukraine sent missionaries to South Asia, and now South Asian churches are sending missionaries to Canada. “It shows us God’s sovereign plan for the nations,” said Sarah, “but it also shows us how churches from around the world can work together.” On a personal level, Sarah also sees the similarities between the two couples and how God has led them. “We are on parallel journeys of faith,” she reflected. “We are each listening to God, trying to hear what he is saying, and responding in faith and obedience.”
P R AY / G IVE Please pray for Arun and Anjana and their two sons, Daniel and Joel, as they adjust to Canada and embrace their new roles as missionaries. To contribute financially to their support, go to multiply.net/arun-and-anjana multiply.net | 7
Guests of the River Folk BRAZIL | Nikki White
In May, I attended the global summit of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) in Brazil. Following the event, Emerson Cardoso, Brazilian church leader and Multiply’s Regional Team Leader for Latin America, took seven of us to visit the Ribeirinhos, the “River Folk” of the Amazon. For the past several years, Brazilian MBs have been involved in church planting initiatives among this indigenous people group as the Ribeirinhos respond to the Gospel. Our international group consisted of: Johann Matthies (Germany), Valdas Vaitkevičius (Lithuania), Walter Jakobeit (Germany), Jaeem (South Asia), Franz Wolf (Brazil), and Scott and Nikki White (Canada).
After flying overnight from Curitiba to Manaus, we drive long hours along a sketchy, desolate road to some obscure town on the banks of the Rio Negro, then travel even longer hours by boat. I gawk at monkeys, giant lily pads, pink dolphins, massive ant colonies and exotic birds, with only an occasional boat to hint at hidden civilization in the otherwise unbroken seascape of this massive branch of the Amazon River.
After hours on the river, I feel my smallness: an insignificant speck of humanity on a vast and untamed canvas. We wind through tributaries where the dense vegetation and trees are half-submerged by waters that can span up to forty kilometers. Rounding a bend, a village suddenly appears. Are there really people living here? Don’t they get lonely? “Of course, they are lonely!” Emerson replies. “Why else do we come? To show that we care, we see them, God sees them.”
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The River Folk greet us with friendly reserve, slightly taken aback when our outgoing South Asian friend stages a photo shoot. Are we offending them? “Don’t worry,” Emerson assures us, “We are invited guests. Otherwise,” he adds wryly, “they have a legal right to kill us.” Hospitality, it seems, has strict parameters in the Amazon.
As our team spreads out, I see an elderly, dignified matriarch sitting somewhat apart from the rest. We smile, and soon we are swapping stories, mom-to-mom. Nineteen? Slack-jawed, I try to imagine birthing that many children in one lifetime. “And thirty-two grandchildren,” she adds, “to keep me company. You?” Woefully deficient in fertility, I confess, admiring the one big extended family which comprises her entire village.
The villagers prepare a feast: slabs of two-meter-long pirarucu fish baked in banana leaves, exotic fruits, vegetables from their garden, and chunks of savory meat from the paca—inelegantly described as a large rodent. I am invited into the chieftain’s house, where she tells me that eight of them live in this cramped, rustic hut. Where do they all sleep? She points to eight bundled hammocks, pegged to the ceiling. When I tell her that my husband and I sleep alone in one room, she is sad for me.
After lunch I ask some children about bathroom facilities. They shrug and point casually into the jungle. I wander the path uneasily, recalling words of half-joking warning from our guide: “Avoid hanging vines (snakes drop from them…)”, “look before you pee (ants swarm; they destroyed a whole town…)”, “watch for logs that move (alligators...)” and, above all, remember, “Everything here wants to kill you.”
The time to depart comes all too soon, as our captain does not want to be on the river at night. The piranha fish, he explains, feed only at night. The villagers walk with us to the shore, graciously extending an invitation to return. In turn we invite them to own homes, far away. “Too far!” they say, shaking their heads. Will we come back? I fervently hope so. We had come as guests of the River Folk, but we were leaving as friends.
multiply.net | 9
Longing for Family UGANDA | Mark J.H. Klassen
“We have had many friends in ministry over the years, both locally and globally,” said Robert Mponye, who leads Lifehouse Community Church and the King’s Kid School in Uganda. “But those friendships never developed into family relationships. Not until now.” For more than twenty years, Robert and his wife, Esther, have been caring for vulnerable children and inviting them into their own family. The ministry of King’s Kid School in Mityana, Uganda had a humble beginning when they received an orphan girl into their small house and cared for her like she was one of their own. Five years later, the couple started the school, where today more than one hundred children are full-time residents and almost four hundred attend daily classes (to read this story, go to multiply.net/god-sent-grace). Under the leadership of the Mponyes, this ministry experienced significant growth and came to include a network of churches, Bible school, vocational school, children’s choir, medical clinic, evangelistic outreaches, agricultural projects and more. However, all the while, Robert’s vision was not just local, but global. “I am passionate about the kingdom of God,” said Robert, “and that kingdom crosses boundaries and oceans. It is much bigger than Uganda.” Robert knew that their small network of churches in Uganda needed partners in ministry that could give them a broader focus, a taste of God’s universal kingdom on earth. “I was looking for likeminded people across the oceans that we could work together with for the expansion of God’s kingdom.” In 2018, Robert was introduced to Doug Hiebert, Multiply’s Regional Team Leader for Sub-Saharan Africa. Doug visited Robert in Uganda and the two leaders immediately made a strong connection. “Robert already had some partnerships with isolated leaders and a couple of small churches,” said Doug Hiebert. “But they hadn’t built strong bonds. I sensed that Robert was longing for family.” 10 | witness
For Robert, the connection with Doug immediately felt like a friendship and the hope to build a partnership with Multiply was born in his heart. “When we talked about working together, Doug emphasized the family aspect of relationships,” said Robert. “I immediately wanted to be a part of that.” Healthy partnership, for both Robert and Doug, meant walking together in transparency and trust. “It feels like we have known each other for many years,” said Robert of his friendship with Doug. “When we talk, I share with him how I really feel, and I expect the same from him. We’ve learned to believe in each other, to trust each other.”
“I am passionate about the kingdom of God, and that kingdom crosses boundaries and oceans. It is much bigger than Uganda.” Doug added. “We have very open and honest conversations about ministry, about faith, about everything. We have become close friends, which is truly a blessing, because good relationship is at the heart of partnership.” Robert also added keen insight into the importance of spiritual maturity in healthy partnerships. “We were looking for people who honoured God,” he said plainly, “people who understood the value of both the horizontal and vertical relationship. Because we didn’t just want to do our own thing. It wasn’t about our vision, or their vision, but about seeking God’s vision together.” From the very beginning, Doug was impressed with this aspect of Robert’s character and spiritual depth. “Here was a humble servant leader who was not interested in building his own kingdom,” said Doug, “but he was actively seeking the good of others, giving leadership away and enabling others to grow.”
Robert Mponye and Doug Hiebert, serving together in Uganda: “We’ve learned to believe in each other, to trust each other.”
Doug also noticed that partnership, for Robert, was not based on an exchange of money. The ministries in Uganda under Robert’s leadership were already flourishing and producing lasting fruit. “We all have needs,” said Robert, “but our vision must be bigger than our needs. Doug and I are learning to relate to each other according to our vision.” “Ultimately, we offer each other relationship,” said Doug of Multiply’s partnership in Uganda. “We will give and receive in this partnership, and they will do the same. There will be funding and trips, but most of all we will exchange encouragement and faith.” Robert and Esther have hosted several people from Multiply in Uganda, and they look forward to hosting more. In 2020, teams from North America were scheduled to visit Uganda, but the global pandemic delayed those plans. “Our visitors from Multiply have said that their faith has been inspired while visiting us,” said Robert. “We feel so privileged. I treasure that as something eternal. It’s so encouraging. “We look forward to hosting more visitors and teams, so we can serve and learn together.” One of the early visitors to Uganda, just prior to COVID-19, was Vic Wiens, who was encouraged to meet Robert when he was told that the Lifehouse family of churches was interested in joining the global MB family. Vic went as the Multiply liaison for the International Community of MBs (ICOMB). Reflecting on his visit, Vic said, “An almost immediate affinity developed with Robert. I found him likeable and like-minded in almost every respect. Robert and Esther have huge hearts and huge
vision, much of which has already been implemented. Since that trip, our mutual appreciation seems only to be growing.” As recently as last month, Doug Hiebert had the opportunity to be with Robert in Uganda, and he was struck again by the faith that this partner in ministry was displaying. After his visit, Doug wrote, “For Robert and his team, there is such a dependence on God, a belief that God alone can bring change and transformation, that he is alive and present and active, that he can supply their needs. That kind of faith is inspiring, enlivening, and contagious!” Multiply’s partnership in Uganda is thriving, and their partners there are eager to invest their resources and energies globally. “We are not only asking how we can continue to grow a healthy partnership, but we are praying for the churches in North America,” said Robert. “We are praying for Multiply, for blessing, for revival, for discernment, for the right people. Together, we can have greater impact on the world for Jesus.”
GO Is God calling you to serve with the team in Uganda? To learn more about current service opportunities, go to multiply.net/serve To watch a recent video about King’s Kid School in Uganda, go to multiply.net/kings-kid-school multiply.net | 11
When Spring Returns UKRAINE | Nikki White
Unlike thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine, Yulia was desperate to get back. She had just received news that her son, a soldier, had been killed. “I will never forget the day I heard about his death,” Yulia said. “My son, Ignat, he was most wonderful. When my husband died, Ignat was only nine. He would always help, taking his little sister, Victoria, to school, catching fish to sell. One time, he sold his motorcycle to buy me a gift for Mother’s Day!”
Yulia felt that she had no choice but to leave the safety of Poland and, against the tide of evacuees, return to Ukraine. At the very least, Yulia thought in anguish, she could try to recover his body. But more than that, she wanted to save her sixteen-year-old daughter who was still trapped in Mariupol. Yulia felt that she had no choice but to leave the safety of Poland and, against the tide of evacuees, return to Ukraine. Memories of her son competed with anxious thoughts about her daughter. Victoria had remained in their small village in southeastern Ukraine when Yulia left for Poland to find work to support the family. When Russia invaded, Victoria went to the city of Mariupol where her grandmother lived. After a time, she tried to return to her 12 | witness
village, but found it occupied by Russian soldiers, their house destroyed, their belongings looted. “She hid in broken-down houses,” Yulia said. “When she got back to Mariupol, her clothes were shredded, torn by flying fragments of glass from the shelling. Things got worse and worse. As she traveled, she was turned back many times.” Victoria hoped to make it to Zaporizhzhia, where many refugees were gathering on their journey to the western borders. But it was not easy to find transportation. Day after day, she was turned away. “Hold on,” her mother told her, “I am coming.” Yulia made it to Dnipro where her son’s body lay. There, she was given a small Ukrainian flag, in memory of Ignat. She added it to her small backpack, where a pair of sweatpants were wrapped around her documents. Then she carried on to Zaporizhzhia, in hopes of being reunited with Victoria. As she arrived in Zaporizhzhia, Yulia was caught in a cold downpour. In addition to her clothes being soaking wet, she was exhausted, and her health was failing. Victoria was still in Berdyansk, several hours away. At a collection point, Yulia begged for help in evacuating her daughter from Berdyansk, only to be told that there were no green corridors of safety—no one was willing to risk the drive.
“People told me to wait in Zaporizhzhia,” Yulia said, “but wait where? I knew no one in the city. I had nowhere to stay.”
Yuri and others prayed with her, encouraging her to trust in God. Then one of the volunteers at the collection point made a call to a new shelter he had heard about, the New Hope Center. This ministry of Multiply in Ukraine had just renovated their center to accommodate refugees, with offices as dorms, classrooms as storage rooms, and a shower. The center had served for years as a ministry to families in crisis and, now in a time of war, the staff were determined to rise to the challenge.
“My daughter was starving!” she said forcefully. “No food, hiding in basements, sick with fever! Dead people everywhere—adults, children. This we had seen before, in 2014, but then I had been with her. I could not bear to think of her going through this without me!” At the New Hope Center, Yulia and Victoria recovered. “When I was there, they showed me tulips in a jar,” said Yulia. “What? When had tulips bloomed? I was constantly crying and worried, I did not see this happen. I went outside and birds were chirping, the grass was already green. Spring had come, and I had not even noticed! Next time, I want us to notice, to see when spring returns to Ukraine.”
Eventually, the staff at New Hope Center helped Yulia and her daughter to leave “They sent a man named Ukraine and return to Yuri,” Yulia related, “a man Poland. Their mission led by God, sent to me was to send them on by God.” Yuri took Yulia their way with new to the New Hope Center hope in God’s care and where, overwhelmed and in the power of Jesus exhausted, she fell sick. to heal and to save. The kindness with which Although trauma has she was cared for still left Victoria constantly brings her to tears. “I will afraid and unable to remember them,” she sleep, the resiliency of Mother and daughter reunite in Zaporozhizhia said, “all my life.” the Ukrainian people is and find hope at the New Hope Center also evident as mother At the center, volunteers and daughter work found a way to evacuate to forge a future for Yulia’s daughter from themselves. “I will work, Berdyansk. As the days dragged on, Yuri and others prayed she will study,” Yulia stated firmly. “We are together. I want with her, encouraging her to trust in God. Finally, she was my daughter to heal, to grow, to know beauty in her life.” told that her daughter was en route to Zaporizhzhia. “I went right away to pray with Yuri,” Yulia said. “We prayed all evening, then again, all the next morning. We prayed for her to pass every checkpoint. Each time she did, she would call. Then we looked at the map and prayed for the next checkpoint.” At last, mother and daughter were reunited. They embraced fiercely, tears streaming down their cheeks. Like any mother, she immediately worried that her child was too thin.
P R AY / G IVE Pray for peace in Ukraine. Praise God that, despite the ongoing war, people like Yulia and Victoria are finding hope and healing. For recent updates about Multiply’s response to the war in Ukraine, including prayer requests and giving opportunities, go to multiply.net/ukraine-in-crisis multiply.net | 13
Searching for Sebastian a letter from father to son MEXICO | Israel Chavez Israel and Sandra Plett-Chavez are serving with Multiply at the Matthew Training Center in Guadalajara, Mexico. Sandra, from Canada, has been serving in Mexico since 2007. Several years ago, she met Israel who was the pastor of RETO Pinar Church in Guadalajara. The couple married two years ago and now pastor and serve together.
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I knew you were out there somewhere, mi hijo (my son). I just had to find you. How could I give up? God never gave up looking for me. When God first spoke to us about you—this child we were meant to find—your mother and I understood that adoption is very close to the heart of our God. He is the God of orphans and widows and the poor, you know. When she was young, your mother even imagined adopting a child from every nation in the world. It was a beautiful dream. When we first married, we asked God to lead us in the journey of becoming a family. After one year, he spoke to us from the Bible through a letter written by a man named Paul. He wrote that we who belong to Jesus are all adopted, brought into sonship through the Holy Spirit. That word “adoption” stayed in our heads. We knew that God was calling us to search for you. The search was exciting, difficult, and sometimes a little scary. We did not know even what you looked like, or what your name was. What color were your eyes? Who were your friends? How old were you? So many unknowns. We could not do this alone; we needed others to help us, and God provided many kind and wise people to guide our steps. There were our missionary friends, Dallas and Terra, who had already adopted two children. They gave us a whole binder of things to learn—it was a little overwhelming! There was this course we had to take, studying hard so that we would be good parents. It was intense and we were worried we would not pass. There was so much paperwork, and we grew tired and discouraged. But there was our church and our families reminding us that God was leading us and that we should not give up. There was this lady named Paola, a psychologist who helped us prepare to become a family. And then there was Nora, from Family Services, who helped us find you at long last. So many cities, so many states—we had searched everywhere—and in the end it turned out that you were living only two blocks from our house! For five years, just around the corner. The time came to meet you face-to-face. You would laugh, mi hijo, if you had seen us getting ready that day. Your mother spent hours choosing her clothing, styling her hair, and I spent hours picking out a special toy. What would a five-year-old like? I imagined playing with you, and I
rehearsed what I would say to you. I did not want you to feel afraid, but to feel loved, wanted. Is this how God wants us to feel, I wondered, when he meets with us? I think so. At the orphanage, we waited, we prayed, we fidgeted, and then there you were, walking through the doorway. That face, that smile! Our hearts were pounding. We said hello and began to play together. Did you notice my tears? I could not stop them, the whole time that we were playing. Something woke up inside of me. I thought to myself, I will care for him, protect him, and love him forever. Afterward, it was hard to leave you, but we came back to the orphanage the next day, and the next. Day after day, until you were familiar with us. Then came the day when you were asked, would you like to have a sleepover with Israel and Sandra? Your eyes shone as you nodded, yes. We made pizza together and ate popcorn in our pajamas. Do you remember? After we put you to bed, your mother and I stayed awake all night, in case you might be afraid. When we heard you cry in the wee hours of the morning, we rushed into your room. We held you close and cried with you. You are not alone, we told you. We will never leave you. I think you believed us, because some days later at the orphanage, when you were asked if you would like us to be your parents, there was no hesitation. You flung yourself at me. I hugged you tight, and said your name over and over: Sebastian, Sebastian. Suddenly you pulled away. That is not my name, you told me. Don’t call me that! We were surprised. Then you said, My name is mi hijo. Yes, mi hijo—my son. That is your name.
P R AY Please pray for Israel and Sandra as they welcome Sebastian into their lives. Ask God to bless this new family with an abundance of his love, goodness, and grace. To stay current with prayer requests from Multiply’s workers all over the world, subscribe to the Daily Prayer Guide at multiply.net/dpg
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