Winter 2022 multiply.net
together that the world may know Jesus
Witness
The Macedonian Call “Come over and help us.”
Witness Winter 2022 Contents
“Who Will Replace Us?”
Editorial: “Who Will Replace Us?”................... 2 Open Doors in the Middle East.......................4
Editorial by Vic Wiens
An Invitation from Latin America...................5 Hakan’s Invitation....................................................6 Three Dreams............................................................8 Fifteen Extra Years...............................................10 A Different Journey.............................................. 12 The Last Surrender..............................................14
Staff Managing Editor..................Mark J.H. Klassen Layout & Design..........................Darcy Scholes Illustration & Design..................... Colton Floris Prayer Mobilization..........................Nikki White Story Research..................................Eric Geddes Circulation.......................................... Robin Lesser Media Director................................ Daniel Lichty
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In 1895, Peter and Martha Wedel of Kansas sensed God’s call to missionary service in the Cameroons. After preparation and discernment, they were sent by MB churches through a German Baptist mission agency. Due to failing health, Martha left the field early, but Peter stayed. Within two years, he too fell ill and left Africa—he passed away on his way home and was buried at sea. Undaunted, another couple, Heinrich and Maria Enns from Mountain Lake, Minnesota, arrived in the Cameroons in 1896, already aware of the grave dangers. While they were departing from the railway station in Mountain Lake, the solemn crowd sang a hymn of blessing and prayed for these new workers. Heinrich’s final words to his sending church rang out, “If we do not come back, if we must die, who will replace us?” Heinrich and Maria did not return to the USA. Both were buried in Africa. However, others did step up to replace them in that generation. Heinrich’s question continues to ring out in our generation, “Who will replace us?” Today, within our global MB family, we celebrate new missionaries that are being sent out, not only from North America, but from our partner conferences in Brazil, Colombia, Congo, Japan, and across Europe. God is still calling our churches to send out new workers and to make disciples of all nations. On a recent trip to Turkey, I visited the Cappadocian caves where I saw the remains of churches and monasteries that were built into the limestone rocks centuries ago. It was fascinating to see the legacy of faithful missionaries who spread the Gospel throughout Turkey in the first century, and to reflect on our shared missionary heritage. The Book of Acts tells us about the first Christian messengers who began in Jerusalem and moved westward. We read about the church in Antioch
where early missionaries like Paul and Barnabas were called by God and sent throughout the region. Their teams traveled from place to place, preaching the Gospel and planting churches. On return trips, they visited the young churches, bringing instruction and encouragement, yet they were also constrained to expand the Good News to the unreached. During this sweeping account of Gospel expansion, there is an intriguing story in Acts 16 that begs for our attention. It is a key turning point. As Paul and his team traveled, it says that they were “kept by the Holy Spirit” from going to Asia, and then that “the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them” to go north to Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7). As they stopped in Troas (southwest of modern Istanbul), there Paul received a vision and a call, “Come over and help us!” In the dream was a man from Macedonia, across the Aegean Sea in northern Greece (16:9).
Is there a Macedonian call for us today? On my recent trips, I heard the message loud and clear from our national partners, “Come over and help us!” That Macedonian call was the beginning of the Gospel’s penetration into Europe. From there, in due time, Christianity would spread to Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Oceania. But two times there was a “No” from God, before the “Go.” Paul and his team had to consider things carefully, but eventually they concluded together that God was calling them to go. They obeyed the call, and the rest is history. Human faithfulness led to God’s fruitfulness!
to the last, the least, and the lost. As a mission agency, Multiply continues to be committed to evangelism, discipleship, church planting, leadership training, mission capacity building, and community development. While we are faced with an unprecedented number of open doors around the world, we are also faced with a great need for new workers. Though we see new passion in our churches, and we are engaging new strategies, we are also aware of an aging missionary force and a general decline in long-term workers. In this way, last year was bittersweet for me. On the one hand, we joyfully celebrated the faithful service of some long-term workers, yet it was hard to see them move on. Richard and Hazel Funk recently returned to Canada after more than thirty years of service in Austria. Otto and Marjorie Ekk also announced that they will be leaving Portugal after three decades of service there. In November, Multiply said goodbye to Saji Oommen, who has taken on a new role with a child support ministry after twenty-one years of serving with us in India, Turkey, and the USA. Likewise, in December, we saw Andy Owen transition from twenty-one years in Thailand to pastoral ministry in Wichita, Kansas. We also celebrated the lives of departed missionaries such as Ruth Friesen (Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Pakistan), George Baier (Congo and Germany), and Helene Franz (Paraguay). We thank God for all these faithful workers, yet I ask you, who will replace them? I am reminded that we belong to a vibrant missionary tradition. In the past, God called, and yet he still calls today. God directed, and yet he still directs. Many have faithfully served, yet many more are still needed. There were unreached peoples then, and there are still more today. How will we face this challenge? Is God calling you?
Is there a Macedonian call for us today? I would say, absolutely. On my recent trips to Portugal, Turkey, and Kyrgyzstan, I heard the message loud and clear from our national partners, “Come over and help us!” True, over the decades and centuries of missions, some things have changed. The West is no longer the sending base that it was, though faithful workers are still being sent from our churches in North America and Europe. In our world today, mission is truly from everywhere to everywhere.
In this edition of Witness, you will be inspired to consider how the Macedonian call is still being heard today. You will hear from national partners like Hakan, Regional Team Leaders like Emerson and Nasser, and long-term workers like Louise who are all affirming the ongoing need for dynamic and diverse international partnerships. May God’s voice be heard in our hearts.
As we engage this missionary call today, we often hear a similar message from our national partners: “Please come help us disciple and train young believers and churches.” Where the church is established, our role is to complement and collaborate. Where the church is not yet, among the thousands of unreached people groups, we must still go
Vic Wiens currently serves as the Interim General Director of Multiply. He and his wife, Marty, spent twenty-five years as missionaries in Brazil.
multiply.net | 3
Open Doors in the Middle East Mark J.H. Klassen
“The visit was too short,” said Nasser al’Qahtani, upon returning recently from a trip to the Middle East. “There are just too many new believers now, and too much work to do.”
Due to the fact that Nasser speaks their language and understands their cultural and religious background, he is able to explain things in a way that connects deeply with their worldview and allows them to embrace Jesus within their unique context.
It’s a wonderful problem, especially in a region that has been very closed to the Gospel over the years. Nasser was overjoyed with how discipleship opportunities have multiplied recently. As a result, he is not only eager to return to the region soon, but he is also excited to see others respond to the call for help.
When asked about the greatest need of the Church in this region, Nasser stated simply, “With so many newborn followers of Jesus, the Church needs spiritual fathers and mothers to invest in this new generation, to disciple these young believers and help them raise up their own spiritual families. That’s how I see my role, and that’s how I see others who are willing to come and serve in that way.”
Nasser, who is himself from that part of the world, has been a follower of Jesus for twenty-five years now. He grew up in a strict Muslim home and became a dedicated jihadist as a young man. However, after coming to faith in Jesus while living in the US, he is now regularly being invited back to his homeland by local believers and foreign workers alike who desperately want to hear his perspective on what it means to follow Jesus in a Muslim culture. “The new believers are so hungry for God and for the Scriptures,” said Nasser, “but the teaching and discipleship they are receiving often comes from a very Western perspective, so they struggle to understand what it looks like in the framework of their own culture.”
According to Nasser, the call for outside help is qualified by the reality that foreign workers in the region have historically not lasted long. “Missionaries don’t stay for more than a year or two,” he said, “and there seems to be three common reasons for why they don’t stick around.” Those three factors, Nasser explained, are first, that the foreigners lack a strong sending church in their homeland that understands their call and perseveres with them; second, that they lack a strong team on the ground to provide spiritual care and support; and third, that they lack the commitment or ability to learn Arabic. “When I’ve seen foreigners thrive in this region and stay long-term,” said Nasser, “they have all three of these components.” Nasser gave an example of one man and his family that came to the region more than ten years ago and have flourished. “He has become my key contact and my closest collaborator, not to mention my dear brother,” said Nasser with affection. “We communicate with each other at least once a week, and we share our hearts and pray together.” When Nasser recently facilitated the sending of a new worker from the US to the region, he made sure that the young man was received by this man and his family and was embraced as a part of their team.
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Nasser is hopeful that many more will hear the call and come to the region, although he is well aware of the commitment required, and the cost. “People who serve in this region need spiritual maturity,” said Nasser, “not only to survive in a very oppressive spiritual environment, but also to walk alongside local believers who are paying a high price for their faith in Jesus.” Despite various forms of opposition in the Middle East, the Gospel is spreading like never before. “On my latest trip, I met so many people who were so eager to talk about Jesus,” said Nasser. “The doors are open. People are hungry for the Gospel. Who will join me in embracing these opportunities?”
GO Are you ready to respond to Nasser’s invitation? Due to the sensitive nature of ministry in the Middle East, we must proceed with care and caution as we mobilize workers into this region. To speak with someone about your sense of calling and to learn more about current opportunities, please call your local Regional Mobilizer at 1.866.964.7627.
An Invitation from Latin America The story of the Macedonian call in Acts 16 causes me to ask two questions: first, am I attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in the same way as Paul and his team? And second, am I aware of the same call for help today? In Latin America, we live in a time of awakening to the Macedonian call. During this pandemic, our workers have needed to reinvent themselves to meet the needs of those around them, and as thousands of immigrants are coming to our region from the Middle East, Africa, and Central America, they are crying out to us like the man in Paul’s dream. Today, we need to turn this spiritual dream into missionary action, just as Paul and the others did, and people were released from bondage, wounded souls were healed, and vibrant churches sprang up. On behalf of our churches in Latin America, I would invite you to get involved in what God is doing in our region:
> God is at work in Northern Peru, from Piurá to the desert mountains, where four Mennonite Brethren pastors and a group of young leaders are traveling village to village on motorcycles to preach the Gospel.
> God is at work in Colombia, where a move of God is taking place that has united churches and resulted in revitalization, mission projects, and leadership training. Also in Colombia, let us not forget the Wounaan Indigenous people who are hearing the Gospel through the faithful efforts of Einer and Girlesa Zuluaga and the Wounaan church leaders from Panama.
> God is at work in Venezuela, a country suffering under an oppressive regime, where Pastor Fernando and
his team of Chinese church leaders are persevering in preaching the Gospel among immigrants and nationals alike.
> God is at work in Mexico, where our workers at the Matthew Training Center are advancing in training new leaders and planting new missional churches, and where local church leaders are embracing new opportunities for small business and community development.
> God is at work in Panama, where our churches have been responding to needs in the midst of the harsh consequences of the pandemic, which has taken almost all of the income from families who made their living from handicrafts. Some of these families are now turning to farming and finding opportunities to serve others that are hungry for the Gospel.
> God is at work in Brazil, where the northern regions are today’s Macedonia and churches are being planted among people groups that live in deserts and who are very thirsty for the Water of Life. Churches are also being planted in the Amazon rainforest among the Indigenous peoples who are also in need of Jesus and the transforming Gospel.
On behalf of my region, please pray for us, give to these projects, and consider serving among us. In the spirit of the Macedonian call, come over and help us! Emerson Cardoso Regional Team Leader, Latin America multiply.net | 5
Hakan’s Invitation CENTRAL ASIA | Mark J.H. Klassen
“I often feel like the Macedonian man in Paul’s dream,” said Hakan, a key national partner for Multiply in a large Central Asian country. “I am the one saying, ‘Come, help us!’ I am eager to invite others from our global family to join us here in the work of the Gospel.” Hakan has enjoyed a strong relationship with Multiply ever since his first meeting with Randy Friesen and others who were visiting his country in 2008. After hearing his miraculous story of finding faith in Christ, they saw his passion for the Gospel and wanted to find ways to support him as an emerging church leader.
More than anything, he wanted to see his people hear the Gospel and experience the love of Jesus. In the years that followed, Hakan began to work in partnership with various international church networks, including Mennonite Brethren. The work of church planting was not easy, especially in a Muslim country like his own. But Hakan persisted in the face of much opposition, and he became stronger in his faith and 6 | witness
bolder in his preaching. More than anything, he wanted to see his people hear the Gospel and experience the love of Jesus. “I am thankful for the partnership with churches in North America through Multiply,” Hakan said. “They have invested heavily in my country for the sake of the Gospel. They have prayed, they have contributed financially, and they have sent workers. This has been a great blessing to me.” In 2012, when Hakan began partnering with Multiply, there were four North American families that were serving alongside him in his country. Soon after, a fifth family also joined. However, within two years, each of the families faced unique challenges and difficult decisions, and all five families left. “What can I say?” Hakan asked, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few, always too few.” Eventually, other workers came, but the need for more remained evident. Through it all, Hakan kept affirming the need for stronger partnerships. “I want more relationship,” he said. “We need closer communication with our international partners like Multiply. We need to share the work and the responsibility, like true companions.”
Recently, Hakan received a visit from Johann Matthies, Regional Team Leader, and Rudi Plett, President of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB), as well as Vic Wiens, ICOMB Liaison with Multiply. They talked about the growing number of churches in his country and the need for ongoing partnership. They also discussed the idea of Hakan’s national network of churches eventually becoming a member of ICOMB. “They said it would be a first,” Hakan said, “because none of ICOMB’s member conferences currently come from a Muslim-majority country. I was disappointed to hear that, but I also saw it as an opportunity. Why can’t we be the first?”
“We cannot accomplish our vision without expanding our partnerships... We need to find ways to work better together.” The Gospel is bearing fruit in Hakan’s country and churches are being planted. “We are growing, and we have vision,” he said. “In the past two years, we have baptized one hundred and ten people. They are all like me—from Muslim background. We now have twentythree churches, and two more are currently being planned in strategic locations.” From a legal standpoint, there has also been recent progress. For Hakan, these developments come secondary to the spiritual hunger that he sees in his people, but they do make a practical difference, as he explains: “The government here just approved our application to become a recognized religious foundation. Our authority is in Christ, but this foundation gives us government approval, so that when churches are organized anywhere in the country, they are legally protected under this new status.” Hakan explained how the foundation provides the structural support for the work of evangelism and church planting. “We are preaching the Gospel and people in our country are finding hope in Jesus. With this legal status, we are able to experience a greater level of freedom.” For Hakan, this means that the Church in his homeland is positioned for growth. “Now we can invite others with even more confidence,” he said. “Yes, come! Come and help us here in my country and throughout this
region where many people have still not heard the message of Jesus!” As Hakan calls for more workers in Central Asia, he is also on the receiving side of the Macedonian call from Europe. On a recent trip to Germany, Hakan was reminded that the Gospel is truly going from everywhere to everywhere, and a global vision requires many different kinds of partnerships. “Europe is now filled with immigrants from Central Asia, millions upon millions of them,” Hakan said, “and the Church there is asking us for help in reaching their Muslim neighbors with the Gospel.” On the trip to Germany, Hakan took three other Muslimbackground believers with him, and they were joined by several others once they arrived. “While we were there, we shared the Gospel with other Central Asians that we met, and several of them heard the Gospel and also came to trust in Jesus. We are seeing this happen all over Europe.” Churches in Germany are embracing their missional call to reach out to their new neighbors, but they are asking for assistance from Central Asian believers to help with language, culture, and strategy. “Now we are in the shoes of Paul the apostle, listening to the call for help, and responding to the invitation,” he said. “And we are planning to support the German churches in whatever way we can.” Whether it’s in Europe or in his home country, Hakan is convinced that the opportunities for the Gospel are great, but so are the challenges. “I know the cost—we will continue to suffer for the Gospel, but this is why I believe in partnership. Together, we are stronger. When we share our resources, we can do so much more.” In his home country, the Church has a big vision for expansion, but Hakan is humble about their need. “We cannot accomplish our vision without expanding our partnerships. That’s why we find ourselves in the place of the Macedonian man—we need your help. We need to find ways to work better together.”
GO Are you ready to respond to Hakan’s invitation? To speak with someone about current service opportunities in Central Asia, please call your local Regional Mobilizer at 1.866.964.7627. To be inspired by what God is doing today in Central Asia, turn the page to read an amazing testimony of life transformation among Hakan’s people. multiply.net | 7
Three Dreams A Personal Testimony from a New Believer in Central Asia
I was born into a Muslim family, though we were not devout. As a young woman, I was not interested in religion. I believed in God, but when I thought about suffering, disease, disasters, poverty, and death, I was forced to question God’s existence. As a university student, I moved away from my family to the city where I eventually pursued a career in communications. As a public relations consultant, I managed branding projects in the press and media. In many ways, I was in a position to be envied by others. I interacted with the wealthy and famous in business and in the arts. However, personally, I was lost. I had no sense of meaning in life, and I had not found happiness. I often felt like I didn’t really belong to this world, as if my purpose in this life was something other than what I had ever known. At that point, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and she was forced to stay at home for the treatment. I thought to myself, If my mother dies from cancer, O God, why do we live in the first place? As my questioning continued, one night, I had a dream. I was in the 8 | witness
heavens, on a ship. I was sitting at a table directly across from a man wearing a white smock. He informed me that he was a teacher and that he would unfold the mystery of truth to me. On the table before us was a bowl with stones inside. The man asked me to pick out three stones. Each one I chose was in the shape of a fish. The man said that one stone represented my mother, one myself, and one I would come to understand in time. Then I woke up. The dream had a powerful effect on me because it was so real! The face of the man was so clear in my memory that, if ever I saw him in real life, I would know for sure. When I shared my dream to my closest relative, she also was affected by it. I thought this dream must be some kind of message. But I had no idea what it was about. The next night, I had another dream. I was back on the same ship with that same man. He said he would train me. He asked me to extend my hands and open my palms. When I did, I saw a strong light from heaven hitting and reflecting off the center of my palms. The man said that power and healing were in my hands. Again he said, in
time you will understand what this means. Then I woke up. The next night, I had a third dream. This time I was taken to another room aboard the ship. There were bathtubs in this room and women were stepping in and out of these tubs filled with water. There was a curtain to my right. The man pulled the curtain open to show me an available tub. “Do you want to enter the water in this tub?” he asked. “If you do, you will be cleansed. In fact, you will become a new creature.” Then I woke up. For months, I thought about these three dreams. Although I could not figure out what it all meant, I knew that one day it would be revealed to me. My life began to change. My heart was alive, and it was crying out to me. I knew something was going to happen. After some time, I decided to move back to where my mother lived. There, I learned that there was a church only five minutes from my house. Unknown to me, my mother would often attend the services there, and one day she invited me to join her. When I entered the building, there was a man at the pulpit speaking, but I didn’t pay attention to him because I was so busy observing my surroundings and
I thought that I must have a special assignment in this world—now I know exactly what that is.
the other people there. I enjoyed the singing, and I stayed after the service for coffee. After an hour of visiting, suddenly a light went on in my head. I was shocked to realize that the man standing in the pulpit was the man in my dreams: his name was Hakan. Even though it had been nine months since I had those dreams, I knew it was him. Suddenly, my eyes were opened. I had never seen him before. Excitedly, I began to tell everyone in the church what had just happened to me. The people at the church began to explain to me that this was the call of God upon my life and that the symbols in my dreams were in harmony with Scripture. I was amazed and shocked. When they started to pray for me, I felt the presence of God flowing into me. God spoke to my heart and, in a single moment, I understood the message of my dreams. That day, I took a New Testament home with me. For the next three days, I read it day and night. Every sentence amazed me. I became conscious of my own sin. I started seeing visions. As God spoke to
me and revealed mysteries to me, I lost touch with my immediate surroundings. I stopped eating and drinking, and I became increasingly heavy in my spirit about the sinfulness of mankind in the eyes of God. My whole body ached with the agony that God felt toward the world, and I began to repent with tears for my own sin. Eventually, my family became so concerned for me that they took me to the hospital. I couldn’t explain to them what I was going through. The psychiatrists examined me and said that I needed at least two weeks of treatment. Fortunately, my mother perceived what was happening to me and refused the treatment on my behalf. Actually, the Holy Spirit was already treating me, so we went home, where my mother placed her hands on me and prayed. Immediately, the visions stopped, and I felt strengthened. I started eating again and was able to talk normally. After this, I started life afresh. I began attending church regularly as a believer and made steady progress in knowing God. My life radically
changed as I consecrated myself to Christ. I began to serve God, share the Gospel, and pray for the sick. God enabled some to believe, while others were miraculously healed, and still others were delivered from evil spirits. Now I take advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel. I help lead worship at our church, and I enjoy fellowship with other believers. Every day, I praise God for revealing the truth to me. I want many, many more people to understand this salvation. Christ continues to make me new too. As a result, I am more patient, more understanding, more humble, more peaceful, and more happy. I pray that I will continue in this way, as I come to resemble Christ. My passion is for all of creation to hear the Gospel. Before I knew Christ, I thought that I must have a special assignment in this world—now I know exactly what that is. My assignment is to bear witness to Christ!
“For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 multiply.net | 9
Guy and Kaow, fifteen years ago, when they first believed in Jesus.
Fifteen Extra Years THAILAND | Louise Sinclair-Peters
Fifteen years ago, Guy was dying of AIDS. His wife, Kaow, begged her neighbor to lend her one dollar so that she could take her husband to the hospital. Even Guy’s own family refused to help. When Kaow arrived at the hospital, the doctor told her that Guy had only days to live. When the nurse on duty heard about Guy, she thought about her newfound faith in Jesus. She immediately went to his room and told Guy and Kaow how Jesus had revealed his love to her through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Her sins had been forgiven and she received eternal life. When Guy and Kaow heard this Good News, they repented of their sins and believed in Jesus Christ. Then the nurse asked if she could pray for healing. As she prayed, strength miraculously came back into Guy’s body. From that day on, Guy and Kaow and their family followed Jesus. They became a part of our first church in Chachoengsao and we started our first discipleship group in their small tin shack. 10 | witness
It says in Zechariah 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” It was because of Guy and Kaow’s faithfulness that many churches were started in Thailand. Last month, Guy passed away suddenly. He was 52 years old. When we received the news, we sent out word immediately to all our Thai and Myanmar churches.
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:10 Guy’s family insisted that the funeral be at the local Buddhist temple, but Kaow asked for special permission from the monks to have a Christian ceremony for one hour before the Buddhist ceremony, to which the monks kindly agreed. When we arrived at the funeral after a seven-hour drive, we fell out of the truck and into the weeping embrace of Kaow. Many believers from our Thai and Myanmar churches had
As Golf sang, many of his Buddhist aunts started to groan and cry under the weighty presence of God.
already gathered and had begun to celebrate Guy’s life and to offer comfort to Kaow and their son, Golf. It was such a precious gathering.
new life and a new business that provided abundantly for his family. Jesus’ healing power and grace gave Guy an extra fifteen years to live for him.”
Joshua, one of our Myanmar pastors, shared about how Guy had saved his life when he was a new believer. A man in the neighborhood had come after him with a machete and tried to kill him, but Guy had used his skills as a champion Thai kick boxer and gently brought that man under control!
As I surveyed the family of God at the funeral, represented in our ten Thai churches and ten Myanmar churches, I could hear the Holy Spirit asking me again, “Louise, I know you feel weak, but If I can use a man with HIV to start a church, and if I can even use a monk to preach the Gospel in a Buddhist temple, would you be willing to serve me wholeheartedly for another fifteen years in Thailand?”
Guy’s son, Golf, who had become one of our church planting interns, stood up with his guitar and sang a song of worship to Jesus. He also shared that his dad’s prayer for him was that he would serve the Lord. As Golf sang, many of his Buddhist aunts started to groan and cry under the weighty presence of God. For the next three nights, Buddhist friends and family listened as we sang songs of resurrection hope and the unconditional love of Jesus. Each night, the Buddhists and Christians sat a little closer together. Pastor Naat preached the Gospel through the powerful parables of Jesus. Everyone leaned in, eager to understand. On the final night, Naat invited the Buddhists to escape their endless bondage to karma and receive the free gift of grace found in knowing Jesus Christ. As several responded in faith, the whole group prayed. Finally, it was time for Guy’s body to be cremated. According to custom, a monk must stand and read a history of the deceased person’s life. Golf provided the written history, and the monk stood and announced, “Guy was addicted to drugs and dying in the hospital when he heard about the love of Jesus Christ. God forgave Guy’s sin and healed his body. Then God blessed Guy with a
That night, with the sound of monks chanting and the smell of incense wafting all around me, I too surrendered my life again to my Savior. Guy’s testimony of God’s power made perfect in weakness begs this question: What kind of amazing legacy would your life leave to the world if God gave you an extra fifteen years to serve him?
GO
Today, there are many young Thai and Myanmar believers who want to go out and start new house churches. Our pastors and leaders in Southeast Asia are urgently praying for more missionaries to come and support this effort in Thailand. How is God calling you to get involved? To speak with a Regional Mobilizer about getting involved in Southeast Asia, call 1.866.964.7267. To learn more about current service opportunities, go to multiply.net/go multiply.net | 11
A Different Journey CANADA-PANAMA | Eric Geddes
Lavern Pratt first went to Panama forty years ago. In 1981, she and her husband, Angus, were sent to Panama on an assignment with Multiply (MBMS at the time). They led an agricultural development project for two terms and returned to Canada in 1988. During their time in Panama, they especially grew to love the young people that they lived and served among. Upon returning to Canada, the couple settled in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, where they spent the next twelve years getting to know the Indigenous peoples in the region, specifically the Cree and Dene.
However, the adjustment to Canada was not easy. “Reentry seemed much more difficult than the culture shock we experienced in Panama,” Lavern explained. In 1990, the couple lost an infant daughter, and in 2000, their marriage ended, leaving Lavern a single parent. Those years were extremely stretching and refining for her. Coming out of the divorce, she asked the Lord about the next steps for her life. “I sensed the Lord leading me to go back to school,” Lavern said, “and I studied to become a Landscape Architect. It was a rewarding career, and I thought I would be doing it until I retired.”
GIVE Please consider a financial gift to help support long-term workers like Lavern Pratt. To learn more about investing in mission, go to multiply.net/give
Throughout her life, Lavern has come back to that simple question again and again: “God, what do you want to do in and through me?”
However, after twelve years of progressing in this career, Lavern was laid off and she went to God again with the question, “What do you want me to do now?” It was then that she took an opportunity to return to Panama for a ten-month mission experience with Multiply’s TREK program. Her love for that country and people was revived. After that experience, Lavern worked with an inner-city mission in Saskatoon for two years, but she continued to search her soul, asking God what he wanted to do in her, and through her.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 Finally, an answer came in the form of an open door to return to Panama long-term with Multiply. “As I began to prepare, I resigned from my job and sold my house,” she said, “and then the pandemic hit!” Despite COVID slowing down the process significantly, Lavern has been thrilled to be preparing for a move to Panama once again. Through online connections, she has been able to rekindle friendships with those in the church in Panama that she had been involved in planting
decades earlier. “What a joy it was,” she said with eyes sparkling, “to see how God had led some of the youth we knew in the 1980s into leadership positions within the MB church conference in Panama!” As pandemic restrictions lighten, Lavern is optimistic about her new timeline. Although it has been difficult to meet with people to develop partnerships, she is trusting in God’s provision. “I know I’m following God’s leading,” she said, “so I am confident that his plan will be fulfilled according to his intentions. Though I don’t know the timing of it all.” She is inspired by the truth in Ephesians 2:10, a verse that has been very special to her during the last few years: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Looking back on her life path, Lavern marvels, “I know that most of the missionaries who were sent out in the 1980s are now returning home and shifting into other areas of ministry. My journey has been so different, but there’s no retiring from serving God, so I’ll just keep following where he leads.” Throughout her life, Lavern has come back to that simple question again and again: “God, what do you want to do in and through me?” What about us? Will we be open and willing to keep asking the same question and follow where God leads? multiply.net | 13
The Last Surrender USA-BURUNDI | Nikki White
“Lying in that hospital bed—sweating one minute, chills the next—I remember thinking, ‘Man, my body has never failed me before.’” As Travis Jost recalled his recent health crisis in Burundi, he paused and swallowed as the pain of this memory etched raw emotion into his face. “I felt like God was saying, ‘This is your last surrender.’” In his journey to becoming a global worker with Multiply in Burundi, Travis thought that he had surrendered everything when he left Kansas: career, family, home, comfort. “You know, a new language, a new culture—that’s a lot to grab,” he said, reflecting on his last four years in Africa. “I felt like I had surrendered it all. I was willing to give up those things. But I don’t know that I ever really surrendered my health.” It was in July of 2021 that Travis came down with a dangerously high fever and went to a local hospital in Burundi for bloodwork. Every test came back normal, which was perplexing. “They patted me on the head,” he recalled, “and told me, ‘Go home and have some herbal tea. You’ll be fine.’” He was not fine. Fever and fatigue were soon joined by severe vertigo and, before long, Travis was unable to move from couch to bed without reeling, holding onto walls, and at times crawling on his hands and knees. He hoped it would pass, but the symptoms only worsened. “I finally waved the proverbial white flag,” he joked. “I don’t think I’d ever done that before. I called a healthcare professional—an American I knew in Bujumbura, the capital.” As he remembered the helplessness of that moment, Travis choked up again, and it was a long moment before he could continue with the story. 14 | witness
“I told him, ‘Okay, come get me.’” By the time the healthcare professional arrived, Travis was incapacitated. The man packed a bag for him, walked him down the stairs, and drove him to Bujumbura. There, he proceeded to administer a myriad of intravenous medications and to run more tests. They all came back normal, a diagnosis evading them still. Exhausted and discouraged, Travis reflected on the irony of his circumstances. “Here’s me, someone who was always into fitness, sports, always really active,” he said. “I always figured, whatever happens, I’ll be ready. Ready to go, ready to help, ready to serve. Now I’m in this bed, and I can’t even roll over without the whole world spinning out of control.” Finally, the decision was reached that Travis should be taken to Nairobi. Tickets were purchased, and he was put onto an airplane with his new companion to take care of him. Once at the hospital in Nairobi, MRI scans were taken, and the test results were shocking: Travis had suffered a small stroke. “In that situation,” Travis said dryly, “you don’t really hear the word ‘small.’” He went on. “I figured they would just diagnose some virus, fill me full of drugs, and send me back to Burundi. This was turning out to be a longer stay than I had anticipated. A lot of poking and prodding, a lot of testing and scanning: heart, blood, everything. All normal. They did not have a lot of answers.” During the whole ordeal, Travis found himself holding onto God’s Word. The first chapter of 1 John became his anchor, reassuring him of the reality of Jesus, the Word of life “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched” (v.1). As never before, this was the source of Travis’ hope.
“There’s only one guarantee. There’s only one promise,” Travis said. “It’s Jesus himself.”
“There’s only one guarantee. There’s only one promise,” Travis said quietly. “We all know that it’s Jesus himself and his presence with us, right? But it hits different when God allows us to feel it. That’s when we know that it’s all true. It’s all true.” Having once received the diagnosis of a stroke, Travis found that every small symptom triggered a response of anxiety. He wondered if he could ever trust his body again. Then he suddenly thought, “Maybe that’s the point.” “I realized just how much of my trust had been in the wrong place,” he explained. “What made me think that I was entitled to good health, a safe journey, an easy life? It’s all grace. There are so many things that, by the grace of God, I have experienced and escaped, like the daily miracle of getting from Point A to Point B.” From the hospital, Travis was sent to a guesthouse in Nairobi to recover sufficiently so that he could travel back to North America. For six days, he lay in a peaceful environment looking out into a beautiful garden replete with tall trees that lifted his spirit and his thoughts. “I lay there, looking at the trees, and felt grateful,” he recalled. “Grateful, at peace with not knowing, just waiting.” Looking around him, the imagery in Revelation 22:2 came into his mind, and he imagined himself
seeing the Tree of Life whose leaves were for the healing of the nations. “I asked myself, ‘What does healing even mean?’ Is it only physical? When the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of his garment, and Jesus told her, ‘Your faith has healed you’ (Mark 5:34), was he only talking about her disease? Or was it a deeper healing, of being brought closer to the Creator? For me, it’s all woven together now: stroke, healing, trees, leaves, him.” Eventually, Travis went to Kansas where he slowly recovered his strength while being surrounded and supported by family and friends. During that time, his balance, in more ways than one, was fully restored. He has now returned to Burundi where he continues to serve.
PRAY Please pray for Travis’ health and strength and join us in giving thanks to the One into whose hands he has fully surrendered his life. Pray also for the physical and spiritual health of our workers and partners around the world. To receive our Daily Prayer Guide and keep up to date on their various needs and requests, go to multiply.net/dpg multiply.net | 15
How are you answering today’s Macedonian call?
We can help you discern, prepare, and serve. multiply.net/go | 1.866.964.7627
