Winter 2021 Witness

Winter 2021 multiply.net

together that the world may know

Witness What motivates you to live on mission?

Witness Winter 2021 Contents Motivated to Live on Mission............................ 2 Deedee’s Faithful Witness..................................4

Motivated to Live on Mission

Munir’s Request for Baptism.............................6 The Resurrection of Uncle Nong....................8

Editorial by Randy Friesen

Motivated by Relationships.............................10 Born Again on Christmas Day........................ 12 Learning Together.................................................14

Staff Editor-in-Chief..............................Randy Friesen Managing Editor..................Mark J.H. Klassen Layout & Design..........................Darcy Scholes Illustration & Design..................... Colton Floris Writing & Prayer Mobilization.......Nikki White Media Director................................ Daniel Lichty Circulation & Administration.........Kyle Hendy

Contact 1.866.964.7627 For other contact information, see multiply.net Questions? Email witness@multiply.net If you would prefer not to receive a printed copy of Witness, please contact us today.

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Deedee’s testimony is an inspiration to me. She’s one of the young women who has been raised at the Abundant Life Home (ALH) in Thailand. When she first arrived at the home fourteen years ago, Deedee was covered in sores and living with untreated AIDS. Her own mother had trafficked her in the sex trade as a little girl and now Deedee was fighting for her life. With lots of prayer, love, medicine and support, Deedee has grown into a beautiful young woman who is serving the Lord. She’s also incredibly smart. Even as a young girl, Deedee would tell her doctor that she was going to grow up to be a doctor herself who would help other children in need.

Deedee has consistently scored at the top of her class academically. When she was nine, she led eleven of her friends to Christ in one day at the Buddhist temple school where she attended! It still brings tears to my eyes when I recall Deedee’s dance of worship as she offers her love to the Lord in the local Zion MB church where she attends with others from ALH. When she graduated from high school, Deedee received a scholarship through Multiply donors to attend a very well known university in Bangkok. This past semester, she had the opportunity to lead one of her professors to Christ! (To read the full story, go to page 4).

What motivates these couples to live on mission? They heard God’s call to “go” and they have been faithful.

What motivates Deedee to live on mission? She’s a witness of God’s incredible love for her in Christ, and through the body of Christ.

Karen Hubert-Sanchez and her husband Ricky began the Abundant Life Home for HIV-positive orphans fifteen years ago. Karen herself received a call to mission as a high school student when she attended a Keith Green Memorial concert following Keith’s tragic death. At the concert, she heard the call to “go” to the least reached. The message was simple: the call to mission is normative for every Christ follower, so if you do not have a clear call to “stay” then you are called to “go.”

formerly MB Mission

As Ricky and Karen were preparing to serve in Thailand with Multiply, they called and recruited Louise Sinclair Peters and her husband Dave who were pastoring in Williams Lake, BC. The invitation was simple:

“We’re building a team to plant churches in Thailand, do you want to join us?”

Team 2000 was formed in 1999 with three couples: Karen and Ricky, Louise and Dave, and Carmen and Andy Owen. They have all been based in Thailand for the past twenty years and their ministries continue to multiply.

Thousands have been reached and mobilized throughout Southeast Asia.

What motivates these couples to live on mission? They heard God’s call to “go” and they have been faithful.

So many others have been impacted by this mission story in Southeast Asia and they also have been inspired to participate. I think of someone like George Folz, one of our local retired business leaders who has been involved in supporting key business-in-mission strategies in the region. One of those initiatives has been Lighthouse Coffee, an export business from Myanmar that is creating opportunities for Gospel witness among the least reached and also providing support for many workers in that country. George has, in turn, mobilized many other business leaders to participate in this and other business and community development strategies around the world.

What motivates people like George Folz? Is he not also living out the call of God to “go”?

If the call to global mission is really for all of us, then maybe we need to think differently about what it looks like to “go.”

As a mission agency, we are looking for different ways to allow volunteers to get practically involved in global mission, whether that means a few weeks of service or a few months. Are you interested? We’ll give you training and organizational support to employ your volunteer skills in ways that advance mission. We’ll give you exposure to mission opportunities and then ways to invite others to join you. We want to help make the call to mission accessible to every Christ follower. We are also praying that meaningful engagement in mission, both local and global, becomes the clear focus of all of our MB churches. As we continue to answer this call, we will be changed by the experience!

We bear witness to what we have experienced. This is true of my own story. I am full of gratitude to God for his love for me as I grew up in a family that pointed me to Jesus.

Despite my prodigal years as a teen, Jesus kept pursuing me. While backpacking through Europe and the Middle East thirty-eight years ago, I saw the reality of Jesus in the lives of Jewish and Arab Christ followers in a little church in Jerusalem. I asked lots of questions about their faith stories and, after a month of counting the cost, I finally realized that I was empty without Christ and so I too surrendered

What motivates people like George Folz? Is he not also living out the call of God to “go”? my life and my will (not just my sin) to Jesus. At that point, no one had to tell me to share this newfound joy and inner freedom with other travelers—I was a witness to what I had experienced. Many of my friends found Christ, and a little band of disciples was formed. We learned together to pray, to fast, to memorize Scripture and to share the Good News with others. Living on mission with Jesus wasn’t a job—it was a way of life!

Jesus is still my leader today. Why do I love mission and the church? Because this is what Jesus loves. Why do I love the Holy Spirit and enjoy how he leads in mission? Because it was Jesus who gave this gift to me. We are witnesses to what we know to be true in our lives.

When I consider all of the amazing men and women who serve together in Multiply and in our MB churches around the world, I am reminded again that we are simply giving witness to the power of the Gospel to transform our lives.

When Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, follow me,” he didn’t tell them where they would be going, only who they would be going with. Jesus is still calling disciples to follow him in mission—both in their own communities and around the world.

As we live on mission together as an MB family, are we clear about Christ’s call to us? Are we open to going deeper in understanding this call? Are we praying to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers? In this edition of Witness we are sharing stories about the why of mission and the call of God on our lives, regardless of our station in life. I pray that you are encouraged to keep saying “yes” to God’s invitations.

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Deedee’s Faithful Witness at University THAILAND

By Karen Huebert-Sanchez Certain names have been changed for the sake of privacy.

Motivated by Changed Lives What motivates me (Karen) to live on mission?

Stories like this that involve life change.

When I shared this story with one of our supporters, he broke down and cried and said, “If the only reason you started ALH years ago was for this one story and this one lady, it was all worth it.”

Deedee’s mother was a sex worker in Pattaya. Her father was from Malaysia where he worked in human trafficking, finding women to work in the sex trade. They both passed away from AIDS when Deedee was very young. When she was only six years old, she came to live with us at the Abundant Life Home (ALH). At the time, she was tiny, sickly and covered in sores, but there was a sparkle in her eye. Everyone who met her said the same thing, “There is something very special about this girl.”

Deedee grew up at ALH and became an integral part of our community. She grew strong physically and became a firm believer in Jesus. She excelled at school and always dreamed of going to university.

Today, Deedee is in her second year at a prestigious university in Bangkok where she is studying to be a social worker. She studies hard, stays on the honor roll and is the president of her class.

Recently, she called me very late at night to tell me a story about what had happened that day during one of her

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classes. Near the end of the class, all of a sudden, everyone felt an evil presence take over the room. The students were terrified and began to ask each other whether they sensed the same dark presence. Everyone said they felt it. Then suddenly they heard the sound of crying, moaning and then screaming in the classroom. All thirty people in the class were silent as they listened.

Deedee said that everyone, including the professor, began to frantically gather their belongings and run out the door.

But Deedee sat frozen at her desk, praying silently. Her professor ran over to her and grabbed both of her hands and said, “Deedee! You must collect your things and run!

There is an evil spirit here. Hurry!”

Near the end of the class, all of a sudden, everyone felt an evil presence take over the room.

Deedee turned to her professor and said, “I’m OK. I’m just praying.” As she calmly packed her books, she said, “I’m not scared, because Jesus is with me. You go ahead.”

After Deedee told me that story, we prayed together on the phone. We affirmed our freedom in Christ and took authority over the enemy according to Scripture. We knew from our experience in Thailand that the enemy often tries to come like a flood right before a breakthrough for the kingdom of God. Later that week, I received another late night call from Deedee. This time, she was giddy! “I have another story to tell you!” she exclaimed.

She told me that she had been in the same class again that evening. After class, her professor approached her and asked if she could speak with her. Her professor is a lovely middle-aged woman named Dr. Kittaya. Immediately, the professor asked Deedee about Jesus.

Dr. Kittaya shared with Deedee about how, over the past couple of years, she had grown increasingly disillusioned with religion and with the practice of making merit (doing good to receive good). She felt empty doing Buddhist ceremonies and began to read about Jesus. At the same time, she had an American friend who shared Christ with her just before the friend had to move back to America due to the pandemic.

For several months, Dr. Kittaya had been crying out to Jesus and saying, “I need to know if you are real! Please help me know you.”

Immediately after praying that prayer, Dr. Kittaya heard a voice telling her to talk to Deedee after class. “I have been watching you for two years,” Dr. Kittaya told her, “and I have always been drawn to you because of your joy.”

The professor had taken Deedee and her fellow students on field trips every Sunday around Bangkok to visit different temples and to do social work projects in the slums. Dr. Kittawan had observed that Deedee would not participate in Buddhist ceremonies at the temples, but that she was always joyful, cheerful and polite.

“Why do you have so much peace?” Dr. Kittaya asked Deedee after class. “You are never fearful, yet you never make merit like the rest of us!”

Deedee shared the love of Jesus with her professor, and how he had transformed her life from being an abandoned orphan to a daughter full of hope and joy.

Then Dr. Kittaya asked Deedee, “What do I need to do to be saved?”

Deedee gladly shared a few Scriptures with her professor, explaining the way of salvation and grace. Then Dr. Kittaya asked, “Could you help me do that right now?”

Deedee was shocked! In Thai culture, a professor is highly revered, and would never ask a young student to take the lead in such a personal matter. But Deedee asked to hold hands with Dr. Kittaya, and led her in a tearful prayer of salvation.

Dr. Kittaya began to cry as she told Deedee of how she felt Jesus physically enter her life while they were praying. She felt a wave of peace and a jolt of hot fire go through her.

For several months, Dr. Kittaya had been crying out to Jesus and saying, “I need to know if you are real!

Please help me know you.”

Then she shocked Deedee even more by reaching out to her and giving her a very tight hug, something that is also highly unusual in Thai culture.

Deedee then shared a few verses with her from the New Testament about Jesus wanting her heart, and not offerings to idols. Dr. Kittaya was relieved to hear this and shared about how empty she had felt when she gave money and food to idols, and how it made no difference to her real life.

We are now trying to meet weekly with Deedee and Dr. Kittaya at the university to study the Bible together. Please pray for Dr. Kittaya and her new faith, that she would grow strong and bring many others to Christ. Pray also for Deedee, that she would continue sharing her faith in Jesus freely on her university campus.

GIVE The Abundant Life Home (ALH) in Chonburi, Thailand provides a loving family environment for those affected by HIV/AIDS. The Home exists for vulnerable children like Deedee and is founded on the belief that transformed lives like hers will be a blessing to Thailand and to the world. To support the work of ALH, please go to multiply.net/ALH or designate your donation to C0438.

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Munir’s Request for Baptism NORTH AFRICA

By Saleh Names have been changed for the sake of privacy and security.

Motivation in the Face of Opposition When I recently met online with a group of our leaders across North Africa, we were looking back on the past year and commenting about how much growth we’ve seen in our churches and also how much opposition we’ve faced. Fruitfulness and persecution have gone hand in hand.

I was so encouraged to hear the different leaders talk about the importance of embracing confrontation with enemies as an opportunity to love them, to not repay evil with evil but to repay evil with good. All of these leaders have faced persecution from fellow Muslims, and most of them have faced it from family members and close friends. Yet none of them were ready to back down from this opposition.

On the contrary, they have all witnessed how people have come to faith in Jesus as a result of bold and loving confrontation. Each of them takes very seriously the command of Jesus to love their enemies and to do good to those who persecute them.

What motivates these believers in North Africa who daily face persecution?

It is the love of Jesus. They know that Jesus loves them, and they know that it is only the love of Jesus that will win the hearts of their friends and family members.

By Nasser al’Qahtani, Regional Team Leader for North Africa and the Middle East

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“I want to be baptized,” Munir said to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked in reply.

Over the past few months, it has been a privilege for me to walk alongside Munir. Although he is a new believer in Jesus, his faith is growing quickly. Each week, he comes with great questions and it is clear he is reading on his own and maturing as a disciple of Christ. It is also clear that Munir is eager to share his faith with others.

I explained to Munir that he must be sure about taking this step. “Do you want this, no matter what happens?” I asked him. “People may insult you. People may persecute you.”

Munir insisted that he was ready. So we began to prepare the details for his baptism celebration the following week. I could see the excitement on Munir’s face.

However, a few days later, after one of our evening meetings for worship, prayer and Bible study, we all left to return to our homes. After some time, I felt that I should call Munir to make sure that he made it home safely. I called many times, and found it very strange that he did not answer.

Two days later, he called me from a new number and asked if he could meet with me to tell me something important.

When we met, Munir told me that on his way home after the church meeting that evening, he was mugged by a group of men that took his phone and wallet.

He went immediately to the police station to report the crime. To his surprise, at the police station, the officers said, “We’ve been thinking of you and planning to visit you at your home.”

PRAY Please pray for followers of Jesus in North Africa, like Saleh and Munir, that their faith would be strengthened in the midst of persecution. Pray specifically that the police in this city would not create further problems for the Church. Pray that the Lord would bless the officers who were involved in interrogating and insulting Munir. Ask God to open their eyes to his love. Pray that the laws in this country would allow for more religious freedom and that, if there is increased persecution, it would result in the advance of the Gospel and the strengthening of the Church to God’s glory!

The police officers proceeded to take Munir into an office and detain him. After some time, an officer in plain clothes came and interrogated him about his life and his faith in Jesus. “How was your church meeting this evening?” he asked.

Without being given a reason, Munir was placed in handcuffs and forced to stay at the police station overnight.

Without being given a reason, Munir was placed in handcuffs, taken to a cell downstairs and forced to stay at the police station overnight. They did not register him, nor did they allow him to call his family. The police attempted to intimidate Munir by hitting him and insulting him. He was given absolutely no privacy, not even to use the toilet in his cell. There was a camera on him the entire time. He was unable to sleep. He had no idea what they would do to him.

The next morning, Munir was taken before the police again for further interrogation. He was shown many pictures of other believers, the location of their discipleship meetings and their church gatherings. They asked him many other questions about national believers and ex-pat believers in the city.

Munir asked repeatedly, “Why am I being interrogated?

I came here only to report that my phone and wallet were stolen.”

The police threatened Munir, telling him they would reveal his faith to his family and friends if he did not agree to work with them and provide information about the church in the city. They even asked Munir to sign a statement, indicating that I was the one who shared the Gospel with him and led him to faith in Christ.

He refused to sign the statement and continued to ask, “Why am I being interrogated? I am only here to report a crime.”

When they saw that he would not cooperate with them, the police finally allowed him to file the report. However, they did not give him the paperwork that would be required to officially register the theft or to replace his national identification card.

When I met with Munir, he was clearly shaken. But as I shared with him about my own experiences of suffering and persecution and the stories of many other believers who have faced similar challenges in our country, he was encouraged.

Finally, I asked Munir, “Do you still want to continue to gather with the church? Do you still want to be baptized this week?”

Munir answered with confidence, “Yes, I am ready to die with Christ!” multiply.net | 7

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.�

John 14:12-14

Chaloerm: motivated by faith in the healing power of Jesus

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The Resurrection of Uncle Nong THAILAND

By Jon Esau

Uncle Nong and Auntie Em are church planters in Thailand.

We have worked with them closely for several years and they have become very dear to us, so it’s been hard to be away from them these past several months while we’ve been in Canada because of COVID. We miss them.

When we heard recently that Uncle Nong was in a coma after having a brain aneurism, we were devastated.

We called people to fast and pray for his healing. He underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain, after which doctors put him on full life support. We knew exactly where he was, in the hospital in Lampang City, in northern Thailand. But it was painful for us not to be able to visit Uncle Nong in person and pray for him.

Uncle Nong and Auntie Em have been such an encouragement to us. The church that they planted in their village of Huay Taak has been bearing fruit and growing as they have continued to share with others the hope that they’ve found in Jesus.

About four years ago, Auntie Em came to faith in Jesus when she was dying of leukemia and lupus. After no help was given to her from witch doctors and Buddhist monks, she turned to our co-worker, Chaloerm, and asked if his God could help her. Chaloerm prayed and Jesus miraculously healed her. She hasn’t looked back since.

When her husband, Nong, had gone into a coma, Auntie Em knew that there was still hope in Jesus. She was distraught and heavy-hearted, but still full of faith.

At that time, Chaloerm came to the hospital to visit Uncle Nong and to ask Jesus for his mercy and grace. Although he was still in coma, Chaloerm spoke to Uncle Nong and said to him, “I have scheduled the Christmas outreach for your village on December 19. You will be giving testimony about God’s power to heal you, so you need to get better.

You can’t be late to your appointment!”

Our dear brothers and sisters in Thailand have such strong faith in Jesus. We have been so convicted and challenged by them, and we love them so much.

One week later, Uncle Nong was still in coma, but because his condition had stabilized, he was taken off of life support and moved to the rural hospital near his village.

However, days later, the doctors told Auntie Em that her husband had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped beating.

Auntie Em immediately called Chaloerm, who made the twenty-minute drive by car to the hospital. When he finally got to Nong, Chaloerm could see that there were no visible signs of life. Despite that, he reached out his hands, laid them on Uncle Nong and started praying in the name of Jesus.

Suddenly, Chaloerm heard Uncle Nong cough. He was alive! His heart was beating and he began to breathe.

Within days, Uncle Nong was opening his eyes and recognizing people. Then he began to move and make simple gestures. Soon, he was responding and beginning to talk.

God promised that we would see miraculous acts of his great power. In John 14:12-14, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

Today, Uncle Nong is at home with Auntie Em. He is walking, talking, and interacting with guests. On December 19, he did not miss his appointment with Chaloerm and the Christmas outreach in his village. He stood on a stage in front of a crowd of people to proclaim God’s power and grace in healing him and giving him life.

He and Auntie Em look forward to sharing this story with more and more people, and to encourage them to also put their faith in Jesus.

Jon and Bonnie Esau serve in northern Thailand with their four children.

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Motivated by Relationships AUSTRIA

By Mark J.H. Klassen

For Sarah Reed, ministry is all about relationships. “I am motivated to see people in right relationship with one another, and with God,” she said recently from her new home in Austria. “When I think about my calling as a missionary, I think about the importance of partnership and seeing people work together in unity, despite their differences.”

In the fall of 2019, Sarah completed her initial training for long-term service as a global worker with Multiply. At that point, she expected that it would take a few months before she would be ready to move to Austria. But she wasn’t expecting COVID-19.

“When the pandemic became a reality in spring 2020, I definitely felt disappointed and frustrated with all of the restrictions and limitations,” said Sarah. “COVID slowed down everything, including fundraising. I knew my departure would be delayed, but I honestly asked myself, ‘Will I ever get to Austria?’”

The tension of not being able to move to Austria and not being able to settle in Canada was difficult for Sarah. “But God used that time of uncertainty and those feelings of insecurity,” Sarah recalled, “to help me refocus. I learned how to be more content with each day and more present with people.”

As she went to work on developing relationships in Canada with financial supporters and prayer partners, God blessed her efforts and gave her confidence that he would eventually bring her to Austria. But God also had something more for Sarah while she waited in Canada.

With extra time on her hands during COVID, Sarah asked herself an important question: “If I was in Austria what 10 | witness

would I be involved in?” As she pondered that question, God gave her an idea.

At her home church, WMB Church in Waterloo, Ontario, there was a group of Persians, mostly Iranian immigrants, that met regularly after the Sunday service. “I had visited the group many times,” said Sarah. “It was a great way to get to know people and to observe their language and culture.”

Sarah was also well aware that there were numerous Iranian refugees that were a part of her future church family in Steyr, Austria, the Mennonitisch Freikirche am Schlosspark.

During COVID, Sarah asked herself an important question: “If I was in Austria what would I be involved in?”

Sarah decided to talk to the leader of the Persian group at WMB—a woman named Mehry Javady who was an immigrant from Iran and spoke fluent Farsi (Persian). “I asked Mehry if she would be willing to help facilitate an online Bible study with the Iranians in Austria and the Persian group at WMB.” Sarah had no idea that Mehry had for many years been asking God for an opportunity like this, to be more involved in discipleship ministry. Both of the women were thrilled to see what God had in store for them.

With the blessing of the pastor of the Austrian church, Sarah and Mehry formed a group online and invited the Iranian men and women they knew in Austria to join. As they began to meet weekly, Sarah and Mehry watched in amazement as God built bridges within the group and

brought strength and growth to those who came together to learn. “God was doing the heavy lifting,” said Sarah, “and Mehry and I were just responding to his invitations. We’ve always had a strong sense that the Holy Spirit was leading these times together.”

As the primary facilitator of the group, Mehry was delighted with her new role and excited about how her interaction with the group enriched her own life. About ninety-five percent of the meeting was in Farsi, so Mehry was heavily relied upon to lead, but Sarah was engaging too, and learning a lot.

For Sarah, it was, in some ways, perfect preparation for her eventual move to Austria. “Through the group online, I was connecting with people there, serving the church there, practicing my German (and learning some Farsi too!), and I was growing a stronger relationship with my home church in Waterloo through my partnership with Mehry.”

In November 2020, despite the fact that COVID restrictions persisted, God finally opened the door for Sarah to move to Austria. She was thrilled to arrive in Steyr and to embrace her assignment on the ground with the church there. In recent weeks, she has been settling into life in Austria, investing in ongoing language and culture studies, building relationships with church leadership, and continuing to meet online regularly with Mehry and the Persian Bible study group.

“I really look forward to seeing how God continues to use the gifts and diversity in this group to encourage one another, but also to help us reach out to others in Austria, Canada, Iran, wherever. I’m amazed at the diversity of people in the group. Whether it’s Mehry in Canada, or the medical doctor from Iran who is now sharing the Gospel with her co-workers in Austria, or the man in Iran who is learning to live as a follower of Jesus in a closed country, these people are all so precious.”

In November 2020, despite the fact that COVID restrictions persisted, God finally opened the door for Sarah to move to Austria.

“I didn’t understand most of what was being said,” Sarah explained, “but I was so thankful for the way Mehry led as she listened to the Spirit and spoke with authority.

Because it was mostly in Farsi, I spent a lot of time praying silently and simply taking in the melodic sounds of this beautiful language.”

During most of the Bible studies, at least once, Mehry would turn to Sarah and ask if she had anything to add. “Having faith that the Holy Spirit was leading,” Sarah said, “I would share my thoughts on the Scripture and Mehry would translate, then I just tried to figure out by the look on people’s faces if it resonated. It was always exciting and faith building when Mehry told me later that what I shared fit right in.”

After the first few meetings, some of the group members in Austria asked if they could invite friends from Iran to join the online video calls. “We said, ‘Of course!’” Sarah recalled. “I was so encouraged by the questions people were asking in the group. People were so engaged and hungry to know Jesus.”

Sarah looks forward to greater freedom as COVID restrictions hopefully loosen up in the weeks and months to come. But no matter what changes or what stays the same, she is eager to keep investing in relationships.

As she considers the partnership opportunities before her, Sarah thinks of the parable of the growing seed in Mark 4:26-29. “The man who scatters seed on the ground doesn’t know how it grows, but it does. He tends the field and watches the seed grow until the harvest is ready, then he takes out his sickle. He wasn’t the one who made the seeds grow, but he was paying attention to what God was doing and he was willing to join in when there was opportunity.”

That’s exactly what Sarah’s trying to do: to pay attention to what God is doing and be willing to join in as God opens doors. She understands her limited role in partnership with God and others, but she embraces the opportunities as they come.

GO Is God calling you into global service?

To explore current opportunities with Multiply, go to multiply.net/opportunities or call your local Mission Mobilizer at 1.866.964.76527 multiply.net | 11

Born Again on Christmas Day SOUTH ASIA

By Mark J.H. Klassen Names have been changed for the sake of privacy and security.

Rayan was a good man with a sincere faith in Allah. He came from a family in South Asia that was radically committed to the teachings of Islam.

One day, Rayan met a man named Ahmad who began to ask questions about the Prophet Mohammed and the Qur’an. Rayan did not know that Ahmad had recently become a follower of Jesus.

“Mohammed was without sin,” Rayan answered simply. “His teaching was holy, and his character was above reproach. He was the true messenger of Allah.”

Ahmad suspected that Rayan was only aware of Mohammed’s reputation among Muslims, but not specifically what was written about him in the Qur’an. So he challenged Rayan with more questions about the life and teaching of Mohammed.

The Qur’an spoke clearly about another prophet who was without sin. His name was Issa (Jesus).

One of the questions that Ahmad raised was about the multiple references in the Qur’an to Mohammed’s confession of sin.

Rayan was shocked. “It is impossible,” he replied to Ahmad. “I do not believe that Mohammed ever committed sin. This is false!”

Ahmad took the time to show him the details from the Qur’an.

For Rayan, it was a turning point. Although he was desperate to defend the Prophet, his heart was open to doubt. He became very eager to study for himself what was written about Mohammed. Could it be that the Prophet was imperfect?

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Ahmad then also pointed out specific verses in the Qur’an that spoke clearly about another prophet who was without sin. His name was Issa (Jesus).

Rayan began to search the Qur’an for evidence. It was a journey of more than two years of intense study. He kept coming back to Ahmad with specific questions and together they explored the character of Mohammed, the nature of jihad, and many other aspects of the claims of Islam.

In the end, Rayan’s research only confirmed his doubts about Mohammed. If anything, the Qur’an itself just produced more and more evidence of the uniqueness of Jesus. He had read about the virgin birth, the many miracles, and the claim that Jesus was alive in heaven and would return to the earth one day. Although Muslims believed that Mohammed was the last and greatest prophet, they also believed that he was dead and buried.

“As I compared them,” Rayan told Ahmad, “I found Jesus to be superior.”

After Ahmad shared more about Jesus from the Bible and explained the message of the Gospel to Rayan, he became

convinced. It took him several more weeks to come to terms with his decision, but eventually he decided to leave Islam and, on December 25, 2019, he made the choice to become a follower of Jesus.

“I accepted Jesus as my Savior on Christmas day,” Rayan said, “and from that day I have put my trust in him and embraced his teachings of love and forgiveness.”

One year later, Rayan is actively sharing the Gospel with his family and he is looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus every Christmas, which will also be the anniversary of his own re-birth in Christ.

PRAY Multiply’s partners in South Asia work with Ahmad and others like him from Muslim background. Please pray for their ministry and for new believers, like Rayan, who have chosen to leave Islam and follow Jesus.

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Living on Mission: Learning Together CANADA

By Maryanne Berge

As 2021 began, I was facilitating an online course called “Living on Mission in Times of Crisis.� My co-facilitator was one of Multiply’s long-term workers in Austria and we had participants from all around the world, including Colombia, Germany, Canada and Austria! Although we were all connected in some way to our church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, we represented several generations, cultures, backgrounds, languages, vocations, and time zones.

I realized that doing the course felt similar to facilitating a multi-cultural mission team that was learning from one another while on mission. And I realized again how much I love these opportunities!

In 2020, our church had planned to send out several small teams to visit our global partners for prayer and encouragement, but then COVID-19 happened. We had also planned to host a mission team from the Wounaan church in Panama in February, but all of those plans had to change as well.

As a Missions Pastor, I have grieved these losses, because I know how valuable the opportunities for discipleship are as people live on mission together. I love seeing people grow in their faith, taking risks, learning to pray in new ways, testing their gifts in a safe community, practicing discernment together, while expanding their worldview and becoming more aware of our global church family.

These experiences have been life giving to me over the years. Living on mission together, whether locally or globally, allows us to grow and mature around a common task. It is in these times that we learn to depend on the Lord together, seeking his Word and turning to prayer, supporting each other and stepping out with courage.

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In 2019, our church sent a small prayer team to Central Asia to develop relationships with our mission partners there. The morning after we arrived, we met with the local church and I watched as some of the team members experienced worship in another language and culture for the first time. The Holy Spirit was at work in our hearts as our eyes were opened to the vibrant church in this Muslim area. We were asked to lift our hands and pray over the new believers that had gathered and, although we were pushed out of our comfort zones that morning, we were encouraged by the faith and risk-taking obedience of these new believers.

It was not only an opportunity for our team to live on mission; it was an opportunity to learn from our global family. As we joined them in praising Jesus in a language unfamiliar to us, we sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit uniting us. As we prayed together, we cried out to God in unity for more open doors for the Gospel in this city of millions. Our lives were changed that morning and throughout the week as we continued to learn from local leaders, praying as we walked the streets of this beautiful city and meeting out brothers and sisters who were a part of the new growing churches.

The team returned to their lives and work in Saskatoon with a new burden to intercede for the world. They had also become more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in their lives and in their workplaces, and more committed to being generous with their spiritual gifts and finances.

It has been a joy for me to walk alongside individuals and teams like this and see them grow, as they have been discipled on mission. For some, it has led to further

“We have so much to learn from one another in the body of Christ.”

Maryanne and a prayer team explore the streets in Central Asia, learning from their global partners engagement in local mission opportunities in Saskatoon, a call to pastoral ministry or serving overseas in Berlin or Panama. For others, the short-term mission experience allowed them to explore new gifts and passions, such as one participant who served as team photographer and then years later started her own photography business.

Others grew in their commitment to send and support missions through prayer and finances.

We have so much to learn from one another in the body of Christ. I am so thankful for the relationships we have with our church missionaries and with national believers and churches in places we partner. They have helped disciple many of us in our spiritual journeys. As we collaborate, we lift our eyes to see what the Lord of the harvest is doing around the world and in our own neighborhoods and cities. The church is growing around the world, in many places much faster than in North America. Missionaries are being sent out from everywhere to everywhere. As the body of Christ, we all have a calling to disciple others who will reproduce disciples wherever they are. What kind of kingdom impact can we have as God unites us in love and as we care for the nations with the Good News of Jesus?

As I look back on this past year, many of our plans to “go” had to be changed. Yet the Lord provided new ways to interact with our global family. Like others, we got creative and looked for ways to join with one another over online video calls. As many of our meetings and workshops went online, we invited our missionaries and global church partners to join us. We also listened in as our missionaries shared about their ministries on Multiply’s Partnership Calls over the last months. I also had a unique opportunity

to collaborate with two Wounaan leaders to share their story of displacement and land issues at a conference sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). We have learned to celebrate with our global family and to enter into their sufferings as well.

Living on mission together with others, locally and globally, has opened my eyes and heart to many needs, and also to many relationships that have enriched my life.

I have had the privilege of walking with others and seeing the Holy Spirit transform us in amazing ways. Who has God brought into your life or into your church that you can connect with in the joys and sorrows of life, that you can disciple while on mission together?

We are all called to live on mission, as sent ones of Jesus going into all the world making disciples, knowing that he has given us all authority and has left us with the promise that he will always be with us.

Maryanne Berge is Global Missions Pastor at Forest Grove Community Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and a recently appointed member of the Multiply Board.

LEARN Interested in taking an online course about living on mission? To learn more about current opportunities, contact your local Mission Mobilizer at 1.866.964.7627 multiply.net | 15

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