MAGGIDH {STORY TELLERS • MESSENGERS}
To display the love that Jesus has for every person and to reveal the acts He is still doing today.
“We tell stories to remind ourselves what the world ought to be.� - Don Stephens
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
FIRST WORDS { TANZANIA }
story by SAMUEL BEUTLER photo by SARAH KONKEN-DEHAAN
“I wonder what it sounded like when the world began. I have heard big words and beautiful words, but what could compare with the words that started it all?”
The lady must have been in her thirties. She carried her baby and was mute, couldn’t speak at all. We stood in the alley by the mosque and the small corner shop. The young girl we were talking to owned the shop and told me not to mind the woman, she was crazy. We could see she wasn’t crazy - she just couldn’t talk. We wanted to pray for her and asked the young girl to translate. She did; the woman seemed ok with it and we started praying. She smiled. We called for the words in her to come out. Maybe her heart was a well, and she just couldn’t draw up the words all on her own. Whatever the case, our prayers started to change things. Time passed. We prayed. The woman excitedly motioned that she felt something in her body. We kept praying, trying to pull the words up the well. The woman still couldn’t speak, but she was pointing to things in her body and the sound of her stutters had changed. We prayed. “Yesu,” we said. We wanted her to repeat the word, the name of Jesus in her mother tongue. “Yesu Yesu,” We pulled hard on the rope. She was excited, but her words hadn’t changed. We started saying the words into her ears, hoping she would repeat them; “Yesu, Yesu!” When at last, the dam broke. I won’t forget this. She lit up, and her face began to glow. She pointed to her ears and laughed. Her face wrinkled with a joy I hadn’t seen before I met Jesus. For a moment, I was confused. She couldn’t talk any better. Then I understood. The woman couldn’t say the words because she had never heard any before. It wasn’t that the sound couldn’t come out, it was just that it couldn’t get in. We’d been praying for a deaf woman the whole time. But there He was, pulling up the rope all the same. Her ears had been closed and Jesus came and opened them up. I wonder what that must have felt like, as the sound came rushing in for the first time. What a surprise it must be living in a dry land, when the dam finally breaks. Most people don’t get to choose the first words they are given, or the first words they give. But the first word that lady ever heard was more precious than pearls. The word meant, “I love you more than you know.” And the word was Jesus. There He went, still speaking things into existence. She left us behind bewildered in that alley. I heard cars and people walking by, and I heard the sound of her steps down the alley. I knew she’d be listening to a lot of things from that point on.
JUST LOVE { TANZANIA }
story by SIERRA VOTA
Our team was in a small village for a youth camp seminar about mid-way through our outreach. We had already preached, and we were spending a bit of time afterwards hanging out with the youth and playing with the kids that were around. There was one little boy in particular who grabbed my heart. He walked up to me and stood staring until I picked him up. He was maybe four years old. As soon as he was in my arms, I realised he had an incredibly high fever and was actually quite sick. I quickly took him into the only shaded area I could find, and simply sat hugging him. I’d love to say that my first reaction was to pray, but for over an hour I was just there - with him lying perfectly still - hoping for something to change. Eventually, one of our contacts, Victor, came up to me and asked if I had prayed for the boy. I realised that the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. I had been so preoccupied sympathising with him, that I had forgotten I had the solution living inside of me the whole time! I said a quick prayer. “Jesus, heal my little friend.” Immediately the fever left him. I literally felt all the heat leave and his body temperature return to normal. He perked right up, after practically not moving for over an hour, jumped off my lap, and ran to play with his friends. Just like that, Jesus intervened and made a way for this little boy to walk in freedom. No big ordeal, no magic words - just God loving His kids. Easy. We saw many wonderful healings throughout the outreach, but this one, for me, was special. This boy hadn’t done anything to “deserve my attention” or “win my affection”. And this is the way God is with us. He loves us simply because we’re His. He heals us simply because He hates seeing us hurting or hindered. He is so absolutely trustworthy. He is our good, faithful Father.
TOUCHED { TANZANIA }
story by NORA HEIDT
During our time in Tanzania, we went to a village to preach in the local church and visit some local homes. On the way to one of the houses, an old lady named Esther came up to us. She was really excited and wanted us to pray for her hand which she couldn’t open or even move. We were very grateful for the few kids who translated for us. After a few times of praying for her, we saw that she was able to slowly open and close her hand! The most beautiful thing about this story is that it isn’t about us. When God calls His children to encounter Him, He makes sure that they will see and taste His goodness! I loved seeing this woman’s faith and the testimony God brought in her life. She was walking around and telling everyone what just happened even if they didn’t want to listen! What Esther received will never be taken from her. God’s love and goodness is so attractive to people, even when everyday people like you or me carry it! We are called to bring His Kingdom everywhere we go and all the glory belongs to Him!
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
KERUSSO Greek: κηρύσσω kérussó [kay-roos’-so] Definition: To herald, being the bearer of the human image of God and proclaiming the message of the King.
{ CAMBODIA & THAILAND } photo by MARIE FAASS
DISTANCE TO A MIRACLE { NEPAL }
story by ASHLEY LANE photo by IRYNA MARANDYUK
I had walked the streets of Nepal years earlier. I spent my time there loving on beggars in the streets, praying for healing, and though I didn’t see much power, I saw that love never fails on that trip. I made some decisions. I made a decision that I wouldn’t let what I don’t see happen dictate the truth of who God says he is and what we have in Christ. And He is greater than my experience. This truth I have carried with me because, while I didn’t see much power, it has shaped who I am and caused me to have a faith bigger than myself. So, to be on the very same streets again, years later, was incredible. Something was coming full circle. Before, I hoped something would happen. Now, from a confidence not in myself, but in Jesus, I knew something would happen. At the Buddhist prayer monument I was at with a few others, I saw a woman standing and limping around. I could tell she was in pain and one of her legs was severly deformed and shorter than the other. Through hand motions and God’s grace with communication, we asked if we could pray for her. We had her sit down and stretched our her legs to see how much shorter the one leg was compared to the other. I figured one inch or so, but when we compared them, there was a distance of five or six inches between the two. In that moment, I knew I could let what I hadn’t seen weaken my faith. I had seen legs grow out, but never that much. But I thought, Jesus is Jesus and He can do the impossible. He told us to heal the sick and His word trumps the difference. We laid hands and began to pray; we began to command the leg to grow and anything holding the leg in deformity to leave. Five minutes went by
and we could see there had been some growth but there was still a good ways to go. Now a crowd had gathered. Ten or more people were watching, waiting to see what would happen. We continued to pray. The leg grew out more. Still more people gathered. At that point, it was really growing out, so we wanted to ask her what was happening and if she felt anything. We grabbed someone in the crowd who could speak English and asked her to translate what the woman was saying. She said that she felt things moving in her leg. So, we had her stand so she could really test it out. It was significantly longer. She smiled. We prayed more. Conversations were starting to happen from the growing crowd with some on the team. “How is this possible?” “who are you praying to?” People knew this woman. And we couldn’t fake this kind of thing or ignore what was happening. People wanted to know why this woman, who moments before had a leg five to six inches shorter, now had legs significantly closer to the same length. These are the moments I love, where the name of Jesus is lifted up. Before I hoped something would happen. Now from a confidence not in myself, but in Jesus, something will happen. The distance to the miracle is never bigger than God.
{ CAMBODIA & THAILAND } photo by WEI-JAN BOEY
HUMILITY { TANZANIA }
story by TAYLOR KONKEN-DEHAAN photo by SARAH KONKEN-DEHAAN
“How many of us can truly say we have ever seen an act of humility that has marked our hearts?”
The journey of humbling yourself is painful, beautiful, difficult, and joyful all at the same time. It is to deny our pride on the very deepest level. It is an old temptation, a deep root. But when we decide to pick up our cross and chase after humility, our Father God who is so faithful to our growth and nurture will send someone into our paths that will model for us the acts of Jesus and show us on a deeper level just what being a disciple of Christ looks like. This is one of those stories.
Dust. Heat. Sweat. Rattling down a Tanzanian dirt road in a land cruiser packed over capacity with red dust flying in through cracks in the windows and doors, our team was more than ready to get out. And finally after what had been about a two-hour journey, we arrived at our destination. A tin roof church, complete with dirt floors and square holes in the walls for windows. This was the kind of place I had grown so in love with seeing. Upon arrival we were met with a swarm of children, eyes filled with wonder and joy at their new pale-skinned guests. After a time of playing and laughter with the kids, the local pastor’s wife brought out chairs and put them under a sliver of shade produced from a flimsy dried up tree. Tanzania in the dry season is a very hot, very barren looking place. All water has to be brought from the nearest water pump since every river and creek has since dried up. One of my leaders speculated that they would have had to walk at least two miles to the nearest water source. That may not seem like much, but in the heat of the day, (not to mention carrying the bucket on your head) that is a journey that could really drag on. It wasn’t the fact that our hostess walked in the midday sun to get us water, but it was what she used it for that had us all moved close to tears. After coming with water and a towel, she proceeded to stoop down into the hot dirt and personally wash every single one of our thirteen sets of hands. Not only that, she did it with a smile of appreciation on her face, as if somehow we were blessing her by the experience. In that moment I was given the most real picture I have ever seen of John 13 - the very Son of God, stooping low to the ground and washing the feet of the would-be saints. We proceeded to eat a simple lunch that consisted of white rice and the meat of one of the family’s only goats. In that moment, I was close to tears, huddled under the slivers of shade in the middle of the dusty Tanzanian desert. I can honestly say I have never been more thankful for a meal.
“Rule with a heart of a servant. Serve with a heart of a king.” - Bill Johnson
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
“Sow the seed and He’ll bring the plough.” - Mike Vickers
{ NEPAL } photo by IRYNA MARANDYUK
THESE SEEDS { CAMBODIA & THAILAND } story by ORRIN HARRISON photo by JOANA-PIA EVERLING
When Jesus said, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand,’” I’d never would have imagined that it would be one of my favourite parts of ministry in Cambodia and Thailand.
We went to villages that have never heard teachings about the Kingdom, and I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see their face light up with this truth.
I was sad we didn’t get to spend a lot of individual time with each person, but I was amazed at how hungry they were for Jesus.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that so many seeds were planted, and that one seed can change a life forever. I am so honoured to have been a part of what God is doing.
The people of South East Asia are ready to choose hope instead of hopelessness, and God is moving in great ways!
“YOU MAKE ME SO HAPPY!” { TANZANIA } story by YANNICK HOLZ photo by MARIA MOHR
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
One of my greatest joys on outreach is always any form of children’s ministry, especially just playing with them. The children in Tanzania were probably some of the most precious I have ever seen. Almost everywhere we went, we were accompanied by a crowd of children. They would just sit around us and touch our skin and hair. We had countless dance parties after church services with them. We would throw them into the air until we were completely exhausted (it gets really hard really quick), but if it just brings joy to them and makes them feel loved, it’s totally worth it. One special occasion really touched my heart. It was after another church
service and I was busy getting my shirt really sweaty by lifting and catching children. I was pretty tired and wanted a break when one boy who spoke a bit of English came up, looked at me with a big smile and said, “You make us so happy!” Sometimes while doing ministry we can get really focused on doing things that may seem more “spiritual,” like praying for people. But I’m convinced Jesus values a prayer for healing equally as much as loving on a child. It’s definitely worth all the sweat and work if you in return just get a little child to smile and laugh at you.
“For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power.� - 1 Corinthians 4:20
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
THE KING WHO GOES BEFORE YOU { NEPAL }
story by BRANNON WINTER & BRAD APPERSON photo by BRANNON WINTER Week after week we saw God moving in this beautiful nation, so week after week our expectation of what God would do grew accordingly. Towards the end of our outreach our dreams became something like: what would happen if we held an open healing night right next to the Boudhanath Stupa, one of the biggest places of worship for Buddhists in the world? We received many impressions about where we should do the healing night as we prayed into the dream. We felt like it should be outdoors and felt drawn to one of the local restaurants by the stupa. So we prayed that Jesus would make a way and three of us headed over to the restaurant. When we arrived, we asked for the manager and sat down at one of the tables. A woman quickly met us and introduced herself as the owner of the restaurant and wanted to know how she could help us. We simply explained that we had the desire to hold an event where we would invite the sick to come and receive healing. We told her that we would be praying in the name of Jesus and that we would invite outsiders for two hours. She replied that we could use her facilities and hold the event the very next night. I was very surprised that she agreed so quickly, even after explaining that some people might not be purchasing anything from her restaurant. She was genuinely excited for us to come! We arrived the next night, full of faith for God to move. We had been handing out flyers during the day and invited those in our area to come to the event. Our team decided to bless the restaurant by having our dinner there before the meeting. As we finished up, a young man sat next to us and struck up a conversation with us. We noticed that he had bandages all over his left knee and we asked him if he was in any pain. He told us that he injured his knee and there was a lot of pain. We asked if we could pray and he eagerly allowed us. As we prayed, something amazing happened. We asked him to test out his knee by bending it, and to his astonishment all of the pain left. He no longer felt pain when he bent his knee!
We asked him if he had ever seen anything like this before. He shared that he has never seen anyone healed in this way. His father came over and joined the conversation. We found out that they are the husband and son of the restaurant owner. He began to ask deep questions and one of our team members was able to explain the deep, ancient truths of the Gospel. He was able to share that Jesus is the only way possible to have relationship with the Father and that there was no other way into Heaven. Later on, the father thanked us for coming to his restaurant and blessing Nepal in this way. He thanked us for bringing the Good News of the Gospel. He added that he had read the Bible before, but this was the first time in his life that he has seen the Kingdom of God alive and active. He and his family’s lives will never be the same again.
FREED { THAILAND }
story by KELLY GREENWELL photo by WEI-JAN BOEY
Our team travelled to a Buddhist women’s prison in Thailand, where another girl and I shared on freedom in Jesus to a group of Christian women. After sharing we asked if anyone wanted prayer. I was expecting one or two to come up, but almost the entire room responded to the call. As we began to pray, these women were set free. Freed from shame, bitterness, hurt, and other bondages in their lives. All of this freedom happened in a room filled with golden idols, bars, and literal captivity. So many of the prisoners came with such brokenness, before only knowing how to pray to false gods that would only keep them “in prison,” and never free them from their guilt. That evening these women were being freed by Jesus right in the midst of all that couldn’t bind them anymore.
OV E R SH A DOW ED { GERMANY }
story by ASHLEY LANE photo by WEI-JAN BOEY
“There is a Presence greater than us. It is by no means an impersonal force. Always with you and going deeper than words can reach.”
I was just looking around. Waiting. I saw a bus pull up to a stop right beside me. In the bus was an elderly woman sitting alone. She looked out the window. I was there standing. I smiled. I put my hand up and simply waved. She looked at me, then quickly looked over her shoulder. She thought I was waving to someone behind her. No one was standing there. She looked back at me as I stood there, still smiling, still waving. She started to cry. At first, I wasn’t sure if I should do something. Was she okay? What’s going through her mind? It was just a smile. In a moment so fast, you normally can’t reach far. But then there’s a presence greater than you. That reaches deeper than any words. With the ability to make someone feel loved. Noticed. As the bus pulled away, she looked up from her hands. She smiled through tear-filled eyes and returned the simple gesture. She turned in her seat waving back as the bus pulled away. She left me standing there. Standing there in awe of God’s Presence.
WHAT JESUS THINKS ABOUT THE HANDIC APPED { THE NETHERLANDS }
story & photo by BRANNON WINTER
It all started close to midnight one Friday evening. A man who was completely bound to his wheelchair, for no reason at all rolled into the ministry house where we were living. This is very strange in Dutch culture, and the man himself had no reason for coming in other than he just felt drawn to come in. He, who had never entered our house before, was about to meet a Man who had been waiting a lifetime for this moment. His name is Andre (he’s the one in the black). He is a man who is filled with life-giving humor and a heart to create family. He had everything going for him, but was involved in a car crash in 1999 that nearly killed him. This car crash put him in a coma that he was never supposed to wake up from. But Andre is a fighter and a few months later awoke to a world that just became more difficult. The car crash destroyed his life. It damaged his brain in a way that he could no longer speak, and now had to communicate through a computer by typing out every sentence. He could no longer stand, because his equilibrium was so damaged that he would lose his balance and fall over. He could no longer control his right hand. He lost his job, his family, his life. What Andre didn’t know was that there was someone who was more than powerful enough and more than willing to return everything that was stolen from him. As we heard his story, our hearts were broken. But instead of getting weighed down in sympathy, we kept an ear open to Heaven. One of the guys in my school felt like God wanted to return Andre’s voice first. Andre was so hungry for healing that he let him pray. It seemed as though nothing had happened, until we asked him to test it out. All of the sudden, Andre began to make noises and then say, although difficult to understand, comprehendible words! Many people would stop here and be flabbergasted at how God moved, but this man had been robbed of much with much still needed to be returned. So we then asked if we could pray for his brain so that he could stand and walk again. He said that he longed
to walk again and that we could pray for him. We began to pray for him and all of a sudden he stood up. He was shaky at first until he took his first step. He began to walk and the whole school began praising God. As we were walking with him, we were praying for an increase in strength for his muscles which haven’t been used properly for over a decade. Then came his right hand. He was able to move his arm but had no control over any of his fingers. That is nothing for God. We prayed and he began to open and close his hand for the first time in sixteen years! Praise God. We continued to pray with him and tell him about the plans that God has set before him. We then invited him to the church service that we were holding the next week and he said that he would come. That Sunday, Andre rolled in on his wheelchair, but he didn’t stay in it for long. Whenever we were asked to stand or worship, Andre was not left out, praising God with his newly restored body. At the end of the service, when an altar call was given, Andre was the first person to receive Christ and join the Family of God. The funny thing was that it was so natural and so easy. There wasn’t any convincing that we had to do. We just enjoyed his company and paid attention to what God wanted to do. Andre’s life is forever changed, not just his physical life but his eternal life. We now have a new brother whom we will get to enjoy forever in eternity.
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
“to prophesy” Hebrew: אָבָנnaba [naw-baw] Definition: “to bubble up” & “to flow forth” with the heart of God
{ NEPAL } photo by IRYNA MARANDYUK
NEXT GENERATION { TANZANIA } story & photo by SEBASTIAN NEITZERT
God gave me the words: “I will start something new here.”
One morning, God gave me a picture of many African children watching me. He said, “Prophesy over them; today is the day.” Several hours later, we visited several churches and encouraged them. At the last and oldest church of our trip God gave me the words: “I will start something new here. I want to use the young generation; the children will be a big part of it. They have the blessing of their parents, who worked hard for this church.” I shared this word and my friend on the team had the impression to go on the big rock next to the church to pray for breakthrough. So we went to the top of the rock and prayed for the church. Suddenly, many children came from every direction and sat on a rock next to us, eyes fixed on us. There were around twenty children and the picture from that morning came to mind again. We shared the Gospel and prophesied over them. At the end, we asked if any of them wanted to accept Jesus into their lives. Most of them, including two Muslim girls, raised their hands and gave their lives to Jesus! When we went back, all the children followed us to the church. The way I saw it, that day God started to draw this young generation to this church. He is starting something new with them.
{ TANZANIA } photo by SARAH KONKEN-DEHAAN
FOR THE GLORY OF GOD { THE NETHERLANDS & GERMANY } story by RUBEN DAAMEN photo by LOUISE DIXON
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in the spirit and in the truth.” - John 4:23
We all have our own way of worship, we all have our own preference and taste in music. But in the end what it’s about is God being praised with our voices, with our sound and with our lives. That He would be glorified through our joy and tears, through our trials and victories. For me it was so comfortable and almost easy to step into corporate worship. I believe it’s because of the fact that we understand that we don’t just step into the presence of God, we don’t just step into a time of worship and then stop worshiping Him afterwards. It is a constant thing that flows throughout our lives. As a team we wanted to not only play songs but to truly wait on God and let Him lead us. I remember telling my friend, “let’s not sing for the first fifteen minutes.” I can tell you that it’s scary. It’s very easy to hide behind songs in worship. So we just started to play and to wait on God. Praise erupted from everyone’s own songs, I could literally feel the presence of God coming.
TEHILLAH -teh-hil-lawTo sing, to laud. A spontaneous new song. Singing from a melody in your heart by adding words to it.
When we find ourselves in moments like this, our boxes will break! I remember Holy Spirit telling me to tell everyone to grab flags and start waving them. It was to release a movement of banners, combined with the sound of a rushing wind. It was like we were announcing that God was here. It was so new to me that it broke of a lot of religion in my own worship. I never want to lead worship again without His presence filling our praises. There is a kind of worship or offering we can only give to God while we are here on Earth. It’s the offering of laying down all our problems at the altar. Because once we have reached the end of our time here, once we are face to face with Jesus, we won’t need to do that anymore. And for me, it comes down to this: “Do it all for the glory of God.” In the midst of our pain and confusion, we look at Him and simply glorify His name. For He is faithful and He is worthy to be praised. And He is looking for worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
“Everything in the Kingdom is ours, except for worship. Worship belongs to God and God only.” - David Gava
LULLABY { NEPAL }
lyrics by ANGELICA MATA photo by RUBEN DAAMEN
Sing the song I made in you All the words be true in you Little one rest your eyes for the sun is sure to rise Don’t be afraid, my hand is near I’ll whisper my love into your ear And when you fall asleep Be sure to keep this in your heart I loved you from the very start I’ll love you till the very end.
ENCOUNTERED BY HIS LOVE { NEPAL }
story by KATELYN DIRKS
In the midst of a Buddhist area in Kathmandu, Nepal, there is a church filled with Nepali believers who have an incredible hunger after God. The hunger doesn’t stop with the older generation; the young people are hungry and thirsty for the things of God. Our team had the honour of ministering to the these young people during the six weeks that we were in Nepal. One evening, we walked to the church anticipating all that God wanted to do as we ministered at their youth service. The skies were grey and cloudy but rain hadn’t fallen yet. As I shared a word about claiming our inheritance in Christ, the skies opened up and it began to pour rain outside. The church has a tin roof and when it began to pour the building was filled with a thunderous noise. I was trying to shout above the noise when the Holy Spirit tapped on my heart; it was time to move into worship. I believe that the open skies was a prophetic sign that God was opening the heavens over us and it was time to press in. As we begun to worship, God began to baptize us with His love. All around the room, young people were on their knees, hands raised. Many were weeping as they encountered the love of their Father. There was one young man near the back of the room who was weeping and continued to weep even as the music ended and someone else shared a word. Two of the guys from our team went to talk with him. This young man shared that he had known God but turned away from Him and was involved in drugs and alcohol. During worship, he was so touched by God’s love and grace. He decided to turn his heart and life back to God. The love of God breaks every chain that keeps us in bondage. His love is perfect. It casts out all fear and draws us near to His heart. It is deeper, higher, and wider than you could ever imagine.
{ NEPAL } photo by IRYNA MARANDYUK
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
HUNGER GROWS { CAMBODIA }
story by LESLIE REUTER written by SAMUEL BEUTLER photos by MARIE FAASS & WEI-JAN BOEY
We spent most of our time in Cambodia at a childcare center with a man named Sonny Foo. We called him Uncle Sonny. He lives there where he has a home for children whose families can’t take care of them. We ate with the children, lived with them, and then during the day we’d go to the nearby villages to share the Gospel. The children only have a few overseers they call moms and they don’t really have anyone to talk to. They are searching for the love they need so greatly, and their moms obviously can’t give it to them because there are so many kids. There was a need for someone with whom they could actually share what they were going through. At first they were embarrassed to talk with us. But as we lived, hung out and played games with them, they opened up and shared their hearts. We’d have dinner and hang out all together, but then while I’d be walking home, one of them would come tug on my arm and ask if I had some time. I would tell the child, “of course.” They had such profound questions. We shared about the love of God and hearing His voice. Later, some of the girls would ask me, “I don’t even love God. How do I love God?” We spent lots of individual time with them, sharing what God did in our lives and whatever wisdom we had. They even helped us translate in the villages where people wanted to learn more about Jesus or even give their lives to Him. It was so cool seeing how God moved there and we were able to be a part of that. Every Wednesday, the children had times of prayer. One of the younger girls, maybe around eight, asked us to pray for her family who weren’t Christians. We prayed for them and it was such a powerful moment. She cried out for her mom and dad to know Jesus. She had such a pure heart. She asked about my family, so I told her a little, and we prayed. It was such a sweet moment of everyone crying out for our families together. God’s presence was so powerful there. The biggest thing I took away was how I loved seeing the hunger they had for God grow. Some of them became really excited about it, realizing this was actually happening in their own country, in their own home. I know that just having personal relationships with the kids was really impactful. Just being with the kids and listening to them made such a difference. I think things really started to shift while we were there, as they caught fire and grew so hungry for more from God and to know him more.
It was hard leaving them, but I know that as we went away, they were left with something much better – the passion for a more intimate relationship with Jesus. We came and left again, but He’ll be with them forever.
{ CAMBODIA & THAILAND } photo by JOANA-PIA EVERLING
O U R
INHERITANCE { NEPAL }
photo by IRYNA MARANDYUK
O U R
LEGACY { NEPAL }
photo by WEI-JAN BOEY
DAVEY { TANZANIA }
story & photo by SARAH KONKEN-DEHAAN
“...sometimes you have to be willing to let God lead you somewhere different.”
Working with churches and leading camps are wonderful ways of bringing Jesus into a community, but sometimes you have to be willing to let God lead you somewhere different. After a few weeks of getting to know the town of Singida, our team decided to walk into the town center and shop there. God told us earlier in the morning that it was a day for love, though we weren’t quite sure how it would be different from any other day. We came across a man we had seen several times while driving through town- he was raggedy and dirty, his clothes were falling off of him and he had woven plastic bags and small pieces of cloth together to make himself shoes. Davey was his name- he was well known around town as a local drunk, and it was clear he was very spiritually oppressed. He wasn’t interested in listening to anything we said or answering any of our questions if we weren’t planning on giving him money. After several failed attempts to have a conversation, he walked away, but it was clear to us God had more for him. We decided to take a practical approach- after all, as Heidi Baker once said, “Love looks like something.” So, we yelled for him to come back, and asked if he would be okay with us buying him a pair of shoes. His face instantly changed, and his eyes lit up with amazement. We took him to pick out his new shoes, then washed his feet and gave him new socks to wear with them. We told him to pick out all new clothes- a shirt, underwear, pants, and a jacket. One of the men who was standing near us, observing the scene, happened to be the owner of the barber shop that was adjacent to the clothes shop we were at. He was eager to take part in what was happening. Once Davey had his new clothes on, all of us walked over to the barber shop to get our friend a new haircut and a clean shave. At this point, a rather large crowd had gathered, wondering why in the world we were helping this crazy homeless guy. We explained that God brought us to Tanzania to love the people there, and that we want to love on Davey because Jesus loves Davey. As the crowd grew, prayer began to flow forth. We had dozens of people coming to us, and the more people witnessed God’s love come crashing in to heal them, the more excited the crowd became. Suddenly, our team was praying for everyone, and people were getting healed all around us. Somewhere between twenty to thirty people were healed, and when they did, they weren’t afraid to share with the others what had just happened to them. Watching the love of Jesus come into this side street and encounter people in miraculous ways through us were both ridiculous and inspiring- but it was time to get Davey some dinner. After saying goodbye that night, we tried to comprehend the crazy afternoon we had just had- and couldn’t help but burst into excited praise and worship. God did something beautiful out of a simple act of compassion, and people’s lives were forever changed because of it.
Freedom reigns in this place. Showers of mercy and grace. Falling on every face. There is freedom.
{ NEPAL } photo by WEI-JAN BOEY
RECKLESS ABANDON { NEPAL }
story by MIKAEL HESSEBERG BRANNON WINTER WEI-JAN BOEY photo by LOUISE DIXON
Have you ever wondered what loving with reckless abandon looks like?
This particular day, during the wet monsoon season in a hilly area in Nepal, was the day we got a glimpse of what it looks like. It had been raining for hours, probably days even. We had to stay under the roof of the village church most of the time, waiting and hoping for the rain to come to a halt so we could finally head out. We heard about a man in the village who was paralysed and we wanted to visit him. And when the rain finally stopped, boy did we get excited. After a walk along the narrow, muddy paths, slipping and sliding along the way, we found ourselves at the centre of the village, where all the provision shops were situated. Upon entering one of the shops, we saw a man lying in bed with a wheelchair at arm’s length. He was drenched in sweat and looked rather distressed. With the help of both the pastor and translator, we asked the man about his condition. This man had been paralysed chest down for eight years due to a bad car accident. He was a believer but had trouble attending church services because of the uneven terrain of the hills. It didn’t help either that he had been tormented by nightmares.
So we laid hands on him and prayed. Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes went by without us seeing any change. But then it got interesting. One of us had the crazy impression of anointing this man’s feet with oil and washing it with his hair. (It’s probably a perk that he has long hair.) We found some cooking oil in his shop and anointed his feet. The man’s feet were washed with oil and hair, and definitely with reckless abandon. We no longer cared about the strangeness of such an act because we wanted breakthrough in his life. Maybe that truly is love; to fight for and to pour into someone’s life without a care of what it looks like and its consequences. And it got even more interesting. The man began to have sensation in his legs. The harder we pushed in faith, the more sensation he felt. It started low at his feet and began to rise up his legs! Before long, we were assisting him to stand to his feet. By this time, his countenance had changed drastically. He who had been in pain and distress, was now beaming with joy and hope! He still had trouble standing upright but he had an entire group of strangers (us) cheering him on. The beautiful strumming of the guitar and singing filled the air. “He split the sea so you could walk right through it. All your fears were drowned in perfect love. He rescued you so you could stand and sing. You are a child of God!” we sang over him with vigour. For a man who had never felt sensation waist down since the accident, every new sensation became a cause for celebration. And his smile – his God-given smile – was the cherry on top. We wondered when was the last time he was a part of a celebration, but it probably didn’t matter because it was his day, the day people celebrated him and his life. “Our reality is not our identity,” a friend once said. This man was known as the handicapped man of his village for almost a decade. He was the one bound to his wheelchair, helpless in his waking life and even in his sleep. But that day, that very day….. He became known as the man who is loved with reckless abandon.
“You can only sleep in the storm you have authority in.” - David Gava
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
THESE MOUNTAINS ARE YOURS { NEPAL }
story by WEI-JAN BOEY photos by BRANNON WINTER
They called it hills, but we felt that they were mountains in actuality. I huffed and puffed. My lungs cried out for oxygen. Streams of sweat ran down my neck. My legs burned like the sun that’s shining on my head. Rain or shine, the hike had to go on. A step I completed. The next step I overcame. The following step caused me to slip. Another step was fear-inducing. But more steps I conquered. As if having horse blinders on, all I could see was the path I was on and the few steps coming up ahead. And I wondered to myself, “How much longer is this journey going to take?”
It felt like an ordinary day. A little bit of stress, a dose of hope, a pinch of worry and a dollop of peace…all at the same time. Top that off with some ice cream from the local store, too. Little did we know that God was utterly ready to break our boxes. It all started with a man sitting on a stool by the side of the street, probably just watching the world pass him by…because what else can he do when his arm is covered in bandages? A hello, a few hand signals and some awkward exchanges later, we laid hands on this man, praying to God that he would be freed of his physical pain. We were unsure whether he said that his arm felt better or worse. But we never ceased praying. A crowd had gathered around us made up of curious schoolchildren and amused housewives. Then, a few college guys joined the crowd and asked, in English, about what was going on. “Oh, you came at the right time! Please translate for us!” we responded, relieved by the possibility of better communication. (They had no idea what was coming their way.) (Neither did we.) The rain clouds drew in and before long, a drizzle started. The crowd had grown larger and noisier. Chaos rose and this man’s fractured elbow didn’t seem to show any signs of improvement. And I wondered to myself, “How much longer is this going to take?”
The hike up/down the hill was far from over, even when my legs and lungs had been crying out for rest. Yet, these thoughts were put to rest when I walked past places that showed signs of devastation by the earthquake. Some towns we hiked through were deserted, leaving behind only shells of their former glory. And yet somehow, the beautiful landscape of mountains and valleys behind them highlight the stark contrast between life and death. But from it also came an incredible combination – beauty in the broken. That was all it took to stop me from wondering how much longer the journey was going to take because the hills were yelling, “We are rising up!”
All eyes were on us. Our clothes were damp from the drizzle as we surrounded the man and prayed to God for the restoration of his arm. And this man continued shaking his head as he tested his elbow. “No, we shall not give up! We’re not accepting this result! Let’s press in like never before!” Even when hope felt like it was about to evaporate in the midst of chaos, a sudden burst of faith spurred us on to release the Kingdom over this man. Then it poured. Heavily. Asian monsoon style. So, we ran into a shaded alleyway. That man, college guys and us…crammed into a narrow space. The man continued testing his elbow, stretching and twisting it while maintaining a straight face. But this time, his countenance changed. The man and the college guys conversed in Nepali. Then, they looked at us. “He said that there’s no pain,” said the college guys. “No more pain? Not at all?” we asked, a little surprised. “No pain at all.” “So there’s no more pain in his elbow?!” “He’s saying that he’s been in pain since the car accident, but today’s the first time that there’s no pain! And he’s going to test it by pushing his cart now.” This man rushed out of the alleyway and ran towards his cart. He gave it a push and it moved effortlessly. He came running back to us, thanking us in Nepali and was close to tears. He probably hadn’t been able to achieve that feat ever since his arm got hurt. His wife joined the group and thanked us as she held back tears. Our new college-friends-turned-translators were gobsmacked. They knew we prayed in Jesus’ name, and this miracle was beyond their wildest expectations of Him.
They had questions. Great questions. Our conversation was so Holy Spirit-driven even when it meant pounding in uncomfortable truths, and yet they were still so hungry to know more. They had met missionaries in the past, but never seen anything like what happened that day. Jesus was rocking their boat, and it was only a matter of time before it would tip over. While we sipped on Cokes and chatted with the college guys at a neighbourhood café, a lady found out that we were acquaintances of a dear friend of hers. She excitedly invited us into her home and we were served fresh (and sugary sweet) chai. We remembered an impression that God gave us right before we even left home, and that was about meeting someone with back pain. Well, it turned out that she was the aforementioned person. And boy, was she incredibly amazed that we knew. “Jesus told us,” we said. And nothing could’ve stopped her sheer amazement and excitement. The next day, we returned to the same street and visited the man whose elbow was healed. He told us that his wife, too, was in pain. We prayed for the pain to go away and it did. We explained that Jesus healed them and He’s a Father who loves them dearly. They said yes to Jesus and that was when a major shift happened there and then. People started flocking to us, showing us parts of their body that hurt. The crowd grew larger and larger. One by one they were healed. Ten, fifteen, twenty…whatever the number, these people encountered the love of Jesus. Magic, some called it, but we’d always say, “That’s the love and power of Jesus Christ!” ...To think that this entire series of events started with one man, surrounded by a bunch of giddy-in-love-with-Jesus-people who wouldn’t give up even when chaos tried to creep in. God couldn’t wait to surprise and lavish him with His love. And I recalled His still, small voice saying, “These mountains are yours.”
“The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters.” - Romans 8:19
{ TANZANIA } photo by SARAH KONKEN-DEHAAN
WHO I AM { CAMBODIA & THAILAND }
story by JOY AUGUSTINUS photo by JOANA-PIA EVERLING
Without God, I was many reflections of other people. I didn’t know who I was, so I tried to find myself in other people. With God, I was shown who I was and I learned to become me the person He created me to be. Growth and intimacy with God made me realise that I didn’t want the old me, the old life. It takes time; it’s a long and challenging journey… but a very freeing one. Today, I’m dreaming with God. Today, I’m becoming more of who I am meant to be. And today is not yesterday.
UNEXPECTED TRANSFORMATION { NEPAL }
story & photo by RUBEN DAAMEN
“Isn’t it funny how God will take circumstances and situations to use it to transform you beyond your understanding and knowledge?”
You would think, since it is your life, you would somehow realise what’s going on. See, change and transformation is something that we find frightening if the outcome is unknown. It’s like God only allows you to understand to a certain degree because if you would realize what was happening in the moment, it would actually scare you more and cause you to resist. I found myself in conversation with God, an ongoing conversation about surrender and trust. God asked me, “Do you trust Me enough to step into the unknown? To release your fear and surrender your feelings to Me? I honestly have to say that I couldn’t give a full yes at first. It’s more a process in which I learned to lay down rights; step by step putting all of my trust in Him. The beautiful thing about God is that He is a good Father. He knows us. He sees our desires but He also looks past that and sees what we really need. He is faithful and will come when our hearts are on the altar. I thought that God was going to overwhelm me with intense things about the prophetic and the supernatural. Instead, God led me into a time where He showed me intimacy, a kingdom lifestyle, true identity, building my character through it. That’s something I didn’t see coming. But God used the situation I was in and the circumstances to transform me beyond my expectations. God always exceeds our expectations, doesn’t He? The future holds so many secrets and stories yet to be written. I know that I will continue to look back at this time and be amazed at how far I’ve come. I know that this is not the end…it is just the beginning of a new story. A God-breathed adventure!
{ NEPAL } photo by ASHLEY LANE
SONG OF SOLOMON { NEPAL }
story & photo by LOUISE DIXON I’ve always avoided this book, mainly because it was just really weird. To me, it was like a compilation of terrible pick-up lines and obscure analogies. ‘Your hair is like a flock of goats… Your breasts are like two fawns...’ It just never made much sense to me. What was the significance of this book and why would God put such an intimate love story at the centre of the Bible? But thinking about it, it’s as if He is trying to make a point to us that the core of Christianity and life itself is actually a love story. Everyone seeks to be loved and to be know. Intimacy is at the core of every story! I was reading this book in a season of life where I felt like God wanted me to let Him love me in a deeper way than I’d experienced before. Because of this, I took this relationship in Song of Solomon as an analogy for Jesus’ love for me, the church and the kind of relationship that is possible with God. When looking at the relationship in Song of Solomon, there is no denying that the Shulamite and her Beloved are madly in love with each other. The emotions, actions, love, and desires are reciprocated from both sides. Intimacy is not one-sided. His desire for me is very real, and so much more than I can understand. I love the part where the woman says multiple times “I am dark, I am dark, I am dark.” However when the Beloved is referring to her, he says, “You are fair, my love.” There is one line where he says, “You are fair and there is no spot in you.” How often do we completely discredit or disvalue ourselves before God, feeling like we’re not good enough. Jesus only sees the truth and calls us fair, without spot or blemish. There is nothing that could exempt us from this relationship. Taking Song of Solomon seriously made me realise that there is so much of God that we can (and will) miss out on if we don’t understand His fierce desire for intimacy. I can determine how deep my relationship with God goes, and I don’t want it to stay at a courtship level. I don’t want to miss out on anything with God. We have the possibility to be intimate and vulnerable with Him, baring all of ourselves just like the Shulamite Woman with her Beloved. The Christian life isn’t about good works, missions or ministry. It’s about being captivated, enamoured, and completely head over heels (sometimes even awkwardly) in love with Jesus.
“The Christian life isn’t about good works, missions or ministry…it’s about being captivated, enamoured, and completely head over heels (sometimes even awkwardly) in love with Jesus.”
“Jesus didn’t just die to get you into Heaven. He died to get Heaven into you.” - Mike Vickers
{ NEPAL } photo by LOUISE DIXON
THANK YOU We want to thank you for taking the time to read our stories. Our hope is that, by reading this book, you will be inspired and touched by the very same God who loves you and desires to move in and through your life. We pray that this project would bless you, but more than that, we want it to be an invitation. All the stories you’ve read, every miracle and salvation, was only possible because God is alive and moving. He is so eager to do all of these things and even greater in your own life. Take the call of the Kingdom of Heaven and live everyday in a way others are encountered by Jesus. We want to end the book with this, as a prayer for your life and all those around you.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” - Matthew 6:9-10
The name of this book is Maggīdh. The maggīdh are known as messengers and preachers, ones skilled as a narrator of stories. They are the ones retelling the works and acts of their God and getting the message out. This was the same purpose we felt for the book. We didn’t really want it to be a promotion for a certain ministry; we simply wanted it to be a platform to display the love of God. This simple truth that God loved us enough to send Jesus to die in our place, was the very stitching that brought all the stories together. When Jesus walked the earth, He showed us what is possible when we live connected to our Father in Heaven.
“Then Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom, and healed their diseased bodies, healing their bruised and hurt lives. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” - Matthew 9:35-36, paraphrased
We desire to live our lives as Jesus lived His, fully surrendered to God.
Kerusso is a ministry that was formed out of a deep conviction that we are called to walk intimately with Jesus, as sons and daughters, knowing our true identity in Christ. Our mission is to be a voice (a herald), to preach, and to demonstrate the Kingdom of God, and to exemplify that Jesus is alive by love and the power of the Holy Spirit. We desire to equip the saints for ministry and to model the lifestyle that Jesus called us to live. We minister to the body of Christ and also go to the unreached to share about our King and His Kingdom.
Kerusso: School of the Kingdom is a ministry and training program of Youth With A Mission in Herrnhut, Germany. For more details on who we are, our mission, and how to get involved, go to: http://mission-live.com/kerusso
EDITORIAL TEAM // Wei-Jan Boey, Ashley Lane, Leslie Reuter, Jörn Burger, Tiana Blas COVER PHOTOGRAPHY // Louise Dixon The testimonies in this book are from the School of the Kingdom that ran in Herrnhut and sent out three teams to Nepal, Tanzania, and Cambodia/Thailand.
REMEMBER WHEN Remember the time when… …we were waiting for a train, Ejona sang beautifully about Heaven to a drunk guy and he was clearly impacted by it? …Brad and Malene spoke to an atheist at a train station and he was shocked when they said that they knew he had been suffering from a particular illness because Jesus told them? …Sylwek was confidently reaching out to people on the streets? …a casual conversation with someone at a restaurant turned into a time of prophesying and praying for her future? …a blind man in Dresden Neustadt said yes to Jesus? …a simple smile brought someone to tears? …a lady in a train was touched by the fact that prophetic art was made specifically for her, by a complete stranger? ...we saw God provide for us in both simple and crazy ways? …we roared like lions? ...we hiked for hours and hours but could still laugh and crack jokes? ...we ate fish and rice everyday and made a song about it? ...we had bumpy bus/truck rides? It was always bumpy. …awkwardness and language barriers didn’t come in the way of miracles happening? May we never forget.