Love in Many Languages

From The Director Without a Vision, the People Perish

Don Carson ascribed to his father, a Canadian minister, an idiom widely used in Bible college classrooms even today: A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text. Pithy. Punchy. Precise. It’s imperative to set the scene when communicating the Word of God. Where does a particular verse sit within the context of the chapter? And where does the chapter sit within the context of its surrounding chapters, and within the book of the Bible in which it is written, and, indeed, within the entire biblical narrative?

“Judas went out and hanged himself” is drawn from Scripture. So is “go and do likewise” and “what you have to do, do quickly.” But you can’t string those verses together! That would be disastrous! Each verse has its own context! Here’s a classic from the book of Proverbs: Without a vision, the people perish… (29:18). People use this verse to justify all sorts of ideas and plans, some of which leave you scratching your head in confusion. But when you see this text in its contexts, everything becomes clear…

Without a vision, the people perish, but he who keeps the Law is happy.

The verse in its fulness emphasises the extraordinary value of God's Word. The Law of the Lord is good, and our vision for ministry is to be drawn from Scripture, leading to fulfilment and contentment. Pioneers is unequivocally committed to gospel ministry, disciple-making, and church planting among peoples of the world who are yet to grapple with the claims of Christ. Our vision is drawn from the Word of God. God

is God. Humankind is sinful. God is seeking to redeem to Himself all those who will come to Him. God loves lost people. The Lord Jesus is the only One through whom a person can be saved. Our message is a biblical one that leads to eternal life as the gospel is shared, understood and received.

If God has spoken, the most important thing we can do is to listen to what He has said.

The Word of God is not ambiguous about the role of God’s people in the world. God has spoken. Those of us who know Christ live to make Him known. Are we listening? On the back of our celebration of 25 years as Pioneers Australia - and decades of mission work that preceded that milestone - we are looking ahead to greater impact to the glory of God. What will the next 25 years look like if God allows us to continue to serve? What if we can partner with other organisations and churches across the world to double the number of people groups we serve over, say, the next decade?

Our vision to link more unreached peoples with the message of Jesus is unchanged.⁠ We are passionate to find novel ways to win people to Him, to point people heavenward, the share unparalleled good news, to spread the love of God in many languages. God has spoken. We are listening. The gospel is key. This is our vision.

Save the Humans

The love of God expressed among every Tongue, Nation and Tribe

In October 2023, our Pioneers International Leadership Team sensed a stirring from the Lord to express audacious faith. We sensed Him calling us to rally around the goal of seeing a doubling of our impact among unreached people groups within the next 10 years – a double blessing to the nations. Among other things, this saw the launch of a new team within the Pioneers-USA base to focus their strategic plan on how to best support this international goal. As the Strategic Integration team emerged, so did a new process for strategic planning.

The four-phase strategic process begins by looking at the 'what is' of each Pioneers office. Through a series of assessments and in-person reviews, the team identifies what is working well and what is not. Phase one culminates in a report provided to the base director to have an objective perspective on current strengths and concerns. Phase two pivots towards the future. During this phase, the office utilises an outlined process to look 10 years into the future – where the world is going and how it is changing. The goal is not to know the future, but rather identify plausible realities within numerous topical areas.

Once 'what is' and 'what will be' are identified, only then can we begin to make informed decisions about changes that should be made in accordance with greatest impact, whether in mobilisation, development, finances, partnerships, or any other area of influence. Phase three, called 'the inflection point', is intended to be a season of deliberate reorientation for the future.

Each decision should have clear impacts not just on the office today but to prepare the office for the future.

This brings us to the fourth phase of the strategic process. Phase four focuses specifically on new tactics which will be necessary for the future. While Phase three determines where we need to go, and which changes will achieve the greatest impact, Phase four gets into the weeds of those decisions – providing the greatest likelihood of success when implemented intentionally.

There is one other component in this process which hasn’t been mentioned yet – prayer. Our greatest efforts, research, decisions are all for naught if we are not making them in alignment with our Father in Heaven. As such, prayer is infused at every step of the process, ensuring that we are hearing from Him who allows us to play a role in His work among the nations.

We can rest assured that the Lord is with us in achieving something great for His namesake. At the core of this whole process, is a deep passion for seeing the name of Jesus proclaimed by every tongue, nation and tribe. May He be pleased in our obedience, commitment, and toil.

Jacob Hancock

Vice President, Strategic Integration, Pioneers Adjunct Professor, Crummer Graduate School of Business

Into His Harvest Field

Loving Children by showing them

Who Jesus Is

'But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”' (Matthew 19:14)

In June 2023, I returned from Mauritius after spending 10 weeks there on a short-term ministry and survey trip, prayerfully considering whether I am called to long-term ministry in Mauritius. During my time, my primary focus was to see the ministry opportunities at Lighthouse Christian School, located north of the Island.

My role was to serve in a finance position, but I was able to engage with the kids by sitting in classes, attending social activities and during meal breaks. I asked students about their thoughts of the Christian values taught at the school, who they thought Jesus Christ was, and I learned about their beliefs. It also gave opportunities to share biblical truths and express their need-to-know why Jesus Christ came to earth and about what He did for them. I also visited a foster home on a few occasions and shared Psalm 27 with some of the kids, knowing that a heavenly Father would adopt them if they knew Him personally.

In November 2023, I was accepted by Pioneers to return long-term to Mauritius, and my church, Hills Bible Church, Wantirna, enthusiastically agreed to be my sending church. I am now preparing to leave Australia in a few months and have started the partnership development journey. I am trusting the Lord to meet every need.

Carly Fielding | Pioneers Member

Love in Many Languages...

English, Swahili, Spanish

As a Kenyan and a Mexican heading to mobilise Latin Americans in Mexico, our journey has been and continues to be quite interesting! We met at Bible College here in Australia and both had a strong desire to be used by God to serve in a different country. However, we weren’t sure where would be a good fit for both of us and so we decided to stay in Australia, get married, serve within the local church context and see where God leads. Coming from the 'majority world' ourselves, both of us have a heart to see the church in the 'majority world' empowered and equipped to partner with God in His global mission. We are convinced that the global church and global mission will be so much more enriched and effective when Christians in the 'majority' world are encouraged and enabled to reach their potential in ministry and mission. So, when God presented mission mobilisation in Mexico as an option, it felt like a great first step for us.

Since deciding to take this step, we have seen God provide for us in wonderful ways. As we are expecting our first child before we leave Australia, God has used our local church to care for, love, support and provide for us in ways that have been overwhelmingly generous. As we continue to raise prayer and financial partners these gestures have been an encouragement that God will continue to provide for and care for us every step of the journey. And the journey ahead, even in the next few months, still has many more steps! Our baby is due in August, then we leave Australia in October and head to Kenya to spend time with family before moving to Mexico in January 2025. We will be living in the south of Mexico with family as we complete online training before moving to the north of Mexico later in the year to complete our training at the Pioneers Mexico base.

We would appreciate your prayers for the coming months with the many endings and beginnings that we’re going to experience as we continue to trust God to lead us where he wants!

Edgar and Kamwende | Pioneers Members

Carly on a recent trip to Mauritius

Occupational Therapy, Architecture and the

Love of God

We are Jarrod and Claire, and have recently been accepted to serve on the Pioneers team in Arua, Uganda. We are aiming to be there by the end of May, so it is coming around very quickly!

Our mission journey began around June 2022 after our first trip to Arua to see a friend (fellow Pioneers member, Bree), with an inkling that we were being called to missions. It was on this trip that God touched our hearts and gave us a clear conviction that this was where He wants us to be. From then, God has been so good, teaching us far more about the world and His people than we ever expected.

There have been highs and lows throughout the journey, which caused us to be constantly prayerful and trusting in God for the right outcomes. This was a great lesson in giving control over to Him and living for Him in every season of our lives, even when it is unpredictable. It was a daily process of giving our lives fully to Him, submitting to serve Him anywhere He calls us!

We are very excited to be sent out, and to soon begin immersing ourselves within the team and community in Arua. With Claire's background in Paediatric

Occupational Therapy, she will be stepping into an established ministry called “Sunflower Ministries”. They help provide holistic care to children with disabilities in their contexts and seek to bring an understanding of disability as a whole to the families and community – especially emphasising each child’s inherent value as God’s beloved! Jarrod, with a background as an Architectural Draftsman and general all-rounder, hopes to use his skills to assist with practical community needs. This will provide an avenue for building relationships, sharing about Jesus and demonstrating Christ’s love for them in word and deed.

There are many opportunities in Arua, with a diverse community of refugees, Muslims, old and young, all needing the light, hope and love found in and through Christ alone. We are so thankful for Pioneers training and guidance throughout the process. Please join us in prayer as we head out, that each of our steps would be guided by our heavenly Father, and that we will rely on the Holy Spirit at work in us, not our own strength.

Jarrod and Claire | Pioneers Members

Jarrod and Claire with the team on a recent trip to Arua, Uganda

God's Precious Ones Third Culture K ids

As the Children and Families worker with the Member Care and Development team, it is my absolute privilege to catch up with the children, teens and young adults of our families scattered across the globe spreading the good news of Jesus wherever God has planted them.

Our Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are a unique blend of places, cultures and homes.

Each week I zoom or chat with parents and/or their children, checking in on them as they navigate their sometimes difficult calling among the world’s unreached peoples. My special privilege includes debriefing young ones face to face when they visit the office on Home Assignment. It is such a humbling experience to hear their stories, bear witness to their struggles, losses, victories and growth. We talk, play, laugh and sometimes weep. We can speak about the hard things in a safe environment and where there are no expectations. We can name the hard things and the wonderful things. It’s a place and time of grace and listening where a life is honoured and helpful tools shared so that each young life can continue on the road set before them. Above is a painting I came across that reminded me how very important even our littlest ones are to Jesus and where and with whom He can be found today.

Studies highlight how important it is to give our young people someone to talk to outside of their family in their heart language – the language they speak at home, the language in which they feel and the language with which they understand the world. A sense of belonging and being heard, seen and known is vital to our wellbeing as human beings. I play a small part in helping this happen for these special children.

Please pray that these young people would find their identity and belonging in the family of God.

Analy Alfonso | Children and Families Worker

Worry Stack

TCK is a term used to refer to children who accompany their parents into a different culture. TCKs integrate aspects of their birth culture (the first culture) and the new and the new culture (the second culture), creating a unique 'third culture' culture (the second culture), creating a unique 'third culture'.

and the Para-Message Message

‘Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews…  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law… so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.’ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Learning someone else’s language is tough! Why do we bother with it, especially in a world where English is becoming increasingly useful as a means of communicating with more and more people around the globe?

Shortly after returning to Australia from Central Asia, God led me to an experience that illuminated the deep value of cross-cultural messengers struggling to communicate in the heart language of their hearers rather than speaking with ease in their own heart language. In my years in Central Asia, I had shared the gospel in Tajik countless times, usually with a high degree of struggle since it was not my heart language. One day, back in Australia, an opportunity arose to share the gospel with my neighbours, a young couple whose heart language is Mandarin. These two friends of mine had competence in English more than sufficient for everyday living in Australia, but as we spoke in English about the deeper truths of the God who loves fallen humanity, I could sense that I wasn’t really connecting with them. I found myself wishing I could speak with them in Tajik. I dismissed my impulse as ridiculous – not only do my friends not understand a word of Tajik, but surely I can explain the gospel better in English, which is my heart language! My friends were gracious and the conversation struggled on to a reasonable conclusion, but as I returned home, I began to ask myself why I had the desire to share the gospel in my second language.

In cross-cultural communication, what difference does it make whether the language used is the heart language of the recipient or the heart language of the messenger? Although the message – the content of what is said – may be just the same in either language, the para-message – what is communicated alongside the content – is vastly different. When the messenger speaks in his or her heart language, naturally and with ease, the para-message says something like, “You need to understand what I’m saying, so make an effort.” However, when the messenger speaks in the recipient’s heart language, falteringly, with great effort and relying on the recipient for help, the para-message says, “It’s tough for me to communicate this message, but it is so important to me, and you are so important to me, that I am going to struggle through with your help until we both understand.”

My conversation with my neighbours reinforced my conviction that it is immeasurably valuable for us as cross-cultural gospel messengers to speak the language of our adopted people. As new friends see us struggle day after day to learn their heart language, we honour them and demonstrate our desire to connect with them. Essentially, we show them love and, in so doing, we envelope our message in a para-message that values both them and the message; ultimately bringing glory to the God who sent us as messengers.

Peter Roberts | Mentor for Language Learning

OARF

Some Pioneers workers are involved in aid and development work through OARF projects that reflect an acknowledgement and understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through a Christian faith perspective. These projects work with communities, seeking to improve conditions in a sustainable way and redress inequalities by promoting fairer and impartial systems of services, often for the least privileged and most marginalised members of that society.

Development of South Sudanese refugees in a large settlement in Uganda

This project of four parts is being conducted by a 50-year-old NGO called ACROSS based in South Sudan. Its assistance to refugees in Uganda has been operating in partnership with Pioneers since 2017. There are many refugees living in many refugee camps – this project focuses on a village of 11,000 refugees and may extend to the next village this year if more funds are available.

1. Child Protection Training

Previously there were many cases of child abuse including child marriage, defilement, school dropout due to lack of parental support, and child labour prevalent in the camp. So, 35 community leaders engaged in faceto-face training. A further 120 individuals were supplied with mp3 mini speakers with content on: child rights and responsibilities, and categories, signs and impact of child abuse. These 120 then reached 3,000 people in listening groups, marketplaces, funeral gatherings, etc. An estimated 2,000 were also reached using an elevated loudspeaker. Messages on both media included peacebuilding; life skills; and positive parenting.

Now community structures for child protection have been strengthened. Community leaders agreed to stop overnight activities which had been leading causes of child pregnancy, early marriages, and defilement. Many parents now support their children to be educated. A woman said that because of the messages she gathered firewood and grass, sold them, and generated money enabling her to support her children’s schooling.

2. Adult Literacy in the mother tongue

Six Learning Centres were opened with 180 Learners enrolled. So far, all learners are women, and most have improved much in reading and writing. More women, youth and older children want to join classes.

3. Youth Sports for peace

Ten football teams of 20 players each were fostered by the supply of sports materials and equipment (jerseys,

footballs, goalpost nets, etc.). Nine referees and team captains received training. The teams then participated in a 47-game tournament with 500 spectators attending. Engaging students during school holidays avoids idleness and the formation of peer groups that turn to drugs and other abuses and reduces criminal cases and conflicts arising between ethnic groups.

4. Life Skills Training of youth

Three training events were conducted engaging 100 youth. Topics included relationship building, communication, and goals setting, enabling youth to realise their value, talents and to make good decisions. Seventy-eight youth shared wonderful transformation testimonies. The training especially targets those who have dropped out of school. A 26-year-old testified, “I used to be arrogant at home and within the community but now I have seen some changes in my life."

We are assisting with transformational development through child protection, literacy, youth sports and life skills training. If you would like to give to this need, please scan the QR code below, visit tthe GIVE page on our website: https://pioneers.org.au/give/donate or call the Pioneers office on 1800 78 78 89.

Thank you for your prayers and your practical support!

trauma and Jesus Needs, problems,

Since before we were married (in 1992), we have felt a conviction to serve God full time in His mission, wherever that may be. So far this has included serving as dorm parents for the children of ex-pats in Northern Pakistan and Northern Thailand, helping to spread God’s word in Asia through Reach Beyond Radio (formerly HCJB Australia) in the East Kimberley and, now, reaching out to the Indigenous people of the West Kimberley in North West Australia.

We have been based in the remote town of Derby (population 5000) since August 2011. We currently serve here with Pioneers Australia with a focus on pastoral care, Bible teaching and discipleship. Our main places of ministry are within the town Derby and the nearby community of Mowanjum (approx. 300).

We are both involved in prison visitation/chaplaincy (through Prison Fellowship), and Greg works part time helping to manage the Mowanjum Community Resource Centre which is a great opportunity for him to regularly interact with the community. Linda also leads/teaches women’s Bible studies in Mowanjum and Derby. Besides these things we are available for local relationships and pastoral care.

There are many spiritual needs and social problems due to generational trauma in this area, such as drug and alcohol abuse, child neglect, domestic violence and suicide. There are also a lot of positives, such as open hearts, strong family ties and a vast network of local shared knowledge. We pray that we can make a difference through being available for long term relationships.

This is not just ‘our’ ministry, we feel like an extension of the heart of other Christians reaching out to the people of this area through their prayers and support. When we tell our friends here that there are people elsewhere praying for them it is a fantastic encouragement to them.

Greg & Linda Wilson | Pioneers Members

Collaboration to the Glory of God

My wife (Marion) and I are Pioneers members serving full-time with Simply Mobilizing (SM) [scan QR code above for more info] or visit https://simplymobilising. com.au. SM is a ministry which began in the Philippines helping churches understand the mission of God. With teams of volunteers now in more than 100 countries, we consider the ministry of mobilisation as helping ordinary Christians discover how they can work with God to accomplish some aspect of His mission.

In 2008, I attended SM's first international conference with one simple question in mind: How could SM’s Kairos course be introduced to Venezuela? Little did Marion and I realise that God had so much more in view! We ran our first course in Venezuela in March 2009 and helped those graduates run subsequent Kairos courses. Idita was in the third course. At age 15 she had responded to God’s calling to be a missionary. But 30 years later she had never left Venezuela. In undertaking the course, God lifted the sense of guilt that she had carried all those years, as she recognised that she was faithfully serving God as a missionary to Hindus in her own neighbourhood! Idita’s story completely challenged our understanding of God’s mission and affirmed to us the value of mobilisation tools such as the Kairos course.

Since then, God has grown a strong team in Venezuela, and with the help of others we introduced the ministry of SM to 11 Latin American countries by the time we left the region in 2019. The strong foundation which God grew there was far wider and stronger than we had dared to envisage, and since leaving a team of Latinos has been fully responsible for growing local SM teams in 22 countries throughout Latin America.

Through the various courses SM offer, available now in many languages, God is challenging many individuals to work with Him in His mission. One such example is Jeremias, who in one course sensed God’s challenge to serve as a cross-cultural missionary. Before embarking

on a short-term mission, the pastoral team challenged members of the church to help his need for finance. To their surprise, within a week he had all the needed funds for this exploratory trip. The pastoral team had never seen anything like that before and attributed the outcome to God’s work during the recent SM courses. Jeremias and his wife are now serving as cross-cultural missionaries to an unreached people group in Asia.

In 2020 I took on a new international role. With the SM family divided into 12 regions (one of which is Latin America), I became responsible for overseeing our 12 international leaders. I regularly meet online with these leaders and encourage them to persevere through their many challenges. I coach them as they run training events in their countries. I continue in this very relational role now as Associate Director of SM International, and Marion now serves as SM's International Translations Coordinator.

Over the years Marion and I have realised that God wants to accomplish so much more than we would dare to dream or imagine. But yet expansion should not be reliant on overworking our existing leaders. Instead, expansion comes through praying for eyes to see the leaders whom God may be setting apart, and purposefully empowering them. This year, regional leaders' gatherings are scheduled to encourage and empower leaders in five regions: Europe, West Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Latin America. God is at work in raising up more leaders to mobilise churches throughout the world. We are looking forward to interacting with our leaders at these gatherings, and hearing more stories of the strong foundations that God is building.

Geof (and Marion) Gunton | Pioneers Members

Graduation from first SM Course in Caracas, Venezuela, March 2009 Conference, 2024

God's Love Story

Through a member speaking 14 languages

Living in a community with different faiths and beliefs from your own can be challenging.

In this particular community, they have been taught the Bible has been distorted, that Jesus is not the Son of God, that He never died and therefore never rose from death. They also have many superstitious beliefs that they follow in their daily lives, such as during weddings and adolescence. They give honour to their ancestors and dead spirits, whom they believe guide their daily activities. On a national level, the majority of people worship Mary, the statue of baby Jesus, or Black Nazarene. During the holy week, many people offer their bodies to be whipped until they bleed and then some more.

After learning the national language, I moved to the island to help with health needs while learning the trade language and the heart language to enable meaningful dialogue. I have also been adopted into a prominent family.

For security reasons, my team relocated to the capital city. However, I stayed and was involved with teaching and helping my adopted family and I visited extended families in four different countries per their requests. As such, I gained inside knowledge and learned to see daily activities from within. I have to understand who relates to whom, appropriate dos and don’ts, and what my best contributions to the community can be.

At their request, we dubbed the Jesus Film into their heart language with the help of prominent religious leaders. The impact was significant, and the locals participated in two more films and other audio recordings, which they shared across the four countries. Many have been reading portions of the Bible in their heart languages and learning things about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit they never knew before.

The response has been positive, and many people who participated in the past recordings want to do more. We are currently in the process of translating more films to convey redemptive analogies. I thank God that He has given me the ability to learn multiple languages so that more people might hear of Him through my small part in His big plan.

B | Pioneers Member

Loving the Nations Together

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...

Matthew 28:19

In 2009 Jessica Watson, just 16 years old, attempted to sail solo around the world. She came very close to succeeding. It was an amazing and courageous endeavour. Sometimes, cross-cultural workers can seem a bit like Jessica, heading off on their own adventure across the seas. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Participation in the Great Commission was never meant to be solo.

Jesus' final command to his disciples was to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19). This is the primary role of the church – discipling the world! It includes those in our fellowships, those in our neighbourhood, and those in distant lands. When we send out some to go beyond the local setting and culture to those with little or no access to the gospel, partnership comes to life – senders and sent ones - partnering in discipling the nations. For those preparing for cross-cultural ministry, this partnership is vital. It will be their lifeline.

Partnership Development is simply the prayerful formation of a network of senders to partner with those who will go to other cultures. Whole churches, individuals, families and small groups can all play a part. The sending role takes commitment and includes:

• Prayer – specific, life impacting, history changing!

• Financial Giving – joyfully investing in God’s heart than non should perish!

• Encouragement and Practical Help – keeping the partnership relationship-based!

For some cross-cultural workers, engaging in partnership development can be daunting. Our Australian culture generally expects people to be financially independent. However, Kingdom culture provides a very different picture. Confident in the loving provision of our heavenly Father, it is a generous and unified body of Christ that displays God’s glory to those around us.

Truth be told, even Jessica Watson was not making her attempt alone. The support team at home, on the radio, and at each port was what sustained her. How can you, your family, your small group and your church fellowship participate further in discipling the nations, sending valued and beloved members for the sake of the lost? How might you encourage someone you know who is seeking to form a network of partners as they prepare to go and serve in other cultures?

Suzanne North | Mobilisation Team Leader