Ten exploration teams made trips to ten different destinations and peoples between April 2022 and March 2023. These trips were the first wave of exploration in discerning potential new fields for EFM to launch as part of EFM’s Five-Year Goal. It was determined that eight of those destinations require a second trip for further, deeper, exploration, plus as of July 2023 plans are being made by FSW to start a new work among unreached people groups in Cambodia and surrounding areas. Further exploration will help EFM to begin making decisions about where to make commitments in November 2023 to send North American households to launch new fields. See more information here.

The following is a report written by a member of the team, Matt Macy.

This team is made up of representatives from Burundi Friends and the U.S., including: Pastor Domitien Sabongerwa (Burundi Friends Church Missions Liaison), Pastor Fidele Bizimana (General Superintendent of Kwibuka Yearly Meeting – Burundi Friends Church), Pastor Daniel Nkuriye (Kwibuka Yearly Meeting – Burundi Friends Church), Salomon Ntibaharire (Kibimba Yearly Meeting – Burundi Friends Church), Pastor Aaron Mupenda (General Superintendent and Legal Representative of EFC-Rwanda), Brad Carpenter (EFM Missionary), Brendan Steinacher (EFC-MAYM), Matt Macy (EFM Director of Mobilization), Nathan Macy (Future Missionary from EFC-MAYM), and Todd Brown (EFC-MAYM).

The team met in Dar es Salaam on September 17 and started the trip with a day at the East Africa School of Missions on September 18. We are interested in this African one-year training school for Burundian, Rwandan, and American future missionary training to prepare for going to the unreached peoples. Some of our team arrived directly from the second South Sudan Luke 10 Exploration Trip.  Two Luke 10 South Sudan team members joined us at the school: Aaron Mupenda (EFC-Rwanda Superintendent and EFC-Africa Director) and Todd Brown (EFC-MAYM).

Then those on the Tanzania exploration team traveled to Ngerengere from September 19-22. The first Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Tanzania last year, visited this city and visited graduates from the training school who are working as missionaries among unreached peoples in the region, including with the Kutu and Zaramo people. The team felt that the Ngerengere area was promising and decided that the second Luke 10 trip should focus more time here. The team split into three groups to explore the town and even visited villages nearby based on contacts we made. On the 22nd, on the way back to Dar es Salaam, the team followed a tip from a Massai village near Ngerengere to visit an unchurched village called Boyi, which turned out to be a promising lead for potential church planting.

The remainder of the trip was spent in Dar es Salaam in times of prayer and discussion for discernment on next steps.

Visit to Missionary Training School.  Our day at the East Africa School of Missions in Dar es Salaam was inspiring and unifying. We observed classroom teaching in Swahili and English and toured the small campus. We were challenged and impressed by missiological discussions led by the school’s Director, Samwel Kengela. We had seen the fruit of the school’s training when we visited several graduates of the school serving among unreached people in the field last year on the first Trip. This, along with hearing Samwel’s experience in planting churches among the unreached, gave us increasing confidence in the school. The school has trained just over 100 African students since 2015, in an April-March calendar year, which includes a three-month group field experience at the end. The school uses seasoned teachers and practitioners from all over the world to make one- or two-week visits to the school to fulfill all of the school’s courses.

Samwel helped our team further understand what it would take to prepare our missionary team to go to the unreached. Also, our understanding of each other’s mission-sending framework expanded as we continued to discuss the idea of sending missionaries together with Friends in Burundi and Rwanda. We see the need for missionary training among both the goers and the senders. Plus, we love the idea of US missionaries getting training alongside African missionaries in Africa.

  Time in Ngerengere. We split into three groups to explore this town. We met many people who were friendly, open to talking about their families and customs, and also many who were interested in showing us their homes.

• We were surprised initially, based on last year’s visit, how many people here identified as church-attending Christians. But we also learned that many of these churchgoers did not understand the gospel or how to follow Jesus. We also learned that the Muslim or Christian identity was often more about a family or community cultural identity than about a personal, active practicing faith.
• We learned consistently that in this town, Muslims and Christians live in peace with each other (they report that the village is generally different in this regard, and we saw this last year). We were told several times that a new church would be welcome here, as long as it did not bring division among the religions and groups that were established.
• We talked to several people who didn’t recognize any difference between Muslim and Christian. One team talked to a man who visited both Muslim and Catholic churches and saw no difference except that shoes had to come off to enter the Muslim church. We also met people who were Muslim and married to a Christian. But we also met some Christians who knew and could clearly explain the difference.
• We heard of villages further away from town that don’t have local access to the gospel or have any church. We met a man and heard of other people who travel quite a distance from villages to attend church occasionally.
• We had several groups of people, especially in villages, invite us to come back and start churches. We felt warm hospitality and welcome, and a hunger for spiritual and physical development.
• We kept hearing from everyone that access to water is a big need in this area, both for human consumption and for cattle.

• We are honored and excited about opportunities for partnering with Burundian Friends to learn together how to develop a multi-national missionary team. We would like to see EFM continue to work with EFC-Burundi in developing a missions-sending framework.  We are praying for EFC-Burundi as they continue to strengthen and organize their missions-sending vision and capacity.
• The Burundians are eager to begin evangelism and church planting and inspire us all to go. Nathan Macy, a future missionary on this team, is expressing desire to go. We all see opportunities for whole-life discipleship and development.
• Research shows a vast number of villages, towns, and peoples in the greater area who are unreached.
• Ngerengere is a place that needs the gospel, and it makes an excellent hub logistically for getting established and developing an equipping and sending strategy in the area.
• Missionary training and a common language for missions strategy amongst Burundian and American missionary teams, as well as among senders, will be a key part of developing an effective missions-sending framework.

We look forward to sharing more news as it becomes available about what we are finding and discerning in EFM’s Luke 10 Initiative.

The post Report from the Second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Tanzania first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The second trip within the second wave of Luke 10 Exploration Trips went out from September 8-17 to South Sudan.

Ten exploration teams made trips to ten different destinations and peoples between April 2022 and March 2023. These trips were the first wave of exploration in discerning potential new fields for EFM to launch as part of EFM’s Five-Year Goal. It was determined that eight of those destinations require a second trip for further, deeper, exploration, plus as of July 2023 plans are being made by FSW to start a new work among unreached people groups in Cambodia and surrounding areas. Further exploration will help EFM to begin making decisions about where to make commitments in November 2023 to send North American households to launch new fields. See more information here.

The following is a report written by a member of the team, Brendan Steinacher.

Who Was on this Trip & Where Did We Travel?

The team included Aaron Mupenda (EFC-Rwanda), Jean-Paul Nsekanabo (EFC-Rwanda), Nicodeme Basebya (EFC-Rwanda) Matt Macy (EFM Director of Mobilization), Brad Carpenter (EFM Missionary), Todd Brown (EFC-MAYM), and Brendan Steinacher (EFC-MAYM). The seven-member team met in Juba, South Sudan from October 10-17. They used the Dandy Hotel in Juba as a base camp, traveling to towns and villages in the surrounding areas. Over four days the teams visited Juba City, Juba Two, Mangala Payam, and Torit City to investigate evangelism and the lack of evangelism among the various people groups.

What was our experience traveling here? How did the Lord meet us?

The intent was to discover regions and areas where the people are underserved or unreached. In the places we visited, we found many tribes that have exposure to some faiths but very few who have a true relationship with Christ. Many told us that they were a Christian country where Catholic, Protestant Christian, Muslim, and others (in that order) have churches/teach. What we found were people who associate with a brand of faith because of family or community identity more than personal faith. We also found connections to many unreached peoples and villages in vast remote sections of the country.

By visiting these locations and hearing reports about surrounding villages we were able to identify places that need evangelical presence and are interested in hearing the gospel. Some places once had mission influence but the people from these places were not discipled sufficiently to have sustainable congregations. Other areas would be considered refugee towns due to displacement from war, flooding, and migration across the country. Many of these villages are asking for biblical training. Some areas were once well evangelized but now have no spiritual support contact outside of their own villages or areas. Christ’s guiding hand and the introduction to people at the right time and the right place seemed to direct our paths and speak to his opening of doors as we traveled through South Sudan.

Two Trip Highlights

New Beginnings:

There is a deep encouragement in the resolve our Rwandan friends have towards opening this work in South Sudan. In 1999 EFC Rwanda had the vision that the light of Christ would be taken across Africa making disciples by Africans. Our friends are committed to sending missionaries – “We do it!”- by 2025. That conviction is clearer today than it was on the first Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Juba. Part of that deep conviction is that Rwandans see the tribal tensions in South Sudan and have lived and transformed tribal reconciliation in Rwanda. Bringing the love of Christ into South Sudan using Discipleship for Development whole-life discipleship methodologies is a fire that has started. EFC-Rwanda demonstrates organizational maturity as they have a missions board overseeing missions-mobilizing activities at national, regional, and local church organizational structures, and are strategically identifying next steps including missionary selection, training, and support. A highlight for our team was to continue blowing on the embers of the inevitable fire!

Power of Relationships:

Is it possible that a primary reason for EFM missions to South Sudan is because it is “on mission with Rwandan missions sending”? Also, the relationships built during this trip with prominent South Sudanese contacts were plentiful. From the church, government, United Nations security, business owners…leaders from all walks seemed to fall into place at just the right moment. God provided a way at every turn, even when doors closed, we just had to be patient for the doors to open when he was ready. South Sudan is a country in transition expressing a desire for change. After a long history of war and recent independence, it is a country and a people that want and are ready for a spiritual harvest.

“When you come back in a year, we will proclaim this day, a day of prayer in the National Immigration Offices of South Sudan” – Deputy Inspector General.

How Can You Pray for Next Steps in this Country?

Next Steps:

• EFC-Rwanda works with government contacts to establish church registration.
• EFC-Rwanda selects missionary/s that have a call by November 2023.
• EFC-Rwanda determines a plan for missionary training as well as training for key leaders in sending church.
• EFM makes a decision on EFM’s commitment to send U.S. missionaries.
• Possibly send a missionary or team for one to three months to get more information.
• Continue to develop EFC-Rwanda’s framework for missions sending.
• Continue to mobilize for prayer and financial support.

Please pray for…

• The raising up of EFM missionaries to accompany our Rwandan friends. A partnership agreement for a multi-national team.
• The upcoming elections in 2024 for South Sudan. For a peaceful transfer of office and a stable geopolitical climate.
• Coaching and training for EFM and EFC-Rwanda missionaries.

What’s Next? The second round of Luke 10 Exploration Trips continues through October 2023. The EFM National Luke 10 Think Tank will meet on November 8, 2023 to look at which fields meet EFM’s CAN GO Criteria for launching new fields and begin making the first decisions as to where EFM will commit to deploying missionaries by the end of 2025.  Are you Feeling Called to Join EFM? Are you interested in exploring missionary service? Do you know of anyone of any age who might be interested in exploring the idea of serving as a missionary overseas for two or more years? EFM is currently looking to contact and connect with people about opportunities to explore serving as missionaries with the Friends Church! To learn more, visit here or fill out this interest form!

We look forward to sharing more news as it becomes available about what we are finding and discerning in EFM’s Luke 10 Initiative.

Matt Macy

Director of Mobilization

The post Report from the Second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to South Sudan first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

      The second trip of the second round of Luke 10 Exploration Trips went out from June 5- August 2 to Ecuador. We had a team of four in Ecuador for two months and they were joined by four others who stayed for a shorter period.

Ten exploration teams made trips to ten different destinations and peoples between April 2022 and March 2023. These trips were the first round of exploration in discerning potential new fields for EFM to launch as part of EFM’s Five-Year Goal. It was determined that eight of those destinations require a second trip for further, deeper, exploration, plus as of July 2023 plans are being made by FSW to explore starting a new work among unreached people groups in Cambodia and surrounding areas. Further exploration will help EFM to begin making decisions about where to make commitments in November 2023 to send North American households to launch new fields. See more information here.

The following is a report written by trip leader Jerry Clarkson.

Who Was on this Trip & Where Did We Travel?

Edwin and Maria Giron (EFM), Jael Ayala (Coahuila YM Future Missionary), and Jose Olivas (Mexico YM Missionary Candidate) met in Mexico City and traveled to Quito, Ecuador arriving on June 6. Grace Anderson, (NWYM Future Missionary) and Jerry Clarkson (NWYM) traveled from the U.S. and landed in Quito the same day. The Girons were able to stay with the team until June 15. Jan and Meghan Cammack (NWYM) joined the team on July 6. The team remained in Ecuador until August 2.

After three days in Quito, our team traveled to Macas, Morona-Santiago Province in southeast Ecuador. Morona-Santiago, Zamora-Chinchipe, and the southern edge of Pastaza Provinces are the home of the Shuar tribes. We used a hostel in Macas as a base camp and traveled to several cantons (counties) of Morona-Santiago, as well as to Zamora-Chinchipe to investigate evangelism and the lack of evangelism among the Shuar. We stayed four to seven each in the towns of Palora, Taisha, San Jose de Morona, Santiago de Tiwintza, Gualquiza, and Zamora. Our team also traveled on day trips to Santiago de Mendez and Limon Indanza, as well as to Huamboya and Pablo Sexto. From these central towns, we visited Shuar in as many surrounding villages as possible. We were not yet able to travel beyond the ends of the roads, but we heard about many villages accessible only by rivers or trails and talked with some people from those remote locations.

What was our experience traveling here? How did the Lord meet us?

The Shuar are asking for Bibles, Bible training, pastors and pastoral training, and the establishment of churches. Many of the towns and villages have had Catholic influence and most of the larger central towns have two-four evangelical churches or other sects (though some of these do not seem to be well accepted in the village).

By visiting Shuar in many villages and hearing reports from surrounding villages we were able to identify many places without any evangelical presence that have an interest in hearing the gospel. Some places once had mission influence but the people from these places were not discipled sufficiently to have sustainable congregations. The younger generations from these places are unreached or under-reached. Some villages have never had churches but have heard the basis of the gospel at some time in the past. Many of these villages are asking for biblical training. Some areas were once well evangelized but now have no spiritual support contact outside of their own villages or areas. These areas are asking for continued discipleship and training in order to become sustainable congregations and networks of churches. Jesus seemed to direct our paths, open doors, and call us time and again to return to work in Ecuador as soon as possible.

Two Trip Highlights

Tomás’ Story

Jerry, Grace, and Jose traveled to Taisha and then to Panki at the edge of the road-accessible jungle. During an outdoor community meeting, Jerry and Jose had the opportunity to visit at length with Tomás and Patricio. Tomás’ house had burned two nights before. Tomas said to Jerry, “I went to my fields this morning and was praying while doing my chores. ‘God, why did my house burn down?’ I had no answer. Now that you have come I know that if my house had not burned you would not have stayed, We would have been in the fields and not been here to talk with you. We are Catholic. We have no priest, we have no church building, we have no Bibles. Can you come to teach us to pray and teach us about God? Come back as soon as possible…”. We heard similar stories in many towns and villages. We are called to be with the Shuar to show them Jesus.

Teaching Leaders

In south-east Canton Palora we were invited by contacts from last year to teach pastors and leaders from existing churches. We lived with the Shuar in Nantar village for a week. Jerry taught a series for five nights on spiritualism and animism. Jose and Jael alternately taught each night in response to topics and questions suggested by the people. Pastors and leaders (of other denominations) came from six surrounding villages up to an hour’s walk away. These leaders report that they no longer have contact with supporting organizations. These leaders asked for continued deeper training like what we provided for the week. This could be a secondary purpose of the mission in Ecuador. The town’s people also shared Shaur culture and language with us including hunting techniques and village history.

How Can You Pray for Next Steps in this Country?

Our hope is to see the eventual establishment of discipleship centers in Taisha, San Jose de Morona, and possibly Palora in order to reach into Taisha and Mucuma areas, Tiwintza, San Jose, and south Taisha areas, and Palora, Huamboya, and north Upano valley areas. EFM has the possibility of partnering with AMEE to obtain visas and navigate other logistics. Jose Olivas has made plans made plans with Mexico Yearly Meeting to return to Ecuador in November and will be working for one year in the Upano Central Valley while learning more about the Shuar culture.

Several others on the team envision a possibility of missionary service in Ecuador with EFM if EFM approves a commitment to launching a new field. Please pray for Grace Anderson, Jael Ayala, and Jerry and Kerry Clarkson as they consider what it might mean to be faithful to the Lord of the Harvest as missionaries, with Ecuador heavy in their minds and hearts. Please pray for NWYM Board of Global Outreach as they discern with EFM and the Luke 10 Team’s vision and ideas for next steps in Ecuador. There is a growing vision for the possibility of EFM starting a new mission field in Ecuador!

What’s Next?The second round of Luke 10 Exploration Trips continues through October 2023. The EFM National Luke 10 Think Tank will meet on November 8, 2023 to look at which fields meet EFM’s CAN GO Criteria for launching new fields and begin making the first decisions as to where EFM will commit to deploying missionaries by the end of 2025. Are you Feeling Called to Join EFM? Are you interested in exploring missionary service? Do you know of anyone of any age who might be interested in exploring the idea of serving as a missionary overseas for two or more years? EFM is currently looking to contact and connect with people about opportunities to explore serving as missionaries with the Friends Church! To learn more, visit here or fill out this interest form!

We look forward to sharing more news as it becomes available about what we are finding and discerning in EFM’s Luke 10 Initiative.

Matt Macy

Director of Mobilization

The post Report from the Second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Ecuador first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

These next trips to the Shuar People in Ecuador are taking place between June 5 and August 2! Jerry Clarkson (NWYM) is giving leadership to a team of four who will be there for two months, which includes Grace Anderson (NWYM future missionary), Jose Olivas (Mexico YM Missionary Candidate), and Jael Ayala (Coahuila YM Future Missionary). Maria and Edwin Giron (EFM) will be with this team from June 5-15. Jan Cammack (NWYM) and Meghan Cammack (NWYM) will join the team for over three weeks at the end of the two months to come home August 2.

Jerry Clarkson and Maria Giron provided these insights into this trip to Ecuador.

This year in Ecuador we will be returning to Morona-Santiago Province for the second time and also visiting Zamora-Chinchipe Province for the first time; both in Southeastern Ecuador along the Peruvian border and into the Amazon tributaries. When we visited some of these places in 2022, there was a feeling of welcome, or even an invitation, because there is a great need of trainers for discipleship and leadership as well as an opportunity for church planting in the greater area. We will be based in the small city of Macas and traveling for a few days at a time to various regions.

This second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Ecuador has several purposes, among them (and one of the most important) is to further strengthen relationships with contacts between the Shuar people and evangelical leaders. We will be investigating the areas of need, establishing or continuing relationships with people in these areas, and teaching in Nantar, Palora, and possibly other areas. This trip is also intended to give these three young people (Grace, Jael, and Jose) the opportunity to further explore their call to missions. And of course, the trip is about continuing to seek clarity from God to know where EFM will send missionaries to launch a new field.

The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to cast out more workers into his fields.

Matt Macy

Director of Mobilization

To learn more about how you can join these trips or if you are interested in exploring missionary service, visit here.

The post Pray for the Second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Ecuador! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Ten exploration teams made trips to ten different destinations and peoples between April 2022 and March 2023. These trips were the first round of exploration in discerning potential new fields for EFM to launch as part of EFM’s Five-Year Goal. It was determined that eight of those destinations require a second trip for further, deeper, exploration. Further exploration will help EFM to begin making decisions about where to make commitments in November 2023 to send North American households to launch new fields. See more information here.

The following is a report written by trip leader Maria Giron.

The members of this team were: Maria and Edwin Giron (EFM), Marco Martinez, (EFC-MAYM), Erik Nilsen (FSW), Ernesto Ramirez (Superintendent of Mexico YM-Central), Elizabeth Ramirez (Director of Mexico Friends Theology Institute), Pedro and Sandra Moscosa (Future Church Planters- Mexico YM Central), Wilmer Vicen (Coahuila Friends YM-North), and Tyson Contreras (Coahuila Friends YM-North).

In the State of Jalisco, we traveled to Ameca, Mixtla, Cocula, the little town of La Estanzuela, and San Martin de Hidalgo. In the state of Nayarit, we traveled to Tepic, Compostela, Zitacua- a Huichole Town, and San Blas.

In each city or town, it was very evident how God led us to very kind people willing to talk with us and tell us about the needs of the families in that place. On this trip, we noticed more open-heartedness in people to listen to the scriptures, in some cases, as if people were hungry to know more about God through the Bible; as if they were realizing that religion is no longer enough for them.

We had at least four cases in which, while the team was together having a devotional or simply praying in the middle of the town’s plaza, somebody heard us and approached asking for prayers for healing. Sometimes we thought that they were street vendors asking for money or selling objects, but we were wrong, it was as if it were God sending us evidence of the need that exists in the people of those territories.

In a town where we were invited to visit a small group of women who met frequently to study the Bible, after having a time of worship together, we saw how God opened the doors of their homes and many of those women invited us to enter their homes to pray for their sick ones but also they each shared their stories with us, in which we noticed that in each family there was a tragic story that has left marks of pain and suffering in their hearts. God made us raise our eyes to see many people without a shepherd and hopeless. God raised our eyes to see how the fields in those places are ready for the harvest.

One afternoon we arrived at a town called Zitakua in the state of Jalisco where a large community of Huichol people live. We walked a bit through the streets until we reached a multipurpose court, and our attention was drawn to see many young people gathered there to play or see others play volleyball. We stood there and some of our team started chatting with some of the kids who were watching the game, to our surprise a young man asked for a bible because he had never read one. Soon one of our team ran to our car and brought several Bibles to give away. Other young people, seeing that Bibles were being given away, also approached, and that’s when two of our young future missionaries began to read Biblical passages and presented the good news of the Gospel to those young men. That was a divine and Kairos moment for those young men and without a doubt with great effect for eternity.

• Pray with great intention so that God raises up brave people who are willing to say “Here I am Lord, send me now.”
• Pray for the searching, the recruiting, and the sending of those who are ready.
• Pray for the city of Cocula. It is a potential place to start a new church in the state of Jalisco since it is a growing city, with enough resources and it is a central city from where many surrounding towns are supplied, and perhaps many towns where ministries could be developed.
• Pray for Zitakua- The Huichole’s Town. We detected a feeling of welcome in this place, especially among the young generation. In the youth, we could perceive a curiosity in them to learn about Jesus through reading the Bible.
• Pray for Mexico Yearly Meeting as they work with and take the next steps for those wanting to plant churches in Jalisco.

We look forward to sharing more news as it becomes available about what we are finding and discerning in EFM’s Luke 10 Initiative.

Matt Macy

Director of Mobilization

The post Report from the Second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Mexico first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.