Here is a brief insight into what I’ve been up to this past month and the ways you can join me in praying for this ministry! For more stories and conversations, check out my other blogs!

This month concluded phase one of Cassi and Thomas’s EFM/NCP Disciple-Making Apprenticeship, and they will now begin intentionally looking to impart the tools and training that they received from us in the previous phase. They each have unique ministry plans for the next phase as they gain more ministerial autonomy in the apprenticeship, but the goal and basic tools remain the same. They have already jumped right into this as they’ve begun training a few hand-selected people in discipleship and evangelism. Please pray for them as they continue in this apprenticeship process and will soon be getting married – I’ve heard there’s a lot that goes into that!

This month, along with our regular engagement at CSUF, I noticed a significant increase in the number of pastoral conversations I was having compared to before. Whether it be needing care or challenge in their walk, I couldn’t help but notice an increase in this type of engagement. When I say “pastor”, I don’t mean to describe the generic use of the word in America – rather, I mean to describe shepherding. The American Church really seems to like “teaching pastors”, but unfortunately, it seems that shepherds are in short supply. Maybe it’s not so much that they are in short supply, but that they find themselves in the wrong places – not with the sheep. As I think about this gift that Jesus gave His Church, I can’t help but acknowledge the weighty significance of this role. A shepherd has to really know their sheep to be able to care for them well. Some sheep need discipline due to unruly behaviors, but others need the gentle care to restore after hardship. Misapportion these and the sheep will certainly suffer – the unruly will run rampant in abused grace and the downcast will be burdened with unnecessary feelings of defeat. That to say, this month my engagements have been pleasantly flavored by the taste of pastoral exhortations as I grow in pastoral ministry.

In addition to these, I’ve also engaged with a number of very interesting individuals in my evangelism. One individual that I talked with, pictured above, presented himself as a practitioner of the occult and described many disturbing beliefs and implications – flowing from his seemingly theistic satanism. I’ve since talked with him, and it peculiarly seems that he’s had some sort of reform in this extremely short time. I hold the inclination that there are serious spiritual forces involved with this student, and I pray that this might be revealed as we plan to continue meeting to read the Bible together. Another student, who used to be a Christian, also engaged with me recently – strongly opposing Christianity. As we talked, it became extremely clear that his rejection of Christianity was not for intellectual reasons like he asserted, but rather a mere emotional impulse identifying as logic and reason. This is just a touch into the conversations, but you can read more in my other blog posts (or have more fun and do it for yourself!).

Please pray for these students that we minister to – that their hearts might be drawn to the truth of the Gospel. Please pray for Cassi and Thomas as they continue their apprenticeship and move towards marriage. Please pray that God would cast out of His Church workers into the ripe harvest field! Please be praying for the last two months of my EFM/NCP apprenticeship as I begin a new season of ministry as a part of the NCP staff beginning in July! More information to come on this soon – please stay tuned!

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support of this ministry! I am blessed to have this privilege of full-time ministry and equipping and pray that it might be in some way beneficial for you in your ministry! May the God of the harvest be with you as you go!

With love and peace,

Ivan Penrose

Thank You for Your Support. Here’s How to Continue:

I’m currently at 98% of my monthly need, and your continued support helps make it possible for me to serve through June 2026. If you would like to continue your partnership, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly.

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Penrose | Shepherding in the Harvest first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Dear Prayer Partners,

We are so thankful for your prayers!  We are amazed at how God helps us in the little everyday things as well as the big things, and we know your partnership in prayer affects it all.

We want to let you know about our U.S. trip coming up.  It started as two of us wanting to attend our niece’s graduation in Kansas, but we added the other three when we heard about our nephew’s wedding in Wisconsin, then realized in prayer and talking with doctors, that this is the time for Brad to have surgery to address his stomach issues.

So this will be a relatively short trip for family events, medical appointments, surgery, and recovery.  We may see a few of you in Wichita, which will be great, but we will not plan to do any speaking or traveling to churches while we are there.

Being able to take this trip to be with family during this time and get medical care is a huge blessing that we’re thanking God for every day!

Here are some important dates:

• May 13-14: Fly from Rwanda to the US
• June 5: Brad’s surgery
• July 15-17: Fly from the US to Rwanda

 Will you please praise Him with us for this opportunity?

Please pray for…

• Healing and peace for Brad and his body.
• Logistics of getting everything ready and finishing up ministry here in Rwanda.
• For us to be depending on and listening to the Lord throughout all of this – in family time, when Sarai and Gideon go to camp, in the medical things, in the travels, etc.
• Safety and peace in travels.

Thank you so much!

Love in Him, Brad & Chelsea, Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

The post Brad & Chelsea Carpenter | May Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

by Scott and Andrea Sward, EFM Great Commission Mobilizers

I want to tell you a story.

One night, deep in the jungle and off a bumpy trail, in a small village of tribal people, smoke curled up into the dark sky as a dying man had a dream. He was an old, sick man. His face was thin and worn from illness. He had been born into this jungle and had grown up in its trees. He had witnessed the slow transformation of a land once filled with wild, roaming elephants into a war zone of guns and starvation. After the guns left, the jungle people were forgotten again and left to sink into deeper and deeper poverty while the world around them rushed forward into development.

Somewhere during those years, new stories made their way into his village, stories about a God this man had never heard of before. He was captivated, at least for a time. But as his sickness worsened and this new God did not bring immediate healing to his body, his hope began to fade. Now he was sick, and he was dying.

His family gathered around him beneath their stilted wooden house. Fires burned for warmth, and the smoke rose to ward off evil spirits. Voices filled the night, loud and constant, in an effort to “prove” to those unseen spirits that there was nothing here worth lingering over.

In his dream, this old, dying man clutched a small booklet, the very one Scott had gone over with him earlier that evening. Scott had been summoned to the Kavet village just hours before with the message that this man, Joon, was dying. Even more striking, though Joon could no longer recognize his own family or remember their names, he kept repeating Scott’s name clearly, over and over again. How could Scott refuse that call?

When Scott arrived, he took out a small booklet filled with pictures and once again explained to Joon our sin and Jesus’ forgiveness upon our confession of our need for him. He showed Joon a picture in the booklet, a simple image of a cross bridging the gap between man and God. This man, so dear to Jesus, began tracing that cross with his finger over and over again, and at last a look of peace came over his face.

Later that night, he fell asleep and dreamed. In his dream, while holding tightly to the booklet, he saw his parents, long since gone, approaching him. They reached out their hands, but their faces were not kind. Their anger made it clear that they intended to take the booklet from him, not out of any desire to understand. Joon pulled the booklet closer to his chest. As they came nearer, he hid it beneath his shirt and turned away from their grasping hands.

In the gray light of early morning, his family found him sitting still, propped up in bed and turned to the side, the booklet tucked under his shirt, his hands folded protectively over it. When Scott departed later that morning, Joon remained there, holding the promises of Jesus close to his heart.

How we rejoice that even in a small, remote tribe in the jungles of Cambodia and Laos, God is at work in people’s lives. We are moved yet again by his heart for all the unreached people groups in our world. How many Joons are there, dying, restless, reaching for Jesus? And even more sobering, how many parents of how many Joons never had the opportunity to hear his name?

Would you pray with us this month for the many millions around the world who are still waiting to hear the name of Jesus in their villages?

Written by Andrea Sward, shared by Scott & Andrea Sward

The post May 2026 | Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

I have a countdown app on my phone, and today it tells me that I will fly to the US in 24 days – May 18th. I have long lists of things that need to be taken care of in Ireland before I go. And I have long lists of things that need to be scheduled and organized for my time in the States. It is hard to stop my brain from spinning!

I’m coming back to the States with my monthly support as low as it has ever been. It is, of course, natural that support drops off between visits to the U.S.

Changes in situation and life circumstances can impact a supporter’s ability to continue to help financially. This is completely understandable, and we build into our support raising a margin for these changes.

The greatest impact on my monthly support has been an increase in housing costs, as well as an increase in the Irish tax burden I need pay each year. Three years ago, my landlord decided to sell the house I had been living in for eight years, and I lost the “rent protection” that I had there. When I moved, my rent increased significantly. This triggered an increase in my “income” for my Irish taxes.

These two things together have created a much larger gap than what was originally planned for. I am tempted to feel overwhelmed by the fund-raising goal before me.

There is a phrase that comes to mind when I am tempted to worry about funding (or anything else!). It comes from 1 Samuel 7:12. God has rescued the Israelites from the Philistines and Samuel sets up a stone and calls it “Ebenezer”, for he said, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

Thus far the Lord has helped me. For 25 years (and for 63 years) the Lord has helped me, and the Lord has used faithful people (you) to meet these needs.

I’m looking ahead to what will be my final years serving with EFM in Ireland. My plan is to retire at 70 – which will happen in 2032! Ministry focus has shifted in the past year from Mother and Toddler groups (which are now plentiful every day of the week) to grief work.

I am excited to share these things with you! And my hope is that I can build a ministry that will continue to reach out to those who are hurting, with support and hope that comes from our loving God, even after I retire.

This summer I will be at Yearly Meeting/Annual Conference for Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting, Evangelical Friends – Mid-America, and Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends. I will also be in CO, KS, and OR for some time around those gatherings. I plan to be in Friends Southwest YM (CA) in August.

For more than 25 years I have had the privilege of sharing my heart, my calling, my love for Ireland with you. I have been the recipient of generous hospitality as I have travelled through different regions, and I am so grateful for enduring friendships formed. I look forward to visiting again, catching up with you, and sharing what God is doing in Ireland through your prayers and generosity.

To schedule a time for us to meet or for me to speak at your church, please email me at kathip@friendsmission.com.

My hope is to return to Ireland on September 13th. However, I cannot return until my financial support is back to 100%. I am currently at 64% and trusting God to raise the remaining 36% in monthly commitments. As I look ahead to this next step, there are two important ways you can partner with me: through prayer and through financial support. I truly need both.

Prayer Partnership

The first way that you can support me is through prayer. Your prayers are worth everything. I currently have 939 prayer partners with a goal of raising it to 1,200. If you know anyone who would like to pray for my ministry, please send them this link: https://friendsmission.com/kathi-perry.

Financial Partnership

If you are a current financial supporter, would you be able to increase your giving? I’m asking boldly. Could you even double it? I know that not everyone can (and I am grateful for every/any amount)! Some of you already have increased your giving, for which I am very grateful. If you are not part of my financial support team, would you consider partnering with me in Ireland? You can start a new gift or make changes to your current giving using this link: https://friendsmission.givevirtuous.org/donate/perry. You can also contact the EFM office at efmspanish@friendsmission.com.

Would your church like to take on another missionary?

I would be happy to talk with you about this.

My Missionary Care Team has set a goal for me – to be fully funded by my 64th birthday, August 30th. That would be a lovely birthday gift. Above all, as I look back at the years I have spent in Ireland and in relationship with all of you, as I’ve served, I feel privileged and grateful and humbled.

Thank you. Thank you.
Kathi Perry

The post Kathi Perry | April 2026 Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

In recent months, due to family needs and changing circumstances, the Swards have sensed the Lord leading them to return to the United States. While this transition comes with the sadness of leaving a place and people they deeply love, it also comes with a clear sense that God is opening a new door for ministry.

After much prayer and discernment, we are grateful to share that the EFM Board has approved a new role for Scott and Andrea: EFM Great Commission Mobilizers.

In this new season, the Swards will continue their calling to cross-cultural ministry by focusing on three key areas:

• Engaging unreached people groups in diaspora communities here in the U.S., particularly among Muslim populations
• Mobilizing and equipping Friends churches to rekindle a passion for the Great Commission and send workers into the harvest
• Continuing to mentor and invest in emerging leaders in Cambodia

This is not an ending, but a continuation of the same calling in a new context. We believe this role uniquely aligns with the Luke 10 vision God has given EFM, as we seek to send workers into the harvest and participate in what he is doing among the nations.

I invite you to hear directly from Scott and Andrea as they share how God has been guiding them into this next chapter:

Last year, Andrea and I sensed a shift coming. We assumed it meant staying in Cambodia and redirecting our focus to another unreached people group. But God had a different plan. Months later, we realized we were being called back to the US—a move that left us confused and uncertain.

In time, the Lord made his direction clear: our calling to serve unreached people groups (UPGs) hasn’t changed—only the place and the approach. While remaining connected to Cambodia, we’re now excited to serve diaspora UPGs in the US, and to help mobilize others to join God’s work among the world’s 7,000+ remaining people groups with little to no knowledge of Jesus. God is faithful, and we’re eager to see what he has in store in this next season.

As the Swards step into this new season, we invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with them in a few meaningful ways:

Become or Continue as a Financial Partner
Ongoing monthly support will sustain their ministry as they establish this new work in the U.S. and continue investing globally.

• If you are a new financial partner, you can set up your gift here:
  https://friendsmission.givevirtuous.org/donate/sward. Click on the “Donate Now” button and select “Sward Support Great Commission Mobilizers” from the dropdown. You will be given the opportunity to make a monthly or one-time gift.
• If you are already a financial partner and would like to continue at your current amount, no action is needed. Your giving will continue as is.
• If you would like to increase your support, you can either cancel your current gift and set up a new one or contact the EFM office at efmspanish@friendsmission.com and we’re happy to assist.
• If you need to stop your giving, please reach out to the EFM office so we can take care of that for you.
• If we do not hear from you, your current giving will continue uninterrupted.

Become a Prayer Partner
Commit to praying regularly for the Swards as they transition, build new relationships, and step into this calling. Your prayers are a vital part of their ministry.

• Fill out the form at https://friendsmission.com/sward/ to receive news and updates from the Swards.

Give a Transition Gift
A one-time gift will help cover the significant costs of relocation, reestablishing life in the U.S., and launching into this new ministry season.

• Go to https://friendsmission.givevirtuous.org/donate/sward. Click on the “Donate Now” button and select “Sward Transition Gift” on the dropdown menu and select one-time gift.

Your partnership has been vital to the Swards’ ministry over the years, and we are deeply grateful. We are confident that God will continue to use them in powerful ways as they follow his leading.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

In him,

Stanley David Leach
Executive Director

The post A New Season for the Swards first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Here is a brief overview of what I’ve been up to this past month and some of the ways God has been faithfully at work with us! To read more updates, feel free to visit my blog-site aquí!

Barclay College / Hutchinson Friends Church
This month, Nick, Viany, and I traveled out to my home-state of Kansas to help lead Barclay College’s personal evangelism seminar. While in Kansas, we were also able to visit my dad’s side of the family and preach and teach at Hutchinson Friends Church, where my dad is pastoring. We had a wonderful time leading the seminar with Dan Cammock and Brockie Follette and were grateful for the opportunity to share the Gospel with both believers and nonbelievers. We pray that what was shared and practiced will be used by God in the lives of those who attended.

After the seminar, we spent time with family and had the opportunity to introduce Viany (my wonderful girlfriend!) to them. On Sunday, we preached and taught a version of our Archways Training, a conversational approach to evangelism. We had never done this training in a sermon format, so we were adapting as we went, but it was a meaningful time.

Cal-State Fullerton
This month at CSUF, we tried a slightly different approach to engaging students through an “outdoor classroom,” teaching on foundational aspects of the Christian faith like the Gospel, discipleship, and the resurrection. We have seen mixed results in engagement, but it has been especially helpful for those we are discipling, as many have an insufficient understanding of the basics of our faith. We have had some great conversations with both believers and nonbelievers and are continuing to explore how this can be an effective tool.

Exponential Conference
This month included some travel, including attending the Exponential church-planting conference in Orlando, FL with a group from Mid-America Yearly Meeting. I was encouraged and challenged by the strong emphasis on the importance of healthy leaders in ministry.

The Holy Spirit used this time to deepen my conviction about the necessity of being rooted in the presence of God, not only for myself, but for those I am discipling. We can train and equip people in many ways, but if they are not abiding in the Father, something essential is missing. I have been reminded how important it is to help people encounter God personally and to prioritize that above everything else in ministry. This is something I am continuing to learn and grow in, and I am already seeing fruit from it within our team.

On the way to the conference, I was briefly stranded in Dallas due to flight cancellations, which unexpectedly led to the opportunity to share the Gospel with two different Uber drivers. I wrote more about those encounters on my blog.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayer for this ministry!

I look forward to soon sharing my plans for the coming year at the conclusion of this 6-month extension!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

Thank You for Your Support. Here’s How to Continue:

I’m currently at 98% of my monthly need, and your continued support helps make it possible for me to serve through June 2026. If you would like to continue your partnership, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly.

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Penrose | A Month of Ministry & God’s Faithfulness first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

by Kathi Perry serving in Ireland

Queridos amigos,

It’s difficult to believe, but I am 63 years old. After 24+ years I am now one of EFM’s senior missionaries on the field (maybe THE senior missionary on the field?). I love my work and I am so grateful to be in Ireland. Naturally, we (myself and EFM) have spent a good bit of time considering when and what retirement will look like for me.

 In October I was able to meet with a financial planner, and he suggested that I work until I am 70. This felt like a relief because I do love my work and any time before 70 sounds too soon!

In recent months I have begun a new outreach called Sólás Café (see the photo here). Already, I have seen people come in weighed down with grief, who leave saying, “I feel lighter.” In the Fall I hope to offer “Grief Share” (which some may be familiar with) through the local church. This ministry is something that speaks to my heart – both with my training as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a hospice social worker, and my own personal experiences with grief.

On May 18, I’ll be traveling to the U.S. for a season of deputation. With retirement on the horizon, this will likely be my final extended time reconnecting in person. I’m looking forward to sharing stories of what God has been doing in Ireland and spending time with many of you who have been such an important part of this journey. Would you pray that this time would be meaningful and fruitful – that God would guide each conversation and continue to provide what is needed for the work ahead? I’m deeply grateful for the faithful partnership that has made it possible to serve here for so many years.

Recently, while reading scripture, two phrases stood out to me. The first was from Mark 10:45 where Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” I may not have done this perfectly, but this has been my desire in Ireland.

The second phrase was from John 19. Jesus is on the cross and in v.28-30 it says, “… knowing that everything was already completed… he gave up his life.” What would it be like to know that “everything was already completed”?

What can I do in these final years to cultivate ministry that will last, and then, (figuratively speaking!) give up my life? These are my thoughts as I contemplate one more term. Pray that God would work through me, to love and serve the people in Ireland.

With so much gratitude for your faithfulness,

Kathi Perry

The post April 2026 | Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

“He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awe-inspiring works your eyes have seen.” Deuteronomy 10:21

Our eyes continue to see things that inspire awe, and someday I pray that we will look back on our years here and will see this verse as a fitting description.  Since our last letter, I’ve had some good news and some “please follow up at some point” messages.  My liver enlargement is due to an anatomical variant, though they found some things in the labs that need to be followed up with non-urgently.  We plan to do that here.  I had the procedure to break up my kidney stones and it went well.  Overall good news.

Fred had a wonderful visit with his friends in Japan and at the family wedding in the Philippines.  The kids took turns being sick while he was gone, which meant that I got a lot less done than I’d hoped.  But we did drive north from January 20-23.  Our flights could not be scheduled when we had hoped, they were confirmed for February 6.  So on January 25 we had our commissioning at Peninsula Evangelical Friends Church with our home congregation and several out of town family.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and a wonderful weekend of visiting.  Then I got sick, which turned into asthma, and again we were slower getting things done than hoped.  But God was faithful, and despite the delays we were able to visit with several dear friends, pack, and leave on time.

We moved a bunch of suitcases and bags, a guitar and baritone ukulele, two cats, two kids, and three adults (my sister, Jennifer, traveled with us), arriving in Split, Croatia on Saturday, February 7th.  Minus half of our bags, which ended up being a blessing in that it let us move things in stages.  They arrived two days later.  God provided an apartment the week before we left that we were able to move straight into.  The landlords are friendly and helpful, the neighborhood is bustling and quiet.  We don’t have a car, but using public transit and ride shares is going pretty well.  We have been attending a Croatian church and are hopeful to be at home there.

Our first few weeks have been packed.  Jen got sick our second night here and was out of commission for several days.  My asthma got a lot worse the day we left the US, it is finally mostly better.  After multiple visits to several government and business offices, we are registered with the police, have Croatian ID numbers, have internet and local phone numbers, and our apartment is coming together.  Fred and I have finished three weeks of language school and are enjoying seeing pieces start connecting, even as it feels a bit like a fire hose.  We were unable to find a preschool with openings for the kids, but God provided a nanny for school days and that seems to be going well.  Jen was here for three weeks and the emotional stress of transition seems to have started after she left.  The kids, especially Jael, had a pretty rough couple of week, but now we are seeing steady “settling” in all of us.  There is still a ways to go, so please continue to pray for peaceful hearts and grace with each other.

Croatian Adjustments

We have found some familiar foods, which has been helpful for the kids, but even those have slightly different flavors and textures which has been especially hard for Jael.  A surprise for the rest of us was that our address is just our building, and then visitors call up or the post office puts our mail in the box with our name on it.  We are still getting used to the rhythm of life here, especially that almost everything closes on Sunday.  Many ingredients that we are used to are available, but figuring out the Croatian names was a bit of a challenge.  Having said that, we are enjoying trying new foods and finding new favorites!

The Kids

Alex and Jael are excited to be home, though they miss friends and family from the US.  Having the cats has been helpful.  Jael is often seen carrying one then the other around, frequently telling us: “I need to hold the kitty!” She has been singing the alphabet song “H, I, P, T, H, I, P, T, …” and was thrilled to go to the beach.  Alex sings “the Croatia song”, that his grandma wrote, all the time; notably while we were walking around the old city of Dubrovnik, to his Sunday School class here, and on several walks around town.  He will walk up to random strangers and start with “Hi!  My name is Alex, I like dinosaurs!”  He gained a new scar on his eyebrow when he split it open on the corner of the table less than a week after we arrived , then the next week got another on his side when he tripped on a sidewalk while running at full tilt.  We’ve had some tears about missing home, and also statements of “I like it here” and “I’m glad we live here!”

Praise & Prayer Requests:

• We’re here!  God answered so many prayers for specific things about the trip, the apartment, the kids’ adjustment, in the last few weeks.  We are thankful for all your prayers to that end.
• The body of believers here has already been encouraging.  If you remember a few months ago, I wrote about Fred and I crying during the song “Holy Forever” at yearly meeting in Ohio.  We longed to hear the Croatian church singing that song, sharing that prayer.  Our first Sunday at the church here, that was one of the songs they sang.  The next week they sang “Christus Victor,” which was another song that was something of a them the last few months.
• We’ve been praying, as have many of you, about what the kids should do while we are in language school.  None of the preschools that we’ve talked to have any openings.  But Jen’s last Wednesday here the Lord gave me an urgency to post on a Facebook page for foreigners in Split, asking for recommendations for a Croatian nanny.  Someone connected us to one and she started the next Monday.  We are thanking God for His provision!
• The kids are still having sleep disturbances and emotional stress.  Please pray for their hearts and minds, for wisdom as we take care of them, and that they will pick up Croatian easily from the nanny.
• Please pray also for our language studies, that we will learn quickly.  We are also looking for a language helper to supplement our formal study, please pray for someone who can also become a friend.
• We are starting to connect some with people in our class, please continue to pray that God brings friendships with people who need Him and with people who already know Him.  Pray that we will be a faithful witness, even in this transition period when stress levels are high.

The post The Liddell Family | March Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Greetings from the West Coast!

Here are a few brief stories from this past month’s life and ministry! For more details and frequent updates, visit my blogsite aquí!

This month was full of meaningful conversations that reminded me why I’m convinced that patient, conversational evangelism is one of the most fruitful ways to engage people. Rather than quick debates or rehearsed presentations, slowing down and genuinely interacting with people often leads to deeper questions—and sometimes surprising openness.

One particularly encouraging conversation was with a student named *Nehemiah who walked up to the whiteboard and immediately recognized me from a brief conversation we had earlier in the year. He said he came back because he enjoyed our previous interaction and wanted to continue the conversation. Even more encouraging, he told me that his interactions with us felt very different from conversations he’d had with other religious groups. He described those as sterile and closed off, while he found ours engaging and enjoyable. I’m convinced that this difference comes from both the truth and security of Christianity and the conversational approach we try to take in evangelism.

*Nehemiah had clearly been thinking about religion and arrived with a number of thoughtful questions. In our framework of evangelism, people often fall somewhere on what we call the Open–Seeking Axis—how open someone is to conversation and how aware they are of their need for answers. Ideally we meet people who are both open and seeking, and *Nehemiah seemed to fit that combination well. He admitted that he feels hesitant discussing religion because he doesn’t know the holy texts well and worries about offending people with uninformed questions. I assured him that honest questions are welcome and invited him to read the Bible together sometime.

One of his first questions surprised me: he asked about the story of the wise men. We walked through the account of Jesus’ birth and the visit from both humble shepherds and wealthy travelers from afar, highlighting how the story reveals that Jesus came as King and Savior for all people. The discussion eventually moved into deeper questions about sin, forgiveness, and salvation. Using a simple analogy of a laptop designed to function in specific ways, I explained how sin can be understood as living contrary to the design God created us for. God’s law isn’t arbitrary restriction but a description of the life in which humans truly flourish.

Later in the conversation, *Nehemiah became curious about the origins of the Gospel accounts. He mentioned that an atheist English teacher once required his class to write a paper arguing that the Gospels contain contradictions. That left him wondering whether the accounts are actually reliable. We discussed how eyewitness testimony can record the same event from different perspectives without creating contradictions. He seemed genuinely interested and even said he’d like to revisit the paper he wrote and examine the supposed contradictions together sometime.

Another memorable discussion this month happened with a group of Christians as we talked about the mission of the Church and the Great Commission. One issue that stood out to me was a tendency to separate restoration from salvation, as though Jesus saves people and then later restores them. In reality, salvation is restoration—being saved from rebellion against God and restored into life under His good rule. When those ideas are separated, Christian obedience can start to feel like an obligation rather than participation in the life we’ve been saved into.

We also discussed the common belief that Christians must stay deeply informed about global affairs in order to fulfill the Great Commission. When asked where I get my global news, I simply answered, “I don’t,” and then added, “Paul didn’t.” My point was not that global awareness is bad, but that Scripture places the emphasis elsewhere. The Great Commission focuses on making disciples, not tracking world events. Too often Christians become consumed with distant issues while neglecting the simple command to make disciples where they actually live.

Finally, I had a fascinating conversation with two high school boys visiting campus. The whiteboard question that day asked, “What is the most important thing to know?” One of them wrote “peace,” meaning internal peace. When I asked how someone obtains it, they suggested introspection and meditation. To test that idea, I asked whether someone who had committed serious wrongdoing could find peace simply by looking inward. That led to a deeper conversation about guilt and forgiveness.

Interestingly, one of the boys suggested that someone might call on Jesus for forgiveness—even though neither of them considered themselves religious. As we talked further, one said he didn’t believe in Christianity because he had never seen enough evidence. That opened the door to discuss how we make decisions in everyday life based on the most reasonable explanation rather than absolute certainty. From there I explained the cosmological argument for God’s existence: everything that begins to exist has a cause, the universe began to exist, and therefore the universe has a cause beyond itself.

Both of them said they had never heard that reasoning before and agreed it made sense that a Creator must exist. With only a few minutes left before they had to leave, I explained the Christian claim that this Creator revealed Himself in the person of Jesus. I gave them copies of the Gospel of Mark with a built-in journal so they could read and explore the life of Jesus themselves. Later a friend spotted them still carrying the Gospels in the student union.

Conversations like these are so energizing as they remind me of the great needs within and outside of the established Church communities around us. Whether it’s a returning student exploring religion, fellow believers wrestling with the mission of the Church, or two teenagers discovering the possibility of God for the first time, patient dialogue continues to open doors for the Gospel. I’m grateful for the many opportunities this month and excited to see how these conversations develop!

Thank you so much for your continued support and partnership in this ministry!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

Thank You for Your Support. Here’s How to Continue:

I’m currently at 98% of my monthly need, and your continued support helps make it possible for me to serve through June 2026. If you would like to continue your partnership, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly.

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Ministry Update: How Your Partnership Is Reaching Students first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

I have been back in Ireland for nearly six months, and I am grateful for the work I get to do on behalf of our church and the wider Kingdom of God. As most of you know, I was in the U.S. for six months in 2025, where I got to spend lots of time with my family and friends, as well as travel to visit partnering churches. We also unexpectedly lost my dad while I was in California. He was a strong presence in our family’s life and a pillar of his church community. We continue to grieve the loss of our dad and grandpa. Thank you for your prayers for me and my family during that time of loss and grief.

I am writing to you from the warmth of my office in our church building at the Church of the Nazarene in Greystones, where I am blessed to serve as administrative pastor. As soon as I arrived back in Ireland, I was warmly welcomed by my church family here in Greystones. It has been such a blessing to have a strong support system here at “the Naz.” The holidays are typically a challenging time for me to be away from my family, especially considering how much time I was able to spend with them that year. We were blessed as a staff to have a Thanksgiving lunch made for us by a church member. We invited some other Americans you might recognize in the photo. I am honored to be on this pastoral staff and to serve alongside such gifted and talented leaders. Please pray with me and my colleagues as we lead our congregation in the New Year.

At the end of January, our congregation hosted an “All Island Gathering” of all the Nazarene churches on the island of Ireland. Currently, our congregation is the only Nazarene church in the Republic of Ireland, but there are twelve churches in Northern Ireland. Almost 150 people from those Northern churches traveled to Greystones at the end of January to join us as one unified body of believers in Ireland. It was an amazing time of fellowship, eating together and praising God for what He has done and will continue to do on the island of Ireland. Our church in Greystones was able to share our vision for a new building development that will further God’s mission in the Republic of Ireland alongside the churches in the North. We ended with a time of prayer over our Greystones church board and pastoral staff, led by the leadership of the churches from the North. It was a very sacred time. Please pray with all the churches on the island of Ireland as we continue to build His Kingdom here.

Just before Christmas, my family put my dad’s house in Corona, California, on the market. My brother, Mark, and sister-in-law, Nina, managed all the details, with a big assist from my sister, Amy. I am grateful for the strong bond my siblings and I share during this challenging time as we settle my dad’s affairs. We were able to secure a buyer for the house right before Christmas, and the keys were handed over by the middle of January 2026. It is a strange feeling to think that I will never go back to my dad’s house when I visit California. That house was a central physical touchstone for our family, and now we have moved on from it. Please pray with my family and me as we continue to navigate grief.

Por favor, oren...

• For myself as I continue to navigate grief thousands of miles away from my family that is also grieving. My dad’s death has awoken more grief about my mom’s death thirteen years ago. Pray that I can have grace with myself.
• For our church in Greystones as we are trying to raise the necessary funds to begin re-developing our building. Pray for the congregation to catch the vision and for God to provide.
• For favor with the Irish government as I endeavor to renew my visa.

There are four ways to partner with me financially:

• Online. Visit https://friendsmission.givevirtuous.org/donate/morton. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
• Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
• Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Morton Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM”.

The post Thank You for Praying. An Update from Ireland first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.