By Fall 2023, 17 teams had been sent out to explore 11 different potential new mission fields since EFM’s Five-Year Goal launched in 2021. In November 2023, EFM made a commitment to launching 6 of the 9 fields that were still under exploration. Those six fields are now moving on to pre-launch phases. Meanwhile, we are currently still sending Luke 10 Exploration Teams to consider three other potential fields: Eastern Europe, Tanzania, and the Kavet in Cambodia. EFM’s discernment is based on EFM’s CAN GO criteria. See more information here.
In June 2024, the second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Eastern Europe took place. The following is a report written by a member of the team, Jonelle Liddell.
| Who Was on this Trip & Where Did We Travel? |
The team of five adults and two children included EFM Missionary Candidates Fred and Jonelle Liddell, along with their two children, Alex and Jael, Vivian Titus (EFC-MAYM), Jon Fodge (NWYM), and Patrick Neifert (RMYM).
The team was in Eastern Europe from June 7-22. They were able to visit multiple countries and towns while there. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we traveled to Čapljina, Mostar, Trebinje, and Sarajevo. In Croatia, we traveled to Metković, Orebić, and Dubrovnik. In Montenegro, we traveled to Herceg Novi and Podgorica.
| What was our experience traveling here? How did the Lord meet us? |
Despite each adult on the team getting sick at some point and never having all of us healthy at the same time, God kept us moving and gave us some really helpful meetings with pastors and missionaries in each country we visited. We met friendly and helpful people in almost every town. The overall impression we got from our conversations with Christian workers here is that there is a great need for more workers, especially those focused on spiritual and emotional healing and peace-making/reconciliation ministry. We also learned that ministry here would be similar to working in a closed country in many ways. However, our experience was that throughout our trip, especially in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, random strangers went out of their way to help us.
| Two Trip Highlights |
In Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, we spent the day with a family who works in a variety of ministries. They shared about various needs and opportunities they saw in this region, about their own history in this region, and about what it is like to raise a family here. Their kids took our kids under the wing, and the grownups had a sweet time of fellowship that lasted through the evening.
We spent one full day in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It started with a walk to the Red History Museum, focused on the history of this region under Yugoslavia. This interactive museum was well worth the visit. Next, we walked to the only protestant church in the area. Two churches meet in this building; the next closest church is two and a half hours away. All three of those pastors, the only pastors in the southern half of the country, met us there, along with one of their elders and the only missionary couple working in that region. They shared about what ministry is like in that part of Croatia, their testimonies, and the needs that they see for more workers to come alongside them. Needs like many towns without so much as one believer in them, much less a church, or large numbers of low-income workers moving to Dubrovnik from the developing world. They asked great questions about what Friends believe and emphasized the value each of them places on working across denominational lines with others who hold the same core Gospel. One pastor told us that “the fields are ripe for the harvest.” We also learned that this missionary couple will likely be retiring soon and one of the pastors may be as well. After lunch, we said goodbye and headed into the Old City for some exploration and a long, beautiful walk on the city walls.
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We met with one of those pastors again, nearer to his church, in a town that he and the missionaries both pointed out as a high-priority place for new work. We had visited this town, Orebić, a few days prior, and the whole team had a sense of peace when we arrived that increased over the course of the trip. Part of the team enjoyed cappuccinos and further discussion with this pastor while Jonelle and the kids played in the Adriatic Sea. This town’s centrality, the area’s need, the prospect of partnering with this pastor, and its proximity to other high-need towns in the region, make it a very promising place for a new team.
| What’s Next for These Countries? |
The team came away with a strong sense that we should open this field. We recommend focusing on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, possibly in Orebić, but see that with the right team gifting this field could be extended to southwest Bosnia and Herzegovina or northern Montenegro. We recommend a follow-up trip, either a prayer trip or a pre-launch planning trip, to look more at the specifics of getting a team on the ground.
| 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 aquí 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.
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