Dear friends and family,

Thanks to you, I have reached 100% of the support I need to go to Mexico for a year! Thank you so very much! Even further good news is that I have a prospective departure date: October 20th.

Last week, Zacatecas Friends had a congregational meeting to discuss and discern when they would be ready to receive me as an intern. This morning, at the time of writing, they notified EFM of the decision they reached (the above date). Further, they are looking into two potential housing options for me: either a student apartment at the preparatory school where Pastor Omar and his family work; or an acquaintance’s casita for an affordable rent. Whichever option presents itself as the more convenient in the coming weeks, I am very happy that I will be seeing the Ramirez family again very, very soon. And also that I don’t have to live in the cupboard under the stairs, which is as much a possibility for missionaries as it is for wizards.

In other news, I took a short trip to Seattle this month to visit family I hadn’t seen in several years, including my paternal grandparents and several distant cousins. I felt like I should visit them before leaving the country for a year. One day, my cousin Blake drove up from George Fox University (where he is a senior) to visit me and our grandparents. As our grandma prepared dinner, we sat in the living room while our grandpa regaled us with tales of his childhood (and present) mischief, stories from his time as a Marine, and his adventures in carpentry and halibut fishing.

Our grandpa, like his dad and older brothers, took pride in working with his hands all his life. Many years ago, however, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which has slowly sapped his strength each day to the present. He maintains a daily routine of walking and stretches to conserve his remaining physicality as long as possible. After gleefully recounting to us the accounts of a grumpy, old Norwegian man, Grandpa addressed us with a rare tenderness as he reflected on the course of his life.

“Sometimes life deals you a bad hand. Both of you know that, because you’ve both lost someone very early: Erik, your mom; and Blake, your brother. There really isn’t anything else to do but to play what you have the best you can, because you aren’t getting any more cards. I would not have chosen the hand dealt to me right now. But I have to ask Jesus for strength every day just to go on a walk around the block, and he is faithful to provide it. I want you guys to know that there isn’t anyone or anything else that could keep me going each day except him.”

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31

Faithfully yours,
Erik

The post Erik Nilsen | September 2025 Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Dear Friends and Family,

As most of you know, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi for a two-month summer internship with EFM, for more training and experience. I was part of a small team of others my age who are also exploring and preparing to serve as career missionaries in the future. EFM missionaries, Brad and Chelsea Carpenter, were my supervisors and mentors.

This internship took place in June and July 2025 and included:

• 1 Week: The EFM Future Missionary Retreat in Colorado. (Last week of May)
• 5 Weeks: Time in Rwanda including:
  • Culture bonding and language learning
  • Home stays with Rwandan families
  • Exposure/training in whole-life discipleship and its success in EFC-Rwanda
  • Learning about the lifestyle of the missionary family on the field
• 10 Days: Immersion into the dorms and student experience at the East Africa School of Missions in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (EFM calls it the missions training “boot camp.”)
• 2 Weeks: Time in Burundi; joining a student short-term missions team coming from Mid America Yearly Meeting
  • Engaging with the church at Burundi youth camp and other opportunities
  • Learning about the Burundi Friends Church history and the great example of their multiplication movement.
• For more information click aquí.

The most valuable part of this internship, for me, was to be able to see one example of what it looks like to be missionaries on the field. I had read many books about being a missionary, but being part of the Carpenters’ daily life gave me more confidence in being able to live as a missionary myself.

My next steps will include the Ecuador  Luke 10 Prayer Trip happening in October, and a year-long internship in Ecuador, as soon as the funds, visa, and other logistics allow.

I want to thank you guys for supporting me so well. I have been so blessed by all of your prayer. I know that so many people were praying for me when I broke my leg and now are praying for my discernment process as well as my upcoming steps, and I am so grateful. Prayer will continue to be so necessary!

I also want to thank you for your generous financial support. I had everything I needed for my internship. God is so good!

Thank you,
Grace Anderson

Please consider supporting my prayer trip and internship in Ecuador. I will need monthly recurring financial partners to get me through the one-year internship. You can partner with me by:

• Online: Visit the Field Intern donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll down to find my name 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: 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. Please mark your check “Erik Nilsen Field Internship Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post Grace Anderson | September 2025 Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

In the last month, so many of you have reached out to support this mission trip, that I have gone from 27% to 86% funded! I am humbled by your generosity and the many, many unexpected donors. Once we reach 100%, I will be able to go to Mexico for this one-year internship, which hopefully will be very soon!

Since my last update, I have gone to the Huntington Beach Pier several times with North County Project to engage in street evangelism. Nick and Ivan (the new NCP apprentice after me) have been experimenting with new methods of public engagement. Lately, they have been writing provocative questions on a whiteboard and have invited passers-by to mark their opinion on the board. Many of them stay to converse and elaborate on what they think. We have encountered belligerent Muslims, outspoken Italians, recovering addicts, fellow evangelists, a paranoid schizophrenic who claimed to be the Holy Spirit (and still knew the Bible more thoroughly than those evangelists), and curious people seeking for truth and open to hearing more about Jesus. We were surprised and encouraged by how many we encountered in that last group, especially in Orange County.

Moreover, I am so happy that NCP continues to invite me to join them on their mission field as I wait to be sent to another.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. (Mark 6:34a)

Dutifully yours,
Erik

I am currently looking for supporters to partner with me in my next steps with EFM. You can support me through prayer and financial giving. I need and appreciate both so that I can reach 100% in both areas at this stage of my journey with EFM. I currently have 239 prayer partners and my goal is to have 250. If you know anyone who would like to sign up to be a prayer partner, you can send them this link.

Would you pray and consider supporting me financially in this endeavor? There are four ways to partner with me:

• Online: Visit the Field Intern donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll down to find my name 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: 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. Please mark your check “Erik Nilsen Field Internship Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post Erik Nilsen | August 2025 Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The question I’ve gotten the most is “When exactly are you going?” The simple answer is, when I am fully funded! As of right now, I am 27% toward the goal I need to meet before EFM can send me to Mexico. If you haven’t already, would you prayerfully consider giving toward my missions fund? And if you have, thank you so much for partnering with me in this missionary work! If you are so inclined, I particularly need monthly recurring gifts in order to meet monthly expenses, including food, housing, and travel.

In the meantime, EFM and I have been preparing the further training I will need on the field. Last month, I had a meeting with Carol Lewis, who will be my language coach over Zoom. While I currently display some proficiency in the Spanish language (“nerd Spanish,” as Marco Martinez of Haviland Friends has termed it), Carol will work with me to refine my language skills to communicate effectively as a minister of the gospel and the deep, nuanced, and intimate personal conversations that will entail.

As I continue to wait and prepare to be sent to Zacatecas, I have been attending the Spanish-language service at my home church, called Amigos Rose Drive. The congregation and Pastor Javier Marin have warmly welcomed and received me and my dad, who is also regularly attending with me. Javier, who is from Mexico City himself, has repeatedly expressed his excitement that I’ve been called to preach the gospel in his home country.

For me, it has been very touching to watch my dad enjoy immersing himself with me in a new culture while we continue to learn and practice the language. While the content of the songs and sermons aren’t that different from that in the English service, my dad has said that the Amigos service has been more engaging for him, since he has to concentrate more to listen and understand. During my first trip to Zacatecas earlier this year, my dad attended Amigos by himself every week, and he told me that the congregation would always eagerly ask him for updates about me.

I am very grateful for Amigos Rose Drive for how they are preparing me for life and ministry in Mexico, but I am especially happy to see my dad’s spirit reinvigorated by the same cross-cultural connections.

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

(Psalm 57:9-10, NIV)

Dutifully yours,

Erik

I am currently looking for supporters to partner with me in my next steps with EFM. You can support me through prayer and financial giving. I need and appreciate both so that I can reach 100% in both areas at this stage of my journey with EFM. I currently have 239 prayer partners and my goal is to have 250. If you know anyone who would like to sign up to be a prayer partner, you can send them this link. 

 Would you pray and consider supporting me financially in this endeavor? There are four ways to partner with me:

•  Online. Donate online aquí. Make sure to select “Field Intern | Erik Nilsen” at check out. 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 “Erik Nilsen Field Internship Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post Erik Nilsen July 2025 Fundraising Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.