Last month, I returned from a three-week mission trip to Mexico as another step in becoming a missionary with EFM. There I met and stayed with Pastor Omar Ramirez and his family, who have spent the last two years planting a Friends church in Zacatecas. I spent a lot of time shadowing Omar in his ministry and picking his brain about the state of evangelism in Mexico.

According to everyone I talked to, Mexico in general, and Zacatecas in particular, is very hard ground to plant an evangelical church. In many ways, the Mexican people feel, and are in fact, captive: to a corrupt government, to drug cartels, and to dark spiritual forces beyond human understanding. In such an environment, it is hardly surprising that people only nominally practice a superstitious, syncretic version of Roman Catholicism. Having a personal relationship with Jesus just seems like a lot of time and effort, which are better spent putting food on the table. Better to leave talking with God to the priest who’s paid to do it.

However, Mexico Yearly Meeting is convinced that the seed of the gospel will fall on good soil, even among the briars and boulders, and has sent Omar ahead, along with other evangelists, to plant a Friends church in all 32 states of Mexico by the year 2032. Zacatecas’ growing congregation of 18 testifies that there still is “a great people to be gathered,” even from the “harassed and helpless” (Matt. 9:36, NIV). While I spoke with Ana and Cuquita and learned their stories, I wish I had more time to get to know the rest of the congregation at Zacatecas better.

At the Yearly Meeting sessions in Aguascalientes, I announced my intention to come to Mexico as an EFM missionary to assist with evangelism and discipleship. The eight churches present, assembled from across Mexico, received me very warmly and expressed their enthusiasm for God’s work in my life through serving in their country.

Immediately upon returning from the Yearly Meeting, I fell extremely sick from a high fever and cough, which spread to the Ramirez family and several others who were also staying at their house. Omar, his wife Ariana, and Ariana’s visiting family showed me enormous love and hospitality while I took several more days to recover. Though a harrowing experience, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” If sickness cannot thwart his calling, neither should it thwart my obedience.

After recovering, I arrived home in the United States and debriefed with EFM. They were pleased with the report they received about me from the Ramirez family and my report of the experience. Accordingly, I am proud to announce that EFM has invited me back to Mexico for a year starting this summer to continue my cultural and linguistic immersion as I prepare for full-time ministry!

Please pray for EFM and for me as we complete the application process and discern the specific details for this year-long internship. Pray also for the Ramirez family: Omar, Ariana, Junior, Fabiola, and Jimena, as they continue to love and serve the Lord with their whole life in Zacatecas. Finally, pray for Mexico, that its people would feel their worth as beloved children of a compassionate Father, calling, “O sinner, come home.”

In Christ,

Erik

The post Erik Nilsen’s Summary of His Trip to Mexico! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

I’ve held off on this update for a while because I wanted to figure out some of what the next season looks like in my journey toward missions before writing to you all. The reality is though that there are still things up in the air. However, I want to let you know some of what’s been happening and what’s likely coming down the pipe.

First of all, thank you so much for the way you’ve partnered with me over the past year. I’m so incredibly grateful for that.

In regard to the things, I asked you to pray for last time, God has been so good in working through all of those. God did help the Carpenters to plan the Kumbya missionary conference and helped me as I supported them in that. It was exhausting, but we made it. God gave me so many sweet times of fellowship with dear friends before I left Rwanda. It was bittersweet because I knew I was leaving them but that I would get to see and be with many of you again. Every time I’ve lived in a new place, I feel like I’ve made a new home, and now Musanze, Rwanda is home too.

As for readjusting to life in the US, I’m surprised by how little reverse culture shock I experienced. There were a few small things, but for the most part, there are things that are normal in the US and things that are normal in Rwanda, and I don’t expect what’s normal in one place to be normal in the other.

Okay, so now to what’s happened more recently. At the end of September, I had the chance to participate in the second Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Greece with EFM. (As a refresher, Luke 10 Exploration Trips are trips that EFM is using to help discern where the Holy Spirit is leading us to start new fields.) We got to spend a good amount of time talking with Iranian and Afghan refugees and those working with them, and God’s definitely working among the refugees there.

Let me give you some context. The refugees in Greece are usually passing through on their way to somewhere else in Europe where there are plenty of jobs and they can make a life for themselves and their families. They’ve typically left everything behind but the clothes on their back to make the journey and have used most (if not) all of their money to pay smugglers to get them to Greece. Many of them are also disillusioned with Islam since they had to flee their country because of Muslim leaders.

In that context, God has given mission organizations and churches the opportunity to step in and be his hands and feet. Muslims are getting to experience God’s love as they receive food, clothing, and other necessities through these workers and as they hear these workers teach them about Jesus. But the situation seems to always be in flux in Greece, both because where the refugees are coming from changes based on what’s happening and because of the Greek government’s ever-changing policies towards refugees. It requires a lot of flexibility for those working with these refugees. As a discernment team, we felt God pulling us towards Greece and will be sharing more at EFM’s National Luke 10 Think Tank (more on that later).

Now for what’s happening in the near future. I’ll be going on another second Luke 10 Exploration Trip in the second half of October to Dubai, UAE, and Doha, Qatar. (You might remember that I was able to go on the first Luke 10 Exploration Trip to these locations a year ago.) We’re going back to meet with some of the people we met with before, get a clearer idea of what God’s doing among Nepali people there, and help discern if God’s leading EFM to send missionaries there. Additionally, our Evangelical Friends from Nepal will be discerning if God is leading them to send missionaries. If we went here as EFM, there’s a chance we would be going in partnership with missionaries from Nepal.

After this, I’ll join the National Think Tank in early November in Portland. The Think Tank will be made up of people who went on these trips and other Friends leaders, and together we’ll look at all the Luke 10 Exploration Trips that took place and make a recommendation to EFM’s board. The board will meet the next day to further discern, discuss, and make the final decision on what new fields we’ll start as an organization. We’re hoping that the Holy Spirit will show us at least five new fields to launch and that we’ll know which ones they are by the evening of November 9.

Finally, in the more (but not too) distant future, I’m anticipating moving back to Southern California in early January to reconnect with Granada Heights Friends Church and all the other people I know out there. I’m anticipating being there for at least six months although the exact timetable is still up in the air. If you’re living in SoCal, I’m looking forward to seeing you soon. If you’re living in Florida and I haven’t had the chance to see you yet, I’d love to get together before I move.

Friends, through all these trips I continue to be grateful for how you’ve supported me financially. Thank you for your generous support that helped me serve in Rwanda and go on these Luke 10 Exploration Trips.

Whew, this is a long update, even by my long-winded standards! Here’s how you can pray for me.

• Pray for the team going to Dubai/Doha to help discern God’s will for EFM and EFC Nepal in that context.
• Pray for the National Luke 10 Think Tank and EFM’s board as we (and they) look at all the trips and discern further what God’s leading us into as EFM and Friends churches in America.
• Pray for my personal discernment process as I consider Greece, Dubai, and Doha and look for where God’s leading me within where he’s leading EFM.

Thank you again, dear friends and family. Looking forward to this next season and whatever God has for EFM and me personally within that.

In Him, Thomas

The post Thomas Moore’s October 2023 Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Dear Prayer Partners,

Future Missionary Retreat in Aguascalientes

The first retreat for Future Missionaries in Latin America was held from August 7 to 11 with an attendance of 25 young people from the different Friends Churches of Mexico and from Kansas, United States. Most were between the ages of 16 and 30. It was such a special and exciting time. These young people had the opportunity to meet and have fellowship for four days in a single house to be focused on exploring a possible call to be future missionaries or Church planters. During these days, potential future missionaries had the opportunity to listen to speakers with experience in missions such as our EFM Field Director, Dan Cammack, and former missionaries Duane and Lois Davis, among other excellent speakers that God used to impact the hearts of those who were present. These days were of intense learning, prayer, praise, paying attention to God’s call to each one of them, and expanding their vision to the need that still exists to reach the third of the world that does not yet know about Jesus.

These potential future missionaries also had opportunities to sense the spiritual need through service and evangelization in the city’s downtown. It was beautiful to see how young people with gifts of music gathered from different churches and an incredible praise group was formed that guided us in worship through music.

At the end of the retreat, several of these young people were given the opportunity to talk about what they experienced individually, and each of the testimonies was one of hope since the majority are willing and determined to go wherever God wants to send them.

Pastor Samuel Vásquez-Superintendent of the Northern Yearly Meeting, who was one of our mentors, testified that he can see that what has been sown for a long time in the churches of Mexico, now shows fruit through these young people, and now is the time in which God is pouring out his spirit on them so that they are the ones who reach those who remain unreached. This is the time, he emphasized!

Thanks to all of you who were praying for this retreat, God certainly let his spirit be felt moving among us. We give all the honor and glory to God for allowing this event to unfold in a way that only he could have done it.

Special thanks to all the guest speakers and mentors who accepted the invitation to come and be part of this historic event: Ernesto Ramirez- Superintendent of Mexico Yearly Meeting-Central, Samuel and Cristina Vasquez- Superintendent Mexico Yearly Meeting-North, Sergio and Luisa Ayala- Pastors in Coahuila, Dan Cammack- EFM Field Director, Duane and Lois Davis- Former Missionaries, Cinthia Gonzales- Missions in India, and Edwin Isaac Giron- Youth Mentor.

Mobilizing

Edwin and I are grateful that God continues to give us the opportunity to develop this mobilization ministry that is a great way to recruit, train, and send others. Doors of opportunity continue to open, such as invitations to churches and Yearly Meetings to speak and motivate others to collaborate in missions and in starting new Friends ministries.

In the months of August and September, we have been able to visit some Friends congregations in Mexico to continue collaborating in the development of the Vision Mexico 32 planting project. We trust in God that next year we will be able to send two new families or individuals to start new ministries in those states of Mexico where Friends are not yet present.

Last week in September, Edwin and I were invited to be speakers at the Barclay College’s Missions Conference in Haviland, Kansas. Although there are times when we do not feel capable of doing certain things, like sharing at a college student level, God knows our capability, and he manifests himself so that his gospel may be known to all corners of the earth.

Por favor, oren...

• For the Annual Hispanic Friends Conference– AMANA, which will take place the second week in October in Pomona, California. Pray that once again, this event will be a blessing and edification to all who may be present. This conference is always a great opportunity to have a fraternity time that recharges hearts with encouragement.
• 
• For the trips that Edwin and I will be making the rest of the year. Some of these trips will be to Mexico to continue collaborating with the Friends Yearly Meetings in Mexico in the development of their VM32 church planting project. Please pray for our safety and wisdom and to keep us encouraged and healthy to continue with the tasks that God has entrusted to us.
• That God would continue to use us to recruit, train, and send many more to his fields ready for harvest. Please pray for the funding needed to reach 100% of financial support for this ministry.

Serving him,

Maria Giron

EFM Missions Mobilizer

The post Maria Giron September Ministry Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Sorry again that it’s been so long since you’ve heard from me. I intended to send out updates to catch you all up month to month with what’s been going on, but with frequent trips within Rwanda and often being sick when I wasn’t traveling, I haven’t been able to do that. At this point, I want to give you an overview of what the past couple of months have looked like for me and tell you about one of the most exciting things that is happening here.

First, the overview. I’ve been very thankful to visit more of our Friends pastors and churches here in Rwanda. I had the privilege of staying with Pastor Silas and his family in southeastern Rwanda and visiting three of the churches in that region. Like the homestays before them, they received me and cared for me with such warmth and generosity even though my visit was shorter than we all would have liked.

Also, over the past several months, I’ve had the privilege of being at three different D4D (Discipling for Development) trainings. The D4D team did training in Musanze (where I live), Kayonza (eastern Rwanda), and Kibogora (western Rwanda). I was grateful to be at each of these trainings and to travel with the D4D team on the last two. I’m also thankful for how I became closer to them during the trips and for how they cared for me on the last trip when I became very sick. (Don’t worry. I’m more than fine now.)

And I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it was to meet more of the Carpenters’ extended family and Jonathan’s immediate family. I had the privilege of spending a good amount of time with Brad’s parents when they came in the spring and with Brad’s brother and his family when they came this summer. I’m also so thankful for all the time I got to spend with Jonathan’s parents and sister when they visited and stayed at our house. (Jonathan is one of my housemates.) All of these people were so kind and warm, and I’m thankful for each and every one of them.

Now for that exciting thing I mentioned earlier, the missions conference in Burundi. Thank you so much for your prayers for us. God did some incredible things during that time as all of us at the conference had time to fellowship with each other and learn from each other that week. We had people from all over East Africa at the conference (Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo, and Kenya), several from the U.S., several from Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador), one from Nigeria, and one from Nepal. I don’t know quite how to describe it, but it felt like a historic moment, part of a turning point for our churches here that we’ll look back at years from now.

Let me explain what I mean and give you some context. For many years, Friends missionaries have come to our churches in East Africa, but until fairly recently our Friends here had not considered sending missionaries of their own. Money was always one of the main obstacles. How could they support missionaries to go to another country with the same model they saw Westerners use? It just didn’t seem feasible.

Enter the missions conference in Burundi where Global Disciples taught about business as mission and Friends from Latin America and Kenya shared their paradigms of missions. I saw a lot of the exciting discussions our East African Friends leaders were having in their various groups and had the chance to talk with some of them about their thoughts on the different paradigms they were hearing. God truly used this time to further mobilize all of us, and I’m very excited to see in particular how he uses this to mobilize our Friends in Rwanda and Burundi who are in the beginning stages of missions sending.

As I wrap up this update, here are some of the ways you can be praying for me this month and next.

• Pray for me and the Carpenters as we reflect on my time here; that God will teach us what he wants to through that.
• Pray for sweet times of fellowship as I say goodbye to so many that are dear to me here.
• Pray for the Carpenters as they’re in charge of the logistics for the upcoming Kumbya conference and for me as I help them with that.
• Pray for me as I readjust to life in America at the beginning of next month. I’m looking forward to being back, but I know that there will be much for me to adjust to since I’ve been gone for a year.

Once again, thank you all for your partnership with me in prayer and financial support. None of what I’m doing would be possible without all of you. I’m so excited to see you all again, tell you more about my time here, and talk with you about what’s next. (I’ll also write about some of what’s coming next in my next update after I leave Rwanda.) And for those of you who don’t live in Florida, hopefully, it won’t be too long till I get to see you again.

Thomas

The post Thomas Moore’s Spring and Summer Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Grace, EFC-ER

“Our trip to Rwanda was amazing.  All the mission trips I’ve been on have had one mindset. ‘We are here to help you’. But learning about D4D taught me that missionaries should be coming to a foreign country with a mindset of ‘We are here to teach you how to help yourself’. It was amazing seeing first hand stories of how people’s lives were completely changed through D4D and that Brad and Chelsea’s work is not yet done in Rwanda.  They are working fervently to teach D4D to everyone. Even equipping other Rwandan pastors to go out and teach D4D in other countries.

Being with Brad and Chelsea, taught what the realities of being a missionary are. They were very open about their stories and their hesitations about going to a foreign country. But their stories have encouraged me, and taught me that it’s normal to be hesitant or even afraid, but at the end of the day, being a missionary is about putting your life in Gods hands and saying ‘Here I am, Send me’. ”

Eric, EFC-ER

“This trip allowed missions to go from a theory in my head to something I have experienced. It was especially encouraging to see the commitment of the Carpenters and other leaders in the Rwandan Friends Church to the Lord. I was amazed by the impact of D4D and how it is spreading and effecting so many people in Rwanda. It is apparent that the Friends church of Rwanda is alive and on fire for Christ.”

Nathan, EFC-MAYM

“I learned so much about Rwandan culture and what missions looks like in Central Africa. I got to meet many Friends pastors from all over Rwanda and hear their teachings and exciting plans moving forward as a church, including sending their own first missionaries. It was very exciting and encouraging to see the unity among the Friends pastors of Rwanda and their passion to serve the Lord with their whole life. They taught about whole life discipleship methods they have been using and the different ways it has produced fruit. We heard several powerful testimonies of lives and communities being transformed through Jesus and whole life discipleship.

I also learned more about my own calling to missions. Before this trip, I could only imagine what being a missionary would look like. Even though I have been on several missions trips and met many missionaries, serving full time on the mission field was a mystery to me. But in Rwanda I learned about whole life discipleship, which involves four different types of relationships, which are all broken through sin: relationship with God, self, others, and God’s creation. These relationships can only be healed through Jesus. This method of discipleship gave me a small taste of how I could actually serve as a missionary. We also learned about Business as Mission and that gave me another idea of realistic, actual things I can do.

Brad and Chelsea Carpenter, who have been missionaries in Rwanda for about 17 years, taught me a lot about life as a missionary. It was very encouraging to see their family’s commitment to the Lord, and how much of a blessing it is to have a spouse and family that will support you and work with you. They also helped us understand that life as a missionary is not easy. I experienced firsthand how exhausting it can be, but how rewarding it is to participate in God’s plan for His Kingdom.”

Ellie, EFC-ER

“The future missionary trip to Rwanda was very helpful to my discernment and learning about my call to missionary service. I learned a lot from Brad and Chelsea, the missionaries in Rwanda, how difficult life overseas as a missionary is especially as a family and I got to see the reality of a life laid down overseas and learn how hard that can be. However, I also learned that it is worth it. I got to count the cost and still am encouraged by this trip to continue to count the cost as I am now home, of going as a missionary overseas. The Lord has shown me in the trial, sacrifice, and discomfort that going as a missionary is worth it. I’ve learned that it’s not that I should want to go, it’s that I can’t NOT go!

Among the Friends churches in Rwanda, I saw the joy of the Lord clearly. I saw eagerness among church leaders to learn more and be open to being sent as missionaries and learn more about sending others from their churches as well. I was encouraged to be zealous after the Lord and his mission and desire for his people and for the nations. I was filled with joy from the singing and dancing as my brothers and sisters in Rwanda praised Jesus with all their strength, might, and soul and sought after him before anything else!”

We hope the stories of these young people encourage you as they encouraged us!

The post Future Missionary Training Trip Stories: Rwanda 2022 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Here’s the overview. My time here started with two main events during my first month, Kumbaya and a Future Missionary Training Trip, before settling into something of a typical rhythm.

So, first Kumbya. This is an annual conference where missionaries from all over Rwanda gather for rest and retreat. It has been going on for decades and is cherished by the missionaries here. I was very grateful to be a part of it and to get to meet so many people throughout the week and hear their stories. The teaching that week was on the Psalms, and halfway through the week we were given the opportunity to write our own psalm. So, I took my guitar to a secluded place, started a voice memo on my phone and just started playing. It was refreshing to write about the different emotions swirling inside of me and process it with Jesus. If you’ve never tried to write a psalm before, I certainly recommend giving it a try, whether yours looks like a song or a poem or maybe something else entirely. Pictured here is the Kumbya Lake View, From The Friends Cabin

Next, the Future Missionary Training Trip. It was such a joy to see people I knew and to meet people I hadn’t before. It was also such an honor to meet so many of the Rwandan pastors that the Carpenters have worked with for so long. For the trip, we spent one week in Kigali and one week in Musanze. Our time consisted of home stays with Rwandans the Carpenters know well, a training for Friends pastors, and D4D training along with hearing stories of how God is using D4D to transform people’s lives. Discipling For Development (D4D) is a whole life discipleship program that’s really taking off in the Friends churches here. It begins with letting God restore every relationship of our lives: our relationship with him, others, the environment and our resources, and how we view ourselves. One woman shared about how in going through D4D, God had restored her marriage and empowered her to create a better life for her family as he taught her how to better steward what he had given her. It was a powerful testimony, and I can’t do it justice in such limited space!

The Executive Council, Their Wives, The D4D Team, And The Team From The U.S.

After the team left, I began Kinyarwanda lessons with one of the workers at the Carpenters’ house, who has been such an incredible help. He is so patient with me as we build off what he’s taught me day-by-day. Also, shortly after the team left, I was able to move into a house with some other guys and have enjoyed some sweet times of fellowship with them. For the next few months, my primary focus will be on learning as much Kinyarwanda as I can and on going on two Luke 10 Exploration Trips. Pictured on the right, is my first attempt at transcribing Kinyarwanda into IPA.

Here are some ways you can be praying for me this month.
1. By the time you get this, I will be on a Luke 10 Exploration Trip in Tanzania. Luke 10 Exploration Trips are part of EFM’s discernment process about where God wants EFM to start new fields. Please pray for God’s leading as we listen to him, humility for each of us on the team to serve each other and those we meet, and for God’s wisdom in overcoming unexpected difficulties
2. Pray for wisdom in what to learn as I work on Kinyarwanda. Pray that I might learn it well enough to be conversational in it so that I might be helpful to Brad and Chelsea in the work that they’re doing and so that I might be able to connect with Rwandans in a deeper way as I talk with them in their language.

I know this has been a long update, but there’s just so much to tell. Thank you again for how you’ve partnered with me. Also, I would love to hear from you, whether by email or messaging me on WhatsApp or Signal.

In him,
Thomas Moore

The post Thomas Moore September Ministry Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The following story is shared by our Friends in Mexico and shows how a few relationships were changed from your support.

Young adults in Mexico are being inspired to become church planters and potential future missionaries by EFM’s Five-Year Goal and Vision Mexico 32 (VM32). There are two bright, young college students in Sinaloa, Marissa and Denisse. Besides attending college, they started the online Bible Institute classes from Mexico YM’s Bible Institute ITA in order to become church planters or missionaries. These two girls are on fire for the Lord and are very committed leaders in the Friends Church in Siete Ejidos, Sinaloa. They have gathered other youth to form a bible study group and youth events. Marissa and Denisse never miss an opportunity to witness their faith in Jesus to others.  Also, at the Mexico Yearly Meeting Session, eight young people raised their hands saying “Here I am Lord, send me” at the campfire time. This Kairos moment happened after they heard a message about Matthew 9:35-39. After the sermon everyone was invited to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers to the field. It was a powerful time of prayer where all could sense God’s spirit. There was an open invitation challenging everyone to commit to the church planting VM32 project and to see if there was anyone sensing the calling from the Lord to be missionaries or church planters. The next day the team got together to have a meeting with these eight future missionaries so they could share more about their call. It was exciting to hear that what they felt at the campfire was confirmation of the call they had been sensing for a long time. Praise the Lord!!

If you would like to help make a difference in the lives of people like these young adults, here’s how:

The post A Story of Transformation from Mexico first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

We are planning to host some future missionaries during the next two weeks. They had to deal with some flight delays due to weather, so we are so thankful they were finally able to arrive last night, two days later than planned. These will be fun and busy days.

Some of the key things we hope the team will learn while they are with us are:

• Learning about Rwanda and the Evangelical Friends Church of Rwanda
• Whole-life discipleship
• Life as missionaries
• How God is calling us to be a part of taking the gospel of Jesus to the nations

Thank you so much!

Brad & Chelsea

Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

The post The Team Has Arrived! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

This team is traveling August 5-20 to Rwanda, Africa to be hosted by Brad and Chelsea Carpenter and several EFC-Rwanda leaders. The team includes Grace Broschk, Eric Johr, and Ellie Ware from North Olmsted, Ohio in Eastern Region, Nathan Macy from Wichita, Kansas in Mid America, and joins Thomas Moore from Florida, already in Rwanda, who connected with Friends in Southwest when at Biola University.

Please pray for this team of future missionaries!

• Para una gran experiencia de aprendizaje de EFC-Rwanda y la familia Carpenter sobre el servicio transcultural, el aprendizaje de idiomas, el discipulado de toda la vida, las experiencias de inmersión y la vida familiar misionera.
• Que Dios enviaría más trabajadores a su campo de cosecha. Para que estos futuros misioneros adquieran discernimiento en los próximos pasos hacia los que el Señor de la mies puede estar guiándolos.
• Por la asociación de EFM con EFC-Rwanda y los futuros misioneros de Ruanda, los nuevos trabajadores potenciales y la iglesia que envía mientras buscamos una dulce comunión en la conversación y la visión del envío de misiones.

Find more information on EFM Future Missionary Retreats, Training Trips, Cohort sessions, and Luke 10 Trips here.

Complete this form to tell us more about your interest in missionary service.

Read about the Pathway to missionary service with EFM here.

Matt Macy
Director of Mobilization
matt@friendsmission.com

The post Future Missionary Training in Rwanda first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Luke 10 Exploration Trip: A Report from Greece

The second of the ten Luke 10 Exploration Trips in 2022 went out last month (May 30-June 10) with a team of six to Greece! Thank you for praying for this team and EFM’s Luke 10 Initiative as Evangelical Friends discern where to launch new mission fields as part of EFM’s Five-Year Goal! See more information aquí.

The following is a report from the team, whom are all very grateful for your prayers and support.

The team was comprised of (from Left to Right in photo below):
• Jim LeShana – Newberg, OR, Superintendent NWYM
• Libby Penrose – Hutchinson Friends, Kansas, College student, Future Missionary,
• Jan Cammack – Newberg Friends, OR, Retired University Professor, Future Missionary
• Kenn Dirrim – Current missionary (for past 15 years) along with wife Lisa, working with refugees in Athens through the Greek charity, Helping Hands, From Rose Drive Friends, CA
• Ron Maestas –Friends Church Yorba Linda, CA, Accountant, EFM Board Member
• Josiah Muhr – Sherwood Friends, OR, Graduate of Barclay College, Future Missionary

We were tasked with exploring the potential for EFM to plant churches among refugees that have fled unstable situations in the Middle East. Greece is the first point of entry into Europe for those escaping countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria. Once in Turkey it is a short boat ride to reach the close Greek Islands and potential asylum in Europe. Although Germany, France, and the UK are the primary goal destinations, COVID-19 travel limitations and European political issues have contributed to many refugees finding themselves “stuck” in Greece.

We concentrated on two areas in Greece that have a high concentration of refugees. We spent the first week in Athens (Athina) and then traveled north to the Thessaloniki area where refugees are currently being relocated.

We met with a variety of people from various backgrounds and experiences. Many of our contacts are former Muslim refugees who are now Christ followers and active in evangelism. Discretion in names and photos is often required to protect their ministries and family members in their home countries.

• We met with “IL”. A former refugee now working with a Persian Christian Church, he gave both encouragement and cautionary advice for the challenges of working with those of Persian culture as well as within the national Greek religious environment.
• Our friend “SH” had an amazing testimony of escape from Iran and God’s working in her life. She heads a thriving refugee medical ministry and evangelistic group that is seeing many Muslims come to Christ. She also gave encouragement and planted ideas of how we might come alongside and partner with her.
• The men of our group were able to spend a day at a “men’s retreat” for refugee ministry leaders. They spoke with several who are active in evangelism and discipleship with refugees, including two refugee converts who have recently planted churches among refugees (one on Lesvos Island and one in north Athens). The leaders underscored the need and importance of new churches, as well as some of the challenges.
• We spent a couple days volunteering with “Helping Hands”; a Christian Greek charity working to feed, clothe, and share the gospel with refugees. We made good contacts with both Greek nationals and other expatriates (from Germany, Ireland, USA, etc.) who work there.
• Our Airbnb was providentially very close to a park where many refugee families gather and their children play in the cool of the evening. Language barriers stilted conversation but it was a great place to sit and experience that aspect of refugee life and to connect with people we’d met at Helping Hands.
• We attended a Greek evangelical church and had encouraging conversation with a Greek national experienced in refugee ministry.

Enough salad to feed a multitude at Helping Hands.

The synagogue in Berea where the word was received from Paul & Silas with great eagerness. Acts 17:10-11

• We met with a retired Greek evangelical pastor with many years of experience directing refugee aide ministry and working within the Greek Evangelical and Greek Orthodox culture.
• In the small town of Mylotopos, an hour northwest of Thessaloniki, we were served an Afghan dinner by a refugee family also with an amazing testimony of Christ’s work in their lives. With the help of a local Greek Evangelical church they are now ministering to and planting fellowships for immigrants living in multiple refugee camps in the surrounding area. A retired couple from Finland, who previously worked in Afghanistan, is also part of their ministry team. They would love for us to come and help them.

• There is much need and work to be done with refugees in Greece.
• Muslims, having left their oppressive home countries, have new freedom to question their faith and are coming to Christ.
• Everyone we met expressed a need for more discipleship and help in the training of new believers.
• Culture and language learning (Greek, Farsi, Dari, perhaps Arabic etc.) is essential and years of commitment is required. Planting churches in new cultures is a marathon not a sprint. People willing to commit for the long haul as well as people who already know the culture(s) and language(s) are needed.
• Many refugees leave Greece as soon as they can. Actual numbers and locations are always changing. Those who become Christ followers are starting fellowships in Germany, France, and other parts of Europe even as new believers with little training. In this way refugee work can resemble ministry to college students with whom our influence may be temporary as we disciple them and then send them out.
• Refugees stay and become established in Greece if they can 1) get sustainable employment and 2) belong to a Christian community (church) that can replace the biological family that they lose when they convert to Christ. There is great potential for D4D work (Discipling for Development; whole life discipleship) to establish jobs.

We look forward to sharing more news as it becomes available about what we are finding and discerning in EFM’s Luke 10 Initiative as we continue to explore where EFM may launch new mission fields.

Matt Macy
Director of Mobilization

The post Luke 10 Exploration Trip: A Report from Greece first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.