May 01, 2018 by Greg Parsons

I recently was on the receiving end of a HUGE encouragement during two events. In Thailand, I met with about 70 folks focused in a large country in Asia. In South Africa, I was surrounded by more than 400 mission workers/leaders from all over the world who have some connection with SIM International. 

Why was I encouraged?

In a phrase: people through whom God is working.  I am energized as we plan and work on telling stories like these through a podcast we are creating. Here are examples of possible storylines:

Family in frontier missions

An Indian brother from a Hindu background now lives in New Zealand. Through the relationships of his children at school, they are loving Muslims into the Kingdom. We have written before about this idea. Others I interviewed told similar stories of the power of family in mission. See the Mission Frontiers March–April 2012 issue with the theme: “Is The Family God’s Prime Mission Strategy For World Evangelization?”. You can find it at: www.missionfrontiers.org.

How do we effectively share with people of other faiths?

A Kenyan brother trains folks how to love Muslims and get to know them as friends, while sensitively sharing Christ with them. He has seen many people go through his training and then serve full- time loving Muslims. Just this week back in Pasadena, I recorded more stories about how faith is spreading from a brother who has worked with Muslims for 40 years. 

At a special dinner during one of the events, I had what may have been the most interesting meal discussion I have ever had with anyone! I can’t say more in print because of where he serves now (and I couldn’t interview him). I will say that it was encouraging because God is moving through people he has groomed and gifted, people who are living in difficulty yet bearing fruit. Like Paul said, “a great door for effectual service is open…but there are many adversaries.” 1 Cor. 16:9 KJV.

What is a mobilizer?

During and just after college, Sam—a young brother from Kenya—was in a discipleship ministry working with students. He took the Kairos course and began to have his worldview changed. The ministry office in Kenya had copies of Mission Frontiers magazine. He read every issue page by page. Through it, he heard about the Perspectives course. 

The idea of the unreached began to affect his future career path, as well as that of a young woman who later became his wife. They thought they would be called to go to an unreached group and work directly themselves. Increasingly, they felt a call to mobilize others. A few years later, they established a mobilization and sending ministry. Now, they have sent seven couples and five singles into northern Kenya to work with unreached groups there. And, they have 14 full-time mobilizers sharing in churches and on campuses! All of them raise almost all of their own support! 

Sam is also the country coordinator for both the Kairos course and Perspectives in Kenya—so he is a key player in our Perspectives Global ministry. He is a joy-filled brother with a clear calling to motivate and send out laborers. I greatly enjoyed interviewing him and I can’t wait for you to hear his story.

How do we integrate business and missions?

Perhaps my most fascinating podcast interview was with a brother from a West African country. When I met this brother, I had already heard from others that he was indeed seeing God bless his businesses and ministry in many different ways.

 He is both a businessman and a pastor. He is working and praying to build up the region and create jobs and opportunity. He has a clear ministry happening which is integrated into businesses, which in turn, gives people needed jobs and spreads the gospel of the kingdom. How? 

They have a conference center/hotel that has 500,000 people passing through each year. He has a vision to expand the conference center/hotel (anyone want to invest?) and to actually build an airport to serve the region. 

They have 160 people who work full time for them—in various kinds of businesses. 

They loan money to 10,000 poor women to help them learn a trade to provide for their families—all while hearing the gospel. 

They have seen thousands of people from a different religious group which is strong in the area come to Christ! They have started churches and training programs for that too. 

Please pray for these brothers and sisters and pray with us that we can move forward in producing stories like this and get them out in a new podcast. We are working toward this and have a “publications” ministry planning time soon. Write to us if you want to hear as things progress.