Long Term Missions

Small Business Opens Doors to the Unreached

Sep 18, 2024 | Austronesia, Stories

*Charlie and *Sarah participated in a retreat with local church planting teams focused on reaching unreached people groups, in their province in Southeast Asia. They were honored to support young leaders by helping them develop and refine business platforms to enhance the effectiveness of their ministry.

These business platforms have the potential not only to generate income, to sustain their lives and ministry (much like Paul’s tent-making) but also to open doors for accessing new, unreached areas. Some platforms even allow ministry to happen within the business itself. Often, these platforms can achieve a combination of these goals.

Over the past 20 years, Charlie and Sarah have started and managed several businesses in Asia and the U.S., with the majority of their financial support still coming from one of these ventures. However, since arriving on their island in Southeast Asia, they hadn’t felt led to pursue this area—until now.

The meetings they attended sparked several ideas, one of which is gaining traction and shows potential for replication with other church planters.

One example is *Netra, a Muslim-background believer struggling to provide for her family. Her husband, handicapped by a stroke, is limited in his ability to help. Netra was making homemade snacks, selling them for 20 cents each, and earning no more than $6 a week. Despite being trained in Disciple Making Movement (DMM) principles, she was overwhelmed by the struggle to make ends meet and had little capacity left for ministry.

In response, Charlie and Sarah helped her start a used clothing business.

Now, each day, Netra travels from village to village, selling used clothes. As villagers browse through the clothing, she engages them in conversation, subtly weaving spiritual topics into the discussion, hoping to find “people of peace.” This new venture has increased her income to $10 or more per day. With her work taking only a few hours, she now has more time to follow up with those who show interest in the Good News, with the goal of starting groups of Jesus Followers.

Pray that Netra remains faithful in using her time for Kingdom work and that the Holy Spirit stirs the hearts of those she shares with.

Next month, Charlie and Sarah will travel to another city in their province to help another team establish another business platform, which has the potential to open doors into nearby villages.

This weekend retreat had rekindled a passion in Charlie and Sarah for using business to advance the Kingdom of God. Please pray for more ideas that will help Kingdom workers generate income and gain access to the unreached communities they serve.

*pseudonyms

READ OTHER STORIES FROM CHARLIE AND SARAH BELOW

GUNS, KNIVES, AND A MOTORCYCLE GANG
Charlie and Sarah met with Ali, who has shown great hunger for reading stories from the Bible about Jesus. Charlie and Sarah wanted to establish him in the pattern of reading read more …

JESUS HEALS AS IS WRITTEN IN THE QUR’AN
“This was the same lady, Ibu Muli, in whose home we now sat. She told us that immediately after the prayer, her back had been healed, and read more …

I TOLD HIM I WAS QUITTING
*Charlie worked in the IT industry. He specialized in indirect sales and marketing; he educated and supported hundreds of salesmen. He also led efforts to simplify read more …

A Bold Spiritual Conversation

Aug 28, 2024 | Africa, Stories

A Beyond advocate, Emma, was challenged by the course she took through her college about five years ago taught by two senior staff at Beyond. During this course she was challenged with the idea that Jesus’ followers should live their lives in an openly spiritual way. Through her conversations with various Beyond team members, she learned to be more transparent about her faith.

This transparency radically transformed the way she engaged with the lost. Instead of “evangelism” feeling like a task to be done, it began to flow out of her in a natural way. Over the years Emma has seen many lost people engage with Scripture for the first time because they knew she was an openly spiritual person, and they wanted what she had!

Another Beyond advocate who is currently being mentored by Emma shares a simple story of how that transparency unfolded a thousand miles away from her college town and touched the lives of a group of women in North Africa.

“Recently I was able to talk with my friend, “Sarah”, who moved to North Africa not long ago. She spoke about the spiritual difficulty she and her team were facing whenever they shared the gospel. Hoping to encourage her, I shared how using simple statements, questions, and stories can show others that we are “spiritual people”. I encouraged her to use a short statement in natural conversation to indicate that she was a spiritual person.

A few hours later, an excited Sarah called me back to tell me what God had just done. She and her teammate, “Jen”, were in the market buying fruit when they saw a woman with three young children running around her. As she observed them, Sarah commented to the mother, “Children are such a blessing from God!” “Wow, no one ever pays attention to me. That is so kind!” the woman said in surprise. Before long she invited Sarah and Jen to her home.

Arriving at the woman’s apartment later that day, they were surprised to find that this young mother had invited all the women from the building to meet Sarah and Jen. The apartment was packed! As they were cooking and talking with the women, their gracious host approached them and said, “Please do what you came here to do.” When Sarah responded in confusion the woman told her that she knew Sarah was a spiritual person and wanted to talk to them about spiritual things.

Grateful for the obvious opportunity from the Lord, Sarah shared the story of the bleeding woman in Luke 8. When she finished, the entire room was in tears. Although their understanding of Jesus is just beginning, they glimpsed Christ’s compassion and power in the story Sarah shared.”

Please pray that all believers would be willing to boldly and openly share their faith by starting spiritual conversations and that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide us to persons of peace.

RELATED STORIES

SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS OVER TEA
In the Himalayas, all good conversations happen over tea – sometimes in the home around a warm fire and sometimes in the warmth of the sun. read more …

HAVING CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER
Learning how to better engage with those who don’t know Jesus is something I need to learn read more …

NAVIGATING DIFFICULT CONVERATIONS WITH FAMILY
When “Uncle” called Ibu Sayang to his home for a family gathering, she had no idea of the storm she was going to read more …

Raksha Bandhan

Aug 14, 2024 | Festivals and Holidays

Raksha Bandhan, often referred to as Rakhi, is celebrated primarily by Hindus. This festival symbolizes the bond between brothers and sisters. The name “Raksha Bandhan” itself is derived from the Sanskrit words “Raksha,” meaning protection, and “Bandhan,” meaning bond, reflecting the essence of the festival – a pledge of lifelong protection and love.

The festival has roots in ancient traditions and legends, such as those of Queen Karnavati and Emperor Humayun, and Draupadi and lord Krishna from the Mahabharata. Over time, Raksha Bandhan has evolved to include friends and protectors, symbolizing unity, love, and lifelong bonds.

The festival typically begins with a prayer for the well-being and prosperity of the family. The sister then ties a Rakhi – a sacred thread – around her brother’s wrist. This act is a symbol of the sister’s love and prayers for her brother’s well-being. In return, the brother gives his sister a gift, promising to protect her throughout her life.

In contemporary times, Raksha Bandhan has evolved beyond its traditional boundaries. With globalization and the Indian diaspora spread across the world, the festival is celebrated with equal fervor in many countries. The concept of Rakhi has also broadened, with many people tying Rakhis to friends, cousins, and even those they consider as brothers or sisters, regardless of biological relation.

In recent years, Raksha Bandhan has become a symbol of unity and harmony in society. In some communities, people tie Rakhis to soldiers, police officers, and other protectors of the nation, acknowledging their role in safeguarding the country. In 2024, this festival falls on Monday, August 19.

Let’s pray for Hindu peoples around the world:

Pray Hindus would accept the call to live in freedom through Christ Jesus and that siblings would model themselves after Jesus: “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” 1 John 3:16,18
Pray that brothers’ and sisters’ love for one another would reflect Romans 12: 9-10. ”Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
Pray for siblings to embrace Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

LEARN ABOUT OTHER FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS

THE FESTIVAL OF COLORS
… bright, powdered pigments that are a trademark of this festival… LEARN MORE

DUSSEHRA
Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami is the final day of a Hindu festival celebrating the triumph … LEARN MORE

THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
A celebration of light triumphing over darkness … LEARN MORE

One Bold Couple, Five New Disciples

Jul 24, 2024 | Austronesia, Stories

*Aninda and her husband came to faith a couple of years ago and became bold witnesses to their families about the change Jesus Christ brought to their lives. Then three of their four parents became Christ-followers.

Shortly thereafter, Aninda’s aunt and cousin attended a celebration of Jesus’ birth with other people from their ethnic group. Their eyes were opened that they could follow Jesus and not deny their ethnicity.

Seeing this openness, Aninda and a close friend, *Gemi, began studying about the prophets and Jesus with these two ladies. The cousin’s husband abandoned his family after his wife started learning about Isa al Masih (Jesus). One night Jesus appeared to her in a dream, bringing her comfort. Shortly after this both the aunt and the cousin received Jesus as their Savior and Lord and they now plan to be baptized.

A few weeks later while Aninda and Gemi were visiting a neighboring town, they met *Salsa and invited her to learn about the prophets and Jesus. At the conclusion of each story they asked her, “How will you obey this story and who will you tell?

Weeks of this pattern passed, and one day Salsa realized that her attitudes were changing. She also observed that of her various communities, only the community of genuine followers of Jesus showed love to each other.

Salsa has given her life to Jesus and wants to be baptized!

Pray that God would give each one the courage to follow through with this decision to be baptized.

*pseudonym

Be Patient . . .

Jul 17, 2024 | Stories

Standing for two hours in the bitter cold was not what *Erden had envisioned for his night. After all, he had been invited to come back and share more Bible stories with *Yul’s family. Frankly, Erden wanted to give up, but he felt God telling him, “Be patient.” To pass the time, Erden reflected on the training he was receiving from *Stephen, a Beyond movement catalyst, and how his homework had gotten him here in the first place.

The training was on Jesus’ greatest command: love God with all your heart, and be a witness to that love by talking about it at all times, seeking those interested in knowing more about Him. The students’ homework had been to put into practice the simple strategies they had learned by going into the local community, sharing stories of what God had recently done in their lives with three or four non-believers. If that person wanted to hear more, they were asked to gather family and friends the following night so they could listen to the “God stories” as well.

The night before, Erden had been excited when Yul, a restaurant owner, had invited him back to share more stories with himself and his family. But tonight, while Erden had waited outside for the restaurant to shut down, he felt Yul had been ignoring him. Finally, Yul had come over to him and said, “I will take you to my son’s house.” Together they went to the son’s house, but after waiting outside for an hour, there was no sign of Yul’s son. Erden prayed about what to do:

“Be patient.”

Before long, Yul spoke up, “I will bring you to my brother’s house instead.” When they arrived, Yul’s brother and his wife welcomed them inside. As they started talking, the three men realized they had grown up in the same village! Yul’s brother even remembered Erden’s childhood nickname and what a naughty boy he had been. Erden shared how God had changed his life and told them there were many more stories of God changing people’s lives in the Bible.

All three were open to hearing the stories. Erden started with Genesis chapter one and did a Discovery Bible story with them. The family was so eager to learn that they did Genesis two as well. As the night was drawing to a close, Erden asked, “If these stories are true, what do you need to do differently in your lives?” Yul was the first to reply, “If God really loves us, then I need to love myself too.” He decided to stop getting drunk, and start taking better care of himself. His brother said, “I will make a decision to trust God.” The brother’s wife said, “I will pray to God to heal my sickness, and trust God. Will you pray for me?” Erden did, of course, and after the prayer, they all agreed that they needed to continue reading the Bible together!

Erden was so excited with what happened by merely doing his homework that he now has a vision of starting a house church in each village of his country.

Praise God with us that during this five-day training at least 8-10 new DBS groups started in this remote area near Siberia.

WAYS TO PRAY:

Pray that these students would continue to apply their training, grow in the Word, and eagerly witness to those around them by sharing stories of God’s love.
Pray for Erden as he seeks to implement his vision, bringing God’s glory to his country.

*pseudonym

RELATED STORIES

A FAMILY AFFAIR
Harto’s story illustrates why it is so important for seekers to bring their family and friends to hear what the Bible says about Jesus. read more …

WIFE BEATER TO JESUS FOLLOWER
When his wife refused to press charges, Nur was released. Filled with humiliation and deep remorse, he returned to his empty house. read more …

A BOLD WITNESS
*Yeng is Khmer (most Khmers are Buddhist) who comes from a big family. Her husband, Pouch, is blind; her 97 years old mother-in-law and three read more …