Building Bridges of Hope with Technology

Building Bridges of Hope with Technology

A simple app developed by our Southeast Asia team to distribute Discovery Bible Study (DBS) story sets is transforming lives in a region ripe for harvest. According to our local team, this tool has become an extraordinary lifeline for those seeking truth.

One such seeker is *Ari, a new disciple of Isa Al-Masih (Jesus). Though raised in Islamic traditions and trained in a religious boarding school, Ari’s heart grew restless. The teachings he once embraced no longer filled the spiritual void he felt. His search led him to follow Isa—a bold and costly decision that brought both peace and persecution.

After choosing to follow Isa, Ari faced intense pressure. Family members rejected him. The community mocked him. Yet, he stood firm. “I never imagined that following Isa would lead me down a road marked by both suffering and love,” Ari shared. “But I now walk in truth.”

During this difficult season for Ari, a DBS story set titled Struggle on God’s Path, facilitated by missions catalyst, *Bret through the app, brought comfort and courage. The app became more than just a resource. It became a refuge. Ari and his house church group leaned into the Scriptures daily, drawing strength and guidance from each story.

Now, Ari is not only growing in faith. He’s boldly living it out. With humility and love, he shares truth with those who once ridiculed him. He doesn’t repay mockery with anger, but with compassion and prayer, just as Isa taught. He longs deeply for his family to know Isa and continues to pray that they too will experience the love and truth he has found.

Ari’s story reminds us that every effort counts. The app is more than a technological solution. It’s a bridge to hope for many who are quietly hungering for truth.

Please pray for Ari and others like him—that they would experience peace, joy, and continued strength as they grow in faith. Pray especially that God would answer Ari’s heartfelt prayer: that his entire household would come to know Isa Al-Masih.

*pseudonym

THREE MAJOR HINDRANCES
Hanli* helped her husband track data describing their region’s largest family of church planting movements. After reading all the descriptions of transformed
read more …

JOURNEY TO DISCIPLESHIP
Susi was interested in each of the Old Testament stories and asked, “Are these stories talking about the blood of Jesus?” read more …

GIVE UP YOUR WAY
Together the couple had sought the Lord on where they might live to be most effective in making multiplying disciples. And the Lord had answered. read more …

“I Don’t Have An Oikos!”

“I Don’t Have An Oikos!”

*Frida seemed hungry for Jesus, yet insistent that no one else around her would want to join in discovering God’s heart through the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) process.

What should a Disciple Making Catalyst team do when someone says, “No one in my circle is interested”?

The team chose to seek the Lord together through Listening Prayer. They asked, “Jesus, what must be done?”

As they listened, the next steps became clear: take Frida out with them to find other potential Persons of Peace. She didn’t need to wait for people to come to her. Instead, they would go together, prayer walking and watching for those the Holy Spirit was already stirring with a longing to know God.

At that point, Frida wasn’t yet a follower of Jesus. But she was eager to obey what little she understood. And in the midst of joining the team in the search, she encountered Christ and chose to follow Him.

Still, the question lingered—Where was her group of close connections? Her natural household and social network seemed closed or uninterested. But one of the core principles the team instills in every Kingdom Movement catalyst is this: don’t take “no” as the final answer.

So the team kept walking alongside her, discipling her in her new faith. They invited her to help facilitate a new Discovery Group—this time among a group of highly educated individuals, among whom she initially felt out of place.

But as local teammates continued equipping her to find her identity and significance in Christ—not in her background, education, or perceived limitations—she began to grow. Her confidence in God’s Word increased. So did her dependence on the Holy Spirit.

That initial group has now already begun to multiply into a second generation, starting another Discovery Group.

Could it be that every seemingly “stuck” situation is actually a sacred invitation—an opportunity to pause, listen, and lean deeper into the Holy Spirit’s leading? 

Let us be diligent, intentional, and courageous. The Kingdom has room for us to practice and wrestle until God helps us figure it out.

With Him, nothing is impossible!

*pseudonyms

READ RELATED  STORIES

LACK OF HARVESTERS ….
“Many times the fruit goes rotten for lack of harvesters among unreached people groups (UPGs). In Western cultures, read more …

JESUS HEALS AS IS WRITTEN
“This was the same lady, Ibu Muli, in whose home we now sat. She told us that immediately after  read more …

FINDING JESUS IN THE ORDINARY
As our ministry teams share Jesus with those he brings into their path, they discover that Jesus is found in the ordinary. read more …

A Fifty Year Burden Lifted

A Fifty Year Burden Lifted

A family of movement catalysts in North Africa was invited to a special day set aside for fasting, prayer, worship, and communion. During that time, they sought the Lord’s direction—asking where in the city He wanted them to go and who He wanted them to meet.

While they were out, their young son, *Brock and two of his friends met an older gentleman named *Aaron. A friendly conversation quickly began, and one of the boys asked Aaron what he believed was the biggest difference between Islam and Christianity. Aaron replied, “We believe in one God. You believe in three.”

The boys recognized this as a perfect opportunity to share the gospel. They opened the Scriptures to John 14:1–6 and explained what Jesus said about Himself. As Aaron listened to God’s Word in his own language, something seemed to break open in his heart. It was as if scales fell from his eyes.

A smile spread across his face, and then he laughed with joy. “It feels like my whole life I thought my shirt was green, and now I can see it’s actually blue!” he exclaimed. Overjoyed, he asked to meet with them again because he wanted to learn more.

As Brock and his friends were preparing to leave, Aaron suddenly returned in tears. “I need to tell you something,” he said. He shared how, at just eight years old, while far from his mountain home and family, two men had found him and hurt him. Aaron had carried the pain and shame of that trauma for over 50 years.

Something about being with these new young friends gave Aaron the safety to finally speak about his burden. The boys prayed for him, asking God to bring comfort, healing, and freedom to his heart.

The next day, Aaron met with them again. This time, another of Brock’s friends shared more Scriptures, showing from God’s Word why Jesus is the promised Messiah. After listening carefully, Aaron declared, “I believe this. I want to follow Him.”

Aaron not only placed his faith in Jesus but also expressed a deep desire to know how to share this good news with his family. As he read Acts 16:31–33 for the very first time, he longed for his whole household to take steps of faith and follow Christ together.

*pseudonym

RELATED STORIES

“I AM JESUS CHRIST, WHO LOVES YOU”
A woman from a strong Islamic family attended the most recent Disciple Making Movement training read more

GOD’S IDEAS OPENING DOORS
By God’s grace, they have accepted him as a spiritual father figure. For the last five or six years, he has been talking to them read more …

CRAZY IDEAS IN THE SMOKING CAFE
Karl was discussing the Sermon on the Mount with two young Muslim men in a smoking cafe. The Scriptures on blessings were easy read more …

From the Edge of Death to a Life on Mission

From the Edge of Death to a Life on Mission

*Aditya grew up in a Christian-background family, but for most of his early life, the truth about Jesus felt distant—more like a cultural inheritance than a personal conviction. Like many others who know about Jesus but have never fully surrendered to Him, Aditya drifted away. 

He became entangled in a world of drugs, street fights, and chaos. He overdosed multiple times—came close to death again and again, but never truly lived.

Everything changed one day at sea.

While working as a sailor, Aditya overdosed again—this time far from the shore. In the depths of that darkness, Jesus appeared to him—in a dream. It wasn’t just a vision. It was a divine interruption—a moment of grace that shattered the fog of sin and addiction. It wasn’t just a dream. It was a call.

And Aditya responded.

He returned to his hometown, no longer chasing escape but purpose. His heart burned— not for religion but for relationship. He began to seek out people the way Jesus had sought him—not in church buildings, but in markets, hangout spots, and street corners. With courage, he would ask strangers, “Can I  pray for you?” But first, he would always share about Jesus.

In 2019, Aditya attended a contextual missions training. That training ignited a deeper fire in his heart. He didn’t just learn to share the gospel—he learned how to do so in ways that connected with the culture around him. He joined a missions team. His boldness grew. His vision expanded. Around the same time, he met and married *Lestari, and together they started a family. They now have three children.

In 2023, the whole family relocated to serve among an Unreached People Group in Southeast Asia. Today, Aditya disciples more than ten local believers, walking closely with them as they grow in faith. One of these disciples is a man named *Deni.

Deni’s mother, *Teti, had a stroke that left her paralyzed and bedridden. One day, Aditya visited their home, and Teti asked him to pray for healing. Aditya gently responded, “I can pray, but in the name of Isa Al-Masih. Before I pray, may I first tell you about Isa?” Teti agreed. So Aditya shared the gospel, then prayed for her.

A month later, the family joyfully contacted Aditya—Teti had begun walking again and was speaking clearly! The family was overjoyed and eager for Aditya’s return.

When Aditya visited again, many curious neighbors gathered to hear what had happened. Among them was *Mr. Roni, who was deeply moved by the story and intrigued by the name, Isa.

Aditya shared the Good News with Mr. Roni and his family. He continues to pray that this family—and possibly the whole neighborhood—will become a new house church.

God is doing mighty things among this still-mostly-Unreached People Group.

And God is using Aditya—once a drug addict, now a messenger of the gospel—full of love, courage, and faith. Together with Lestari and their children, they witness every day how Jesus’ love transforms hearts and communities—one person, one prayer, one household at a time.

From death to life. From addiction to calling. From brokenness to revival. This is the power of Jesus.

Join us in prayer for Aditya and his family, praying that many households and communities will be transformed by the gospel.

*pseudonym

FROM GANGSTER TO DISCIPLE MAKER
Pastor *Wint was from a mixed Muslim-and Hindu-background area of Bali, Indonesia. One of his concerns was the unreached tribe on the mountains bordering where he lived.
read more …

DID GOD ANSWER THIS PRAYER?
Recently, Brian and Allison*, Beyond mission catalysts in Austronesia, learned of answers to prayers they and their partners began praying back in 2004!  read more …

FROM REBELLION TO REDEMPTION
*Ron was born into a Christian family in Indonesia, but faith in his family’s home was shallow and hollow. As a young man, he rebelled hard.  read more …

Muslim Zealot Becomes Disciple of Jesus

Muslim Zealot Becomes Disciple of Jesus

*Kuram was a devout Muslim, so zealous in his faith that community leaders sent him to another part of Southeast Asia to convert nominal Christians to Islam. Through his efforts, more than 100 people turned from Christianity to Islam.

When Kuram returned home, he was struck by personal tragedy. Instead of supporting him, his community judged and abandoned him. Disillusioned and broken, Kuram began to question everything he once believed.

In the midst of his crisis, he came across an ad from a media outreach ministry. He responded. A local disciple visited him, offering comfort and hope. Together, they walked through his pain. This disciple of Jesus helped Kuram release his bitterness toward those who had turned their backs on him. He also helped Kuram break free from a lifetime of occult ties.

Kuram made a bold decision: he decided to follow Jesus. Soon after, he was baptized.

Overwhelmed with joy, Kuram shared his newfound faith with two old friends. Both came to believe! Now they, too, are praying for their families to follow Christ.

Just three years ago, church planters described Kuram’s region as “too hard to reach.” But one movement leader believed differently. “No, it’s not,” he said. “There is always a door God can open. These three families will become the foundation for house churches.”

Today, that vision has become reality. In Kuram’s area, disciple-making fellowships have multiplied to the fourth generation! Praise God, for he is able to make the impossible possible. Pray for Kuram and these three families; pray that they will continue to make disciples who make disciples.

*pseudonym

THREE MAJOR HINDRANCES
Hanli* helped her husband track data describing their region’s largest family of church planting movements. After reading all the descriptions of transformed
read more …

JOURNEY TO DISCIPLESHIP
Susi was interested in each of the Old Testament stories and asked, “Are these stories talking about the blood of Jesus?” read more …

GIVE UP YOUR WAY
Together the couple had sought the Lord on where they might live to be most effective in making multiplying disciples. And the Lord had answered. read more …