Updates + Resources for Missions

              Good evening! It has been a while since posting, and I am excited to continue to prepare for the World Race! Here are some updates that I would like to share from November:

              1. We are calling on Zoom regularly as a squad and getting to know each other. It has been terrific to see each other grow in faith, and our group has grown throughout the fall as well. Over the coming months, I look forward to meeting more of the squad in person and praying for each other as we prepare for the trip. Most of us are scattered throughout much of the USA!

              2. Fundraising- over 2/3 there! I wanted to thank all ministry partners and donors for making this trip possible. Despite the uncertain times around us, we are hoping to minister in unreached nations and reach those who don’t know Jesus with the Gospel. I just have a little over $6,000 remaining; if anyone is interested in donating- the link is available at the top of this blog.

              3. Church- Being a part of the house church (and the No Place Left network) has been terrific; and God has developed a tight-knit group of Christ-followers in the Boone area. Please pray for the church as we welcome new members, go forth with discipleship, and build each other up as the Body of Christ. Pray as to what roles / functions that I may serve as part of the house church.

              4. Ministry- Boone. Living in the Boone area and reconnecting with churches in Avery County has been delightful; and there is a strong Christian community here. However, many opportunities remain to do outreach. Please pray for unity and focus as we are starting an evangelistic group between churches / believers in the Boone area.

              5. Ministry- Asheville. Asheville is a city that has been on my heart for a long time, and I was able to go back to the city to do outreach in November. Please keep this city in your prayers, and I may try to help launch an intercessory prayer group for Asheville. Meanwhile, it was terrific to meet Reynaldo near Black Mountain, NC and get to learn more about how the Excel ministry operates.

              6. Ministry- outside North Carolina. Covid-19 has greatly limited the amount of travel / short term mission opportunities available. However, God has continued to use me as a “connector”- someone who builds relationships with different groups and connects people to community. It has been a blessing getting to connect with people in South Asia, Los Angeles, and Africa.

              7. These past few months have been a fruitful yet challenging season of pruning. I do believe that there is a purpose to this, and it has challenged me to examine my faith in Jesus in a different light. Testing and adverse times can reveal many takeaways, and I am unpacking these as I continue to follow His guidance in preparation for the trip.

              Thank you again for your prayers and support as I continue to follow Jesus and help carry out the Great Commission. Throughout much of the semester, a significant amount of time was spent serving as a teaching assistant. While working from home, the opportunity presented itself to listen to Christian podcasts and further dive deeper into helpful resources / organizations that can be utilized while doing missions. I wanted to share some of these resources to you all in hopes that you may find these helpful as you continue to work and make Jesus’ name known.

              A. Frontier Alliance International (FAI)- this organization produces top-notch films about missions and has a number of podcasts available to view. Most of their content is organized in an app that is available for free through Google Play or the App Store. Much of the FAI organization focuses on reaching Muslims in the Middle East with the Gospel- particularly the Kurds in Iraq and strengthening the underground church in Iran. FAI also operates in Israel and has close ties with the Israeli military. They have a number of mission work / training opportunities available in the Middle East for those who would like to serve there.

              B. Sentergy- the website is affiliated with the No Place Left movement (a network to multiply churches and disciples across the world). Sentergy is a vast repository for training tools that are easily reproducible and usable on the field. Giving a look-through prior to mission-related travel can help one to make a big impact while overseas. Another powerful aspect to this site is that training materials are available in a number of languages including Spanish, French, Arabic, and Farsi. The link is available here: www.sentergy.us . Sentergy also has a number of sessions from the May 2020 virtual No Place Left Summit available to view as well.

             C. 24:14 (https://2414now.net/)- this is a large movement-building group that is dedicated towards raising up Gospel movements throughout the world. They are based on Matthew 24:14- which states: “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (NIV). The group also has a large library of resources including recommended books to read for missions (with a free one for PDF download), an app for tracking / facilitating church planting (GenMapper), and also references a number of additional organizations that aim for Gospel movements. Meanwhile, they run a blog which is usually updated every couple days.

             D. Mission Frontiers- This magazine is affiliated with Frontier Ventures- a missions umbrella organization that seeks to equip and partner with missionaries going to or on the field. Frontier Ventures has a large array of programs / courses for those who are being called towards missions. Mission Frontiers has been in publication since the 1970s and has many engaging articles related to missions; and also challenging the Western church to further action as well. The magazine has free open access with its issues available for PDF download on its website, http://www.missionfrontiers.org/. Mission Frontiers is published six times a year.

             E. Travelling Team- The Traveling Team serves as a mission mobilization agency, and they are passionate about getting young people involved in missions/ sending efforts. The Travelling Team educates and speaks at many college campuses and churches each year with the goal to mobilize students for the Great Commission. On their website, they have a number of resources related to mission statistics and the urgency of raising up / sending more missionaries to the field. For anyone that is interested, there is a link / form to fill out to help get people connected with mission sending organizations. Website: http://www.thetravelingteam.org/.

             F. Joshua Project- They are a powerhouse data research group. Joshua Project produces much of the overseas mission-field related data (which mostly comes from reports on the ground) and statistics that other organizations rely on / use. They have a portfolio of infographics on their website, https://joshuaproject.net/, that can be used for missions related presentations / talks. For most people groups, they have concrete data that indicates their status as to if they are reached/ unreached and what needs can be met in order for that group to know Jesus. Joshua Project also has an app for people to pray daily for a frontier unreached people group that has very little Gospel presence. 

             G. Voice of Martyrs (VOM)- VOM cares for those who have been affected by persecution and terrorism in countries throughout the world. The ministry also has a number of books and products to purchase; as well as a magazine and radio show that is free to subscribe to. VOM does a great job sharing individual stories / accounts of missionaries and Christians who have suffered great adversity in the name of Jesus; and how they responded. They are also involved with empowering Christians on the front lines with resources and support to help them further outreach into areas that do not have the presence of the Gospel yet. Much of their work centers in Africa and Asia.

            H. No Place Left- No Place Left (NPL) is a decentralized but powerful movement network. Their vision is to see “No Place Left” where the Gospel has not been preached (meaning that everyone has heard the Gospel). No Place Left has an active Facebook group, and its website is available here: https://noplaceleft.net/. Their goal is for reproducible churches and training to take place throughout the world in order to raise up leaders for the Kingdom. NPL also has a strong presence in the United States, Latin America, India, and other areas of Asia. There are other groups such as 3DM and Training for Trainers (T4T) that does similar methods of engagement as well. 

            I. Open Doors- This persecution watchdog group regularly monitors countries around the world for religious persecution. Furthermore, the group publishes the annual “World Watch List” that ranks the top fifty nations where it is hardest to follow Jesus. However, the group is also engaged on the ground empowering local churches / missionaries who serve in very challenging areas such as Somalia, North Korea, and Syria. Open Doors has an app available for people to pray for the persecuted, and they invite people to virtual prayer events as well. The group has connections to a number of Bible / Gospel distribution operations in different countries.

            J. Movements.net- Steve Addison is a mission-minded church planter who seeks to catalyze Gospel movements throughout the world. Movements is a website that him and other workers have produced as a resource for helping launch and sustain Kingdom expanding movements. There is a frequently updated podcast and blog that highlights mission related news from across the world. Movements is affiliated with the Move mission agency (which is based in Australia) and the Novo group (which is based in the United States). A blog post from July 10, 2020 (#226) talks about the DiscoverApp- a tool to conduct discovery Bible studies in different languages.

            BONUS: Christian Aid Mission, Harvest Bridge- I could not forget to highlight these two groups. Christian Aid Mission is an organization that raises up native missionaries to further Kingdom work among those who do not know the Lord. They help equip the native / indigenous missionary force- often in nations that are “closed” to foreign missions.  Meanwhile, Harvest Bridge is a small but very personal ministry that does work in southern Asia in many Muslim and Buddhist countries. They have many stories, news, and on-the-ground reports that are regularly published to its Instagram account. Harvest Bridge works in sensitive areas including Tibet, Kashmir, and Pakistan.

              Please feel free to use these resources for your walk and calling as you continue to follow Jesus and expand His kingdom. Thank you again for your prayers as I prepare to depart for the field, and I look forward to keeping in touch!

              2 Corinthians 4: 6-15: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken’. Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”