Read or share the email edition or scroll down for more.
Source: Joshua Project, Telos Fellowship, and Go31.org
So we’ve made it to Advent. You may be using these weeks to imagine yourself back in the days of Mary and Joseph, Anna and Simeon, and the angels and shepherds longing for God to show himself in the world once again.
Why not take some time after Christmas to intercede for those who have yet to hear the good news of what Christ has done for them?
Several organizations and networks came together to produce a prayer guide for the 31 largest “frontier” people groups, those among which the gospel has seen the least progress. The third edition came out earlier this year.
Visit Go31.org for the electronic version (no cost), request a review copy, or order bulk copies of the 57-page booklet at 10 copies for US$20 or 100 for US$100. You might also want to download the Bless Frontier Peoples Prayer App. It shows you the frontier people group of the day. Today (November 30) it features Day 30 (Moroccan Arabs).
Check out the Frontier People Groups poster and a roundup of related resources from Joshua Project.
Here’s another prayer guide to consider. Let All the Peoples Praise You: 30 Days of Praying for Urgent Needs Among the Nations uses data from Stratus.earth (which ranks how needy nations are on several scales) alongside reflections from Scripture adapted from David Platt’s podcast Pray the Word. High-quality paper copies are US$2.99 from Radical but the digital edition can be downloaded for free.
Source: Go.Serve.Love
It was December 24th, but I was the only person out shopping that night thinking about stocking stuffers. I ran down to purchase a few last-minute items, missing my extended family and the unintended tradition of wrapping gifts in a crazy flurry on Christmas Eve.
It wasn’t Christmas Eve for most of the people in Egypt. I was one more person out shopping on a normal night. I was homesick and worried I wouldn’t be able to make the holiday special for my family.
Read the article. See also Loneliness Overseas: 12+ Ways to Deal.
Other practical articles you might find helpful include A Pocket Guide for Talking to Missionaries: Dozens of Missionaries Open Up About Questions They Love and Questions They Don’t (A Life Overseas) and one from a few years back about why missionaries need friends and how to be one (Catalyst Services).
Source: Velvet Ashes
Yet We Still Hope: Stories of Courage from Women Serving Around the World, edited by Denise Beck and Sarah Hilkermann. Velvet Ashes Publishing, 2022. 374 pages.
Velvet Ashes is an online community of women serving cross-culturally. In this book, 45 of them, serving in many different countries, share both their everyday challenges and their darkest moments and how God has met them in both—resetting their expectations, sending them help, and giving them hope.
Delving into issues like depression and anxiety, failure and rejection, serious illness and betrayal, it’s not an easy read. Nor is it a how-to book. These deeply personal stories may, however, serve as they are intended: to let others experiencing such challenges (even in their home countries) know they are not alone and help them persevere. As one of the editors says, “The famous stories may have inspired you to go. But these are the stories that may inspire you to stay.”
Learn more or purchase the book for yourself or someone you know. The Kindle edition is currently US$8.49.
Source: Maverick Podcast
After hearing rumors of Muslims coming to Christ in great numbers, researcher and missiologist David Garrison travels the world to investigate. Is God drawing Muslims to himself like never before in history? And if so, what is he using to do it?
You may recognize some of the content of this podcast from Garrison’s 2014 book A Wind in the House of Islam. Garrison is currently the Executive Director of Global Gates, which sponsored this season of the podcast. Five episodes so far, each focused on a different region and blending history and context with testimonies. Drop in at any point.
Listen to Maverick, Season 2. I learned a lot in the episode about Persia.
Other active missions podcasts you might enjoy:
Some of these and others are included in the Missions Podcast Directory from Missio Nexus.
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
December 1, How to Share Your Organization’s Message Through Self-Publishing Books (online). A webinar from Missio Nexus.
December 5-7, Support Raising Bootcamp (online). Provided by Support Raising Solutions. In-person training is also offered in various places throughout the year.
December 6-8, Standards Introductory Workshop (online). A 10-hour seminar designed to help short-term mission leaders and mobilizers make their mission trips better. Provided by MissionExcellence, a ministry of MissionWorks.
December 8, Which Is Greater—the Commandment or the Commission? (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
December 11, Call to Prayer Virtual Prayer Gathering (online). Engage the Muslim world through prayer on the second Sunday of each month.
December 12, Perspectives St. Louis Area Ministry Fair (St. Louis, MO, USA). Looking for practical hands-on ways to connect with God’s global mission in the St. Louis area and abroad. Visit 25+ local ministries and mission organizations to find your place to serve.
December 13, Using Specific Skills for God’s Great Commission (online). Webinar from MissionExcellence.
December 20, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI for the third Tuesday of each month.
December 28-31, Urbana Student Mission Conference (Indianapolis, IN, USA). Triennial mission conference for college students provided by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
View the complete calendar, updated regularly. We welcome your submissions.
Can you help me fill in the 2023 calendar? Thanks!
Stories in this edition deal with pressures and new opportunities that come with migration—shaping life for everyone from refugees in Texas and migrant workers in the Middle East to a U.S. church that travels to New York to meet Central Asians.
Read or share the email edition or scroll down for more.
Source: Christian Newswire, November 1, 2022
The most translated film of all time is now available in its 2,000th translation: Zo, a language spoken by approximately 65,000 people globally, including refugee and immigrant communities in 28 US cities.
Myanmar, where Zo is mainly spoken, is a primarily Buddhist country, and people report experiencing discrimination for their religious beliefs. Access to economic opportunities can be drastically limited. As a result, many of the Zo people are now scattered around the world.
Though a Zo translation of the Bible was completed in 2019, it hasn’t been printed in Myanmar yet, and many of the Zo are unable to read. This translation of JESUS provides a way for Zo speakers to have access to the story of Jesus in their language in a format they can understand.
First released in 1979, JESUS gives an authentic portrayal of one of the most influential figures in human history. Since then, Jesus Film Project has partnered with thousands of translators, recording teams, voice actors, and partners to make JESUS and other Jesus-centric videos available to everyone and everywhere in every language. JESUS has been seen by more than 10 million people around the world and remains the only film to be dubbed into more than 2,000 languages.
Read the full story or watch the 3.5-minute video Jesus Speaks Zo, also below. Encouraging!
On the Jesus Film Project website, you can watch or download Jesus-centric videos in many languages, all for free.
See also a story about a mobile app helping ordinary believers spark disciple-making efforts in many languages and a story about planting gospel seeds through business cards (Mobile Ministry Forum).
Source: INcontext Ministries, November 2022
One and a half million fans from all over the world are expected to visit Qatar to watch the World Cup finals, which start November 20. It is the first Arab nation to host the tournament. Qatar has built seven stadiums specifically for the finals, as well as more than 100 new hotels, a new metro, and new roads.
[According to an article in The Guardian], “Evangelical Christianity is quietly flourishing among migrant groups in the Gulf as churches provide low-paid workers facing horrific abuse with aid in times of crisis, according to pastors and parishioners across the region.”
“In Qatar, home to 2.1 million migrant workers who make up about 75% of the population, Google Maps lists scores of Pentecostal churches. Yet, as with other Gulf nations, many churches choose to remain as underground ‘house’ churches for fear that conditions may change.”
One can safely assume that many of these believers have been faithfully interceding for this upcoming World Cup and the many opportunities it could present, both for them and those visiting Qatar. However, it is also important to remember these brothers and sisters in Christ—who face possible repercussions should their activities become known to Qatari authorities—remain in Qatar after the World Cup is over.
Read the full story with prayer points.
By the way, the world population has now reached 8 billion. An AP article includes analysis, stories, and striking photos illustrating the effects of population growth. See also 8 Billion Reflecting the Imago Dei (J.D. Payne).
Source: Beyond, November 2, 2022
Bahar and his paternal uncle, Navi, traveled to a faraway province in their South Asian country in search of work.
Not long after arriving, they had a dispute with some local people. Because Bahar and Navi were poor migrant workers who spoke a different language, they were handed over to corrupt officials. They were immediately thrown into slavery and forced to work long hours.
They were beaten daily and told they would be killed and chopped up into pieces if they didn’t obey.
For 45 days, Bahar and Navi prayed to their Hindu gods, pleading to be released from their slavery. But nothing happened.
Then Bahar said, “I have heard of someone named Jesus, and that if people pray in his name, he answers them.” So they started praying to Jesus, asking him to make a way for their escape. Jesus immediately spoke to them and told them he would rescue them. He told them which day to leave, how to escape, and where to go. Encouraged, they began to pray more earnestly. Six days later, on the exact day Jesus had said, they were able to escape and begin the journey home! Bahar and Navi knew Jesus had saved them.
Read the full story and its sequel about this family freed Once from Prison, Once from Hunger, Once from Sin.
See also 7 Facts about Hindus around the World. Some may surprise you (Pew Research Center).