North Africa: A Dying Woman Finds Healing and Hope

Source: Christian Aid Mission, August 31, 2022

The parents of a young woman on the verge of death asked a ministry leader in North Africa to minister to her, and only after he arrived did he realize that at one time she had often attended his church.

The leader and some team members had arrived to say farewell, pray for her and, at the parents’ request, baptize her, he said.

“When we entered the house, we found a sick girl who was extremely thin, looked very desperate, and was just waiting for death,” the leader said. “She was aware that she had a few days left before she would die and had no hope for healing. Although we didn’t know anything about the medical reports of her illness and what it was, I had a feeling that this could be an evil spirit.”

They also didn’t know anything about her faith. Requesting anointing oil, the leader asked for some private time with the young woman, “Anila.” As he spoke to her about salvation in Christ, he said, he realized that for a season she had frequently attended his church, but then stopped.

“When I asked her if she was a believer, she said that she was not sure about it,” he said. “So I asked her to pray with me to give her life to Jesus, and that baptism should come after being a believer. Then we prayed, and she gave her life to God.”

The team encouraged her with some Bible verses, including a passage from James’ epistle about how the Lord can heal illness, and they prayed and sang worship songs. He anointed her with oil and prayed for healing.

After 15 minutes, he said, her fever shot up and she began shaking.

“I felt that something was happening, so I asked the team to turn our prayers from asking for healing to giving thanks to the Lord, because healing was happening,” the leader said. “I asked her to sit up in her bed, but the surprise was that she stood up by herself.”

Anila had been unable to move for six months, but suddenly she was able to stand and move with ease, he said.

“God healed Anila, and after a few days she was able to go outside her house. She came to church and was completely different; she looked healthy and healed. Now she is in the baptism class. Praise the Lord.”

The full story reports that Anila’s testimony encouraged and reminded church members of the importance of reaching out to the community.

See also the latest edition of Mission Frontiers, which is focused on “healers and preachers.”

Bonus: More Events for the September Calendar

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

After we sent our last edition of Missions Catalyst—featuring mission events planned for September—we discovered a few more virtual or hybrid events that might interest you. Take a look!

September 8, Caring for Missionaries During the Holidays (online). A free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen with Shepherd’s Staff.

September 16-17, Missions Expo (Capetown, South Africa and online). A free, community-based missions conference; held annually.

September 22, The Importance of Crisis Planning/Training (online). Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen with Crisis Consulting International.

September 19-22, Mission Information Workers Virtual Conference (online). Eight hours over four days for mission researchers and data specialists, from the Global Community of Mission Information Workers.

View the whole calendar.

Prayer, Frontier Filmmaking, & Mobilizing a New Generation

In this edition of Missions Catalyst Resource Reviews: Ways you can pray for the persecuted, a course in ministry filmmaking, and the new book on mobilizing Gen Z for missions (Image: Voice of the Martyrs).
  1. Resource: Global Guide to Praying for the Persecuted in 60 Nations
  2. New Class: Frontier Filmmaking Seminar Online
  3. Book: Mobilizing Gen Z, Challenges and Opportunities for the Global Age of Missions
  4. Event: Virtual Tickets Now Available for Missio Nexus Conference
  5. September Events: Helpful Training, Inspiring Conferences & More

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for individual items.

Resource: Global Guide to Praying for the Persecuted in 60 Nations

Source: Voice of the Martyrs

VOM’s Global Prayer Guide was created to help you pray more specifically for our brothers and sisters in Christ who risk rejection, imprisonment, and even death as they obediently serve the Lord on dangerous and difficult mission fronts.

The guide includes information on each of the 60 restricted nations and hostile areas where VOM serves our persecuted Christian family members.

Access all the contents from an interactive website. You can also join the VOM mailing list for a free printed copy.

New Class: Frontier Filmmaking Seminar Online

Source: Create International

“For years, I wanted to attend a film school to learn the art of visual storytelling. I kept pushing that dream aside because it seemed too expensive,” says Jeremy. He heard that Create International (a ministry of YWAM) offered training, but the program he had his eye on would require him to travel overseas, leaving his wife and kids for six weeks.

Then Create International announced a new Frontier Filmmaking Seminar Online (FFSO). “This was a game-changer. I registered immediately. I now recommend it to almost everyone I meet who wants to share the gospel with unreached people groups.”

As part of the class, Jeremy connected with Grace, a young woman in Africa who was already learning to make movies. “We collaborated to produce a short film for an unreached group. She found the actors, costumes, props, and a good location to shoot a short script I wrote. She shot the film using only a smartphone! The story was a modern African version of Jesus’ story about a foolish rich man planning to build more wealth for himself and grow idle—not realizing his life was about to end.”

Read I Made a Movie in a Language I Don’t Speak. It includes a link to watch the film Jeremy and Grace made.

The next eight-week Frontier Filmmaking Seminar Online starts September 28 and costs US$250, with some scholarships available. The first two lessons are also available for free (registration required).

Book: Mobilizing Gen Z, Challenges and Opportunities for the Global Age of Missions

Source: William Carey Publishing

Mobilizing Gen Z: Challenges and Opportunities for the Global Age of Missions, by Jolene Erlacher and Katy White. William Carey Publishing, 2022. 194 pages.

Have you seen shifts in the mindset, experiences, and readiness for mission of today’s young adults, particularly those in the US? This book will help you understand the characteristics of Gen Z (born 1996-2010), how these affect their approach to missions specifically, and how we can best connect with, serve, and care for them along the way. I found the book readable, motivating, and research-informed and was impressed by how practical it is without being prescriptive.

For example, the authors provide thoughtful suggestions for including more biblical principles in our mission presentations, ways parents and other adults can disciple young adults through the challenges in today’s culture, and strategies for mobilizers and team leaders to cultivate coaching relationships with young believers. The book also addresses the changing face of missions, globally, and the challenges and opportunities this presents for Gen Z (and the rest of us, too).

Learn more or purchase from William Carey Publishing for US$9.99 (epub) or $14.99 (paperback).

Just want the highlights? Listen to an interview with one of the authors (Missionary Mobilization Podcast).

Event: Virtual Tickets Now Available for Missio Nexus Conference

Source: Missio Nexus

This year’s Mission Leaders Conference and National Church Mission Leaders Conference, on the theme “counting the cost,” is just a month away (September 28-30). It will include four plenary sessions, 12 workshop tracks, and 58 breakout sessions. More than 1,000 mission leaders are expected to attend.

I (Marti) can’t make it every year but will be there for this one. What about you? I’d love to meet or reconnect.

Can’t make it in person? Virtual tickets are now available and start at US$99 for Missio Nexus members. You’ll have access to all of the live sessions and workshops available daily as well as on-demand access to recordings after the event is over.

Learn more or register.

September Events: Helpful Training, Inspiring Conferences & More

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

September 1, Missional Marketing: Building Messages That Matter (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

September 4-16, Second Language Acquisition (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided regularly by the Center for Intercultural Training.

September 5 to October 24, The Mobilized Church (online). Virtual workshop from Sixteen:Fifteen; also offered as an in-person event in various places.

September 5 to December 4, Encountering the World of Islam (online). New online classes start several times a year. Also available in other formats/languages.

September 8, Exploring Issues of Sexuality on the Mission Field (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

September 8-10, Help! We’re Going on a Short-Term Trip (Atlanta, GA, USA). Seminar for short-term team leaders from CultureLink.

September 8-15, Women’s Development Week (Charlotte, NC, USA). Ministry skills and growth training for women in ministry, provided by the Women’s Development Track of Missio Nexus.

September 8 to October 6, Foundations of Media to Movements (online). Tools and training from Mission Media U to develop outreach strategies using new media.

September 12-13, People Raising Conference (online). Be equipped for raising personal support. Offered regularly by People Raising.

September 12-13, Support Raising Bootcamp (Charlotte, NC, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions in various cities and online.

September 13, Shaping the American Church of Tomorrow by Learning from the Global Church of Today (Wheaton, IL, USA). Panel discussion with David Garrison, from Global Gates, Motus Dei, and others.

September 13-19, Traction Conference (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Conference to serve men who are global workers serving cross-culturally. An annual event from Catalyst International.

September 15, Don’t Waste Your Conference! How to Make the Most of a Networking Event (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

September 19-20, Support Raising Bootcamp (Nairobi, Kenya). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

September 20, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held the third Tuesday of each month.

September 20-21, The Mobilized Church (Murietta, CA, USA). Provided by Sixteen:Fifteen.

September 22-25, New Wineskins Global Missionary Conference (Ridgecrest, NC, USA and online). An Anglican event held every three years.

September 27-28, Standards Introductory Workshop (Orlando, FL, USA). Learn about the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

September 28-30, Mission Leaders Conference (Orlando, FL, USA). An annual event from Missio Nexus.

September 28 to November 30, Frontier Filmmaking Seminar (online). Join Create International for an eight-week training in how to write, produce, direct, film, and edit gospel films for unreached people groups in their language and cultural context.

View the complete calendar, updated regularly. We welcome submissions.

A Digital Church, All about Obon, and More

  1. Iraq: Christians Build a Thriving Digital Church
  2. Middle East: The Gospel Overcomes Barriers and Reaches Brothers    
  3. Japan: All about Obon, the Hungry Ghost Festival
  4. Bangladesh: Church in Buddhist Village Burned, Christians Shunned
  5. Belarus: Fined for River Baptisms, Fined for Pool Baptisms

View or share the email edition.

What do you know about Obon? Or Ashura? Spend a few minutes in someone else’s world through this edition of Missions Catalyst (item #3).

Iraq: Christians Build a Thriving Digital Church

Source: Mission Network News, August 15, 2022

Over the last few years, Christians in Iraq have built a thriving digital church. Samuel with Redemptive Stories says there are two main reasons.

Firstly, women who come to faith often face persecution, finding it hard to travel alone. Samuel says, “Maybe God has appeared to them in a vision or a dream, or even social media. But still, they might live in their family home. But having access to smartphones has opened up an avenue for them to hear about the gospel and the hope and the joy offered in Jesus Christ.”

Secondly, Samuel says, many people have come to faith in places without physical churches. This especially applies to places in the rural south and west, far away from the big cities.

And many people are coming to faith in the risen Jesus. Samuel says, “I think the biggest shock has been the sheer numbers. If you look at the numbers from different organizations, in terms of those that have responded to the gospel, some are counting numbers in the millions.”

Praise God for the connections being built between Christians in Iraq.

As people move back into areas destroyed by the Islamic State, some have begun rebuilding churches. Samuel says, “That is the ideal. And we look at digital churches in many cases as the bridge to the ideal.”

In the meantime, pray for boldness and encouragement from the Holy Spirit to rest upon Christian in Iraq.

Read the full story. By the way, we did a quick search for more info about Redemptive Stories but only found the stories they have published in partnership with Mission Network News for the last five years or so.

Did you know? Some ministries plant digital churches on purpose, not as a plan B. These churches may operate on Facebook, YouTube, and/or Zoom, through digital gaming communities, or on other platforms. Get a taste through TheChurch.Digital and DigitalChurch.Network.