I have had the privilege of living out what I once only dreamed of as a young man. I remember asking God to make it possible for me to work as a singer-songwriter in a way that would allow me to provide for a family in a stable and healthy way. For more than thirty years now, that prayer has been answered, and I am deeply thankful.

The team serving in Poplar Hill landed just as the electricity went out in the whole community. The team adapted along with the community until the lights came back on, Albert Martens writes, and despite the surprise at the start he says they had one of the best “camps” ever.

The long delays and endless hurdles of shipping desperately needed planes overseas is the focus of Ellen Koop’s feature. She shares about having faith when the answer to their prayers takes years.

“A teenage boy walks along his colony road carrying his Bible. One evening he runs into a group of his friends who have alcohol and are planning to party.” Nancy Friesen tells this story as she shows how God is working in Bolivia.

On June 6 and 7, the Board of Missions had the privilege of hearing Jayda Brandt, Jenny Klassen and Mark and Gillian Wiewel share about their calling into missions. All four were formally accepted as EMC associate missionaries.

A year ago in April, fear was lurking in Achokia. As OGC’s Civil War raged into its fourth year, disturbing news was filtering up to the remote mountaintops of Achokia.

Breaking a cycle of revenge through training and example, these church planting teams are multiplying in East Africa.

A five-person work team from Canada together with national workers experienced with brick construction worked on a church ministry building despite the language barrier.

I grew up with Bible camp songs, VBS crafts, and youth group nights filled with laughter, learning, and late-night snacks but in Peru, children’s ministry is still emerging.

Our Beyond Borders colleague, who pastored among fellow civil war refugees in Uganda, reflected on the dehumanizing treatment many displaced persons experience, often being labeled as threats, burdens or cultural invaders. “The movement of refugees,” he said “should be seen not just as a crisis, but as part of God's divine plan.

What does it look like to sacrifice for the glory of Jesus? For some of the new friends that our MissionX3 team met in Spain, it meant they walked away from Islam and decided to follow Jesus. It meant more than just leaving a religion.

Returning home after spending time in my host country often brings unexpected challenges. One of the most surprising struggles is the question of identity—how I see myself, how others see me, and how I introduce myself in different contexts. When I’m overseas, I expect to navigate cultural differences. But at home, I don’t expect to feel foreign—yet I do.