Hope and grace abound in this edition. Thank you for reporting on the MCC litigation resolution, indicating that their policies exceed legal standards, that people in charge remain people who need grace as well, and that they are aiming to improve.

♪Extrinsic value matters because we want our life and work to mean something. We want influence and respect, and to have the capacity to do things we consider important. But this kind of value often conflicts with our intrinsic value—the worth we have just because we are human, made in God’s image.

Winnipeg, Man.—A new weekly radio program and podcast produced by the Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA) in Winnipeg is bringing history to life through storytelling. A team of four people creates each 15-minute episode using information gleaned from archival diaries, documents, and photographs, and interviews.

In this short but deeply moving book, Jennifer Siran takes the reader through the multi-faceted aspects of having a child born with congenital heart defects. Siran is encouraging and practical as she visits many topics that are affected by this unplanned medical journey.

Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church, was held March 14-15 at Steinbach Bible College (SBC) and featured Rick Langer, professor at Biola University. Langer began by asking, “Is winsome conviction worth pursuing and why is it so crucial? Why was it important for 120 church leaders from the EMC, MB, EMMC, MB and other conferences to attend this conference?”

Cameron McKenzie opened the meeting with the thought that anything we repeat over and over again—like the Easter message—risks losing impact. But, he said, resurrection isn’t a single event—it is the heartbeat of the gospel, and whatever we find ourselves doing, we’re cultivators of resurrection communities.

“Maybe we can get 10–12 people!” Those were the thoughts of Jonathan Neufeld and Pete Hiebert when they first began planning a mission trip for the young adults group at Picture Butte Mennonite Church (PBMC). An opportunity to volunteer at El Buen Samaritano (a seniors home) in Vicente Geurrero Baja California, Mexico, was presented to Jonathan in early 2024.

Some 200 ladies gathered in our new fellowship hall for food, singing and worship. The speakers shared how God had led them in and through difficult seasons of life. 

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.

For Dave and me it was our second time to Nicaragua. It was great to see the camp we worked at in 2010 when Lester and Darlene Olfert were there—the same custodian was still taking care of the camp.