Missions Director Trusha Barner loves to stay connected and interact with our partner missionaries. Throughout this issue, we share snippets from conversations, e-mails, and other forms of communication that offer a broader perspective on our missionaries’ reality. Names and specific locations have been left out for security reasons. We thank God that He knows them intimately and we encourage your faithful prayers.
“It is our first time working in a country categorized by the U.S. government as a Level 4 “do not travel” country. Our fellow trainer has told us how far the country has come since he first visited more than ten years ago, when he needed an armed convoy led by a United Nations minesweeper vehicle. When they would leave the main road, they would buy cattle from locals and herd them in front of their vehicles to detonate any mines along the path. Today, this city has developed to look comparable in size to any other city across the world. In contrast to other places where we have worked, we were surprised to see very few armed security guards. The two times traffic police pulled over our vehicle, they reviewed our paperwork and let us continue on without trying to shake down our driver for bribes. While we have not let down our guard, we have had no trouble. We are grateful that because of God’s providence and the prayers of our mission partners, we have been able to travel without any problems.”
“On one of my final fieldwork trips, I had traveled north with translators and a group from the village to work on an orthography workshop when I learned that my return flight was canceled. This meant I had the adventure of a three-day overland journey to be able to return to my residence—four hours on motorbikes, nine hours on a minibus, and 17 hours on an overnight train. Quite an experience! But it allowed me to see much of the country before returning to the U.S. While it was a long trip out of the village, I praised God for safety and While Thailand is very different from our life in Florida, we have been able to get into a blessings.”
“A few weeks ago, our family went to the beach for some time off. It was so fun and restful, and they even fixed the road to the beach town, so what used to take between three and a half to four hours now is an easy two-hour drive. Upon returning home, we received word from a neighbor that one of our gates was open. It was strange because this gate only opens when a vehicle drives into our compound. Also odd was finding one of our water tanks completely dry. As we put the pieces together, we learned that one of our neighbors took the key from our house helper, contracted a water truck, siphoned out the water, and sold the water in our tank. Unfortunately, this incident is quite common during the dry season. The 20 dollars it took to re-fill our tank wasn’t a big deal, but it was a reality check and a reminder of the heart condition of the community God has called us to show His unconditional love to. Without His love in us, people will steal and only care for themselves. Pray that people will see His light through our continued love and generosity to their families. Pray that He would use their brokenness to show them their need for His saving grace.”
“In 2022, South Korea relaxed its stringent travel restrictions as the world recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. It allowed our U.S. team to make several trips, including an extended stay with our missionaries. Additional staff on the ground allowed us to assess how to host community classes and retreats for North Korean refugees. We were overwhelmed by how grateful participants were, not only for being able to attend classes but for spending quality time with other refugees, which encouraged them immensely. People shared their life stories, and we witnessed their depth of pain and lingering trauma. We also hosted two overnight retreats that gave us more time together, and there, we shared, listened, cried, and prayed. It was incredible to see community form
and healing begin.”
“Thank you for sticking with us while we are still in limbo! That’s the hardest part about being denied visas. We will continue to leave our boxes packed in a corner, unable to set up our “home,” and wait a little longer to join our team and the place we feel God has called us to. “Are you still going to try for visas?” “Do you think it’s time to give up?” “What if you never get visas?” I’m sure these are questions you may be thinking, as they’ve also crossed our minds. Yes, we are applying for visas again. Our team leaders are trying with a different contact, and we’re praying that works! We still feel like we are following the Lord’s call and will continue along this path unless He says otherwise. We haven’t entertained the thought “if we never get visas” because we still trust God. He is faithful, sure, and trustworthy! We will keep on praying, pushing, and knocking on doors.”
“I sat with a new friend at a coffee shop on Sunday after church. He came to our church a month before, saw our sign, wondered what we were about, and wandered in. That was his first time at a Christian service, coming from a Sikh background. Over coffee, the questions kept coming. “What should I read
first in the Bible?” “How do I pray?” “Where can I pray?” “When should I pray?” “Why is Jesus so important?” He said several times, “Whatever you all have, that sense of joy and peace, I want.” Our time together was precious, as he was hungry to learn all he could about Jesus. He is among a handful of others who have recently been coming to church. These include six asylum seekers from Ukraine, two Iranians, two students from India, and my new Punjabi friend. Truly the nations of the world have come to us! It makes Psalm 96 so meaningful. We have the immense privilege to declare the glory of God and tell of His marvelous works, not only to our people but to ALL the people who gather with us!”
