And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20
What's new this week
Are you in South Africa? We don't want you to miss the huge missions expo happing on 24 August in Pretoria. Then it will happen AGAIN in Capetown on 13 and 14 September. Watch this video to see why you should attend, and click through to their website to see all that is going on.
new for you
“Hippo in a bucket” - a missionary moment
We were in a small village in Mozambique for a few months to run some discipleship training. One morning we woke up and the guys went off to the river where they bought a hunk of hippo meat from a guy there for us to have for lunch. At that time, the place where we were staying had been hit by the war and so there were many small round abandoned houses where the sugar plantation workers used to stay. There was a little round toilet building, and before we left to go for evangelism I saw the lady of the house cleaning up in the toilet, with a small bucket.
“This friend's faithfulness” - a missionary moment
I have a faithful friend. We’ve known each other for a long time now. We went to the same secondary school (I was one year ahead) and were in the same house/hall. Later we went to the same university. When I went to the mission field the first time, he found out I was serving because I used to post the things we were doing, like raising funds for a motorbike. He was still in school. When he completed school in 2020 and went out on national service, he started supporting me with 10 per cent of his national service money as a tithe.
"She died with the greatest joy" - a missionary moment
From Zondervan - Top 100 Bible questions answered
For a limited time, Zondervan is offering a digital extract from the NIV Quest Study Bible, which addresses the top 100 common, uncommon, and perplexing questions people ask about the Bible. We think it's a great resource for our readers, so we wanted to tell you about it!
“It is you who is the loser” - a missionary moment
I was talking to an elder of the village about how the teachers are disappointed that the kids are not going to school. I mentioned that the teachers are sacrificing a lot to come teach the village kids, and they’ve traveled far and given up their lives in the city. It was a shame that the community was not taking advantage of the opportunity for an education...
"The women remained confined within their husband's houses" - a missionary moment
As a team of six, we set out to the mission field for our field experience as trainee missionaries after our training. On arrival, we were warmly received by the team of missionaries already working there and we joined them in their field conference. After the conference ended, we split into two teams. My team was sent to a village called ‘Awala;’ we were to stay here for 6 weeks.
My experience in the village was exciting, but I was shocked that the women did not come out to the public but remained confined within their husband’s houses. This means they couldn’t come to you but you could visit them.
“It wasn't a small faith training for me” - a missionary moment
I was posted in a mission school among an unreached tribe for my second missionary journey, for 2 years. For lack of staff, I had so much in my job description. I was the class teacher for the basic class (primary 1) and a two subjects teacher. My pupils were local children who came from very interior places; some had never seen vehicles before. The main mode of transportation for distant journeys was camels, which every well-off family had.
"God save us!" - a missionary moment
We took a visiting team to do ministry on an island off the coast of Mozambique where some members of our mission were doing church planting. It took four hours to get to the island in a dhow boat. The first stretch was rough as it was where the river met the ocean, but the rest of the ride was alright. On the way back, however, we didn’t have such a smooth ride. Usually the boats carry about 15 people and it was meant to be just our team with our luggage, but the boat guys decided to take on other people as well.
Our latest issue: Funding missions!
God is indeed raising an army of missionaries from Africa. Many are stepping out in faith with little consistent support while others have been abandoned in the field with inadequate resources. Missions funding remains a major challenge in Africa, even though the African Church is endowed with resources for the task. This issue highlights different ways of funding missions, and shares inspiring stories of faithful and cheerful missions giving.