“With the heavy silence of the dead pressing in on me, a thought, unwanted but inescapable, began to slowly make itself heard in my mind until I had formed it into one heart-wrenching, prayerful question: God, how many of these people died without ever hearing the name of Jesus? How many more will die and be buried here with the same fate?”

So was this trip unsuccessful? Was it a waste of time and money? Should this place be checked off the list as unresponsive to the gospel? Absolutely not. I have not lost hope. I hold fast to the promises of my Father. Despite all odds, I am confident He will do what he said he is going to do. I am fully convinced.

A Prayer for Peace

It’s easy to fall into discontentedness and bitterness when God is making us wait, especially when the scale of waiting is worldwide. But in Psalms 27:14 the Bible exhorts us to “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” As believers, we are called to trust in the Lord and what he is doing while we wait. We want to encourage you as you wait, whether you’re waiting to go overseas, for school to return to normal, to see at-risk family members, or simply waiting for something to feel at least a little normal again. Here are joyful and life-giving things people have found while waiting this year.

Have you ever had the desire to be part of a group of people who come together to lift for a certain cause? To be less afraid of praying out loud with a group of people? If this is you and you don’t know where to find a group like this, maybe it’s because you’re meant to start one!

Last week we shared part one of our review of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. This book is a practical resource for people who are feeling burnt out and spiritually deficient and wish to slow down and take up the easy yoke of Jesus. Here are two more of our favorite points.

We recently read “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. This book encourages Christ followers to slow down and “live the quiet life” and gives real life examples of how hurrying can negatively affect our emotional, physical, and spiritual lives.

We talked to a participant of our Virtual Missions Experience and asked him some questions about missions and what he hopes to learn from VME.

What better time as a believer to be the reflection of His faithfulness, love, peace, kindness, and grace to every person He’s put in our lives? While I may not know or understand why I’m stateside instead of overseas, I am choosing by faith to continue to grow my roots deep so that no matter what I face, I will be fully anchored to my Savior and filled with His hope for the future.

A recent class about calling has turned my thinking about missions and discerning God’s will for me upside down. The principle of the class is that "calling is content, not context" meaning that we are all called to do the same thing...just not in the same place.

One of our mobilizers had the opportunity to sit down with The Center for Missionary Mobilization and Retention and give some insight on their podcast into the day to day life of a mobilizer and how what many of us may perceive as mundane is an important piece of the mobilization process.

The world pandemic has reached our overseas workers’ doorsteps as well. We are curious to know: What has their ministry looked like? What has changed? And where is the Lord leading them next? Fortunately, we were able to catch up with L* (name not disclosed for security) in Europe! She helped us understand how daily life has changed, but also shares some encouraging ways God continues to move in this season.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Everyone meet Ellie! She is wise, a learner, and passionate about all of God’s people. She gives a great depiction of what the program means to her, and creates a space for anyone to relate to her story. She inspires and encourages, and we can’t wait for you to read about her experience!

Everyone meet Ellie! She is wise, a learner, and passionate about all of God’s people. She gives a great depiction of what the program means to her, and creates a space for anyone to relate to her story. She inspires and encourages, and we can’t wait for you to read about her experience!

I remember the first time I saw someone pray to something other than God. My team and I were on our way back to where we lived from a look around the city, and along the way we were passing through a busy section of town decorated on all sides by brightly colored storefronts and restaurants.

The biggest thing God has been showing me over and over is that He is at work. Always. Long before we got here, and long after we leave.

Have you ever sat down to pray for your church or the Big C church and then realized you didn’t know how or what to pray for? We reached out to some pastors in our network to hear from them exactly how you can be praying!

There is something about the stripping away of expectations that draws us face to face with reality Himself. Through this process, I have been introduced to parts of myself I dislike most. I am guilty of fixing my eyes on God on the basis of where I am going and what I get to do rather than on partaking in life with Him. Through this conviction, the Lord has extended grace and forgiveness by continuing to walk me through my selfishness.

Have you ever wanted to sit down with a Cafe 1040 grad over coffee and hear about their experiences? Each of them has been impacted in a significant way by our overseas mentorship program and has many stories to tell.