Missions – New Again

The Ladies’ Advent Program at our church was a success and a joy. There were attendees from several local churches and even guests from another state who were in town visiting family. What a blessing it is to share in the sisterhood of believers in Jesus.
Not only that, because the men of the church worked the kitchen and served the food for the event, they also enjoyed sharing in the brotherhood of like-minded believers. It was a good day for everyone.
I was especially blessed to work alongside one of our missionaries who was selling items made in Kenya to support the children’s health care mission that she works with in Africa. Kianga Kids (https://kiangakids.com) is supplied with handcrafted items made by various Kenyan pastors’ wives, local women, and artisans to raise funds for the mission.
This missionary was trained as a nurse and her husband as a pastor. 
After he graduated from seminary, they began mission work in Africa while raising their children at the mission. What an interesting life it is serving a holy God. 
I’m not saying it was without hardship. Can you imagine leaving family and friends for extended periods of time and going to a place that does not have running water every day? 
With their limited funds, trips to the U.S. were taken infrequently and not without a lot of consideration as to what would happen in the ministry while they were gone.
We have missionaries even today throughout the world working in remote areas that have no clean water available. To those of us, like me, sitting at my desk who can walk over to my faucet and be guaranteed every time that out will come clean, pure water, it is more than difficult to imagine what it must be like to pump, carry, and then boil water just to enjoy a clean glass of water.  
This particular missionary and her husband still fly back and forth from the mission field, although they are now based in the U.S.  
The world has become a smaller place with the use of computers. They and the internet have done an amazing job of assisting in evangelism throughout all aspects of mission work. Particularly in Bible translation, the computer has shortened the time tremendously in translation once an identified language has been written down. 
One of our missionaries is able to work from her home here in the states because she can video link with the other translators in Africa. This has extended her years of working tremendously because the human wear and tear, to say nothing of the expense of flying back and forth around the world, is no longer necessary to complete her job.
As retirement looms for many of our missionaries, I was wondering if there are others who God has called from the next generation to go forth with His word. You will be happy to know that He has.
I read recently about a young man who developed an internet device for digital evangelism called Groundwire. As only God can do, this program reaches young people where they are – on their phone screens. 
Under the assumption that the youth look at their screens on average 100 times a day, Groundwire has what they term Digital Evangelists who are available to answer questions and pray with inquirers. 
Certain questions asked onscreen by the users will prompt them to view short videos that are available to answer those queries that come from wondering “what is our purpose in life.” 
Groundwire recently celebrated the 1 millionth person who it has brought to Christ through this digital evangelism tool. How amazing!
There is also a more urban digital evangelism started by friends in Chicago in 2006 who gathered together to learn God’s word. This project, named Streetlight, now brings the entire audio Bible to those around the world, backing it with urban music and supplementing it with commentary. 
This amazing group of young men are missionaries every bit as much as those who went before them. These new missionaries may not need to doctor festering wounds of the body, but they are giving balm to the festering wounds of young souls. 
These young men are determined to witness to and replace the digital and media ‘noise’ going into the ears of our youth with the words of Scripture as they focus on people ages 15 to 45.  
God is always surprising us with new things and new ways to reach out to the unsaved. He introduced us to the internet at His most perfect time and He is using it to spread His word. 
How very exciting that there are these new, next-generation missionaries who we can support in prayer and with funds. I pray that God will continue to use both of these ministries and others to further His kingdom, even as He opens new avenues to reach and save the lost. 
ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com