Focus

Abby and Owen* had a very full and blessed season celebrating the birth of Jesus! It was a lovely time of sharing His love with their friends and neighbors. They had the opportunity to host a party for their neighbors on the weekend after Christmas. They weren't quite sure how to do it but they ended up inviting guests at 3 different time slots. 

David and Grace Shenk describe the past 18 years of serving as EMM global consultants as a remarkable journey. What has been especially surprising to them has been the interest of Muslim communities in hearing about the peace of Jesus. All of these open doors have surprised them again and again.

It hasn’t been an easy last several months for anyone. It has been especially challenging for EMM worker Imogene. There have continued to be more disappointments and frustrations with COVID-19. Imogene had gone back and forth, between online and in-person language classes, had many events be cancelled, and had been in and out of quarantining.

Christians may ask, “Why should I care about Christian-Muslim relations?” You may think that you live in an area where there simply are no Muslims. If you live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as many of you do, you may be surprised to find out that Lancaster City resettles 20 times more refugees per capita than the rest of the United States, many of whom are Muslim.

Christ’s incarnation — that is what John is referring to when he says that the Word became flesh — that incarnation sets an example of what “mission” means. God chose not to remain distant and detached from humanity. Instead, He chose to make His home among us!

Once again, EMM is experiencing a change as we are in the process of moving to Lancaster City — yet while EMM has been transformed over the years and is still being transformed, the mission remains the same.

At the heart of a movement of the Spirit in the Middle East is the new reality of two peoples learning to become brothers and sisters in the Lord. In the midst of a global pandemic, Michael and Laura* have sought to creatively connect these people through the wonders of modern technology.

On November 3, a category four hurricane named Eta reached the shores of Nicaragua. Continuing on its path, the storm wreaked havoc on Honduras and Guatemala. With the torrential downpours of the hurricane’s rain, the region has seen devastating flooding, landslides, and the displacement of people.

When Amaris and Stuart Allan first decided to serve with EMM, they didn’t expect to spend time in two very different contexts in the course of their three-year term. Partway into their second year in Zanzibar, they were asked to consider a transition to Nairobi, Kenya. Almost 10 months later, the Allans unexpectedly returned from Nairobi to the U.S. a few months early due to the coronavirus pandem...

As Christians, transformation is what we all seek. EMM’s mission statement clearly states that transformation, which comes from Christ, is the foundation upon which all of our work is built. It sounds so simple: “Christ’s transforming love.” But change is not easy. So what leads to transformation? What can we do to be transformed in our hearts and minds?

Elizabeth* recently celebrated a joyous breakthrough: She can pray in her new language! Elizabeth has only been wanting and trying to do this for about five years, back from when she first spent a year in Central Asia and studied the local language at a university. By the end of that year, she found that she could talk to people in the language, albeit clumsily, but not to God.

Over the past 20 plus years, EMM has occasionally considered the idea that EMM should move its Central Administrative Office to Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. EMM’s previous efforts at exploring this possibility resulted in no action taken, and EMM continued its operations in Salunga.

We are excited to announce that the EMM Board of Directors has appointed Dr. Marvin Lorenzana as our ninth president. Dr. Lorenzana brings extensive multicultural leadership, discipleship, and mission experience to his new role as EMM president.

Jeremy and Jennifer* realize that the greater the suffering, the greater the potential for hope. And most importantly, they realize that looking beyond themselves to others is a choice they can always make.

As COVID-19 became a worldwide pandemic, Costa Rica was no exception. EMM worker Austin Zuercher was given the opportunity to return to his home in Ohio, but he decided not to. The Costa Rican government put out a restriction for driving, social distancing was in place, grocery stores had limited entrance, and soap could be found everywhere. Obviously, this also affected ministry — Austin did not...

Foleza is a small program with an ambitious vision: to see each student succeed in school and life. Translated “little nest” from the Albanian language, Foleza was started in 2013 when the Ersekë Evangelical Church saw first-hand the need for children to have extra support in order to thrive in school.

For a few weeks, Owen and Abby watched as borders closed one by one. The American embassy sent out notices asking its citizens to return. They watched the news as the virus started in the capital and spread to the other parts of the country first slowly, but then   more quickly.

COVID-19 has forced many people to embrace new forms of resilience, often spurring on great creativity. Two Lancaster leaders serving the refugee and immigrant communities have been doing just that: Patience Buckwalter, who is the executive director of the Grape Leaf Empowerment Center, and Krista Martin, who is EMM’s Kingdom Team director.

Michael Clancy is an urban missionary serving in Lebanon City, Pennsylvania. Earlier this year, Michael had some anxiety as he was in the last two months of fundraising for support for his second term, just as COVID-19 had just come to the forefront of everyone’s lives.

After nine years in Thailand, Dave and Summer Houser were planning to move to Pennsylvania in early April. As reports of an unknown virus grew into a major worldwide concern, flights from many places around the globe were being canceled. Instead of having a week — or even a few days — they had mere hours to tie up their loose ends. They frantically packed, gave things away, and even sold their car...

Polio was once the most feared disease in the U.S. Particularly in the 1940 and 50s, parents were sometimes fearful of letting their children even go outside. Each summer, polio seemed to strike without warning. Swimming pools, movie theaters, and Sunday school classes were closed. Almost 100 years passed from the first polio outbreak of any size in the U.S. through the development of a vaccine in...

As the world faced COVID-19, gathering food for Ramadan celebrations was difficult in places like Nairobi. Many workplaces shut down due to COVID-19, and as a result, many Kenyans lost their income, facing significant food insecurity. Christians in the Eastleigh neighborhood of the city decided to bless their Muslim neighbors by distributing free food.

How can we engage and equip the thousands of church leaders in Africa who have little or no biblical training? How does the church multiply and grow under these circumstances?

On a blustery afternoon, EMM worker Bethany Tobin, who is also jointly appointed with Virginia Mennonite Missions, grabbed an umbrella as protection from the sun and slid on her flip flops. Leaving her boisterous home-schoolers with her husband, Steve, she walked around the corner to her neighbor’s house. 

Despite the interruptions, the changes in our plans, and the disappointments of unfulfilled expectations, the mission of God goes on. EMM workers continue to cross cultures, engage the world, and make disciples of Jesus.