Inspiring stories happen every day, but we don't hear so much about them on the news. So, where do you go to hear these stories and find out about what God is doing behind the scenes? Well, the Create Emerge team have a list of great missions news, magazine, podcast & blog sites to get you started.
Every year, thousands of teams set off on short term trips to share the gospel. Language and cultural barriers can make clear communication of the gospel incredibly difficult. What if we could equip them to witness in an engaging and culturally relevant way? Equip makes sure to provide outreach teams with the tools and information necessary for them to be as effective as possible for the time they are on the field.
If you are involved in frontier missions, or you're preparing to go on a short term missions trip, you'll be aware of the challenges that are involved. You may find yourself asking questions like "How do I communicate the Gospel when I don't speak the language of the people I'm trying to reach? What are the cultural differences that I should be aware of? What resources are availble to help me reach out to this specific people group?"
"...RTC currently employs 25 landmine victims who are viewed in Cambodian society as having got what they deserve through karma and most often end up begging on the street or making next to nothing in some sort of labour. Not long after beginning this project a few years ago, her staff began to ask about Jesus, and soon they were asking her about having a church. Now, most of her staff are coming back to their place of work on Sunday mornings for a church service, and deeper transformation is taking place..."
So you've heard the need and want to get out there and make a difference. Now you're thinking that it could be helpful to do a little preparation, learn some skills, and get some training. But where do you start?
"...our team has recently found out about Not For Sale, which is a campaign to fight the global slave trade and end human trafficking. Not for Sale is conducting a tour called Stop Paying for Slavery which is a multidimensional, multimedia, multi-day experience aiming to bring together education, law enforcement, faith communities, corporations, consumers and all justice seekers in the fight to end modern-day slavery..."
It seems that the emerging generation is becoming a lot more aware of social justice issues. That's a good thing - however It doesn't take much to feel overwhelmed by the transformation that needs to take place. So, what can we do to make a difference?
"...I've always loved to draw, paint and create things and it came pretty naturally for me. I continued to develop drawing skills throughout my childhood and teen years. It's quite sad to admit but probably 50% of the time I spent learning to draw was during Math, Science and English class. I had this idea that I was going to be an animator or a children's book illustrator someday and figured I didn't need to worry about subjects that weren't relevant to my future..."
If you have a desire to get into missions, but are a little overwhelmed by the options and aren't sure what your next step should be, we have some good news: the Create Emerge team have put in the hard yards, done a bunch of research, and put together a selection of missions opportunity sites to get you started.
"...I didn't just join this team because of the opportunity to make music. I joined because God, through this team, was opening my heart up to his love for me, and consequently for the world. I didn’t have a lot of passion for the Kingdom or a clear idea of what it was all about when I first joined, but through the relationships that were formed around a great purpose, I couldn’t help but eventually begin to get energized by the Perpetrator towards the purpose of bringing the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven..."
You may have read in the blog article 'Being Frank' that the Create Emerge team recently spent three weeks in India filiming the story of Prem Sewa school and hostel. We have hopes of producing a full length Documentary, but for now we've put together a 16min preview called 'Being Frank - The Story of Prem Sewa Shikshan Sangh'. This video is currently being shown in churches throughout Canada by Prem Sewa Director Bapu as he travels from Quebec to British Columbia. Stay tuned for the completion of the full length documentary - Coming 2011- we hope :)
"...Create Emerge and Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International (MBMSI) have partnered to create a short 12min documentary called 'East West' that focuses on the partnerships between believers from the East and the West as they join together with a powerful vision to see God's Kingdom advance in South Asia. 'East West' is going to be screened throughout Canada over the next few months as part of MBMSI's Celebrate Mission Nights..."
If you have a desire to get into missions, but are a little overwhelmed by the options and aren’t sure what your next step should be, we have some good news: the Create Emerge team have put in the hard yards, done a bunch of research, and put together a selection of missions opportunity sites to get you started.
To find out more about these opportunities, check out our Get Going page.
Engage is a multimedia package designed to inform, motivate, and encourage a new generation to engage in the world of missions. It contains inspiring missions videos, an informative stats and facts slideshow, comprehensive teaching notes, a booklet which contains the stories behind the stories, and handy hints on how to use these mobilisation resources effectively.
Disc 1
Engage – Voices Full Presentation
A 50 minute video presentation that will take you on a ‘big picture’ journey presenting the needs and challenges in the world today, and show how we’re doing as the church in meeting those needs. Hear encouraging stories of what God is doing in the places we usually only hear bad news about, and meet some inspiring people who have said the 100% ‘yes’ to Jesus; impacting the planet one day at a time.
Disc 2
Engage – Voices Short Presentations
For a shorter time slot, use one of the three 20 minute video presentations that also represent the ‘big picture’ of missions, but feature only one missions story each. Another alternative is to use one of the Engage – Bonus Videos as a stand alone.
Engage – Slideshow Presentations & Teaching Notes
This is a supplementary tool for teaching the stats and facts of world missions in a classroom or meeting setting. Choose between the shorter or longer version depending on your time constraints. The longer version can be used as background information for the presenter, or can be taught one section at a time over the course of several classroom meetings. See ‘How to use the Engage Package’.
Get Engaged PDF – Additional Research Material
A list of websites that lead to more information in the following areas: missions news and media; global awareness and action; missions mobilisation resources and networks; missions opportunities and training. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does represent a wide variety of ministries and organizations to look into.
Jackie Pullinger is one of those modern day ‘ordinary heroes’ who have greatly inspired me in my journey. Her voice can be heard in the ‘Voices Intro’ segment on ENGAGE, saying “I’m longing for those who will be rescued out of slavery to go back to those who are still in slavery”.
As a young woman, Jackie knew she was called to missionary work but was turned down by every organization she applied to, being told she was too young and inexperienced. So, on the advice of a trusted minister, she bought a one-way ticket on the cheapest boat she could find, and prayed about where she should disembark. Eight stops later, she felt God prompting her to get off in Hong Kong. She was quickly moved by the plight of criminals, prostitutes and drug addicts in the infamous ‘Kowloon Walled City ’, one of the poorest and most dangerous places in the world – a ‘no man’s land’ which was not policed and largely under the control of gangs.
In a recent San Francisco Chronicle article, Jackie describes her beginnings: “I walked around Hong Kong and saw people dying, kids in the street, old people with begging bowls,” she recalls. “I thought maybe I could manage one street.” She chose that street and quickly began distributing food to the poor and taking them to hospitals when in need of a doctor. She also stepped into the middle of gang fights, pleading for the brawlers to stop. 1
Today, more than 40 years later, she still ministers in Hong Kong through ‘St. Stephen’s Society’, the ministry she founded. According to the same article, “Jackie Pullinger doesn’t look like a typical Christian missionary. Popping out of a car in traffic-choked streets, she wears stylish sunglasses and long strings of pink beads over a sparkling blouse. Now in her early 60s, Pullinger has spent the past 41 years picking gang members, prostitutes and heroin junkies off Hong Kong’s streets and steering them into rehabilitation programs. ‘It’s a journey, a can’t-lose journey,’ she said.” 1
She has left a huge legacy, rescuing hundreds from lives of bondage to drug addiction. Although St. Stephens Society is explicitly Christian, the success rate of their intensive prayer-driven rehabilitation programs have won favour with the Hong Kong government, which donated the land where their new centre was recently built. “Today, Pullinger organizes weekly meetings in the roughest Hong Kong neighborhoods and offers shelter and rehabilitation to 200 heroin addicts, prostitutes, street kids and gang members.” 1
Many of the rehabilitated former drug addicts have since become staff members with St. Stephens Society or missionaries in other parts of Asia – those who were rescued out of slavery are going back to those who are still in slavery. Jackie’s inspiring biography, entitled ‘Chasing the Dragon ’, is available from Christian bookstores and online.
KB – Create Emerge
1 ‘Hong Kong Missionary Uses Intensive Prayer to Help Heroin Addicts’ , by Jacob Baynham, San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, December 14, 2007
I’m not sure what I had expected, but trekking in the blazing Mongolian summer sun, with camera gear in tow, we were pushed out of our comfort zones in a number of ways. As we navigated our way up a rugged and normally passable valley, the rivers were swollen by glacial meltwater. We made numerous challenging river crossings: in pairs, in trios, and with ropes. Our team had originally planned to keep heading up the main valley, but we decided that a few of us would stay put one day and recover from a bout of illness, while the rest headed up a side valley to see who they could find. They ‘found’ a generous and hospitable nomadic family who had never met foreigners outside of their TV (yup, satellite TV in the frontiers), and who had never heard the story of creation, a God who loves them, and his son Jesus. An mp3 player, a culturally designed storybook, and a feast later, our new friends began to understand and receive the love of God for themselves.
Nomads Mongolia is a 5min video which is featured on Engage, a multimedia DVD package designed to inform, motivate, and encourage a new generation to engage in the world of missions. Below are some photos taken during the filming of this video.
Filming Thai worship dancers doing the same dances in 5 different locations in Bangkok was both fun and exhausting. The girls were shy, gentle, and extremely hard workers. They weren’t raised with a knowledge of Jesus, but are now excited to meld their worlds together: traditional dance, modern Thai lives, and bringing glory to the God who loves them.
Awesome Asia is a 4min video which is featured on Engage, a multimedia DVD package designed to inform, motivate, and encourage a new generation to engage in the world of missions.
.jpg)
