Category: Ministry

Our Rhythms of Rest

Stefan and Monica in downtown Boston

Starting at the end of October, we will take a sabbatical. We will disconnect from work responsibilities for three months, investing our time into our relationship with God and each other while also including more time for rest. This may seem like a detour from our mission, but our ministry sees it as a vital rhythm to our missionary life.

WE’LL FOCUS ON 3 SPECIFIC THINGS:

  1. Investing in our relationship with God through lots of time in prayer and Bible study, as well as self-reflection and meeting with spiritual mentors regularly.
  2. Investing in our marriage and family through time together.
  3. Rest.

Please pray for deep rest and refreshment during this time.

But before we go, we want to give you a few highlights from a busy six weeks.

  1. 147 European church planters from 9 different organizations came together in Germany to discuss best practices and how we could collaborate. It was a beautiful time of mutual encouragement and praying for God to move in Europe. A personal highlight was that 9 of our friends from Finland joined us, and it was a sweet reunion.
  2. 118 church planting organizations met in Dallas, U.S.A., for the annual Global Alliance of Church Multiplication (GACX). All we can say is wow! The Lord is at work worldwide, and we see even greater fruitfulness as we join hands together.
  3. This weekend, we were able to visit Monica in Boston for her parent weekend and confirm her reports that she is doing well and enjoying her studies. Enjoy some photos from the autumn leaves – we rarely see the change of colours in Orlando, so this was a real treat.

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR YOU!

Come With Me To Cambodia

Greetings from Cambodia!

Cambodia (also known as Kampuchea) has a rich history in architecture, culture, and tradition. Cambodia continues to recover from the ravages of past regimes, and while it has one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies, most of its population still lives in poverty.

I (Stefan) visited several churches this weekend in the countryside near the border of Vietnam. There are over 20 churches in this particular rural area. It was encouraging to meet with the leaders of this small network to hear their strategy for starting new churches in all the village communities throughout the region.

Each church intentionally applies what they learn from God’s Word each week, reaches out to their community and families, and launches new churches. During my visit, three people indicated they believed in Christ, and the church members will immediately begin helping them to share their new faith with others.

I can’t show you photos of the people for security reasons, but I thought you would enjoy seeing the rice-based snacks they shared with us after church.

Prayer Requests and Praise Items:

  1. Thank you for praying for my trip to this country, and continue to pray for stamina and good interactions with church planters.
  2. Thank you for also praying for Monica at university. She is settling in well. Pray she finds a Christian community quickly.
  3. Thank you for praying for Marie’s Mom. She did not need surgery for her shoulder after falling while visiting us in America. She is comfortable and recovering slowly.

 A Life-Changing Dream

With Marie’s Mom at the Disney Yacht Club Hotel

Like most people in her closed Central Asian country, Alina* followed the majority religion. She believed Jesus was a prophet but nothing more.

When our local staff team members came to her village to distribute food and clothing, Alina welcomed them gladly. She listened as they talked about Jesus. At the end of their visit, Alina told them about friends who also needed help. The team was happy to provide them with meals as well.

Alina insisted on going with them as they visited each home. She watched team members express the kindness of Jesus in a tangible way, and she listened as they talked about His eternal hope.

A few days after the team delivered aid, Alina urgently asked to talk with them again — she had seen Jesus in a dream.

Alina told the team members about meeting Abraham, Isaac and Jesus in her dream. At first she thought she was meeting three of the main prophets of her religion. But then Jesus walked up to her and said, “You’ve heard about Me. You know I’m the Way. It’s time to start following Me.”

Alina realized that Jesus was more than a prophet. She was ready and eager to follow Him. The team members prayed with Alina as she joyfully responded in faith to His message. 

Today Alina is part of a house church in her village. Over the past six months, team members have seen others experience the kindness of Jesus and come to faith in Him. Six new house churches have been established in this previously unreached area!

Encouraging our workers and church-planters to remain strong in the Lord is one of the highlights of Stefan’s work and he recently heard this and other stories of what God is doing in some very hard to reach places. 

Family News

Unexpectedly the doors opened for Marie’s Mom to visit us for a few weeks. It’s been lovely to have her here.

Kenneth is home doing an internship with a surveying company. He entertains us each night with stories of snakes and fire-ants as he is bundu bashing through swamps to locate things for various construction projects.

It is a treat to have a house full of people, and we savour the time because we know we will soon be empty nesters, with Monica also leaving for university in August.

*name changed for security

Prayer Requests:

  1. Praise the Lord for the people He draws to Himself in hard-to-reach places.
  2. Pray that Marie’s Mom will have a good visit with us.
  3. Pray for Marie as she is working on a big communications project.

4 Lessons From Finland

In nearly 30 years of ministry, we have rarely seen this level of commitment to discipleship and spiritually building into the lives of others as we witnessed in Finland. 

A quick photo with Anni and Pyry. Marie is wearing a marino wool jersey knitted by Pyry’s sister for her.

Fifty Finns, mostly under the age of 30, gathered for the Easter weekend to learn skills to help others grow in their faith and multiply their lives into more people. They are the leaders of small church communities from around Finland. 

Although we were there to lead two workshops – which went very well because of your prayers – we felt like we were there to learn from them. Here are a few things we learnt:

1. “Tell me your Jesus story.”

Every conversation started with, “Tell me your Jesus story.” Immediately, each conversation went to a profound level of sharing and learning how God had intervened in each person’s life. It was also a celebration of God’s miraculous restoration of people – some coming out of very dark backgrounds.

2. Be fully present

We hardly saw any cell phones; we learned that before the weekend, they had decided to put their phones aside to be fully present with one another. It was so refreshing!

Marie leading her workshop – look at the beautiful ocean view in the background.

3. Ask good questions to grow.

The Finns take their meals seriously, we had five a day, but they consider two as snacks. At every meal, participants came up to us and asked questions. They wanted to grow in their faith and help others grow. They even made notes while you were answering.

4. Sauna and Splash

Sauna time is an essential part of Finnish discipleship. Deep conversations take place while sweat is pouring down your body. The retreat center had two saunas, and every night the men gathered in one and the women in the other. The fact that everyone is nude may contribute to the openness of the conversations. The sauna next to the sea also has the added benefit of cooling you down in frigid water when you get too hot. Monica received high praise for staying in the freezing water for 45 seconds! Her mother only got knee-deep.

We left Finland so encouraged! We know the Lord is raising people from every nation to bring the gospel, and witnessing these fifty people in action, we have great hope for a large harvest from Finland.

It was beautiful but freezing! Imagine how cold the sea felt.

Please pray for the following:

  1. Pyry and Anni Winter as they lead this movement in Finland.
  2. That the Finnish leaders manage their time well, having full-time jobs and leading their churches.
  3. Monica as she makes her final university decision. She has narrowed down her choices between two universities.

Finding Us In Finland

Retreat center close to Turku

Easter greetings from a beautiful and freezing Finland!

This Easter weekend, Stefan is returning to the gorgeous retreat center pictured above with Marie and Monica. 

Stefan wrote in our November 2021 newsletter, “A personal highlight was visiting a young pastor couple in Finland that we have been coaching over the past few years but have never gotten to visit. Stefan meets with the husband, Pyry, and Marie with the wife, Anniina. They are experimenting with a model of church planting that is attracting young Finns who are church-less, but looking for authentic faith. It is exciting to see young families finding Jesus and being obedient to His call to make disciples.”

They invited us to join them as speakers at their retreat this weekend.

They expect about 50 participants. Each participant will have the opportunity to choose 1 of 3 workshops on Friday and from another 1 of 3 on Saturday. Stefan is presenting his workshop on Friday, and Marie on Saturday. These participants are members of the 15 churches planted in the last few years. 

It will be the first time Marie will meet Anniina in person, so exciting.

Freezing in Finland

Prayer Requests:

  1. For each of the workshops that we will present during the Easter retreat. Pray for a good connection with our audience and that the lessons learned will accelerate the spiritual growth and fruitfulness of the participants.
  2. For safe travels while we are in Europe. Next week we will visit Marie’s sister and her family in England before our return.
  3. For Monica as she decides which university to attend. She was accepted at eight and will visit one offering her a good scholarship from 16-18 April in Chicago. She needs to make her final decision by 1 May.

What Is On The Braai?

South Africans always crave a good braai. This past weekend, Stefan experienced a great braai with a twist. 

After preaching at a church in Sant Cugat, Spain (close to Barcelona), the congregation invited him to a braai where they served Calçot, a green onion that is not round but long shaped. They grill the onion plants in the flames on the braai. They then remove the charred pieces and dip the delicious inner parts into an almond sauce. Scrumptious!

The Calçot (bottom right) is lined up to go on the fire.

But more encouraging than the delicious braai was seeing the growth and missional focus of the church. Non-Christians came to church, and the Youth eagerly studied the Bible together. The photo shows them looking up Scripture on their phones.

Another treat was visiting a church called “Imperfect,” which focuses on helping refugees find Jesus and teaching them employable skills. Stefan enjoyed a good meal prepared by refugees learning to be cooks and restaurant managers.

The entrance to the church and the restaurant training fascility.

The Lord is at work around the world, and His children are finding ways to serve their communities. Thank you for helping us be a part of His work.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Stefan is currently in Malta, meeting with partners working in North Africa and the Middle East. Pray for good connections and for strategic opportunities to partner.
  2. Pray for the churches in Europe that are shining the light of Jesus in difficult times.

Monica On Mission

Chapman’s Peak (not even the howling wind could stop us from admiring the view).

Greetings from South Africa!

We travelled the Garden Route to show our children the Cape coast’s beautiful sights and connect with some of you. We love catching up with people, hearing what God is doing in your lives, and sharing what we have seen God do in our lives and around the world. We are having a wonderful time. It is good for our souls to be back!

Monica is excited to join a youth mission trip with our Johannesburg church, Rosebank Union, this Sunday, 26 June – 3 July. They will travel to the Thembalethu Nkomazi Centre in Jeppes Reef, Mpumalanga, where they will host a children’s bible club and sports clinic and do maintenance projects around the centre. 

Prayer Requests:

  1. Pray for the group’s safe travels and that the Lord will prepare the hearts of those they minister to next week. 
  2. Pray that each participant will get to know and love Jesus more. 
  3. Pray that Monica will bond quickly with the group and make good friends with her fellow participants.

We recently heard this inspiring story from one of our elderly church planters in North Africa – he had preached at a church in the countryside where many people received Christ. As he headed home, the civil resistance group met him and accused him of being a traitor, working for the military. They were armed and forced him to walk 18 hours over mountains to their village, with no water till his feet were blistered and bleeding. On arriving there, he was thrown into prison. The other inmates asked him to preach, and many accepted Christ!  

After his release, he praises God: “I had to walk 18 hours for those prisoners to hear the Gospel!”

May we all have the same attitude as this dear man! 

Thank you for your partnership with us.

We’re Coming Home!

There is great excitement in the Dell household! We are coming to South Africa at the end of May. We can’t wait! Since our last visit, it has been a long three years, so we are excited to reconnect with you and our family.

Here is our tentative plan:

26 – 31 May: Johannesburg 

1 – 18 June: Colesberg, Garden Route and Cape Town

19 June – 17 July: Gauteng

18 – 31 July: Vaal Triangle

1- 7 August: Johannesburg

You can contact us via email or WhatsApp.

We are looking forward to our South African trip.

Meet Bekele:

Recently, Marie hosted a Zoom webinar for American ministry partners who have significantly funded ministry opportunities around the world. Since one of her guests was Dr. Bekele Shanko, our Vice-president for Global Church Movements and Stefan’s boss, we thought you would love to hear what God is doing in the church planting world. If you don’t have time to watch the 30-minute video, you can find Bekele’s part at the 17:30 minute marker.

Please Pray:

  1. For Kenneth’s passport renewal process to be completed speedily. He is already in South Africa and had to travel on a temporary document due to various delays. He is returning to the USA in mid-June to start his semester early.
  2. For all the logistics of our trip to fall into place.
  3. For safe travels to and in South Africa.
  4. For our team members who are covering our responsibilities while we are traveling.

Good News and a Prayer Need

We wish you a very special Easter. We trust that you were able to reflect yesterday on the death of Jesus and what it means for us as believers. The words of Jesus on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” from Mark 15:34 reminded us that because He was forsaken, we never have to experience that! What an incredible comfort it is that God said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 15:5b)

This weekend, all around the world, Christians have a unique opportunity to tell the story of Jesus. We are already receiving reports of how God is touching people’s hearts through various outreach programs our missionaries have planned.

Would you please join us in praying that many will come to know Jesus this weekend? 

We received this heartwarming video from our ministry in India that they produced with a partner ministry to serve as a spiritual conversation starter. We sent the English version to our Indian neighbor, who responded very positively. Maybe you can also send it to someone you know. Watch it in any of the 11 languages.

English: https://youtu.be/qVJ7FkznGO8

Hindi: https://youtu.be/U15D8MChYS4

Bengali: https://youtu.be/wYHRXT-scWs

Gujarati: https://youtu.be/eFnG1bPBg8c

Malayalam: https://youtu.be/A2SgqmSZIx0

Marathi: https://youtu.be/5ZjDJLuyCP0

Oria: https://youtu.be/zDLe8jBRrVQ

Telugu: https://youtu.be/zVMStktOjww

Tamil: https://youtu.be/5Usxql_hjqsGB

Kannad: https://youtu.be/rBwUeE2tJXc

Assamese: https://youtu.be/ZBNTZ4ECTAk

We are rejoicing with you that we serve a Risen King!

Stories You Will Enjoy

We are always encouraged to hear stories of God working in people’s lives. Marie recently compiled a report about the impact of our ministry, and she thought you would enjoy reading these short stories.

Mongolia

In October, our ministry were able to have an in-person student conference for the first time since the pandemic started. They ran ads on Facebook to invite participants, targeting college students who lived nearby. Around 150 students came to the meeting. Of these, 60 indicated decisions for Christ!

New Zealand

Dana, a young woman working in a mental health service, started a Bible study with her colleagues. They met weekly to pray, study and encourage one another.

Because the group was open to everyone in her workplace, curious non-Christian colleagues sometimes came to read the Bible with them too! Amy was one of them, coming faithfully each week.

In one meeting, only Dana and Amy showed up. Dana had been hoping for an opportunity to talk with Amy about the gospel. Using her GodTools® app, Dana shared the “Knowing God Personally” presentation with her. Amy asked Christ to forgive her sins and give her a new life!

Asia

In a country where all online content is monitored, censored and often blocked, between January and October 2021:

  • 28,189,119 people interacted with the ministry by watching a video, reading a post, chatting, or opening and clicking on content.
  • Of those people, 2,265 made a decision to follow Christ after a conversation with a ministry team member.
  • Over 1,200 of those people were connected with local churches or fellowships!

Ghana

Emmanuel, from Ghana, received church-planting training from our ministry. After the training, Emmanuel returned to his village. He began sharing the evangelistic tract called the Four Spiritual Laws, and 15 people indicated decisions for Christ. Emmanuel began to meet with them.

After Emmanuel’s group invited a “JESUS” film team to show the film in their community, another 22 people joined their group. Emmanuel identified two people in the group — now a small church — who were zealous to win souls for Christ. He trained them in how to use the Four Spiritual Laws booklet.

When one of them, Ezekiel, moved to a nearby community, he began sharing the gospel. He has since planted a church that now has 34 members.

Thank You!

Because of your generosity, Dana, Emmanuel, Ezekiel, and many others have been equipped and resourced to reach their communities with the life-changing news of the gospel. Thank you for your generosity to our family to be part of this ministry!