Collection Stories A of
Live Dead
is an initiative that partners with the global body of Christ to plant churches among unreached people groups through teams. This book is a collection of stories from Live Dead teams around the world. These stories represent only a small portion of what the Lord is doing and come from places in the world where gospel workers face difficult challenges.
These challenges pale in comparison to the great work and mighty power of the Lord. His Spirit goes before us and guides us. Our Live Dead church planting teams all over the world partner together in prayer with the wider body of Christ through Live Dead Pray Bands.
We all pray relentlessly and engage in our own personal call to see the world reached with the lifechanging message of Jesus.
God is on the move! And His Great Commission is not simply a suggestion for a few, but a command to us all. This book of stories is intended to encourage the praying body of Christ regarding what He is doing among unreached peoples and to appeal for more workers and more prayer. As you consider your role in planting the church among the unreached, the great need is more prayer and more missionaries. We trust this little book encourages you toward both.
As a note, the names of our friends in this book have been changed for security purposes.
ALONG
GOD'S
GOD’S
LIVING
JESUS BUILDS THE CHURCH
ENTHRALLED
JESUS
HER
THE GOSPEL IN WORD AND DEED
Amir, a believer from a Muslim background and a former member of Hamas, was distributing food to families in need in the West Bank. He was also being discipled by one of our team members, Nathaniel.
Due to ongoing conflict, no tours were coming to the area and day laborers were unable to work in Israel, meaning many people had little to no work. Every month Amir and his family are consistently helping over thirty families, most from a Muslim background. Their own Muslim neighbors do not typically help those in need; rather, they first help their family and friends and then they help the poor with anything left over. Usually, there is nothing left for the poor.
Amir and his family’s consistency and dedication to bringing help has led many of these Muslims to ask why followers of Jesus have been helping them in their time of need. It has provided a terrific opportunity for this believer and his family to talk about who Jesus is and how He cares for these families. The gospel is going forth among these people through the Word and action.
SETTING THE TABLES
Our team opened the afternoon with lighthearted games, followed by a time of worship and teaching. The atmosphere was vibrant with joy and laughter, even though we all came from diverse backgrounds and communities. It already felt like a miracle— gathering strangers in our post-Soviet nation, where trust is often rare. However, this newfound unity had a heavenly origin with Jesus at the center. We had travelled for hours into the mountains for one purpose: to draw near to Him.
Among us were young adults seeking truth but not yet ready to follow, a partnering small house church bringing their own seekers, and a mix of new believers eager for discipleship. All sat on the edge of their seats as we began.
This retreat gathering was the culmination of months, even years, of investment. Our team had spent countless hours building connections and relationships through our business platform. We nurtured deep conversations over tea and long walks through the streets. Two months earlier, many of these individuals had been invited into Bible studies held in our team members’ homes—our “Open Table” groups.
In the local language, the phrase “open table,” called sufrə açir, signifies opening or setting the table for guests in one’s home. It is not only a sign of hospitality but also one of deep relational significance. It is common for hosts to show wedding videos of their family members during these meals— because now, as their guest, you are welcomed into the family and need to know who is in it. Our Open Table Bible study groups were built upon this cultural framework, using it to welcome our friends into the family of Jesus—believers and unbelievers alike.
Nergiz quickly joined an Open Table group, bringing countless questions and observations to every study. As we encouraged her to share what she was learning with others, she began taking the lessons home and discussing them with her open-minded Muslim father.
Muhammed’s journey was forged over two years. Not only did he begin studying the Word at Open Table nights, but as soon as he met other believers, he started attending a local house church. His heart continues to open as he carefully counts the cost of following Jesus with his whole life.
Aynur and her daughter joined an Open Table after our team members cared for her during her battle with cancer, taking her home and supporting her after chemotherapy treatments. Having lived most of her life as a mistress, she had no real community to support her. It did not take long for Aynur to recognize the love of Jesus through our team. She was our most recent decision for Christ and was baptized soon after!
As we gathered at our mountain retreat to draw near to Jesus and learn more about His ways, Liza heard for the first time about how Jesus is her Good Shepherd. The local church had been sharing with her, but she had yet to make a decision. However, when she heard about God’s deep love and desire to care for her, Liza surrendered her life to Jesus. Soon after, she began bringing her family to the local church regularly. Beautiful stories continue to be written as lives, like Liza’s, are being transformed in this unreached nation.
Although this retreat was a pinnacle moment for many, it is the countless hours invested in conversations and Open Table groups that have been the foundational work for planting the church. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” If we are willing to be the seed that goes into the ground and dies (John 12:24), there is no limit to how far Christ will go to compel even the darkest places to himself.
LIVE DEAD SILK ROAD
A HOUSEHOLD SEED PLANTED
“Tati hadja! Tati hadja!” squealed Rahab as his two foreign “aunties” approached the house. He grabbed his mama’s cell phone and opened the Waha app. It was time to listen to the stories from the Bible. They had only been meeting for six months but the whole family had quickly learned to anticipate the day they would study the stories of Jesus together. Mama Rahab handed her sleeping newborn off to an auntie as she pulled out a cold popsicle for her toddler, to occupy him, as the study began. “What did we learn about last week? Did anyone have an opportunity to share the story with someone from your family or community?”
“Like usual, I studied with my oldest son, and I was also able to play the stories for my friend, Mama Halima when she came over. She said she loved them, and they gave her so much peace. I explained they are real, true stories from the Bible.”
A breeze whipped through the tin house as the door opened. Papa Rahab arrived, and although he was a Muslim, he greeted the aunties with an affectionate smile, bringing them cold juice and warm, fresh, local breads. He had seen the peace and joy in his wife, and now, the Lord was drawing him also.
The hunger that now filled this house began with the practice of listening to the voice of God and obeying His promptings. The team along with a visiting team of partners from an American church had spent one morning praying over the island, then asked and listened to God about who He might want to send them to today. “Vessel,” “feather,” and “bright green dress” were some of the clues they received as they had listened.
Heading out the door, in small groups, with the aim to bless the community and make much of Jesus, the teams left.
Mama Rahab’s house was highlighted as a chicken flew up into the air in the road before them, a colorful cloth with tea pots hung across a wash line, and a woman in a bright green dress sat on the porch beneath it. That day, a prayer of blessing, protection, and health was prayed over a young expecting mama in the bright green dress. No one knew her full story, how she had lost her first baby full term and was anxious and scared as this next delivery approached. But she received the assurance that God saw her and would be with her, and a seed of faith was planted for the whole household, a seed that has sprouted today.
“I never imagined I could learn God’s word in my own home!” Mama Rahab shared enthusiastically. “Thank you, thank you so much for coming and teaching me!”
As the study finished, with a contented smile, Mama Rahab said, “One day I will teach these stories, just like you two. And my house will be full of people worshiping Jesus!”
LIVE DEAD AFRICA
ACCEPTING JESUS 100 PERCENT
“I baptized myself,” Layla said. “All alone at home. Is that okay?”
“What?” My brain could not compute. I had attended her baptism with a dozen other believers. “Help me understand,” I asked.
“Well,” she said, “the first time I didn’t really mean it. I know I said I believed in Jesus, and I did, I do! But I was only 60 percent a Christian. When Pastor Richard asked me if I renounced all other religions and prophets, I lied. I answered yes out loud but, in my heart, I said no because I couldn’t give up Mohammed completely. I still somehow loved him, too.”
This made the first year of discipleship with her so much clearer! I took over study with Layla when her first “discipler” had to suddenly leave the country.
I could never understand why someone with such a clear testimony of dreams and answered prayers would struggle so much with vocalizing prayer and praise. She was faithful to all our study times and to the little house church. She always listened and had good questions, but her life did not show growth.
We were having this conversation at a hotel in Dubai over coffee. She had come for a weekend of teaching for MBB leaders from all over the Arabian Peninsula. She was smiling contentedly and greeting her fellow attendees as they passed us on their way to lunch. Gone was the shy woman who I couldn’t get to say a prayer out loud!
“Everything changed a year ago. I accepted Jesus 100 percent, and I am so happy now! That is why I baptized myself. I wanted Jesus to know that He had all of me now.”
I was so encouraged to see the maturity in Layla, and I am reminded that discipleship is a process. If you are discipling someone and they seem to lapse or act inconsistently, you can relax and keep praying. Jesus will win their hearts! LIVE DEAD ARAB WORLD
OFEK & EVA
Ofek and Eva were neighbors of our team members Jack and Kathyrn, and their daughters were classmates at school. The families spent a great deal of time together—sharing meals, hiking, walking through the neighborhood, and even taking trips together.
Ofek and Eva both had successful careers, and both were atheists. Ofek had sentimental memories of visiting the synagogue as a young boy, and he was always curious about Jack’s beliefs, always interested in learning what he believed and why. Eva, on the other hand, refused to engage in any spiritual conversation.
Last Christmas, the family came to Jack and Kathryn’s home for Christmas dinner. They lit Hanukkah candles and sang carols. The children read the Christmas story from the Bible, and Ofek quietly translated the story into the ear of his youngest son, who doesn’t know English. Eva was polite throughout the evening, but she did not engage.
Earlier this year, Jack gave Ofek a lovely leather-bound Hebrewtranslation Bible for his birthday. Jack wrote an encouraging note to Ofek inside the cover and read it to him. A few weeks later, Ofek and Jack were sitting at a coffee shop, and Jack asked Ofek if he was reading the Bible he had been given. He said, “A little, but you will never guess who is really reading it. Eva is reading it!”
DEAD ORIGINS
BAD, WORTHWHILE TRAFFIC
Fifteen minutes. That’s the estimated travel time on my Uber app. Technically enough time, but looking at the standstill traffic around them, I knew I would arrive late.
In such circumstances, I thought, what else is there to do but make the best of it? I decided to turn my attention to the driver’s likely desire to practice his English: Where are you from? How long have you lived in this city? Are you here with your family or all alone? It would also be a great chance for me to practice Hindi as well.
Noticing a book hidden between the seats, I asked, “What books do you like to read?” The driver responded with story about a man who had everything taken away from him in the blink of an eye and how devastating that would be. Sounds like Job, I thought, and how everything was taken away from him though God assured Job that He was capable of changing Job’s circumstances. We talked about how the God of Jesus directed the lightning in the sky and how this same God set boundaries for the ocean, and how even at the end of the Bible story God blessed Job with double the family members, restored all his possessions, and healed his physical body all because this God found that Job remained faithful to Him throughout the challenges.
Amazed at the story, the driver confessed that he had started watching animated Bible stories online. He wanted to read the Bible but did not know where to start or how to even get a Bible. I told him about the YouVersion app, which has the Bible in Hindi, and recommended he start reading the Gospel of John. I also shared YouTube pages where he could watch while reading the Bible. By the time we maneuvered through traffic to my destination, the driver had learned so much about the God we serve. Praise God for India traffic!
THE DEEP COST OF REVELATION
Fatima is a Muslim and was just our language nurturer at the start. She became a great friend and helped us immensely, especially when our son was born. She and her fiancé rarely missed our weekly Bible study. Among all who attended, her curiosity and eagerness to learn stood out. She was often the first to ask questions, and her genuine search for truth inspired us. We love her deeply and pray with faith that Jesus will transform her life.
During a group trip outside the city, we felt it was time to have an honest conversation with Fatima. My husband boldly asked, “You’ve been coming to our group every week and hearing stories about Jesus. Who is He to you? Do you believe what He says is true?”
Fatima admitted she believes in His words and is searching for truth. She mentioned similarities between Christianity and Islam, a common perspective among Muslims to avoid conflict. Sam acknowledged the shared roots in Abraham and Moses but pointed out that there can only be one truth. “The Quran says God has no son, but the Bible says He does—His name is Jesus. The Bible says Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.”
When asked about Muhammad and Jesus, Fatima shared candidly that while she respects Muhammad as their prophet, she focuses on following God, not him. She revealed that she has been comparing Bible stories with the Quran and researching Muhammad, but the answers have left her unsatisfied.
Encouraged, my husband urged her to keep seeking God for truth, even asking Him for dreams and visions. Fatima’s eyes lit up. “I know God can speak to me this way!” she said with excitement. He then asked, “What would you do if God showed you in a dream or vision that Jesus is the truth?”
Fatima grew quiet, her expression a mix of concern and acceptance. She explained the deep cost such a revelation could bring. When she got engaged to someone outside her faith, her uncle threatened to burn her and her fiancé alive. Only her mother’s intervention spared them. Even now, her family remains in constant conflict with her over this decision.
To follow Jesus could cost Fatima everything.
Her words weighed heavily. We struggle to fully grasp what it would mean for her to choose Christ over family and safety. Yet we continue to pray for her, knowing one day she will face this decision. We trust that God, in His love and faithfulness, will lead her to the truth—and give her the strength to follow it.
ADVERSARY TO ADVOCATE
When we began our work in a new village, we had an outspoken adversary named Mr. B, who opposed us on every occasion he could. He also happened to be the area mayor, and he would cruise through the village every day with his rifle strapped on his back, machete on his side, and taunt us in a harassing manner wherever he found us. He even told a team member that he was going to slit his throat (we never knew if he was joking). He complained about the land we were given to build on, and when we attempted to start building, he chased off the workers and caused them to run away. Mr. B even showed up after our worship times just to start arguments with us. In village elder meetings he was the one who always spoke against us and even caused us to lose one of our ministry buildings.
We began to pray, and everywhere we went, we asked others to pray with us for Mr. B. We prayed that he would transform from being our adversary to becoming our advocate, which seemed very unlikely.
Later, the village leaders came and asked if we could help them by providing a medical clinic. Interestingly, this was the one thing we did not want to do but it became our open door. We went on to provide a nice wellness center funded by miraculous gifts. And now, little by little, Mr. B began to help us.
We began building and Mr. B slowly began to change. On several occasions he helped us find sources for medicine, and when we needed to hire a nurse, he found women that we could interview. Later, it was Mr. B who approved everything in the wellness center. Once finished, the building was so nice that on the grand opening day hundreds and hundreds of people attended. Several area doctors, our “governor,” and elders from several surrounding villages came. That and seemingly everyone from our own village was part of the big day. It became a three-day event with feasting and dancing. Finally, on the day of the grand opening, which really was quite grand, Mr. B stopped me and said, “This day is so amazing, and everything here is so amazing. I would die for you.” Our prayers were answered, and Mr. B had truly become our advocate.
Fast forward several months, Mr. B has continued to help, running front for us at times, giving us the benefit of the doubt when necessary, and even defending our work. Our village church plant has progressed phenomenally, and when Mr. B’s mother died, the church reached out to him with prayer and other acts of kindness. Recently, Mr. B showed up at our church, only this time it was not to argue. This time he asked for a Bible, saying, “It’s time for me to know the truth.” He started as our adversary but became our advocate, and hopefully one day by God’s grace he will be a follower of Jesus the Messiah.
DEAD AFRICA
NO TURNING BACK
Zahra comes from a minority unreached people group in Russia. Most of her people live in Azerbaijan, but Zahra has lived in Russia for a long time. Her culture is strictly Muslim, and the gospel is not easily accessible. When we met her, she was fasting for Ramadan and initially seemed argumentative, defending her faith. At the second meeting, though, her heart seemed more open, which gave us the chance to listen and give her with a copy of the Bible in her language.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zahra shared that her sister had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor; the prognosis was not good. There was one more test to confirm that the tumor was cancerous, and we immediately began praying. We told her about the healing power of Jesus and the impact of prayer, and we sent out the prayer request to our prayer partners. A few days later she sent a message saying that the tumor was benign. “It’s a miracle,” she said, “I am so thankful to know that you prayed during this time.”
In our next meetings with Zahra, we started reading Scripture together. We talked about spiritual rebirth, the decision of accepting Jesus, and baptism. Her heart remained so open to the gospel—what an incredible privilege to witness the transformation of a hungry person’s heart by the Holy Spirit’s own wooing.
We received another message from Zahra asking again for prayers for her sister who was pregnant but had a serious complication that necessitated delivering the baby quickly. The doctors would do a C-section and perform a hysterectomy after birthing the baby. Zahra was worried about her sister and the baby, but especially about the hysterectomy. In Islam, a woman’s worth (and even salvation) is dependent on bearing children. Such an operation on a young woman would be cause for hopelessness and despair. In the face of these new fears, we reminded Zahra of Jesus’ power to heal. We talked about how, no matter the circumstances or outcomes, Jesus remains worthy—worthy of our praise when He heals and worthy when He does not. We all prayed together.
Shortly after, Zahra wrote and shared a picture of a fat, red, wrinkled, healthy baby girl. Her sister was healthy, and the doctors did not perform the hysterectomy. She said, “Cπaba Ncy!” Which means “glory to Jesus!” She knows that Jesus healed her sister and niece.
In our conversations that followed, we discussed covenant with God. Zahra had read about circumcision in the Bible, and she explained that it was a sign of the covenant between man and God. From her lips poured the words, “The Most High gave himself for all sin, redeeming all people. We were created for relationship with Him, and we make a covenant and agreement with Him in our hearts when we choose to receive the gift that He has given us. Jesus is salvation!”
We then read Acts 16 together, learning what it means for Jesus to be our leader and Lord, as well as how that defines us as His followers. Zahra spoke by the power of the Holy Spirit: “When we call ourselves the followers of Jesus, we do it freely because we have been freed from the slavery of sin through Jesus’ gift.” She understands that we are not forced to follow God, nor do we earn forgiveness through goods works. “If Jesus is the leader, that means we are all lost on this way, but when we understand that Jesus is salvation, we become His followers on the way.” She took great notice of water baptism in both the story of Lydia and the Philippian jailer, understanding it as an outward sign of the inward covenant with Jesus. She was baptized after her declaration of faith, marking the beginning of her new life as a public follower of Jesus.
“Can you call yourself a follower of Jesus?” we asked. She immediately responded, “Yes!” She shared about her process of understanding and following Jesus as truth, remembering her old life without Christ versus her new life with Him now. We ended the evening by teaching her the simple song “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” She played the song on the piano and the joy of her new life radiated from her.
LIVE DEAD RUSSIA
A STRONG CONVICTION IT WAS TRUE
For the past year, we have been discipling Ahmed, a young man who dreamed about Jesus and then decided to follow Him.
Several years prior to becoming a follower of Jesus, from a desire to be a better Muslim, Ahmed began to read the Quran, Tafasir, and other Muslim writings more often. That is when he discovered more things that eventually made him leave Islam. Not satisfied with simply leaving Islam, Ahmed shared his discoveries with his best friend, Hafid, who after considering the evidence presented, also left Islam. Both became atheists because they assumed that if Islam was wrong, all religions must be wrong. They had never met a Christian nor had they ever been presented with the gospel.
Fast forward to 2023. Ahmed had his dream, and he woke up with an undeniable conviction that Jesus was God. We began discipling him less than a week after his decision to follow Jesus. At our first gathering, we shared two things: He will likely face persecution and hardships as a follower of Jesus, and we must share the gospel with others because Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations so everyone can get a chance to experience and know what he has experienced.
He went home and shared his testimony with Hafid. Hafid was surprised because he knew that Ahmed was not the type of person to easily change his
mind and start following a religion in a short amount of time. If Ahmed told him that he had a powerful dream, then it must be true and something that really shook him.
As we continued the Bible studies, his questions became less accusatory; it became apparent that he wanted to understand what he was reading. A few months ago, he told us that he was no longer atheist but agnostic. We invited him to the house church so he could experience worship, God’s presence, and the fellowship of believers. He joined us over many months now and then, and it was amazing to see God moving in his heart little by little. We saw him sing along during worship, read with us, share his thoughts, and enjoy fellowship with the believers. Several times he expressed that he felt peace when he was with us (which is very different to other parts of his life). A few months ago, we saw a small step in the right direction. Hafid said that he was now sure that God must exist but was still not 100 percent sure whether that God was Jesus or not.
Several times a week, the church prayed for Hafid, asking God to reveal His truth to him. Ahmed
continued in faithful witness to his friend and was patient with his questions and doubts. This continued for a while, until recently when Hafid was challenged to take a step of faith even though he didn’t fully understand everything scientifically or logically. He decided to believe and confess Jesus as Lord, noting later that he had a strong conviction it was true once he finally made that decision. The big, faith-building experience gave the other believers hope that their friends and family would be saved in the same way.
Hafid is now a beloved brother in the church and growing in his understanding of the Word and his love for Jesus. He was baptized at the end of 2024, and our prayer for 2025 is that he becomes a disciple who will make disciples.
LIVE DEAD ARAB WORLD
ALONG FOR THE JOURNEY
“No one can walk our two paths at the same time. If someone is to follow the path of Jesus the Messiah, he must leave Islam. If someone wants to take up Islam, he must leave Jesus the Messiah.”
What a beautiful statement my friend made recently. It may sound bleak, but it was incredibly refreshing to hear such truth become clear to her.
We had been orally studying the Word for a few months, and she was beginning to see and accept more and more of Jesus’ life and teachings. It has been incredible to watch her discover the true Jesus. A huge prayer our team has been praying is for more women to come to faith as almost all seekers and Muslim background believers are men in these contexts. Praise God for this woman! At some point during our Bible study, she often exclaims, “Wow, this Jesus is like no other! He is the only sinless one! His path is true.”
And yet she has remained faithful to her religion. She recently shared her barriers to walking with me on the path to Jesus the Messiah, including her belief that Christians do not really pray or fast, and the claim that Jesus is God. As she shared, my heart grew heavy, not with discouragement, but with the sober discernment of the battle she is in. This is a journey.
She has learned of His kindness, His power, and His authority. The picture continues to become clearer to her. She is poor, uneducated, and lives a simple life raising her eight children. She is so gentle and humble before God, and He is answering her seeking heart! Pray that God answers her questions and continues to draw her and her family to salvation.
THE FREEDOM TO HEAR
Our team seeks to start as many Bible studies as possible with Muslims over the next few years. A unique aspect of this culture is the people’s willingness to engage in Bible studies before they even decide to become a believer. Which might sound backward when compared to our experience in Western culture where we start Bible studies after becoming a believer. But we know that as Muslims begin reading His word, it will come alive to them, like it says in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
While preparing for our “engage” trip to the Muslim district, during an evening of prayer and worship, I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Be ready to ask someone to join in a Bible study.”
The next day we were praying for spiritual breakthrough while inside a mosque, and as we prepared to leave, a young Muslim man approached us and started a conversation. As we spoke with him, I felt led by the Holy Spirit to invite him to a Bible study. I was hesitant because I didn’t know the proper way to ask someone to “join a Bible study” in the local language. But despite my hesitation, I stepped out in faith and asked him if he would read the Bible with me.
He was taken back by my question at first and proceeded to ask some challenging questions. The vocabulary was beyond my ability, but with the help of my son translating, we finally understood the gist of his questions. He said that the Muslims in our country are “very tolerant,” and he did not see the benefit of changing faiths if that change meant breaking relationships with people from the original faith.
As he talked with my son, I prayed for wisdom on how to respond to his questions and concerns. Led by the Holy Spirit, I told him that I did not have good answers to many of his questions and concerns, but I felt strongly that it was important for all people to have an opportunity to hear about how much Jesus loves them and how much Jesus did for them, so they can make their own individual decision about
the worth of becoming a Christian. Just by living in this country, the young man knows about the persecution and control placed on his faith and any other faith by the local leaders. He agreed with my response that everyone should have the freedom to hear and make their own decision. After exchanging contact information, he was open to continued discussions, especially if he could practice English.
Pray for our new friend’s willingness to join a Bible study and for God’s word to come alive for him. Pray that he will realize that faith in Jesus Christ is worth any price.
LIVE DEAD CHINESE WORLD
Africa
Live Dead began in the hearts of a few key leaders in East Africa almost fifteen years ago. In 2010, Sudan, a country that contains the largest number of unreached people groups in Africa, had a thriving church planting team focusing on multiple UPGs. God used the model in Sudan to inspire a response to the lack of gospel access and a focused vision to spread the gospel amongst the unreached of Africa. That response became Live Dead.
Since the launch of Live Dead, we have seen incredible successes. We have strong church planting teams in several locations where there had been little or no gospel access. We have seen seeds sown, people come to faith, and churches planted. The past fifteen years are to be celebrated. God has been very gracious, and the past is exciting. However, the enormity of the unfinished task inspires us to think bigger and broader as we work toward the future. The Holy Spirit continues calling us to go further, to push back the boundary of darkness, both within the people groups to which we have access as well as among those who still have no access.
We currently have eleven Live Dead Africa teams across eight countries faithfully waking up each day, loving Jesus, sharing the gospel with the unreached, and refusing to give up hope that Jesus will plant His church. While we rejoice in where we are, we are humbled that 867 unreached people groups remain across Africa.
STRATEGY
Our vision is a healthy church within walking distance of every African. This means everywhere where we have teams—from Mayotte in the Indian Ocean to the Gambia on the Atlantic. And it includes people like Tamar, a 77-yearold grandmother who lives amongst the Mokoulou people group in Chad, and Samir, a 15-year-old boy from the Rufaa people group of Sudan. Our vision is for individuals and for people groups. People groups like the Mocha of Ethiopia and the Bozo of Mali who have no believers working to reach them. The task is not complete until all groups have heard. Following the Holy Spirit, our vision in Africa is to see fifteen new Live Dead teams launched in the next ten years.
Arab World
THE START
On December 17, 2010, protests and demonstrations began across the Arab World. Younger, disillusioned Arabs became so frustrated with their leaders that they rose up courageously to shake off the old chains. Omar Beiler (Eurasia regional director) and Mark Renfroe (Arab World area director) convened to pray and strategize how we could respond to this “Arab-quake.”
In those meetings it was determined that the best response was to have church planting teams among every unreached people in the Arab World. To achieve that God-sized goal we identified thirty-three gateway cities across the area as the initial places for teams. Reverse engineering, we realized we needed to start with at least one church planting team in each country, and to get those teams in place we needed a training team to prepare those church planters.
The training team (now called a launch team) started in Egypt in 2012, and by 2022, we had church planting teams in thirty-three locations across the Arab World. Thanks be to God! Yet the work is only starting, and with around 400 unreached peoples and over 400 million Muslim Arabs yet to have adequate gospel witness, we have a long way to go.
THE STATE
We now have forty-one church planting teams in the Arab World and are resident in fifteen of the sixteen Arab countries (Libya being the exception). All our teams are beginning to see the first fruits: disciples, Bible studies, and even first house churches are being born!
THE STRATEGY
Our big dream is to see fifty church planting movements by 2030. We define a church planting movement as four unique streams of at least four spiritual generations that together total over 1,000 persons.
In each country of the Arab World, we have identified the next ten places or peoples where we want to plant churches. That totals 160 new unengaged places and peoples where we need church planting teams. We know we cannot do this alone, so we relish partnership with God’s great global body. Truly, all the church must take all the gospel to all the Arab World.
Chinese World
Live Dead Chinese World launched in 2017 with several missionaries committed to the Live Dead ethos and focused on the thirty-one unreached people groups identified in Northern Asia’s Priority 31 initiative.
Currently, there are two established Live Dead Chinese World teams, both dedicated to planting churches among their unreached people groups. Due to the sensitivity of our work in this creative access area, their exact locations or specific people groups cannot be disclosed. Acknowledging the divine calling of our mission, we understand that success requires us to seek power and wisdom from above. We have been recently reminded that working in this area is a privilege and not a right, and given our limited time, it is imperative we work diligently while we have access.
THE STATE THE START THE STRATEGY
One Live Dead team is engaged with an unreached Muslim minority, and the other with an unreached animist minority. Both teams have defined, long-term and short-term objectives focused on establishing a church planting movement within their target groups. Their current emphasis is on the creation and expansion of Discovery Bible Studies. Additionally, both teams are seeking ways to involve and empower local believers from the majority culture to assist in church planting efforts where the church does not yet exist. We believe that Discovery Bible Studies and the mobilization of near-neighbor missionaries represent our most promising steps towards achieving widespread church planting movements across the Chinese World.
27 DISCIPLES
7 TEAMS
7
2 CHURCHES
0 BIBLE STUDIES
India
THE START
India is home to over 2,000 unreached people groups, and our goal is to see the men, women, and children represented in these UPG statistics to experience the goodness of Jesus and accept His gracious invitation to join His community.
In 2016, Live Dead’s message of Abide, Apostle, and Abandon resonated within the India area, resulting in India joining the Live Dead family. Live Dead gave India and its workers a clear focus, a practical strategy, and the encouragement of camaraderie with others working among UPGs throughout the world.
THE STATE
Today, we have eleven teams in India and a strategically placed launch team in a densely Indian neighborhood in the original part of Dubai, UAE. With less strict access to residency in Dubai, this launch team allows us to easily receive new people called to reach Indians.
THE STRATEGY
Our encouragement is that we are not alone in our efforts. Today, over thirty Indians work with us on our teams. These men and women are equally called to reach India’s UPGs. With them, and largely due to them, there is much joy in the work of creating Jesus community. Our vision is simple—we want to continue to see teams in India creating Jesus’ community among unreached people.
For decades, Iran has been closed to missionaries. Many have prayed, but doors have not opened. This nation of rich history has a such bleak present that few can hope for the future. Then the Lord began to speak to veteran AG missionaries in Africa about Iranians. Those prayers led to the birth of Live Dead Iran in 2012.
After thirteen years, Live Dead Iran is actively planting the church among Iranians, sharing the love of Jesus. Iranians are coming to faith in Jesus then taking the gospel to places we cannot go. The light of Jesus is shining brightly into the darkness that envelops Iran.
STRATEGY
We long to see Jesus proclaimed in every corner of Iran and among Iranians wherever they are found. We are looking to launch our next church planting team in the immediate future while we continue to share the gospel, disciple, and train Iranians to reach their own people. Live Dead Iran seeks to realize a movement of churches planting churches across every community of Iran.
Origins
In September 2014, a group of Assemblies of God workers in Jerusalem began to reflect and pray about how they could plant churches in teams among unreached peoples in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. In 2016, Live Dead Origins was established as Israel and Palestine became its own area with the Eurasia region. By 2017, a training team launched in Haifa, and in 2018, the first church planters began training to serve throughout the land.
THE STATE THE START
There are now three church planting teams in Israel and Palestine: Haifa, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. Our teams interact with Israeli and Palestinian neighbors, believing for Bible studies and churches to be planted among the over 14 million people and thirty-eight unreached people groups in the land.
THE STRATEGY
Our big dream is to make disciples and establish the church among all peoples in Israel and Palestine. We desire to advance the kingdom of God by tearing down walls of division by promoting peace, nurturing ministry efforts (reaching, planting, training, serving, and reconciling) across people groups, and planting the church alongside our local Russian, Hebrew, and Arabic-speaking congregations throughout the land.
WORKERS
14 DISCIPLES
2 TEAMS
2
3 CHURCHES
0 BIBLE STUDIES
Russia
START
From its beginning, Live Dead Russia has emphasized and focused on the eighty-eight remaining unreached people groups in Russia. Building on our close relationships with our national church partners, Live Dead Russia has positioned itself to engage, disciple, and plant the church among unreached peoples.
THE STATE
Currently, there are two Live Dead teams in Russia; both are engaging with peoples from Russia’s Caucasus region. One team collaborates closely with local national church partners to sow the gospel in Caucasus villages and to empower discipleship movements in these areas. The other team has seen beautiful fruit among those with whome they share the gospel and do life.
THE STRATEGY
We are excited about the days ahead as we watch the discipleship relationships deepen and move toward churches planted among Russia’s unreached. We need more workers to join us to steward the new discipleship relationships that are forming. We anticipate at least one new church being established this year through our partnerships, with five new discipleship groups started.
WORKERS
9 DISCIPLES
5 TEAMS
4
2 CHURCHES
0 BIBLE STUDIES
Silk Road
THE START
For years, missionaries had prayed and worked hard to reach the nine nations of the Silk Road, but the soil was hard. Whenever we gathered, there were so few of us we could sit in a circle in a small room. Worse yet, there were even fewer people coming to Jesus.
In November 2012, we came together in Istanbul to see what the Lord would say on how we should reach the hundreds of millions across the Silk Road who had no access to the gospel. From that meeting, a new passion to plant the church in teams was born with the goal of seeing churches in every community across the Silk Road, reaching every one of the dozens of unreached people groups. Live Dead Silk Road launched in 2014 with eight teams in five nations.
THE STATE
Eleven years later, we have grown to twenty-five church planting teams in eight of our nine nations—Afghanistan being the lone exception.
THE STRATEGY
Our vision is to see churches in every community across the Silk Road. Our goal is to have 500 missionaries serving in more than sixty church planting teams by 2035 as well as to establish the Bible Institute of Turkey in conjunction with the birth of the Assemblies of God of Turkey in the next few years.
CHURCHES 2 BIBLE STUDIES 9
Southern Asia
THE START
According to church tradition, gospel workers have been present in the Indian subcontinent dating back to the apostle Thomas, just after the death of Jesus. Increasing gospel work was carried out by the Dutch and the British with the establishment of the Commonwealth.
In the last thirty years there has been a desire to establish house churches while training and equipping lay people to proclaim the gospel in every corner of Southern Asia’s 5-country area. There are sacred pathways of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam throughout the area that once hosted the Silk Route. Thankfully, many are finding a path to Jesus in this beautiful region from the peaks of the Himalayas to the idyllic ocean shores of the Maldives.
In 2019, Southern Asia considered the efforts being made by our personnel and felt there was strategic alignment with the values of Live Dead. We realized that we desire partnership and a way to allow more workers to make a home in Southern Asia and establish God’s kingdom.
THE STATE
Today, we have Live Dead workers present in four of the five countries of Southern Asia. There are five teams working with national partners. Some of our teams are seeing fruit for the first time among specific people groups that have not had access to the gospel. In the last eighteen months we have established a launch team among diaspora peoples in a nearby country to train and equip new Live Dead workers to share the gospel, make disciples, and see the church planted throughout Southern Asia.
THE STRATEGY
Over the next five years our prayer is to have two Live Dead teams present in each of our countries, allowing for more people to respond to the call to go into all the world. We are actively working to relaunch our presence in a country where we currently have no personnel, and we look forward to providing gospel access throughout the area together with strategic and national partners.
GOD'S BIGGER PLAN
When we met our friend W, a lifelong Buddhist from Southern Asia, she was married to an American and was preparing to move to the United States. When she asked why we had moved to her country, we shared that God had called us there. She was intrigued by the idea of hearing from God and wanted to know more about our faith.
Not long after, we started our home group. Before I had a chance to invite her, she eagerly asked to join, showing a deep hunger to learn about God. From the beginning, W was captivated by the Bible. Once while holding it, she said, “In Buddhism, we don’t believe in God, but I know He is real.” She downloaded the Bible app on her phone and often messaged us, saying how the daily verses spoke directly to her circumstances.
As we read Bible stories together, she wrestled with her worldview. She frequently shared how she felt torn between Buddhism and Christianity but admitted she was developing faith in God. Miracles began to unfold in her life, including her application to move to America being approved in record time.
While it is easy to feel discouraged when someone you are discipling moves away, we sensed God’s hand in her transition. We were astonished to learn her husband lived in Wisconsin, just two hours from our home.
While in America we reunited for coffee and dinner, and she shared how “impossible” things kept happening— from her quick transition to the States to the ways God was transforming her life. Before leaving her country, she had bravely told her mother she wanted to become a Christian, a significant step in an honor/shame culture. Her mother’s response, she said, “wasn’t so bad.”
In Wisconsin, W found a church, began serving, and started Christian counseling with her husband. Together, they began reading the Bible—something he had not done before. They both embraced a new life in Christ and were baptized together at their local church.
W likes to say we were the reason she got closer to God, but we know the truth: He was pursuing her long before we met. We see now that God’s plan was even bigger than we could have imagined.
His love for a man in Wisconsin was so profound that He sent two missionaries halfway across the world to meet his wife. Through her faith, both she and her husband have experienced the transformative love of Christ, and we have had the privilege of witnessing their incredible story.
LIVE DEAD SOUTHERN ASIA
GOD’S GOODNESS REVEALED IN THE HIMALAYAS
A Tibetan Buddhist nun’s day begins around 6 a.m. with the first of three prayer walks around the temple, followed by breakfast at 7. Her morning may include gardening and cooking. A vegetarian lunch is taken before noon, and her afternoon may be filled with studying, counseling, teaching, or hospital visitation. Her evening meal is light and typically consists of soup or yogurt, and her day ends with sleep by midnight.
All throughout the day, she prays. She performs “pooja,” the praise of the jewel (Buddha) and the lotus, and she repeats the six-syllable mantra, “om mani padme hum,” over and over. This mantra is considered the most powerful Buddhist mantra, keeping the devotee connected to Buddha and giving them good karma. Moonlee is Tibetan. She and her brother escaped Tibet with another family group when she was around 4 years old. They journeyed from northeast Tibet through Nepal to northern India. Moonlee became a Buddhist nun when she was 5.
Nuns and monks in any of the four Buddhist monasteries and nunneries in our community range in age from 5 to 85 and come from neighboring Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Laos. Some remain for the long term, while others only stay for a brief time, sent by their gurus to continue their studies on a certain topic. Some voluntarily join a monastery for the mostly free education and food, while others join on behalf of their family. In the Buddhist tradition, the second oldest child in the family is often given to a monastery so the family will receive good karma.
Moonlee first met our teammate “A” in December 2023 and began taking English phonetics class with her one month later. Moonlee and others attend these English lessons three to four times each week. Studies are a big part of our Tibetan friends’ daily routines. They diligently study science and Buddhist philosophy, believing that every effort they put into their studies and works brings them closer to enlightenment—that complete state when they have died to self and no longer need anyone or anything. The more they pour themselves into learning about Buddha or caring for the environment or the community, the less concern and wants they have for themselves. In these endeavors is their understanding of “dying to self.” In living such a vow of renunciation, they aim to reach nirvana and reincarnation as a monk or guru when they leave this life.
“I frequently ask my Buddhist friends: ‘First, who decides if you have enough karma when you pass, and second, how do you know if you have enough to not come back as a fly or spider?’” says A. “No one has an answer to my question. I have an answer for my belief, but they do not. All they might say is that it has been this way for generation after generation for hundreds of years. ‘This is what we do,’ they say. It is the same for the Hindus and Muslims in the community as well.”
Bridges towards the gospel are built through conversations about compassion, caring, and kindness. “Compassion is a big word among our friends,” says A. “The Dalai Lama uses this word often in his teachings. He is very much about showing kindness and compassion to all. I love to use these words that are attributes of God and fruits of the Holy Spirit in my conversations and English lessons to find out what words like love, compassion, kindness, and goodness mean to my friends and if they have ever felt these things from Buddha.” Bible stories like the Good Samaritan and Jesus healing the paralyzed man are other bridges to the gospel. “Moonlee and I have talked about the Good Samaritan and how only one person had compassion on the beaten man,” says A.
“The Scripture uses this key bridge word, compassion, which creates commonality between her and me. I can then show her how Jesus is the most compassionate. I love painting the picture of the friends digging through the roof so their friend could meet Jesus the Healer. I explain that as followers of Jesus, we get to help one another and with no work or effort of our own, but only by faith, receive healing from the Healer.” LIVE DEAD INDIA
LIVING IN FULL ASSURANCE
During our last visit to an area heavily populated by the Muslim group we focus on, we had an interesting encounter. Normally, before we start our visit, we meet as a group to pray. We then divide up into smaller groups to walk, pray, and attempt to start conversations about Jesus.
My small group walked through a courtyard to a mosque entrance (non-Muslims are not allowed inside the worship hall). We hung around the entrance for a few minutes asking God to start the first church among these friends when we noticed a man sitting near the door. We approached him and spoke for few minutes, but the conversation, while nice, did not go anywhere so we started to leave.
As we neared the door, I felt led to ask another man if he was from a certain province. He was surprised at my correct guess, which led to a great conversation about our mutual problem of sin. Muslims do not know what to do with their sin and usually hold the passive stance that only Allah knows if they will go to heaven or hell.
As we talked with him, we shared our assurance of being in heaven with Jesus forever. We asked him if he had that confidence from his faith in Allah. He confessed he had no idea about his eternal destination. As we talked about security in Christ, our new friend, who a moment ago was full of confidence, started stepping backward. At one point he stepped so far back, he ran into a bush. Now, our conversation was quite cordial, and his words did not seem defensive at all, but his body language said otherwise. There was something about the topic that challenged him. After a few more moments, his family came to get him, so we said our goodbyes. We hope to visit him in his hometown soon.
The encounter made me think: Do I really have full confidence that through the blood of Jesus I will be in the presence of God forever? What would my life look like if I really believed that I was going to heaven? The Bible says that “neither death nor life…nor any powers… will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39). Do I live like this is true? I pray for my new friend and for myself that we could find true assurance in Christ Jesus and live this life like it should be lived—full of peace, joy, love, and faith no matter what we face.
LIVE DEAD CHINESE WORLD
JESUS BUILDS THE CHURCH
Our church planting team in the Middle East is humbled and amazed to see how the Lord has moved through the formation of a house church.
We praise God for the whole families and singles that come from different Islamic backgrounds but gather to worship the living God. There is nothing perfect about this group and the believers face many challenges ranging from the normal stresses of life to full blown persecution. Nevertheless, we know that Jesus can do amazing things through a group of people like this, and we believe this is only the beginning. In the years to come, we expect to see this group multiplied beyond anything we can ask or dream. Like cellular mitosis, it starts with one cell group splitting into two, and then four, and then eight. Blink and you will have a body of Christ comprised of millions of people.
Seeing these growing believers bring other unsaved family members is worth rejoicing over. On one occasion, while visiting a family from the church, a team member and his wife, along with a precious MBB sister, took the opportunity to share with the family’s young female cousin. The following morning, we were all happily surprised to see her colorful hijab in the gathering! Their cousin loved the house church so much that she wanted to come again! That same morning, one of the single mothers brought her twin boys. After the service, nearly in tears, she said, “I thought they would hate it. They loved it so much they asked if they can come next week!”
The culmination of joy in the life of this young house church took place when four of the women were water baptized. One by one they confessed their faith in Christ and verbally renounced Islam. Fellow believers rejoiced when after one mother was baptized, she turned around and baptized her 12-year-old daughter.
It was not long after the baptisms that trouble arose, with some facing cruel acts of oppression from fathers and family members. One woman fled her abusive husband and left the country in the middle of the night with her two young children, planning never to return. Another distanced herself from the group as her fear of retribution from her family only increased as she recognized that the cost of her faith could be her children being taken away. Still and most importantly, others persevere and continue to hope in Christ; He stands by them as they stand firm in the face of poverty, persecution, and war. Jesus continues to prove himself that He will indeed build His church. LIVE DEAD ARAB
ENTHRALLED BY THE GOSPEL
We met Daliya during a time of intentional sowing. She is from a neighboring country as were her friends, so their Russian language was not great, which made it hard to hold everyone’s attention— except Daliya’s. We shared the gospel story, and she listened, enthralled the entire time. She had never heard the story of Jesus before, neither the Christian nor Islamic version. When we told her Jesus rose from the dead, her eyes widened. “Really?!?” We told her that she did not have to take our word for it, but that she could read the story herself in her language.
As her friends giggled and paid little attention, Daliya whispered, “This story is amazing, but it is so much to take in all at once. I want to hear more.” We exchanged numbers and immediately sent a video that explains the gospel to Muslims in her language. Later that day, Daliya sent us this text: “I’ve been watching this video over and over. I learn something new every time!” When we asked if she wanted to meet and discuss it, she agreed.
At our meeting we gave her a Bible in her language. “This is the greatest gift that I could ever get,” she gratefully said. Daliya had never seen a Bible and had no idea where to start. We explained the whole book and made suggestions about where to begin reading. She was so thankful to have met people who were willing to answer her questions about faith, something her Muslim friends and leaders had refused to do.
Daliya dove into Scripture, and by our next meeting she had read fifty Psalms. She brought her Bible everywhere she went and read it whenever she had a spare second. As we talked about the Psalms, Daliya showed us how she had highlighted different verses she loved and then recited some of her favorites, like Psalm 30:5: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Issues in her family had made for a difficult week, but when she read the Psalms, she found encouragement that God was always with her. In turn, we shared about the darkest days when Jesus died followed by His resurrection and read John 18–21 together. As she read, her face filled with excitement and wonder at the death and resurrection of Jesus. As we talked, she made connections to Psalms we read, particularly Psalm 22, which talks about the death of the Messiah.
At this point, we had a pivotal question for her— whether she agreed with the words we read and wanted to follow Jesus. She answered with an enthusiastic yes. Making sure she understood, we translated the following into her language. “Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God, that You died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father. I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please You.” Again, she said, “Yes, I agree with that. Is that all?” We let her know that she could pray to Jesus and accept Him in her own words, so she read what we wrote, sat in prayer for a minute, and then said amen. Afterward, she said, “I’m so excited for my new life with Jesus! Today is day zero of my new life!”
At our next meeting, despite a hard week, Daliya continued talking about her new life. “I’m like a new flower just starting to bloom. Things keep trying to attack me, but this new faith protects me.”
The first time we met Daliya, we asked how we could pray for her. She asked to pray for an oven because she missed baking. Now when she came, we decided to bake a cake together to celebrate her new life in Jesus. We also gave her a children’s Bible in her language. She held the Word so lovingly, kissing and hugging it with such sweet joy. While the cake baked, we read Acts 8 and worshiped together, followed by a conversation about baptism. We looked at Acts 8:36 in which the Ethiopian eunuch asked, “What can stand in the way of me being baptized?” We turned to Daliya and asked what would stop her. She said, “Nothing!” After an explanation of what we would do together, she was baptized
Two weeks later, the war with Ukraine began and most of our team temporarily relocated to the Southern Caucasus region. Daliya and her mother left Moscow a few months later to return to their home country. She invited us to visit her; it was an honor and privilege to be welcomed into their home. We continued our Scripture study with her and encouraged her to share and read with her family.
LIVE DEAD RUSSIA
THE IMPOSSIBLE KEY TO TURKEY
“It’s impossible! No one can work there.” We heard this line from Turkish Christians and foreign missionaries repeatedly.
The city, which is biblical Iconium, is the spiritual heart of Turkey. It is the heart of Sufi Islam and the home of the whirling dervishes. Turks say, “If you cannot make the required Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, go there!” As you walk the streets of this incredibly dark and ancient city, you cannot throw a rock without hitting the tomb of an Islamic saint or one of the former heads of global Islam. And in this modern city of two million, we could only find two strong Turkish Christians.
Yet when God called us to Turkey, He told us that this city was the key to reaching the Turks. He confirmed this later through a new team member and a Turkish brother. It was the key. But everyone else kept saying it was impossible. Visas were not given for foreigners to live there. It is the heart of Islam in Turkey—hard, dangerous, a stronghold.
We made the three-hour drive to prayer walk around the heart of the city. Within weeks, we had a request to help follow-up with Turks there who requested a New Testament online. In this impossible place, people were seeking Jesus even though there was barely any witness. During one meeting, the person we met saw our team member the night before in a dream, giving him a cross. Another day, the two meetings scheduled were both with devout Muslim men who had given up hope in Islam, were suicidal, and were checking out Jesus to see if He was real. One of the two believers in the city was raised from the dead following a heart attack! God was moving!
Over the next several months, we continued meeting with anyone who was interested. We were glad to drive three hours in the hope of a short meeting in a café. Jesus was there! Soon, we had a Turkish brother move to our city from another part of Turkey. This Spirit-filled friend was passionate about reaching his people with the gospel. He began to join us on our expeditions to the city. It was not long before he took charge of the work there, riding a train three hours each way.
Earlier this year, our friend came to our weekly meeting where we connected with our Turkish partners. He announced that afternoon that he had so many people in this key city interested in Jesus that he could not sustain the travel back and forth. He would be married in February and then in March, he and his new bride would just move there to be present full time! We were in awe at his selflessness and boldness—and we all rejoiced that God was sending a Turk to reach the impossible key to Turkey.
Nine months later, there were not just two believers in the city. Instead, the new church celebrated its first Christmas with more than sixty people! God had done the impossible.
LIVE DEAD SILK ROAD
JESUS ALWAYS SEES YOU
Jeff, a team member, met a young man named Yoni while playing basketball with some local guys in his neighborhood. Yoni quickly told Jeff that he was crazy for believing in God as he only believed in science and in what he could see. The two men enjoyed some good back-and-forth conversations, and Yoni listened as Jeff shared his faith in Jesus.
Through the course of their conversation, Yoni told Jeff he coached a girls’ basketball team in the city, and once Yoni discovered that Jeff had four daughters, he excitedly gave a personal invitation for them to join one of his teams. Jeff’s two younger daughters joined Yoni’s team soon after, and they began practicing with Yoni twice a week until he was called up from the reserves to serve with the IDF (Israel Defense Force) in Gaza. Yoni put an interim coach in place to fill in during his absence.
Several months later, Yoni announced he had returned from the war and that he would be at the next girls’ practice, so Jeff made sure to take his daughters to practice that evening. Jeff even made a point to go inside the gym, so he could welcome Yoni back. When Yoni saw Jeff across the gym, he immediately came up and gave him a hug, and asked Jeff if he had time to talk for a few minutes.
Jeff followed Yoni to a corner of the gym where he pulled two chairs close together. Ignoring the constant interruptions from the kids warming up for practice and the parents wanting to chat, Yoni was intent in only talking with Jeff for a few minutes. In
their conversation Yoni explained that he was only allowed a brief break to return home before he was required to report back for military duty. Yoni told Jeff, “I’m done fighting. I was not meant to be a fighter.” Yoni hated having to fight in Gaza and seeing all the destruction of war. He was contemplating fleeing Israel so that he would not have to return to Gaza. Yoni wanted Jeff’s advice.
Jeff saw this as a moment to share about praying to Jesus—how the only he knew to do when he had no idea what to do was to pray to the Lord. Yoni listened intently as Jeff encouraged him. “It doesn’t matter what time of day you pray or what direction you face or even how you talk to Jesus—Jesus always sees you, knows you, loves you, and has a plan for you, if you, Yoni, would just reach out to Him.”
Yoni chose to leave the country a few weeks after their conversation but remains in close contact with Jeff.
LIVE DEAD ORIGINS
about another young man who came and sang at a couple of open mic nights last year. “He is now one of the community’s voice and harmonium teachers and is a tight part of Chaitown Community. He is also on the way,” she says.
Another young woman asked to interview Beth. “Instead, I invited her to an open mic setting because I’m not Chaitown—the community of friends is Chaitown. I may have been a spark, but the flames have spread way beyond that.” Today, this young woman regularly participates in events and often volunteers. She is becoming close friends with Jesus followers. “She is a gifted writer and storyteller and often presents stories at open mics,” says Beth. “She spent three days with me over Christmas and has been so impacted. We believe that one day very soon her heart will be fully loyal to Jesus.”
“In this community we open more than our homes—we open our lives and hearts and time to people,” says Beth. “This is hospitality through creativity. We share deep and beautiful things with each other, things that might be scary to share, and we do that through creative settings like music, writing, dance, photography, and videography. We are walking with people as they learn to bring these ideas out of themselves. Sometimes what comes out is ugly or dark, but as we walk through it with them, we begin to see good coming out.”
MUHAMMED’S BEAUTIFUL TESTIMONY
Our friend Muhammed is a Muslim background believer from Pakistan who has endured immense persecution for his faith. When he stopped going to the mosque, performing daily prayers, and observing other Islamic practices, his family turned against him. It is believed they even hired people to kill him. One day, he was pulled into a van, brutally beaten, and they attempted to slit his throat. But by God’s incredible grace, he survived.
Despite this miraculous deliverance, life remained challenging. As a Muslim background believer, Muhammed found little support from churches in Pakistan. Many saw him as a dangerous liability, fearing the risks associated with his conversion. Facing isolation and danger, God opened the door for him to apply for refugee status in our country. He arrived one year after we had moved there.
When we met Muhammed, he immediately joined our home Bible study. From the start, he was a testimony to God’s love and power. His story deeply impacted everyone in our group, our Muslim friends. Muhammed boldly shared how Jesus’ character drew him to Christ and how Islam, far from being a religion of peace, had left him searching for the truth. His courage and faith did not drive people away—instead, they admired and respected him.
One of the most joyful moments came on his birthday, when Muhammed was baptized during our group. The celebration was filled with contagious joy, a beautiful testament to his new life in Christ. Not long after, during another gathering, he shared with tears streaming down his face that he had experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit in his own home—God was clearly working directly in Muhammed’s life.
Today, Muhammed leads a weekly Bible study group. His leadership has been an inspiration to us and everyone involved. His boldness and faithfulness continue to encourage the group, and his testimony serves as a powerful witness to both believers and seekers.
Looking back, we still marvel at how God brought Muhammed into our lives during one of our darkest seasons. When we felt weary and discouraged, God sent him to uplift and inspire us. Colaboring with him in ministry has been an honor and privilege.
Muhammed’s journey is a testament to God’s grace, protection, and transformative power. Despite unimaginable hardships, his faith shines brightly, drawing others toward the love of Christ. We continue to praise God for His faithfulness in Muhammed’s life and the incredible impact he is having on those around him.
CHRISTMAS BAPTISM
When we first shared the gospel with Masha, she said it was different than anything she had ever heard before, but she noted that she was an atheist and was uninterested in talking any further. We stayed in touch and continued to invite her to read. Eventually, she replied: “Would it be okay if I just observed your Bible study?” As a team, we talked about how Jesus was always inviting people to participate in the Kingdom, not just observe, so we replied that we would love to study together, believing the Holy Spirit would work through the Word.
Together we read the story of the prodigal son. We thought Masha had likely heard it before, but as we finished reading, she was wiping away tears. Taking a minute to compose herself, she said, “I’m surprised this kind of story is in the Bible. Since childhood, all I heard from my religious relatives was about punishment and fear, but in this story the Father is so forgiving.”
Throughout the discussion that followed, Masha remained deeply and emotionally engaged, even adding insights that my teammate and I hadn’t thought about. The Spirit was moving, and her language about “just observing” had disappeared. After praying together, we asked Masha pointedly if she believed in God. She answered honestly, “No. I just can’t wrap my head around the concept of God.” However, when we asked if she wanted to read with us again, she agreed and downloaded the Bible app to her phone then and there.
After a couple weeks of reading together, Masha brought her friend Sveta with her. Masha told us about an episode of depression she faced that week, but how as she thought about God, she felt peace. As we shared the ways we experience God, Masha realized her experiences were similar and exclaimed, “Congratulate me! I’ve experienced God, too!” As we began to read the Word, Sveta had a lot of questions
about Romans. Rather than offering answers, we encouraged Masha, “What do you think? How would you explain it?”
Right then, Masha began explaining the truths of the gospel to Sveta herself! To which Sveta pointedly asked, “How do I believe in Jesus?” Masha explained that to believe in Jesus is to accept Him.
At the end, we invited God to speak to us. After two minutes of silence, Masha smiled and wiped away tears. “I feel so much peace. It’s like I never had depression!” We led them in the prayer of repentance with Masha clearly repeating every word. We then asked her, “Can we now call you a daughter of God, too?”
She answered, “Yes!”
We talked about baptism with her a few times, but she did not understand how she could be baptized a second time, since she was baptized as an infant in the Orthodox Church. But just a couple weeks after receiving Jesus, she came to our weekly study with Sveta and giddily announced that she wanted to celebrate her first Christmas as a believer by being baptized!
When we gathered on Christmas Eve, Masha was ready for baptism. It was exciting to hear her talk about how Jesus had changed her. As she shared, she was certain that she never wanted to go back to life before Jesus. She talked about how God had worked all the details in her life perfectly to bring her to himself at this time. When she came up from the water, her first words were “Dang, that was awesome!”
HER NAME MEANS PEACE
I have known Salema and her family for nearly two years. They are Muslims who moved to the city more than a decade ago to open their own business. Her family owns a small counter in the meat market that sells halel meat. Their day starts at 2 a.m. with customers arriving between 4 and 5 a.m.
During our walks through the market, I often stop at Salema’s shop to talk with her. One particular day, we arrived later than usual when the market was not as busy. There were a few customers at her counter when I stopped by. We had a short conversation and I was about to leave when I noticed that all the customers had left and she was free. I stopped for a moment, and she invited me in her shop to sit. I happily accepted the offer, and we proceeded to sit and talk for over an hour. This was the longest conversation we had ever had!
As we talked, she shared about some of her people’s traditions. I learned that each person typically has two names—their official name and their Muslim name that the imam gives them soon after birth. Her name given to her by the imam is Salema. It reminded me of a scripture, so I told her that her name means “peace” and shared: “This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means ‘king of righteousness’; then also, ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace’ (Heb. 7:1–2).
I also shared that my name means “resurrected” and that it gives me hope. On the day we sat and talked, many things went wrong for me, but this conversation with Salema brought joy to my heart. I do not often succeed having conversations at the meat market, but that day I thought that perhaps someone prayed for this people group, and the Father faithfully answered the prayer through this special meeting.
Continue to pray for this transient people group that come to our city in search of work and hopefully finding Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
LIVE DEAD CHINESE WORLD
