Witness - Spring 2017

mbmission.org

Spring 2017

one mission L O C A L N AT I O N A L G L O B A L

Witness Spring 2017

Contents Editorial: One Mission: Local....................................2 New Day....................................................................4

ONE MISSION: LOCAL EDITORIAL

Among the Homeless...............................................6 Connections..............................................................8 Me and My House...................................................10 When We Are Weak...............................................12 ICOMB Consultation...............................................13 Helen’s House.........................................................14

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Staff Editor-in-Chief......................................Randy Friesen Managing Editor............................... Mark JH Klassen Layout & Design.................................. Darcy Scholes Illustration & Design............................. Colton Floris Media Team Lead.................................Larry Neufeld Circulation & Administration.................Ann Zauner

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Holistic church planting that transforms communities among the least reached.

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I love what my friend, Mark Wessner, from Westwood Church in Prince George, B.C., recently told me about how sponsoring a family from Syria impacted his church.

He said, “We entered into the sponsorship excited about what we could give to this refugee family, but we quickly discovered that it was more about what we would receive from them.”

On their way to Canada, this Syrian family had endured three years of extreme poverty as refugees in Lebanon during which time they cried out to God for every need and challenge. In that season of desperate need, their faith in Jesus was tested and their lives were transformed.

When they finally arrived in Prince George, this family was fully engaged in living on mission with Jesus and displayed an amazing commitment to sharing the Gospel with their new community. Their love for prayer and their example of radical generosity, hospitality and capacity to welcome strangers had a huge impact on Westwood Church and the surrounding community.

Stories like this challenge us to re-think global mission. In the West, we have traditionally thought of non-Western countries as the mission field.

That kind of thinking is out of date. Now, we are the mission field! Syrians are coming to North America to preach the Gospel to us.

God’s mission is to mobilize local expressions of the Gospel in contexts all over the world.

In his mercy, God is humbling us by reminding us that we both give and receive in mission. It is this humility that authenticates the Gospel. Each one of us as messengers of the Gospel needs also to receive the love, kindness and resources of others.

When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman, “Will you give me a drink?”

(John 4:7), he exposed his need and made himself vulnerable to a woman with a questionable reputation. But it was this vulnerability that opened her heart to a conversation about her thirst for living water and desire for inner wholeness.

Similarly, Jesus asked his disciples to make themselves vulnerable to others when he told them to go out on their short-term mission with no money, no bag and not even sandals with them (Luke 10:1-7). They were to receive hospitality graciously and discern the people of peace who would welcome them.

The power dynamics of our relationships change drastically when we embrace vulnerability and make ourselves dependent on God and others. If we can learn this kingdom principle in local mission, we have a better chance of bringing this humility into our global crosscultural interactions.

God’s mission is to mobilize local expressions of the Gospel in contexts all over the world. As we think about local mission, here are a few other principles to consider: • God is already at work where we are going. It’s essential that all of our global mission strategies begin with this simple realization. It’s our job to pay close attention to the existing expressions of local mission. Our first responsibility is to understand and cooperate with this witness wherever possible.

• Mission is the responsibility of every Christ follower.

Mission is not a location, it’s a way of life. Living on mission with Jesus is part of our discipleship responsibility; the mission begins when we surrender our lives to him. The Holy Spirit is empowering us to love our neighbors and our enemies and to point everyone we meet to Jesus. No one is exempt from mission. Just because we don’t get on a plane and travel to some distant land doesn’t mean that we aren’t on mission wherever we are.

• The local church is God’s strategy for mission. There is no plan B. Jesus is building his Church and there is no shortage of work to do. We need to wake up and get to work on the task at hand. My friend Nasser comes from a Muslim background and he shared with me a vivid dream he had on a recent mission trip. In the dream, Jesus said there was no shortage of work in his kingdom and that it was time for Nasser to wake up. That dream changed everything for Nasser.

Are we engaged in mission through our local church? Are we making an impact on our communities, schools, and businesses? If our churches were to suddenly disappear, would the community notice?

I’m convinced that our vision for one mission – local, national and global – is God’s heart for the Church. When this mission becomes central to our lives and churches, the world will see Jesus. In this issue of Witness, we will be sharing stories of local mission from both here and around the world. Enjoy, and engage!

Randy Friesen General Director

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NEW DAY ASIA

by Mark J.H. Klassen

The Gospel has been among this people group in Asia for over 150 years, but the people have remained resistant to it. It has been a long season of breaking up hard ground and sowing seeds.

But something happened in the region about twenty-five years ago that changed everything – some seeds were planted in good soil – and today, our workers are involved in reaping the harvest.

It all started when someone’s boat broke down.

The boat belonged to a team of scientists. In one of the most creative attempts to access this area, this group of scientists, all committed followers of Jesus, set out on an expedition to find the source of one of Asia’s largest rivers.

While navigating the river in the remote highlands, their boat broke down. They were stranded.

Providentially, the scientists were rescued by a caring group of locals.

In gratitude, the team of scientists felt that they owed their lives to their rescuers, and they wanted to give back. They entered into dialogue with these people about local needs and, in the years that followed, they became involved in a wide variety of practical efforts to bring medical aid, economic development, and educational programs to the region.

The locals were grateful. Gradually, the scientists built strong friendships with community leaders, including the leader of the Buddhist monastery in the area, a man who was referred to as a Living Buddha. This man showed deep appreciation for the sincere efforts of the scientists and began to reflect on Christ and Christianity, so much so that he had an idea to invite these Christians to send short-term teams to help train young monks and nuns in English, to give his future leaders an awareness of the teachings of Christ.

For several years, the scientists arranged for teams to visit this remote village to educate these young monks and

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nuns and expose them to the Gospel. But this past year, the leader of the monastery proposed a new idea: instead of teams going into the remote region, why not send the young students to the city where he knew other foreigners who could also teach the way of Christ.

Our workers were among those “other” foreigners. In fact, one of the young families on the team had hosted this Living Buddha on occasion while he was in the city receiving medical attention. By simply showing him love and hospitality, they had earned his respect and trust.

Still, our workers were amazed at the Buddhist leader’s proposal. It came at a time when a number of them were on the verge of giving up. They had been in the region for almost twenty years, faithfully engaged in the hard work of this season without seeing much fruit. They had poured their lives into concerted prayer, building friendships, and sharing their faith in Jesus. Exhausted and sometimes frustrated, they had wondered if things would ever change.

For our team, the invitation to teach the Bible to young Buddhists was unprecedented and almost unbelievable.

Suddenly, the future for this people group looked very different. And today, in this isolated region, dreams are coming true for Gospel workers that thrill their hearts.

When the group of fourteen young monks and nuns finally arrived into the city for their training in Christianity, these workers, along with an ad hoc team of Christ-followers, received them with open arms and gave themselves to this unique opportunity to impart the Gospel to a keen group of young people.

During the following four weeks, the Buddhist students gathered each morning and began their day with praise songs to Jesus in their own native language. Many of the songs were based on tunes that they already knew, so they learned the new words fast and sang loud.

After singing, the sessions focused on Bible learning. The workers decided to use an oral approach and planned to teach eighteen different stories that would give the students a well-rounded understanding of the Gospel, beginning with the story of creation and ending with the growth of the early church.

Every story was read and re-read in the national language, and then in the various dialects that were represented in the room. Each story would be retold while some of the students acted it out. Often, the main events of the stories were sketched out in notebooks to aid memory. The students participated wholeheartedly and learned to tell the stories themselves.

Each new session began with an interactive review of the previous day’s stories. Each session ended with a time of reflection and discussion on what the stories taught about humanity and about God. Questions were always encouraged. Most of the time, the question would be turned back to the students, first to discuss in small groups, and then to share answers with the larger group.

The teachers had to resist the urge to give answers and rather to let the students reflect on the stories and come up with their own answers.

Occasionally, the Buddhist leader would drop in on the classes. When he entered the room, everyone would stop what they were doing and stand up to honour him.

After he sat down, everyone else would sit and wait for him to speak. They gave him such respect and reverence.

The monks and nuns also honoured their leader by being committed to their studies.

Aside from Bible storying, the students were also helped to upgrade their national language skills and to learn some English. There were even sessions on primary health care. Weekends were filled with activities, some at local

parks and some at small fellowships of local believers.

Two separate dormitories were set up for the students and believers volunteered to live with them, allowing further opportunity to demonstrate the love of Jesus.

By the end of the month’s training, all of the students were impacted not only by the teaching but by the hospitality of their hosts and the practical modeling of Christ’s love.

All of them left the city with a clearer understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus. For at least one of the students, that was not enough. By the end of the training, he decided to become a follower of Jesus. Others are also in the midst of considering this path.

For the Buddhist leader, this was completely acceptable.

He wanted those young people to learn in sincerity and be free to choose their own path. In his own experience of Christian love, he was also impacted by the practical benefit, although he himself had not yet chosen to forsake all and follow Jesus. Though the workers believed that that also was possible, since they had already seen other mountains moved.

It was a new day for the work of the Gospel in this region.

God had opened a door that no one could shut. Each of the workers involved in this opportunity was refreshed and encouraged.

As the initial group of fourteen finished their training and left the city, the Buddhist leader was talking about sending another group to the city to be immersed in the message of the Gospel.

PRAY Please ask God to keep the door open to this amazing opportunity so that many more young Buddhists can hear the message of the Gospel.

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AMONG THE HOMELESS JAPAN

by Cory Giesbrecht It began about thirteen years ago in Winnipeg. My older sister, Stephanie, had started living downtown with a group of Christ-followers who were intentionally building community with the poor. My wife, Masami, and I were fascinated, and eventually we moved into the same neighbourhood. During the next while, we watched the growth of a movement in Winnipeg that became a network of house churches known as Many Rooms Church Community.

That experience changed us. Living and ministering downtown transformed our attitudes toward people who were surrounded by poverty, crime, violence, addiction, mental illness and discrimination. God gave us compassion.

Then God called us to Japan. It was a very dramatic experience for us with many risks and rewards along the way, but we trusted in God’s faithfulness. When we arrived in Osaka two years ago, we wondered about how our experience in downtown Winnipeg would affect our ministry in Asia.

Within months, I met an elderly woman on the street who invited me to a prayer meeting at a church from another denomination. Sensing the leading of the Holy Spirit, I went several times to the meeting and eventually met the pastor who invited us to join him as he served among the homeless in Osaka.

We saw Jesus at work and we found some unexpected partners.

Since then, Masami and I not only took every opportunity to serve alongside this pastor and support his church’s ministry among the homeless, but we have also introduced our brothers and sisters from the Ishibashi MB church to the work.

In the ensuing months, we brought church members to help out at the soup kitchen and to do street evangelism. We brought a group of young people to learn about poverty issues in Osaka and another group to work in the earthquake6 | witness

affected area in Kumamoto. We saw Jesus at work within us and within our church community, and we found some unexpected partners along the way.

• Toshiko is a woman in her sixties from our Ishibashi church family. She has an amazing story about how she overcame a life of poverty, abuse and addiction.

Recently, she wrote out her testimony and started giving out copies to people on the streets. Many of the homeless have identified with Toshiko’s struggles and been impacted by her simple faith and humility. She is an example of Jesus’ saying, “The last will become first.” Although she may not be recognized as a leader in the church, Toshiko’s faith and courage are the envy of even the strongest among us.

• Ryu also joined us, a man who came from a background in the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia.

Although his past was filled with pain and brokenness, he found healing through Jesus. After hearing the Gospel in prison, Ryu’s life was changed forever and, when he was released, he began to serve others in the inner city. Although he still suffered from flashbacks to his violent past, Ryu said that the only thing that helps him fall asleep at night is singing his favorite worship song. God has used Ryu to bring hope to many others.

• Ayako, another woman from the Ishibashi church, recently brought a non-Christian friend downtown to work with the poor. When they first arrived at the soup kitchen, they were afraid to go inside because everyone working looked like street people – even the volunteers! But slowly they overcame their surprise and began joining in with preparing food and

distributing it at a nearby park. As well, when they were invited to stay for lunch, they questioned whether the food was actually safe to eat! Despite these initial hurdles, Ayako and her friend have showed interest in being involved on an ongoing basis – a clear sign to me that Jesus has worked in their hearts.

Alongside people like Ayako, Ryu, and Toshiko, we have been learning and serving. Together we have helped each other become more aware of the needs around us and more like Christ in his love and compassion.

I learned more in that one night than I could have in months of ministry.

Just recently, I felt prompted to take another step – to spend a cold night on the street with the homeless. I wasn’t sure why God was calling me to do this, but it became very clear afterward. I learned more in that one night than I could have in months of ministry. I identified with the homeless in a way that I hadn’t before, and I came away from that experience with a clear conviction that I was a member of two communities – one rich and one poor – and I was called to bring reconciliation between them. The two communities have very different needs. I wanted to help the poor see their wealth and help the rich to see their poverty.

I know that I will not eliminate poverty in Japan, but I hope to see more Jesus-followers in Japan better equipped to engage a needy world and thereby to be a part of God’s transforming work in this nation.

Cory with some of his new friends in downtown Osaka mbmission.org | 7

connections

by AK

PAUSE

REWIND

I’m sitting in a train station in Paris, watching the trains come and go, and thousands of people on their way to make their connections at offices, airports, shops, churches, mosques, and homes. Most of my friends in this city are Muslims. In fact, I live not far from the largest mosque in all of Europe.

But I wish more of these friends of mine knew Jesus.

Two years ago, I met a man in Paris named Nasser. He was born and raised as a strict Muslim in Saudi Arabia. But as a young adult he came to know Jesus and was living in the US. He came to Paris to encourage us in our ministry among Muslims.

That has been my purpose in being here. I pray that God would work in the hearts of my friends, to open their eyes to see Jesus for who he really is, to water the seeds of faith that have been planted.

At times, I’ve been discouraged in my work, humbled, even rejected. I’ve desired to see spiritual growth sprouting up in the lives of my friends, but saw nothing. At least, nothing that I could see.

I’ve learned to celebrate small victories: a prayer, a Bible received, a conversation with someone who actually listened as I explained who Jesus said he was. But I often hoped for more. Much more.

Recently, I caught a glimpse of what “much more” could look like.

Nasser openly shares his story of conversion from the strongholds of Islam and the freedom he now walks in to proclaim truth to his people. Although he lives currently in America, there are no limits to how the Spirit uses him to encourage brothers and sisters around the world, myself being one. Nasser’s story conveys the hope that our Father has much more in store, more than we could ask or imagine.

FAST FORWARD Six months ago, I met another man in Paris named Tyler, a young American who was on his way to Saudi Arabia.

It wasn’t his first time to the Middle East. In fact, Tyler was already fluent in Arabic after spending time there in the recent past. He was thirsty to go back, to share the hope he had discovered with people he had grown to

love, a love that had been growing in Tyler’s heart ever since his family had hosted students from the Middle East when he was younger.

However, after four months in the Middle East, Tyler was frustrated. He sent me a message explaining that his experience had not been what he expected. For some reason, he ended up moving to a different city where he had no contacts. He felt disconnected and discouraged. He needed someone to talk to.

I immediately thought of Nasser. Could he possibly be of help in this situation? I couldn’t think of anyone else that loved his people the way that he did.

When I contacted Nasser at his home in Kansas, he thought of Abe, a man like him who was from Saudi Arabia but had heard the Gospel while on scholarship at a university in the US and became a follower of Jesus. Abe had recently returned home, which happened to be in the very city where Tyler had moved.

Within days, Nasser and Tyler were talking on the phone.

Nasser gave Tyler Abe’s contact information, and the two men were able to meet.

Far away from Paris and Kansas, Tyler and Abe shared a meal together and shared their hearts. Tyler was amazed to hear about the courage and boldness that God had given Abe to speak with his family and his company about his faith in Jesus, which potentially put his scholarship in jeopardy. But Abe shared more about how God had been faithful to him and that the laws governing the scholarship grant could not be revoked. Tyler was encouraged and once again filled with boldness to share his own story with others in this city. Before they parted, the two young believers prayed for one another.

PLAY I am amazed at these connections. As I watch the trains and people leaving from the station in Paris, my heart is encouraged, knowing that God is with Tyler in Saudi Arabia, with Abe and Nasser back in the US, and with me here. God is writing a beautiful story of our lives. He is the Author who makes all things possible, the One who weaves storylines across borders and time zones, the One who gives us friends and names to pass on to others so that connections can be made and people in faraway places can come to know him.

ME AND MY HOUSE LAOS-USA

By SW

My first house was a grass hut, deep in the jungles of Laos where the sun did not shine.

The same man invited me to a Bible study to read God’s Word. I asked him, “Does God have words?”

My mother died only a few weeks after giving birth to me, and my father left in the war. I grew up in a remote Khmu village with my grandparents and ten other families, scratching out a living with our chickens and pigs. It was all I knew, yet somehow by age ten I found myself declaring, “I need an education.” So I took ten chickens and two pigs, and headed to the big city to sell them.

A few days later, I was playing soccer in a field, and a girl called out to me, “Come to my house to eat with me and my parents.”

In the big city, I saw cars for the first time, and wondered why they were so sad, crying “Beep - beep” when I crossed in front of them. And how did they get the little people inside the magic box, the one they called “radio”? It was all very strange. I decided to leave that city, and swam across the river into Thailand.

My next house was a refugee camp.

By age twelve I had joined a gang; there was not much else for me to do. We would sneak out at night to the villages and kick-box for money.

One afternoon in the camp, I was asked if I wanted to see a movie. I had no idea what a movie was, but I went anyway.

The movie was about a man named Jesus, who seemed to be a loser; he was caught by his enemies and killed. In the gang, I learned that you should never get caught.

The movie was about a man named Jesus, who seemed to be a loser.

At the movie, I was invited to go to church the next morning.

There was free soymilk and cookies, and I liked the music.

But the man who invited me sat right beside me and put his arm around me and said, “Thank you, brother, for coming.” I thought in my mind, “When did I become your brother?”

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I went, because they were also Khmu, like me. And more free food sounded good! I found out that this family was immigrating to America. I had dreamed about leaving, but I was an orphan and had no money and no one to sponsor me.

So I asked them, “Can I go with you?”

The man looked thoughtful, and then he responded, “Yes, okay. But at the Consulate, we must tell them that you are my nephew. And once we are in America, you are on your own.”

At the Consulate, they knew I wasn’t his nephew, but they let me go anyway.

When I arrived in Oklahoma, I was shocked. I had expected to build a hut and hunt in the jungles, but it was nothing like I expected. I felt lost and confused.

When we went to the church, there was a wall with photos of all the different refugees they had sponsored. As I looked at the photos, I saw someone I recognized. It was a friend of mine from Laos, and I found out that he was living in North Carolina. So I told everyone that I was going to walk there, and they laughed at me. But somehow I made it anyway, and I moved into his house.

There were twelve of us living together, crowded into one living room with mattresses all over the floor. I had a sheet that I spread out at night, right behind the door. There were drugs and alcohol everywhere, and I had only one set of clothes that I washed every night.

At that point, I understood almost no English, but I was still determined to go to school. Every day, I would walk five miles in my sandals to go to my classes. I did not know

about buses or free lunches, so I spent the lunch hour sitting on the steps of the school. I was so hungry.

One day, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see a beautiful lady peering into my eyes with deep concern.

“Son,” she said, “what is the matter with you?”

“Nothing,” I said, “I’m just hungry.”

She grabbed my arm, pulled me to the cafeteria and fed me hotdogs. I didn’t know why she was doing that for me.

After that, she came every day to find me. I found out that she worked in the school system. I didn’t understand why she cared about me. She kept asking about where I lived. At times, I wondered if she would take me somewhere and sell me.

One day, while I was walking, she drove up to me and pulled me into her car. She demanded that I show her the house where I lived. I felt ashamed as she saw how I lived inside that house. She just cried and cried. Then she left without me, and drove away very fast. I wondered if I had made her mad.

A few days later, the school counselor called me into his office. I thought I was in trouble. But the lady was there, smiling. “Son”, she said, “you are coming to live in my house. You are my boy now.”

From that day on, everything changed for me. I heard the Gospel again, but this time I understood it. This time, I understood that Jesus was not a loser, but that he chose to die

for me so that I could be forgiven, even though I didn’t deserve it. Just like I didn’t deserve to be loved and adopted by this lady. It was called grace, and my new house was full of it.

As I lived with this lady in her house and saw the Gospel lived out, I kept thinking of the grass hut in the jungle. I knew I needed to go back there someday. I needed to tell my grandmother and grandfather and all the people there about Jesus.

It was called grace, and my new house was full of it.

So today, with my wife and children, I am going back to Southeast Asia to share the Gospel with the Khmu people.

Just like Joshua, I am saying, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

GIVE If you were touched by SW’s testimony, please consider supporting him and his family financially. Go to mbmission.org/new-workers. To learn more, please contact the MB Mission Mobilizer in your region and ask about our ongoing work in Southeast Asia.

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WHEN WE ARE WEAK LITHUANIA

by Dana Krenz, TREK

A few days ago, our host here in Lithuania told us that his father passed away. In our weekly meeting, we cried together and mourned with our friend. It was a precious time of fellowship and prayer. Together we read the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But God said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

We reminded each other that it was okay to feel weak before God. In fact, it is when we are weak that God can work best in us.

From there, we went to the soup kitchen where we went on a weekly basis to give out food to the homeless, many of whom struggled with addictions. After serving the meal, a couple of us decided to stay for the Bible study.

When we arrived, we were told that there was no one to lead the Bible study, and we were asked if we would

be willing. We quickly prayed and asked God to give us wisdom. Immediately, we felt that we should give people the freedom to share their stories. We also decided to read the passage from 2 Corinthians 12:9 and remind everyone that God comes with his power and fills us when we don’t have the strength in ourselves.

We were amazed at the response – for one hour people opened their hearts to us and shared stories of abandonment, loss, brokenness, and illness.

After the sharing, we prayed together. In our weakness and vulnerability, God met us as a group, and we were all strengthened by God and filled with gratitude.

Afterward, there were so many hugs and kisses.

However, our day didn’t end there. After the Bible study, even more people came to share their stories and to receive prayer. One of the workers at the soup kitchen introduced us to a young man who wanted to give his life to Jesus. He shared his story with us and we prayed for him. We felt honoured to harvest the fruit of the work of so many others at the soup kitchen who had faithfully sown seeds into this young man’s life.

If that was not enough, we also prayed for two women at the soup kitchen who wanted healing, and one of them was instantly healed from the pain in her ear!

What an amazing day! We were so thankful to God. When we are weak, he is strong!

GO Dana (second from left) is from Germany and joined TREKBC in the Fall of 2016. She and her TREK teammates went to Lithuania for their six-month assignment.

Consider spending 8-10 months with other disciples of Jesus who are eager to lay down their lives and follow him. For more information, go to mbmission.org/TREK

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The Church on Mission thailand 2017

“The consultation was a little piece of heaven with so many nations worshipping God together, and a clear reminder that our Anabaptist distinctive of peace and reconciliation is desperately needed in our world today.” ~ Karen Huebert-Sanchez, Thailand “It was humbling and emotional for me to see the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters around the world who are giving their lives so that others may hear the Gospel.” ~ Galen Wiest, USA

In early March, representatives of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) gathered in Chonburi, Thailand for a consultation focused on prayer and mission.

More than 200 people attended, representing 36 different countries, which included 21 established MB Conferences and 17 emerging networks. The latter represent regions where MB Mission is partnering with local churches that are on a journey of discovering what it means to be a part of the global MB family. For many of them, this consultation helped secure their desire to walk more closely with their MB brothers and sisters. For the rest of the participants, the stories and testimonies from these new fields were some of the most inspiring and enriching.

“I saw a powerful truth happening right in front of my eyes as I got to pray with brothers and sisters from all over the world: ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.’ It was my most precious takeaway.” ~ Lori Nickel, Canada “It was such a great beginning – let’s continue to work on building strong relationships and engaging in deep thinking.” ~ Robert Thiessen, Mexico “With people from all over the world gathered together in worship and fellowship, it was a foretaste of heaven – delivered with the intensity of a firehose!” ~ Richard Funk, Austria “I was repeatedly struck by how important it is for the global Church to spend time together, to challenge our biases and expose our blind spots so we can remain faithful to the Gospel.” ~ Randy Friesen, Canada “I was inspired by the call to peace and reconciliation.” ~ Doug Hiebert, Burundi

HELEN’S HOUSE CANADA

by George Folz

Her reputation preceded her. Long before I met Helen (not her real name), I had heard about her generous heart, her sharp business mind, and her passion for the work of the Gospel around the world.

After a successful career in nursing, Helen had continued to work with her sister in various business pursuits, including the acquisition of several properties. The two women, both single and in their eighties, had talked at length about their legacy and how they would continue to invest in mission projects overseas. They decided to make MB Mission one of their beneficiaries.

When her sister passed away recently, Helen was more determined than ever to honour her sister’s desire to give generously.

In August 2016, I became aware of Helen’s plan to donate one of her houses to MB Mission. She and her sister had imagined that the house could be used for accommodating missionaries on home assignment or in training.

It seemed like a good idea. Obviously, it was a very generous proposal.

At that point, I was asked to enter into conversation with Helen about how to proceed. On the phone, I asked her about how she saw the property being used. Because it was an older house, we talked about the possibility of either renovating or demolishing and rebuilding. I was impressed with her keen understanding of issues related to property use and development.

However, as I discussed the idea with others at MB Mission, we began to wonder about the actual need for such a facility. As we investigated further with several other organizations in the area and offered to partner with them in this venture, it became evident that the potential was quite minimal. There was simply little need and no mandate for a house solely designated for returning missionaries or mission candidates.

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As we considered the options, one of the issues was that Helen and her sister had contended for a “no sell” condition to the use of the property. They had been quite specific about wanting to see the house used for mission-related work locally. Since we wanted to honour their intent and we did not see how MB Mission could use the property under that condition, we decided to turn down the offer.

However, before we communicated that with Helen, I started brainstorming in another direction. We were so appreciative of Helen’s desire to make a local investment in global mission that we wondered if there was another way to engage this opportunity. Along with the MB Mission Lead Team, I started thinking about projects around the world where local church leaders had envisioned facilities for mission housing and training. Immediately, we thought about specific places in Asia and Africa. Inspired by the possibilities, we contacted some of the leaders in those places and asked more questions about their specific needs.

Within days, I contacted Helen and asked her if we could submit another proposal. She gladly agreed.

With the help of our media team, we put together some material that described opportunities in four different countries in Africa and Asia, including India. In each location, we had long-term workers who were partnering closely with local leaders to organize training for evangelists and church planters. In all four contexts, there was a growing need for facilities to host the training and house the participants.

As we projected the approximate costs of building these four different facilities, it was very close to the estimated value of Helen’s property.

In early December 2016, I met Helen in person for the first time. We had arranged to meet at a restaurant near her home. She was accompanied by her accountant who had also been her longtime advisor in various financial matters.

After some explanation of the difficulties in using the property according to their original intent, I proposed the idea of selling the house and using the proceeds to invest in four specific mission-training opportunities overseas.

Both Helen and her accountant were very engaged in the conversation. They listened carefully, asked great questions and interacted with the various ideas. We prayed together before parting and committed ourselves to listen for God’s guidance in the days ahead.

The following week, I received a call from Helen saying that she was ready to move forward with our proposal. She was especially excited about the prospect of investing in India.

Her one stipulation was that the transfer of property be completed in the calendar year of 2016. We gladly agreed.

Immediately, we began to make the legal arrangements for the transfer. With Christmas fast approaching, the time was tight. We knew that we had only ten business days to complete the work.

However, I was promptly told by our legal counsel that MB Mission could not take ownership of the property because we were federally registered, not provincially. And the re-registration process would take much longer than ten days. We desperately tried to find a provincially-registered organization that would take ownership for us, but we met one obstacle after another.

I didn’t know what the repercussions would be, but I was ready to give up and tell Helen that we couldn’t get the deal done in 2016. But before I could call off the legal signing that was scheduled for the next day, I received a phone call from the lawyer.

“George,” he said to me, “you are not going to believe this, but I just got a call from the government authority looking after transfers and they have decided to give MB Mission special permission to take ownership of the property without provincial registration.”

I was amazed. We were all amazed. It was amazing grace, and in the eleventh hour!

If that wasn’t enough, less than an hour later I received another call – this time directly from the government office. Although our non-profit status exempted us from paying

the property transfer tax of $9,000.00, if our intent was to liquidate the asset within two years then we would be required to pay it. We were fully prepared to do so. However, the call was simply to let us know that they were waiving the tax, regardless of our intent to sell. We couldn’t believe our ears! I personally called the office back to express our gratitude and to ask if they believed in Christmas miracles, because we had just witnessed two in less than an hour!

When Helen and her accountant went to their lawyer the next day and signed the paperwork, they were unaware of the miracles of the previous day. Later, I called Helen and explained what had transpired in the halls of government.

On the phone, she broke out in prayer and thanked Jesus for his help.

It is amazing to think about the impact of Helen’s gift – how a house in North America could be transformed into blessing hundreds and even thousands of people around the world. I can only imagine what God has in mind as we continue to move forward with plans to invest this donation in the building of God’s kingdom in Asia and Africa.

Personally, I have treasured the opportunity to get to know Helen. I have been so encouraged by her generosity and grace, her simple love for Jesus and the tenacity with which she has engaged this mission opportunity. It has been a joy.

GIVE Inspired by Helen’s example? If you would like to discuss estate planning and legacy giving that will have an impact around the world, call us today to make an appointment.

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