Walking into a ministry opportunity by accident
A day in the life of workers in this Asian country where ministry can take unexpected turns.
Recently we went to visit a friend and instead literally walked into a ministry opportunity by accident.
It all went wrong when we got in the lift. Somehow the wrong number was pushed and we exited on the wrong floor.
We knocked on the door and were greeted by a complete stranger but, unphased, we proceeded to let ourselves in. We greeted the other strangers enthusiastically, assuming they were relatives of our friend (not outside the normal experience here).
Once we had removed all our jackets and shoes (quite a long time for us and the kids to do), the penny started to drop. "The lounge-room looks a little different," we thought. "The carpet looks different, the whole kitchen is a different colour... this is the wrong house!"
Funnily enough, by that time our accidental hosts had started to warm to the idea of hosting this brash foreign family and were now inviting us to sit and drink tea with them.
Unfortunately, we needed to leave to meet the person who was actually expecting us, so couldn't stay and enjoy the impromptu hospitality. But we're thinking how we can return and make the most of this unexpectedly warm response to our blundering lunch meeting.
Related Stories

Launching the project “Let's Mobilise His Church” in Spanish
Mobilisation is not just about sending missionaries, but also about encouraging all the people of God to participate in the mission of God.

To Life at ELWA Hospital
Dr. Rick Sacra Named 2018 AMH Gerson L’Chaim Prize winner, Proceeds to Benefit ELWA Hospital in Liberia

The Leaders of Sudan
With a deep desire to care for its children, the Sudan Interior Church has partnered with SIM to start a primary school, that educates and disciples those whom we pray will be the future leaders of South Sudan.

Multiplying help for the brokenhearted
God wants to heal the brokenhearted. Read more about the local facilitators who were trained to support wounded people and to teach others with the "Healing the Wounds of Trauma" program

Disability in Kenya: Reaching out to the Hidden and Forgotten
Life is tough for families coping with disabilities in Kenya. Working with the local church, Sports Friends Kenya believes it can make a long-term transformation in their lives.
Most Read Stories

Music academy develops talent, preserves Nigerian church music
Martha Bradford had no intention of teaching music in Nigeria. But today she is running a music academy and helping to preserve Nigerian church music.

SIM returns to Northern Nigeria
As Boko Haram's influence declines, SIM is moving north again to reestablish clinics and schools with ECWA

God of the City: Church planting in Bangkok
Chris and Rawee are pastors at Grace Community Church (GCC) in Bangkok, and while the people gathering for Sunday service are obviously Christian, most Bangkokians are not, making church planting in the city a venture in reaching the least reached.

Walking through darkness: Panna's transformation
When Panna* arrived at Redlight Greenlight, a home for trafficked girls, she refused to talk or open up to the others. How could the team reach her with God's love?

Oral Bible takes root in Quechua communities
Fortunata didn’t know what would happen in the remote Quechua village up the mountainside in Peru. Months before, she and her husband, a pastor in their hometown, felt a calling to this village. But then the threats started coming.

Past Dividing Lines: Ministering to India's Transgenders
Last week we visited several homes that really felt like shades and shadows. I followed Anna through the crowds of a wholesale bazaar, jostled with cows and carts, to the vicinity where dark narrow alleyways and stairwells led to the separate homes of 5 or 6 transgenders (TGs) under her care.

Teachers: Affecting eternity, one student at a time
Teachers are urgently needed in Ecuador! The education of missionary children is one of the greatest factors affecting a missionary’s duration, location and effectiveness. Read more about how teachers make it possible for missionary parents to stay on the field, and ask God if you can fill a need for MK teachers in Ecuador.

The Pastor's Role in Developing a Missions-Minded Church
Working among an unreached people group is so important in developing a passion for mission in pastors and church leaders.

After the earthquake, God brings healing
One year after a devastating 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of Ecuador, people are still rebuilding their homes. But deep emotional wounds still remain. SIM Ecuador is focusing on trauma healing in our continuing relief efforts to the disaster-ravaged region.

Where the sun doesn't shine - VIDEO
SIM Bolivia reaches out to the miners of Potosí and dreams of them going in the mines singing praises to the Lord.

Your skills: Tools in God's hands
Four short stories describe how missionaries are using their God-given skills in their ministries.

"Go and preach!"
Latinos for global missions! Read about a young Ecuadorian impacted by God, ministering to students of his home country, and preparing for missions.

How Can Churches Financially Support Their Missionaries?
"We can fully support them. We have been giving from our pocket. But we’ve not yet given from our cattle, our trees or our grain. We have not yet given our blood. We have to support them by ourselves.”

The masked shiners of La Paz
SIM workers Randy and Dani Davis are establishing a church called Kayaparu ("at His feet") amongst one of Bolivia's least-reached communities - the shoe shiners of La Paz.

New ELWA Hospital launches a new era for Liberian healthcare
Nearly 2.7 million people have flowed through the hospital since 1965, receiving quality care in a country with one of the lowest doctor-patient ratios in the world.

Empowering indigenous people to worship through the arts
Filipino Christians find unique cultural avenues for expressing their faith

In the shadow of the Virgin Mary's village, God builds new friendships
Building relationships in a religious community of Loja Province of Ecuador can be challenging, but God connects His workers with those He is seeking out!

"It touched my heart"
PbeeMai was like any other twenty-year-old: looking for validation from his peers, wanting to be well-liked and popular. But he saw something different – something perhaps even worthwhile – in the way Brian welcomed students into his home and built relationships with them.

New wells bring typhoid relief to Niger villages
With an alarming typhoid rate, Galmi Hospital research is spurring new prevention measures

The need for discipleship
Discipleship is vital for new believers and their personal growth in Christ. A missionary shares her experience.

God has taught us to pray
Koreans Sung and Jae Ok Lee run the Rhizha Prayer and Retreat Centre near Jos, Nigeria. Since 2004 they have worked with the Evangelical Missionary Society, training missionaries and offering them a beautiful place to pray.

Bringing art and beauty to Kenya's trash heaps
What business does a group of artists have, visiting a huge rubbish dump in Nairobi, sitting in tiny shacks with the trash sorters, and bringing art materials to their kids?

When women come together
During Lent, our community supports us as we experience the hard gifts of fasting. The community between Prabhouti, Pavitr, and Sambha - the ease with which they trusted and laughed with one another - almost made me jealous. Hearing their story makes me long to create the same sort of community around me.

The Rest of the Story
Bill determined to visit these Ethiopian church leaders in prison, pray for them, and seek their release. They had been beaten, tortured, and incarcerated for their faith. That is all that Bill remembered or heard of the story - until thirty-two years later.

Evaluating risk and caring for missionaries
Risk is part of life, whether we stay home or become a missionary. And yet the parts of the world where Christ remains unknown are mostly the more dangerous ones.

Longing to breathe free
Pastor Shravan has been in a terrible place of bondage to drug addiction. And now his life mission is to prevent anyone he can from staying in that dark, destructive place. Along with workers from the Urban Development Project (UDP), which helps connect and train slum churches to meet the needs of their communities, Pastor Shravan hopes to help others break free from drug and substance abuse in his city.

Small town, big changes
The harvest is ripe in the rural area of Loja province. Read more about a couple in a small village finding freedom in Christ and about the challenges they face in their community.

Encouraged and empowered: Helping women help themselves
Like most girls from her village, Khushboo grew up accepting the established gender roles. She would do housework in her parents’ home until the day she moved into her husband’s home, and she wouldn't leave their husband’s house until she was carried out – when she died.

From the overpass to the job market
Twice Lily* found herself standing on the overpass, wondering what to do with her life and how to make ends meet, as busy city traffic whizzed underneath. But God was about to do something good in Lily's life through CUP (Children's Uplift Program).

"God is Helping Me Build Good Relationships in a Tough Place!"
On walks to and from the workplace, people continue to stop me, asking if they can talk for a while. I really can’t wait to see what God has coming up next.

The surprising ways God is at work in Bolivia - VIDEO
SIM has a commitment to the least reached people, where there is no gospel. In Bolivia this includes indigenous groups, rural residents and urban dwellers.

Sorani Kurdish Bible translation finally complete
Translation for northern Iraq community finished after 28 years of work.

World Refugee Day 2017
SIM Canada reaches out to diverse communities at its doorstep

Building the Church by motorcycle
The somewhat imaginary path dwindled away, and we couldn't make ourselves imagine it going any farther. We stopped the motorcycle and laughed.

Pop-up clinic leads Liberians to the Lord
A temporary clinic in a suburb of Liberian capital Monrovia is bringing people to Christ in the most unexpected ways.

Stitching dreams
Producing artisanal handicrafts and walking through life's hardships.

A man called Million
Who was this man named "Million" --and why did he have such an unusal name?

Being one in a million: hope through occupational therapy in Niger
Occupational therapy helping Nigeriens regain mobility and engage with their world in new ways.

"The Story of Hope" brings joy to rural Ecuador
The Bible is the Word of God, but we could easily call it the "Book of hope." Through the many stories in the Bible we see God at work and his plan of salvation through Jesus Christ unfolding across its pages. As a result of SIM Ecuador's "Story of Hope" ministry in rural Loja, Christian believers participated in a special biblical training presentation that introduced important concepts in new and unforgettable ways.

Could you be the gospel worker to help refugees in northern Greece?
God's people are at work in Greece, helping the thousands of people arriving from the Middle East.

Meeting the needs of migrants in Malaysia
In the case of Malaysia, the Lower House of Parliament in a 2015 session revealed a figure of 2.7 million registered migrants in the country.

Chicken dinner ministry
Inmates take part in the Great Commission by donating from what they have.

UN World Refugee Day: Reaching modern-day Hagars
The well-known story of Hagar in the book of Genesis is being repeated over and over again today. In recent years, many of them have come to Europe after being expelled from their countries because of war or in an attempt to find a better future.

Hindu Prayer Booklet
As many Hindus celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, many Christians will be praying that the True Light will be made known amongst them.

Key of the kingdom
Enraged at his Christian wife for going to a church conference, the Muslim husband locked up the house as soon as she left, declaring to the neighbors that his wife would never enter his home again. To make his point, he threw the key into the river as he headed to his girlfriend's house for the week.

Danja Fistula Center Brings Hope
Salome is the first person in her Nigerien family to attend school.

Loving the oppressor (and not only the oppressed)
The Bible talks about loving the oppressed – the widows and orphans, those who have suffered and have been treated unjustly. But what about loving the oppressors, the ones who have sinned against others? In Myanmar, the Bamar majority people are seen as oppressors and the perpetrators of some of the worst violations to human rights. These are the people Sandra and Tim want to share Jesus with.

Ecuador and Ghana: Cross-cultural friendship produces a great harvest
Thomas responded to his missionary call after meeting an Ecuadorian mission team whose presence in Ghana spoke to him deeply - and they challenged him to go where Christ has not been known.

Bringing sports ministry to some of the world's highest mountains
We may have been shivering 12,800 feet above sea level in the little mountain town of Ayaviri, but the warm welcome we received from our Andean brothers and sisters in Christ was unlike any other.

Sharing the light of Christ with Filipino Muslims
It’s midday on a Tuesday. The day care for young children that Jo and two others run in a neighbourhood of Manila is coming to a close. Time for a break!

Gospel Hope Transforms Lives of Addicted Couple
Our partners in Mongolia are doing some astonishing gospel work among people with addictions, helping them out of their dependencies and into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a first-person account of how one woman's life has been transformed.

Kung fu Kwan
Kung fu master, Kwan, is living proof that almost any skill can be used in cross-cultural mission.

High-impact connections: Reaching university students for Christ
Universities are places where the faith of Christians is put to the test. Christian students need to know they are not alone and how to share the gospel with their classmates. Read more about how this ministry is impacting young students at the universities of Loja.

Skills for worship
Are we made simply for our own enjoyment or for something greater? Are our skills only for sale, or are they for worship?

Peruvians learn about clean water and the Living Water
Life-threatening diseases are being tackled by a unique partnership between a water engineer, a dentist, a nurse and an evangelist in remote parts of Peru.

Cultivating a generous spirit
Let us accept that the itinerary and ministry of Elisha described in II Kings 4:8-17 fits the profile of a 21st century missionary. The question then is: Whose responsibility is it to care for Elisha?

Hope on the hard streets
Mimi's father died when she was only 10 years old and her family was left without anyone to provide for their them.

New missions Centre carries SIM Philippines into new era
The time intensive plants take tending and patience, finally yielding a crop many years after planting. So it goes with ministry to minority religious groups in the Philippines.

Jonny speaks up for Jesus in Bolivia
Our founding fathers' goal was to share the gospel in places it had never been heard; now many missionaries want to help believers build a lifelong relationship with Jesus.

Crossing barriers to Filipinos
Ibrahim, a former Filipino Muslim, and his wife Mae are crossing cultural and religious barriers in Mindanao to support Islamic communities and the people who serve them. Through local arts, storytelling and the House of Barnabas retreat centre they are hoping to introduce Muslim Filipinos to the prophet Isa (Jesus).

The Yao of Mozambique hear the gospel for first time
Eleven years ago, God placed a dream in our hearts to teach his Word to people in Mozambique who have never heard his message.

New Uruguay mission school has vision for world missions
SIM has a commitment to see Uruguay reached for Christ. And through key partnerships with like-minded organisations, a new missionary training school called Todos Oiran (All Will Hear) is opening its doors in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Demonstrating The Father’s Love To The Fatherless
An AIDS and HIV orphan finds hope in Christ through an SIM ministry

What if God calls you to be an architect?
Our professional callings are pre-ordained to be spheres of service to God.

Filling empty spaces
When Jyoti was first diagnosed with HIV, she was already pregnant with her daughter. The government hospital referred her to Shalom, whose workers offer the love of Christ, care, counselling, support and community. Shalom has been the one constant source of comfort to Jyoti since.

Galmi Hospital: Going where no believer has gone before
This is an amazing profession, working at Galmi Hospital. I used to dream about becoming an astronaut. But here, rather than exploring barren planets devoid of life, we get to venture into unchartered territories where there are living beings made in the image of God.

In the wake of Ebola, SIM offers ground-breaking medical treatment
In immense pain, James entered the Ebola survivor treatment unit in February 2015. Ebola had left his body months before, but he couldn't ignore the side effects any longer. His right eye was entirely clouded and the pain in his joints meant he could barely walk to the examination room.

We do whatever it takes to start new churches!
The son of a Methodist father and a Muslim mother, Shodankeh Johnson serves with New Harvest Global Ministries in Sierra Leone. Making use of the principles of DMM (Disciple Making Movements), he and his team have planted some 2,000 churches.

Six months in China: Short-term internship, long-term perspective
The students - all studying at a local university - have come to her 12-week class to improve their English. Rachel is here for a different reason.

A child of war becomes a man of peace
Joseph Kur was a boy soldier in the Sudanese Civil War, both witnessing and committing terrible acts while still a child.

Latinos reaching Latinos: God at work in rural Ecuador
Martha was always full of questions. From the first time she attended the Bible study, her desire to know more was evident.

A spirit of freedom
When Prang came to know Christ, she finally felt freedom from the evil spirits that used to plague her.

From noodles to soccer balls
Aof had gone to church for many Sundays and had said many “Amens” to the prayers people had prayed for her – but nothing really worked until she challenged God herself.

Daphne takes the gospel from Kenya to the UK
Kenyan Daphne Kabeberi launches SIM UK's Engage project in a community church on an Edinburgh council estate.

Opening doors through business in North Africa
Language and culture education business creates employment and ministry opportunities.

Taliban widow finds hope in Christ
One fateful day, after the violence came to her own doorstep, Aadab was left alone with two young children, no husband… and an opportunity to change her life. On that day, she realised she could only find safety for her family by escaping.

Banda Go: Helping healthcare heroes
Banda Health, an affordable IT solution designed by SIM’s Banda Health team, is at an exciting chapter in supporting healthcare heroes in their local low-resource communities.

Dickens is spared for a purpose in Kenya
As his home life turned sour, Dickens decided that the streets were a better option for him. In just eight months, his environment turned him from a soft-spoken boy to a hardened thief.

Ecuador earthquake disaster relief - One month later
God is at work, even through the aftermath of the destructive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck coastal Ecuador on April 16.

One sugar cube helps the gospel taste sweet in Egypt
The challenges of sharing the gospel with people who do not know Jesus have barely changed in 125 years. Here, one of our gospel workers in Egypt shares what he has learned.

A new wave of Latino missionaries
Nearly every Latino candidate I meet wants to work in the unreached places of the world and do some of the hardest work. God is raising up a new wave of missionaries in South America, and we are joyfully equipping them for service and sending them to these unreached areas of the world.

Nigeriens read Tamajaq New Testament for first time
After 30 years of hard work, the New Testament in Tamajaq is complete.

Off the streets of India, into a new life
Shilpa is a survivor of sexual abuse. When she first came to the Redlight Greenlight aftercare home, she struggled to participate in school, group therapy, dance or art. She would compare herself to the other girls and say, "I can't do this right," before getting angry and just giving up altogether.

Going To Stay: Demystifying the Life of Missionary Mothers
Are are stay-at-home "missionary moms" really “missionaries”? Does their sometimes exhausting work on behalf of their families negate their role in building the Kingdom of God?

Youth ministry San Francisco
Building bridges in the community through teamwork and a labor of love

"Can I ask you a question about Jesus Christ?"
“Can I ask you a question about Jesus Christ?” That's what Ken asked me as we sat down in our living room, where I keep a Bible in the local language on display.

Nepal earthquake recovery - The long road back to normal
It was a typical Saturday, the day of rest and of worship for all faiths in Nepal. In the village of Kichot, people gathered in Sinkilebenezer Church for their usual worship service. Butel was finishing his sermon when he realized the communion elements were missing.

Trading death for life
His name is Adam, and he was a witch doctor.

Fasting with our neighbors during Ramadan
Observing the traditional fast creates opportunities for meaningful conversation.

Mariama's cancer care comes with gospel hope in Niger
At Galmi, the aim is to heal the whole person, not just the body.

A Ministry of dreaming
I am usually not a dreamer, but following that discussion I had a dream where I decided to cut my hair. In my dream, as I turned my head sideways my face turned into one of the local U people.

How One Young Refugee Encountered Christ
My father’s urgent nudging woke me from a deep sleep: “Get up! Get up! We’ve got to go,” he said and, with that, we set off in our truck in the blackest night.

God's plan for devastated Doro
Missionaries returned to the South Sudan settlement of Doro, just three months after the compound was destroyed by fighting between rival armed groups.

Amid challenges, God at work in Mali ministries
From the outside looking in, ministering in Mali is a formidable task.

Going where there is no gospel in Asia
"Julie" is part of a small team hoping to bring the word of God and maybe, one day, the first church among the Central Asian minority we call "Cheuasai."

The Nepal earthquake: One year later
One year after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, causing massive loss of life, widespread homelessness and billions of dollars in damage, the nation continues to heal and rebuild. In Dhading, one of the districts most devastated by the quake, SIM and partner organization United Mission to Nepal (UMN) carry on with reconstruction work.

How Our Small Church Grew a Big Heart for Mission
As pastors we can, to a large extent, help to shape the direction of our churches. It is a major part of our responsibility to exert godly influence on the life and direction of the people under our care. That’s why we are called leaders.

Light at the end of the tunnel
I took a deep breath and reconsidered my options. The most appealing choice for me would require us to backtrack several miles to the place we took the shot cut and then climb over a high mountain pass.

Two years after Ebola, survivors find new hope in trauma counseling
Nancy Writebol remembers the exact moment her husband David told her she had the Ebola Virus Disease.

A way in the desert for widows
After their husband's death, widows in Burkina Faso were often left on their own with no material or moral support. Many times their in-laws would take their children or even accuse them for the death of their husband, saying that they had a "bad spirit."

The seed planter
This week we were privileged to hear the testimony of a man whose life was eternally changed by a simple question. We invited Martin to sit around a table on our back porch to share with us how the Lord saved him, and how God opened his eyes to the truth of the Gospel. This is Martin’s story.

Chileans to China
When Hans and Carmen Ziefle went to Chile as SIM missionaries in 1994, the Lord had put a strong desire in their hearts to mobilise Chileans to the mission field.

Piano bench ministry
Over the past two years, I would never have guessed the number of opportunities that would come from playing in an orchestra.

Transformed by short-term missions
For many years, I have felt that the Lord was calling me to something. I prayed for wisdom and clarity but a restless and unsettled feeling plagued me.

An audience of 150,000 and growing
For gifted evangelists such as Getachew, the movement of 16 different Sudanese tribes from hard to reach areas into a single refugee area, presents a wonderful opportunity. It's an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with many more people.

A jar of oil and a handful of flour
Today in Africa there are many churches – even small ones – that are sending or taking steps towards sending missionaries. A giving church is obeying God’s commandment to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. But what if your church is not yet giving financially to mission?

Open doors: affordable education where it is scarce in South Asia
Allied Model School still a blessing to the community as it turns 40.

Transforming Lives in Peru
My husband, Paris, and I lead a sports ministry through our church called “Fire Eagles,” and when some boys invited him to come to Fire Eagles games, Adam came. But he didn’t believe in God, and he told us he didn’t want to.

Child soldier to follower of Christ
YooTaa remembers the day God saved his life.

Ten Million Hui with no church
Warren is from a Hui Muslim home. As his parents have become older, they've also become very devout muslims. But for Warren, life has been busy with running his restaurant business and family responsibilities.

Blind Manglo has a vision for the future
In our finite existence and brokenness, we continue to find hope and meaning in a God of infinite hope. Manglo may not yet know Jesus as her Lord and Saviour, but the door to salvation has been opened.

Following God’s call to the Middle East
While many young people in their 20s move to new cities for their jobs, Will* has moved to a new continent. He is preparing to serve God in the Middle East.

No longer an orphan
Rachel is 17 years old, living in extreme poverty and raised by a single mother when her father died.

20 years later, God finds Pradip in Nepal
When Pradip* was a young boy growing up in Eastern Nepal, he found a Hindi Bible. Even though it was not in his native language, he was able to read through the whole book and see the love of Jesus.

Against All Odds
The road was blocked by a massive boulder, and there was no way around it; we would be walking the last one and a half kilometres. An hour late might still be considered “on time” in this culture, but we were now 90 minutes late.

Asha has the hope of dreams in south Asia
Asha grew up in an environment hostile to women in general, particularly to young girls, who were considered nothing more than a burden to the family. Until now.

From the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro
I awoke to the sound of the wind howling through camp. The walls of my tent shook violently as I glanced at my watch. It was just after midnight; in about an hour, our team would make the final push for Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania—Africa’s tallest mountain.

Crossing Barriers with Coffee
A cup of coffee is so much more than a person's preferences – “milk or sugar?” Inviting a friend to share a cup of coffee is inviting someone to share life, the highs and the lows, and everything in between.

Economic and spiritual hope for North Africa
Missional business creates avenues for work and relationships to people in need

Mustafa's Miracle
Through an incredible encounter of God’s power over witchcraft, Mustafa became a believer--and his friend Nabi made plans to kill him.

Modelling the Christian faith through relationships
Living out our faith with sincerity is often a powerful avenue for the Holy Spirit to minister to others

Planting seeds of hope
The Esan region of northeast Thailand is often described as one of the hardest places to do ministry in Thailand. Christians are few and far between, Buddhism is strong, and drug addiction is widespread.

Loving our neighbours at a cost
Crossing cultural barriers to demonstrate concern for minorities in China

Modelling the Christian faith through relationships
Living out our faith with sincerity is often a powerful avenue for the Holy Spirit to minister to others.

With God's Help, Kumari is Standing Against Giants in South Asia
SIM ministries are helping women caught in the sex trade stand up against crime and find hope

Two years later, Liberians find healing from Ebola's emotional scars
In January 2016, the World Health Organization announced that the Ebola epidemic in West Africa was over. In reality, the crisis is far from over for many who were caught up in the worst of it.

Clean water, living water
Six years ago, after decades of drinking water with a dangerously high concentration of arsenic in it, Jalal's body finally began to succumb to severe symptoms of arsenicosis, or arsenic poisoning.

"I Have Seen The Power of God at Work"
The spiritual world was always real for Prang. But it was the world of dark, evil spirits.

Speaking without words
Sometimes I fail to realise that God is the One who is truly at work. He doesn’t need me to say a single word in Swahili to move in the lives around us.

Loving the children Jesus loves
When I began working with foreign, English-speaking women on parole, I had no idea it would include ministering to children. But when several women brought their children to the Bible study, we had to get creative.

Sharing the light of Jesus with villagers in Niger
As soon as I get out of the car, I am greeted by six kids eager to learn. Their first question is: "Did you bring the video?"

Meeting migrants at our doorstep: SIM missionaries looking to Europe
In the past year, we have witnessed the worst migrant crisis in living memory, as more than 1.2 million people have fled to Europe to escape poverty and war.

“By Prayer to the Nations”: A must-read for missions enthusiasts
If you’ve ever wanted to find out more about SIM’s roots and fascinating history across generations, now you can.

MANI 2016: Hearing and Obeying God in Times Like These
More than 560 delegates from more than 50 countries gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 7-11 March for the third consultation of the Movement for African National Initiatives (MANI).

From drug addict to disciple: Finding Jesus through football
When the ace student from Malawi ended up in prison, his whole life was over--or so he thought. In fact, through an unexpected encounter with Christian members of a ministry-based soccer team, Patrick's spiritual life was just about to begin.

"A radio program changed my life!"
"Waves of Hope" radio ministry makes a difference to many people in Loja, Ecuador. Read about a man whose life was changed and why we want to expand this radio ministry.

Sacrifice and obedience, even when it's difficult
Hellen is a single mother of nine children. She works very hard to provide for her children. Every day she sells charcoal in Acholi Quarter in Uganda.

Prabhouti’s Wedding
Traditionally, Prabhouti should have married years ago. Girls in her village are married early – sometimes as young as twelve years old – just like their mothers were before them.

Deep conversations flourish during Ramadan
While some leave this country during the hot months, we stay for the opportunities to talk about our faith

God’s providence is perfect
Cera is a small ceramic community in the rural area of Loja Province. Read more about how God brought the Barbee family there to launch a missional business together with a small group of believers who are eager to make an impact in their own community.

Choosing School
Ashish’s father is a farmer, as was his grandfather, and their grandfathers before that. Even as farming becomes less likely to sustain a family, Ashish and his parents planned on him becoming a farmer, too.

Ruth is a beacon for Jesus in Beirut school
An evangelical school in Lebanon is a lamp for the gospel in a country of many different faiths.

Disability in Kenya: Reaching out to the Hidden and Forgotten
Life is tough for families coping with disabilities in Kenya. Working with the local church, Sports Friends Kenya believes it can make a long-term transformation in their lives.

“I hugged my daughter for the first time.”
Pastor Joelson Mwansa was not always a pastor. In fact, people knew Mwansa as the local drunk for many years in his Zambian bush town. By his own admission, he treated his wife horribly and served as a very poor example to his six daughters.However, Mwansa had an encounter with God in 2013 that radically changed his life,

"My God will supply": A widow's faith
Naomi, a woman with a sweet, round face and warm smile, shared with the other widows that she and her children hadn't had enough money for rent or food for quite some time. There was simply nothing left.

To Life at ELWA Hospital
Dr. Rick Sacra Named 2018 AMH Gerson L’Chaim Prize winner, Proceeds to Benefit ELWA Hospital in Liberia

Making cancer treatment a reality
In a place where treatment is out of reach for most, donations have made a way for Galmi Hospital to give hope to some Nigeriens

My story: Cries of the heart
Experience at an aftercare home for victims of human trafficking has taught one carer how facing the deep brokenness in our own hearts can be transformed into a deeper understanding of God.

The Leaders of Sudan
With a deep desire to care for its children, the Sudan Interior Church has partnered with SIM to start a primary school, that educates and disciples those whom we pray will be the future leaders of South Sudan.

Multiplying help for the brokenhearted
God wants to heal the brokenhearted. Read more about the local facilitators who were trained to support wounded people and to teach others with the "Healing the Wounds of Trauma" program
