bottomline • second quarter 2008 • 1

pioneering initiatives • ships • india • europe • world faiths • relief & development • emerging mission movements • next generation • resourcing

transforming lives and communities

missions for the rest of usmissions for the rest of us

We walked for hours to receive your teaching. We have

almost nothing, but we’ll use it all to glorify God and build His

church. We’re Mozambicans, and we’re the future of Africa.

second quarter 2008

2 • www.omcanada.org • transforming lives and communities • info@cdn.om.org

© 2008 by OM Canada

Publication Mail Agreement

No. 40009991

Publisher: OM Canada

84 West Street, Port Colborne, ON

L3K 4C8

Tel. (905) 835-2546

Fax (905) 835-2533

info@cdn.om.org

www.omcanada.org

Canadian Director: Harvey Thiessen

Board Chair: David Healey

Editor & Designer: Greg Kernaghan

Our Purpose

OM’s role in the body of Christ is to motivate, develop and equip people for world evange-lization, and to strengthen and help plant churches, especially among the unreached.

Our Vision

• Focusing on the unreached • Partnering with churches • Caring for our members • Training & equipping world Christians • Mobilizing the next generation • Globalizing our ministry • Strengthening our organization

Our Core Values

• Knowing & glorifying God • Living in submission to God’s Word • Being people of grace & integrity • Serving sacrifi cially • Loving & valuing people • Evangelizing the world • Refl ecting the diversity of the body of Christ • Global intercession • Esteeming the church

Stewardship Policy

The spending of funds is confi ned to agency-approved programs and purchases. Each gift designated toward an approved program will be used for that program with the understand-ing that, when any given need has been met, designated gifts will be used where needed most. Gifts are acknowledged and, where appropriate, an offi cial receipt for tax purposes is issued.

missions for the rest of usM C d miiissiiions fffor tthhhe rest offfff usmiiissiiions fffor tthhhe rest offfff ussecond quarter 2008

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5

9

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The liberating power of ‘no’Such a powerful word, yet heard and said with increas-

ing rarity. What’s up with that? It’s time to embrace a

willingness and ability to draw lines and live by them.

Preparing for disastersOM has and will always respond to great human

suff ering and need resulting from crises. But we

need to do more by having resources on hand before

emrgencies strike which will make that immediate

response more eff ective.

Myanmar updateCase in point: weeks have passed since the earthquake

and there’s a long road ahead to restore a nation—

a great opportunity for Christians to make a diference.

Key Focus Area: Emerging Mission MovementsFormer mission fi elds have come of age and, in many

cases, are leading the way in world mission today. Our

role as Canadians is to encourage and resource their

vision and outreach. From cutting-edge exposure in

Chile to patient church-planting in Mozambique, good

things are happening!

Key Focus Area: ResourcingSix present examples from hundreds of strategic

ministries that will impact the world for genera-

tions—all worthy of support in one form or another.

Trekking in NepalGrab your Bible and your backpack! There ought to

be a waiting list to get to bring the Gospel for the

fi rst time to many people. It beats merely making car

payments...

Edmonton & Toronto ChallengeLast call to make this the summer that changes how

you see yourself and the world around you!

Let’s help each otherOM Canada Director Harvey Thiessen spells it out in

plain language: our offi ce has a critical need for work-

ers, and some of you might be the answer.

Let’s connect.

Mind the gapSomething missing in your life? We can help you fi nd

it…outside your box, that is!

Say it like you mean it—both the ‘No’ and the ‘Yes’.

it’s time to stop the noise in our lives and take honest

stock of what really is. Only then can we move toward

what ought to be. Take the plunge!

Pray for suffi cient resources for OM to develop and

deploy ‘fi rst response’ teams that will result in saved

lives and restored communities. Pray for wisdom in

planning and execution.

Pray for the people of Myanmar, especially

that this catastrophe will result in many

seeking and fi nding the Lord.

Pray for churches throughout the developing world as

they begin to understand and embrace their respon-

sibility to world missions. Pray that long-established

missions will ‘let go’ and pour energies into training

and backing national-led initiatives.

Pray for OM’s work in Chile, that it will draw

churches together by example and be an inspiration

to a new generation of believers.

Pray for the work in Mozambique as it engages key

people groups, and that its project needs will be met.

Pray for widespread transformation of Afghanistan

as the Dari Bible penetrates society, and for wisdom

and courage to disseminate it quickly and widely.

Pray for each of the mentioned projects—not only

for money but also workers. Consider becoming an

advocate for one of these ministries.

Pray for a fl ood of young men and women from

Canada (and elsewhere) to join teams in Nepal that

spread the Word of God and mentor Nepali believers.

Pray about your own involvement in a Canadian

Challenge this summer—even for some of the time.

Contact us to help challenge your own church. Pray

also that lives and communities will be impacted.

Pray that our Port Colborne team will get the right

people to allow us to fulfi ll our mandate in world

missions. Pray for an abundant response to the many

opportunities available today in OM. Pray about your

own involvement!

7

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bottomline • second quarter 2008 • 3

ABCDEFGHIJKLM NO PQRSTUVWXYZGreg Kernaghan

Two simple, consec-

utive letters plunk

in the middle of the

Roman alphabet. Next to the letter ‘I’,

the most succinct and powerful word

in our language. Simple to enunciate;

sometimes incredibly hard to say.

No can close doors but, in doing so,

reveal unseen doors. No can be nega-

tive. Sometimes, no alone can make

the positive possible. No can be bad.

No can be very good. No might be the

best there is.

One last wordWhen Jesus, despite the world’s religious

and philosophical talking heads’ blath-

ering to the contrary, returns…surely

a pause is apt here…what will His fi rst

word be? My hunches, as good as the

next theologian’s, have narrowed it

down to two. One might be “Enough!”

Enough evil. Enough suffering. Enough

adulteration of life in its fullness.

Enough posturing and desecration in

My Name. Enough playing at being My

disciples. Enough!

The basis for that is my second

guess: “No!” No, this has gone on long

enough. No, I will no longer allow the

pinprick of man’s falsehoods to chal-

lenge the ocean of eternal reality. No,

whenever I said whatever I said, I really

meant it. No, “I am”—what part of ‘no’

did you not understand?

It’s one thing for a four-year-old to

rise up in defi ance to authority, stomp

his/her feet and yell, “No!”—predict-

able, charming (once), even neces-

sary for development but assuredly

self-centred. When God—the source

of all power, all knowledge, all author-

ity—utters the word, it behooves us to

pay attention. As His servants, children,

students (taliban!) He expects us to “go

and do likewise”: to draw those lines in

the sand, to uphold principle not when

convenient but whenever challenged, to

accept and embrace that saying ‘Yes’ to

God and to one another will repeatedly

mean saying ‘No’—sometimes even to

ourselves and one another. That’s a call-

ing tough enough to qualify as worthy of

our Master.

Let us say it again…and againHuman nature being what it is, we don’t

like to take ‘No’ for an answer. Get over

it! Welcome to Life 101, where the people

who actually impact the world say it

and hear it a lot. You can practice it just

like they do, right here, out loud: No, no,

no, no…No! Now add value as you take

inventory of your life. No, I will not com-

promise biblical principles (even if it

means having to learn them fi rst). No, I

will not do it the way everyone else does

it; I will not look for a life coach among a

herd of lemmings. No, I will not sell my

soul for a paycheck. No, we will not keep

ingesting the drug cocktail of political

correctness and tolerance, addictive

though it is, because we know it’s going

to eventually kill us. No, we’re going to

expose falsehood, especially religious

falsehood, wherever it de-humanizes

humanity. And we’ll do it in ways that

label us as human beings, not religious

nutbars.

Park yourself in front of a mirror

(preferably not of a moving car). No,

we’re not going to settle for the sterile

safety of the spiritual status quo. If

idiocy is doing the same thing over and

over again with the expectation of a dif-

ferent result, we’re not going to become

spiritual idiots who think that an hour

a week is going to transform us to go

against the fl ow. No, we’re not going to

ignore or explain away the cries of a

disintegrating world because ‘we don’t

feel called’ to do something, as if a choir

or suburban youth group has the right to

cut in line and siphon our compassion,

our conversation, our cash. No!

If not, then what?Phase Two, then: ‘No’ stops the slide,

douses the fi re, quells the mob. We use

‘no’ to recalibrate towards the will of

God, which is why we need to hear it as

often (or more often) than we speak it.

Always it should lead us to the proactive

drive: I will do whatever it takes to clear

out my life and focus on the kingdom of

God—starting today. I will lighten my

load. I will let go of some good to make

room for more of the best.

We will make ourselves vulner-

able to God and one another in love. We

will get our hands dirty when need be,

among people not like us and yet every

bit like us. We will talk less and walk

more about world missions whether or

not it is popular among our peers. We

will become active mentors and cheer-

leaders for this generation of youth.

We will become fi rst responders and

catalysts for those who follow. We will

help write the history of missions for the

rest of us.

But we will start with, and never

depart from, saying “No” where and

when it needs to be said and supported.

Yes?

4 • www.omcanada.org • transforming lives and communities • info@cdn.om.org

Why OM prepares for disasters

ust weeks before the tsunami of December, 2005, the Philippine

Islands were devastated by a series of typhoons that killed over one

thousand people and left tens of thousands homeless and without

livelihood. Among the victims were the Dumagat people, a shy, poor

and mostly unevangelised minority who live in an isolated area.

Because of the generosity of donors, OM Philippines provided frame-

work and roofi ng for houses for displaced families.

Tsunamis, earthquakes and fl oods are beyond man’s power to

prevent. Famines, war and persecution are not, but in both cases the

victims are at the mercy of others for immediate aid and assistance

in rebuilding their lives. Disasters are nothing new, but their scale and

impact in the last decade are unprecedented. Many Christians, along

with OM, see disasters as unique opportunities to demonstrate the love

of God in lands often closed to normal witness.

Planning for the unplannedDisaster response has two key stages. First is immediate on-the-ground

assessment and emergency life-saving action. Lives literally hang in the

balance; speed, preparation and coordination are decisive. There are

hundreds of excellent organisations committed to this. Second—often

dismissed as world media seeks the next story—is the medium- to

long-term rebuilding of peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Far fewer organi-

zations are found here. OM works in over 100 countries, primarily to

make Christ known. Increasingly, this can occur through the ability to

rescue the literal perishing. This we do out of the compassion of Jesus,

which makes a powerful impression on those we help.

How can we together be more eff ective?While we know that disaster will strike, we cannot tell where or when.

We can, however, increase our preparedness through training, infra-

structure and ready fi nancial resources. People with experience and

skills in various fi elds form a rapid response team available to either

enter disaster areas immediately or coordinate response from abroad

and guide national workers. When people give generously in response

to a disaster, OM is able to use those resources where the needs are

greatest, either through our own ministries or those of a trusted and

proven partner organisation. Recent disaster response has shown us

that we will better serve the needy by eliminating that crucial waiting

period through the establishment of a special contingency fund. The

Global Impact Fund will use your gifts to immediately deploy help

and life-saving supplies in the immediate aftermath. It will also allow

us to better plan for longer-term solutions in the rebuilding phase.

There is great responsibility as Christians to respond to massive

human need in Christ’s name. We believe our training, infrastructure

and a ready fund will make a huge impact in the near- and long-term

future. Thank you for joining us in faith for these opportunities.

In season and out of season

Myanmar update

50,000 are missing and 78,000 are confi rmed dead after

Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on May 3rd, causing a huge tidal

surge to sweep inland. Almost all deaths occurred in the

Irrawaddy river delta region, where more people were killed

by the tidal wave than the cyclone itself. Up to a million

people are homeless.

Flooding has lead to outbreaks of mosquito-borne malaria

and dengue fever, while water-born diseases such as cholera

and dysentery are spreading. Only a quarter of those

who need to receive aid have been

reached. Whilst aid and workers outside

the country waited for permission to

enter, those already in Myanmar formulated

plans to help those most devastated by

Nargis.

First of all, bags of rice were

distributed, using a coupon

system of one coupon per

family, to prevent crowding and provide a

fair means of distribution. The team brought a

truck of aid containing blankets, water purifi cation tablets,

other medicines and empty plastic drums to hold clean

water—the biggest need. Half of the goods were donated to

a monastery where homeless people had gathered, and half

to the relief committee ‘Mingalar Myanmar ’, known to the

team. All were very thankful and actively helpful.

The team plans to return, bringing three volunteer doctors to

run a clinic, distribute supplies and give medical help.

The team, especially national workers, are extremely tired

and will appreciate your prayer. Those we are helping are

in desperate need, and their plight in many cases is deadly.

Your continued prayer, for both our workers and those they

impact, is appreciated.

e-

bottomline • second quarter 2008 • 5 emerging m

ission movem

entsem

erging mission m

ovements •• O

M’s key focus areas

OM

’s key focus areas

changing the face of mission

anadian missions has moved from kick-starting the church in many unreached countries of the world

to hanging on as the engine has roared to life and the vehicle is on the move! In country after country, the

local church is taking up the call of world evangelism and is focused on bringing the good news to all corners of

the earth. In some places, this has come as a natural part of church planting. A major part of OM ship’s ministry in the

last 30 years has been awakening churches in the developing world to the role they have in world missions. Many

churches attribute their interest and motivation to world mission to the work of OM: well over a hundred

organizations have been birthed out of OM.

The majority of our work in 110 countries is led by nationals. We believe in the integration of

international teams working together, bringing the strengths and challenges from each culture to

complement the growth of the church. We have moved from paternalism (not a bad word when one is a

parent…) to collaboration. Collaboration goes beyond, “Just give us the money and we will do the job.”

Collaboration means that we plan, we pray, we bleed, we rejoice and we cry together in the task of world evangelism.

The church cannot afford <myname.com> ministries focused on the gifts of an individual. We can only glorify the

name of God in community.

Churches in the developing world cause us to rethink how we do missions…together. It’s incredibly motivating to

be part of a movement that is invigorated by this incredible change in mission dynamics. Harvey Thiessen

“I decided to quit my job, take a year off , and see what God would do with it,”

explained Malaysian-born accountant

Jason Hoh. He had always had an

interest in missions and once spent

four weeks with OM in Kazakstan. It was

a great experience, and now, after working

three years for British Telecom in London, he

was ready for another one. He saw that Chile off ered

a nine-month Global Action program. He had taken

Spanish classes but knew nothing about South

America. So he went for it!

In Santiago Jason, 30, met nine other Intensive Team members

from Finland, Norway, Germany, England, the Netherlands and USA.

In his own words, “living with so many nationalities, seeing people

pray in diff erent languages to the same God, was really exciting.”

The fi rst six months provided everyone with good basic training in

Spanish and useful evangelism tools. The team worked alongside

churches and other OM team members reaching out to the city’s

youth and homeless residents. They travelled to Brazil to help with

OM’s annual Teen Street, attended by almost 1,000. One highlight

was travelling in the beautiful south, trying out extreme sports like

rafting, climbing and mountain biking, and visiting the indigenous

Mapuche Indians.

“We spent time with various families, sharing the gospel in some

way. Many had never seen foreigners and that created interest.” By the

end, Jason observed, “It’s become a lot clearer as to where God can

use me. There was a lot of parental pressure to go into fi nance. But I’ve

come to terms with God using all kinds of people. In the future I’d really

like to use my profession to serve him.”

A year to remember! OM Chile’s Intensive Training Team by Debbie Meroff

Annette Kossen, a social worker from Germany, said that her

goals had also been met: “I prayed before I came to Chile that God

would change me, and he took me seriously! He showed me things

I had to deal with in my heart.” And 20-year-old American Jonathan

Yackley stated, “I’ve grown so much. The leaders have a lot of faith

in you and put you in charge from the start. You have opportunities

you’d never have at home. I’ve also learned more about myself and

my faith in God, that he can really use me. I’ve stretched myself in

ways never done before. It’s so cool to have to depend on God!”

Jason and the others encourage others to try the Global Action

experience. “It’s an exposure to the bigger world of missions. If I

hadn’t come I wouldn’t see the importance of missions as I do now. It’s

also an amazing tool to fi nd out more about yourself, and to learn to

love yourself for who you are. I’ve done a lot of things I’ve never done

before. But when you’re thrown in, you discover you can do them!”

This year OM Chile off ers another option: an added three-

months in Ecuador! Participants will have the opportunity to

explore a very diff erent part of South America while sharing their

faith with unreached peoples. For more details contact:

cory@cdn.om.org

6 • www.omcanada.org • transforming lives and communities • info@cdn.om.org

pioneering initiatives • ships • india • europe • world faiths • relief & development • emerging mission movements • next generation • resourcing

was sitting in

a hut amongst

Mozambican

refugees in

Rhulani camp,

Gazankulu, South

Africa. A letter

from a Mozam-

bican pastor, a

refugee who came

to the Lord in

Rhulani a few years before and returned

to Mozambique to preach the Gospel

ended with a plea: “Come over and help

us”. Later that year I made the fi rst visit

to Mozambique to meet with Mario

Mahache.

In 1990 I, my wife and our fi rst-

born moved to Chilembene in the midst

and practical missions, putting training

into practice teaching in churches and

taking the Gospel to unreached people

in isolated areas. A year ago a Muslim

leader sent his son for the training; he

became a believer after two weeks on

the base and has since started a church

in his village.

Legunda is a day’s drive from

Mocuba. A visiting team was received

with hostility and prejudice by the

Muslim Yao tribe, yet led four families to

the Lord. This November the team will

return to live in this community, invited

by community elders to teach the word

of God and help in practical ways with

community development and education.

Please pray with the team as they liaise

with the community in development.

Join me as I lead a team from

Canada to Mozambique to attend the

graduation ceremony of this year’s stu-

dents, offi cially open the new renovated

training centre and join the Mozambi-

can mission team to Legunda.

“How long have you had the Gospel?” asked the chief.

“All my life—I grew up knowing people can follow God”, said Sandra.

“Why did it take you so long to bring it to us?”

These words always remind me: so many still need to hear the Gospel in Africa.

Raymond Robyn

The OM Church Planting Team wants a holistic outreach to the people of Lugenda. They have seen some

families turn to the Lord in the past year. They would now

like to expand their outreach to include community development.

Feeding: The people of Lugenda are very poor, and struggle to harvest enough food to feed themselves, as roaming elephants raid their crops regularly. The team was approached by local and government leaders to assist in feeding 200 families during November to January for the next three years.

of war. Overnight our neighbourhood

increased to sixty thousand people

fl eeing their villages. The Lord was

bringing them to us to equip, train and

send back to their villages after the war.

Twelve pastors met everyday with me for

six months. Some were illiterate so we

used music, drama and other creative

ways to communicate God’s heart for

the nations. Once when travelling on a

packed bus for a seven-hour journey,

each of these men preached and led

many to the Lord.

The ministry of OM Mozambique

today has been completely nationalised.

The vision of seeing Mozambicans

equipped, trained and sent as mis-

sionaries is now reality. Field leader

Antonio Nipueda has extended the

work to Mocuba, Quelimane province.

The training centre there is strategically

situated in the north, beyond the Zam-

bezi River where there has been very

little Christian infl uence. Mozambican

churches send their ‘cream of the crop’

believers for training in Bible teaching

Maize, beans, rice, oil, and salt will be purchased in Maputo and transported to Lugenda. Cost for 2008: CDN$15000.

Development: Projects include providing food for the children, education materials for the school, a sewing project, basic sanitation and health care training. The team is working in partnership with local educational authori-ties and community leaders to provide school materials to 400 primary school children. Each child will receive a school supply pack that includes notebooks, pencils, erasers, etc. Cost: CDN$1500.

The team will continue to do research with community and government leaders in setting up a micro-business venture.

Ministry: The team would like to use the Jesus fi lm as a key ministry tool. Purchasing a copy of the fi lm, a generator, screen and sound equipment will be CDN$1000.

Any contribution to this project—or the ongoing work of OM in Mozambique—is greatly appreciated. Use the response coupon or contact Raymond in our offi ce.

Make Mozambique

better!

bottomline • second quarter 2008 • 7 resourcingresourcing • O

M’s key focus areas

• OM

’s key focus areasve attended well over a thousand mission prayer meetings in 24 years with OM, not to mention sev-

eral thousand more gatherings where prayer is an integral part. That’s a lot of meetings! What keeps me

coming back for more is the urgent petition for God’s supplies in His work. I’ve prayed for generators and comput-

ers and Bibles and literature and people—the lists go on—not to treat God like an eternal shopping list, but because

He has asked us to ask. I’ll keep attending prayer meetings because God does answer prayer!

Anything in life usually costs something and requires resources. But missions may not be as expensive

as you think! I’ve done the math: despite operating several ocean-going ships, engagement in multiple

building programs and relief efforts, Bible printing and more, OM on average spends less per worker than

it costs for McDonald’s to hire a full-time student annually at minimum wage. Many both in Canada and

abroad make signifi cant personal sacrifi ces so that resources can be directed toward world mission.

One role in OM Canada is to connect people and resources with opportunities overseas. Our website

features constantly updated opportunities for involvement. Check it out! Harvey Thiessen

mobilizing for world mission

Here are a few of hundreds of strategic projects worldwide that need fi nance, prayer, workers and advocates:

Afhganistan Dari Bible

We have had a Dari New Testament since 1982 and recently pub-lished Dari Psalms for the fi rst time (2007; already needs a reprint) but no full Dari Bible. Pamir Productions (OM) aims to print the fi rst-ever full Dari Bible in 2008 jointly with the United Bible Society. This has been eagerly anticipated by Afghan believers and expatriates. The initial print run will be 5,000 Bibles. Total project cost: $55000

Logos Hope Air conditioning

Logos Hope is in northern Europe for furnishing and equipping before sailing into full-time ministry. Air conditioning is needed for living and ministry areas, including the Visitor Experience and Book Fair—essential for ministry throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America where we will receive one million visitors annually.Total cost of project: $501,740

Chisinau

Bucharest

Kiev

ITALY

HUNGARYROMANIA

BULGARIA

TURKEY

POLAND

UKRAINESLOVAKIA

GREECEALBANIA

YUGOSLAVIA

BOSNIA

CROATIA

MACEDONIA

RUSSIA

MOLDOVAMOLDOVA

BLACK SEA

Moldova Challenge into missions training

Moldova is the poorest

country in Europe, but with a

growing church. OM Moldova

works with churches to train

and disciple young people to

share the gospel eff ectively in

unreached areas.

Challenge into Missions (CiM) is a practical ten-week training

program, including six weeks of intensive evangelism, child/youth work and

church planting, that develops participants’ vision for world mission.

Over 100 students have completed this program; several have become

church planters or leaders or foreign missionaries in Central and Southeast

Asia, Albania, Russia, Africa and the Middle East. The program runs twice

annually.

Students return to their home churches with a new vision for mission,

enthusiasm to pray for the world, and ability to be involved in various

ministries. Some former Challenge into Missions students now work with

our Moldova team; some have been sent to diff erent countries by their

churches. A graduate from last year wrote: “I just wanted to let you know that

I’ve made a decision about my future and have decided to go to Albania and

work with street kids. I am glad that I came for CiM. I learnt a lot that will be

useful in the next couple of years.”

Both Moldovan and internationals young people take part in CiM train-

ing. However, the economical situation in Moldova prohibits Moldovians

from meeting the whole costs, even

though their contributions are sac-

rifi cial. For our Autumn Program we

expect around 30 participants for

whom we will need about 230 USD

per person to cover the costs—an

investment in the future of a nation.

Total project cost for CiM Autumn

2008: $6900

8 • www.omcanada.org • transforming lives and communities • info@cdn.om.org

pioneering initiatives • ships • india • europe • world faiths • relief & development • emerging mission movements • next generation • resourcing

India Pastoral training

Since 2003, all of OM’s 175 fi eld teams

have focused on church planting among

the Dalit-Bahujan people (70% of

India). The Holy Spirit has been poured

out among them, resulting in 2,500

congregations within the Good

Shepherd Community Church move-

ment. GSCC has grown in an extraordinary manner and has

a presence in most Indian states. GSCC churches have an

attendance of 25 or more; each offi cial GSCC fellowship has on

average ten house groups associated with it.

Pastors/workers enter the ministry as well-equipped,

mature people willing and ready to reach their fellow country-

men with the Good News of Jesus. They will gain hands-on

experience in Christian ministry and in shepherding their own

fl ocks. They will learn self-discipline and administrative skills.

The work of these new pastors/workers will eventually

bring spiritual and practical hope to tens of thousands of

people. The Good Shepherd Community Church pastors/

workers focus on meeting the holistic needs of the commu-

nity—spiritually, physically and emotionally. Cycles of poverty

and oppression will be broken and social transformation will

begin.

Total budget: $58388 West Bengal (typical state)

• includes 24 GSCC pastors’ support, two church-planting

teams, short-term Bible school for four students, simple

church buildings in fi ve villages, and operating costs for

administration and training.

Spain Art studio/meeting place

An art studio/gallery in Algeciras will reach out to expa-triate Moroccans and Spaniards, where both Islam and Catholicism are strong, as well as hedonism/secularism, especially among young people. Believers from evangelical churches in the area would be encouraged to use the studio as a resource, a forum for outreach and a place for hosting cultural events. The goal is to build understanding and form relationships with non-believers.

This space will be in a prominent place where many people, especially Moroccans, pass daily—an alternative meeting place to bars and discos. The atmosphere will be welcoming with ample seating and free coff ee or tea.

It will host a wide range of cultural events, workshops, and art classes. Christians can invite unsaved friends without the stigma that is often attached to a church. Workshops and art classes, as well as the possibility to rent space to local art-ists are all ways to generate revenue. When artwork is sold, the studio will receive a portion of the sale price.

The art studio will build bridges between two cultures which have a long history of misunderstanding, fear, and hostility.Total (start-up) cost of project: $17000

• includes one year’s rent and remodeling, furnishing and equipment

average ten house groups associated with it.

Pastors/workers enter the ministryy as well-equq ipppep d,,

th it.

Near East leadership training

The leaders of the emerging underground church in the Near East need encouragement and train-

ing. We will train forty local leaders of small house churches in Lebanon and Iraq in practical principles of house church leadership, leading

under pressure and how theology defi nes leader-ship. Training will take place during a 2–3 day

conference. Leaders will be encouraged and take back practical skills to their house churches.

Total cost of project: $5300

bottomline • second quarter 2008 • 9bottomline • second quarter 2008 • 9bo

It was my fi rst trek and it was tough.

We spent days climbing up and down

hills to reach scattered homes. We sell

packets of the Gospel in Nepali and

Nepali Christian testimonies for fi ve

rupees—the cost of a cup of tea (when

something is given for free here it is

considered of no value).

As I approached one home I heard

the cries of a child—a two-year-old

with a fi ve-year-old sitting with him,

obviously sick. His mother came out

and I asked if she wanted to buy a book.

She had no money and was taking her

child down the mountain to the hospital.

I asked if I could pray for her child in

Jesuko naam (Jesus’ name). I handed her

a tract to give to her husband who could

read. I left, continuing to pray for her.

We later met up with her on the

road en route to the hospital. She had 50

rupees to cover her bus ride. I decided

to give her money for medicine for her

baby now strapped to her back, quiet but

obviously not well. She refused at fi rst

but with persuasion took it, wondering

why these foreigners would help.

Throughout the trek I was asking,

How does God want to use me on this

trek? That encounter was one I will

remember for the rest of my life. ■

For several months I have been

discipling a Nepali man. We meet for

lunch once a week to discuss what he

has studied, and he tells me about his

friend in jail.

Two weeks ago we met him—my

fi rst time in jail. He was very happy to

see us and we sat together. In jail for

seven and a half years, he became a

Christian shortly after imprisonment

and has been studying the Bible ever

since.

Sitting for a few hours with a man

serving a ten-year sentence made me

think about the meaning of danger.

What if God called me to break the law

in a country where His Word is illegal?

What if He asked me to serve ten years

in jail for that? Am I willing to do that?

I pray I am, but also that I’ll never have

to fi nd out. ■

During my time in Nepal I’ve spent

a lot of time trekking and visiting

villages. It has been an awesome bless-

ing to share with hill people for their

fi rst time about Christ. It’s a blessing to

hand someone, for the fi rst time, a Bible

or a gospel.

We’ve experienced many diffi culties

during our treks but God is always faith-

ful. Our OM team has trekked for over

20 years in the hills of Nepal and not one

person has ever died or been seriously

injured. Every year in Nepal, foreigners

go missing and many die in the rugged

mountains. God has continued to

protect us. We’ve had many encounters

with the Maoists where, if God hadn’t

been with us, we would have had serious

problems. We have walked many trails

where, if you would slip once, it’s over.

But God has kept our feet from slipping

(Psalm 18:33).

The other week, my friend and I

went on a 20-day trek. We had many

encounters with armed Maoist rebels

but we were able to be friendly and

continue up the trails; the command-

ing offi cers accepted Bibles and gospels

from us. The trek went great and we

again saw God’s faithful hand watching

over us. ■

In the 1980s trekking teams of foreigners and Nepalis began to distribute litera-ture in remote mountain villages. Other teams engaged in personal evangelism, discipling of young believers, and serving local churches.

When Nepal fi rst opened to the outside world in 1951 there were only fi ve known Christians; by 1970, there were 500 believers. By the early 1980s there were 25,000 Christians and upwards of 75,000 Christians by 1990, with whole villages turning to Christ. Since the onset of democracy, the church has seen spectacular growth with several hundred thousand believers today. One hundred Nepali men and women participate in a three-month training and evangelism program, while 25–30 Nepali continue on a year program.

International teams engage in trekking to the mountain villages sharing the Gospel with literature, audio & video, and other creative evangelistic methods. This might be the most memorable, stretching and rewarding year you could ever spend!

went

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10 • www.omcanada.org • transforming lives and communities • info@cdn.om.org

Schedules: omships.org

DOULOS LOGOS II

RAC* = Restricted Access Country, unidentifi ed for security reasons

CANUCKS ON THE MOVE

Suva, Fiji May 14–June 4

Auckland, New Zealand June 9–July 1

Wellington, New Zealand July 3–24

Brisbane, Australia July 30–Aug 19

Sydney, Australia Aug 21–Sept 8

Geelong, Australia Sept 11–29

Albany, Australia Oct 4–8

Fremantle, Australia Oct 10–28

Dili, East Timor Nov 4–11

Bridgetown, Barbados June 4–16

Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

June 17–July 15

Landskrona, Sweden May 30–June 16

Koege, Denmark June 16–To be

announced

LOGOS HOPE

Joining:Siang Chiang Coquitlam Mandarin Church, BC Singapore

David Fink Port Colborne Brethren in Christ, ON Logos Hope

Megan Ingram First Congregational Church, NS Caribbean

David & Betty Kempling Salt Spring Island Baptist, BC Logos Hope

Kyle Maio Sherwood Park Alliance, AB Doulos

Caezar Roji Highland MB Church, AB Turning Point (UK)

Heike Schmid Blumenort EMC, MB RAC*

Jennifer Sutherland North Bay First Baptist, ON Doulos

Jonathan & Fiona Thiessen Zion Mennonite Church, Schanzenfeld, MB Russia

Sara Wiens Zion Mennonite Church, Schanzenfeld, MB Special Projects

Joanne Ynema Welland First Baptist. ON OM Canada, Port Colborne

Marc Zerbin Calvary Community Church, Edmonton, AB Logos Hope

Regina Hüttner Germany OM Canada, Port Colborne

Leaving/Left:Laurie Sanderson Moldova New Life Assembly, Sioux Lookout, ON

Dell & Deb Rempel Life Hope (UK) First Avenue Christian Assembly, BC

Paul & Ale Watson South Africa Victory Baptist, ON

Kyle & Lynnette Klassen Hungary Vancouver MB Church, BC

Janice Voth MTI (Asia) Grantham MB Church, ON

Ed & Ruth Murphy Tajikistan Willingdon MB Church, ON

Michael Johnson Doulos New Life Fellowship Baptist, ON

Esther Denis Doulos Rosedale Baptist, ON

Brian & Clarice Chung RAC* Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church, ON

Rob & Carol Sinclair AB Bethany Baptist, AB

TransitionDavid & Matildes Mountain View Alliance, Langley, BC Logos II to OM Canada, BC

van Rietschoten

Sue Priestley OM Canada International Coordinating Team (UK)

Andy & Gail Cook OM Canada OMUK

Jack & Esther Hawkins Doulos Crossfi re Assembly, ON

Russ & Sang Hee Harder RAC* Arab World Ministries

24–28 September 5 days with OM Canada staff to GET READY for wherever God is leading you in mission. Learn about OM ministries, core values, building a prayer/fi nancial support team and more. You’ll be stretched, encouraged and READY for the next step.

Cost includes meals, lodging and materi-als ($100/person; $170/couple). Space is limited, so contact Cory Thiessen at 1–877–487–7777 or cory@cdn.om.org

Start at home. Start now.

Making friends…sharing our Best Friend.

In Toronto (July 19–August 2) we’ll work with

Morningstar Christian Fellowship and other

agencies that reach out to ethnic communities.

In Edmonton (August 9–16) we’ll work with

Richfi eld Christian Fellowship and other

churches.

Imagine sharing your faith in creative

ways among the homeless, drug addicts

and immigrants. Imagine fi rst learning to

understand their world!

• Practical preparation and training

in reaching people from various faith

backgrounds will last you your whole life.

• You’ll have opportunities to communicate

the Gospel in word and deed, being sensitive

to the leading of the Lord.

• You’re joining a group of Christ disciples

that are learners in being eff ective witnesses

for Christ. Not one of us has it all.

• Have at least ten prayer partners that

will pray for you daily. Imagine being part of

a team of 50+ people and over 500 people

engaging in prayer daily for you and the

team—awesome!

Spaces are limited,

so contact us this

week!

bottomline • second quarter 2008 • 11

Harvey Thiessen

Let’s help each other

aybe that day has come. Maybe

you’ve been sitting on a prom-

ise, years old, to serve the Lord

‘someday’ in a full-time capacity. You felt

the call, but ‘life’ took over and you never

explored that calling further. Maybe it was

a ‘shot over the bow’ by the Holy Spirit

instilling the desire to make a greater

contribution to world mission. Now may

be the time. If not now, when?

Maybe you’re not ready for another

culture or long studies or moving to

another country. Your skills and experi-

ence can be put to use in our OM Canada

offi ce! Yes, we organize outreaches in

Canada and send people worldwide on

long- and short-term teams—but we

urgently need dedicated people commit-

ted to the hard work that it takes to keep

people on the fi eld. Anyone with good

administrative and people skills, blessed

by their church, will fi nd a place to serve.

There has been no more exciting time

to be involved in world mission than now.

In India, OM has been involved in over

2500 church plants since 2000. We’re about

to launch a new ocean-going ship into

full-time service. More than 110 countries

have OMers hard at work bringing the

Good News of Jesus Christ. Now is the

time to put your hand to the plow in a new

way.

The quaint city of Port Colborne

<www.city.portcolborne.on.ca> is a great

place to live. I’ve been here for 10 years.

Come and discover why!

People joining OM raise fi nancial support, usually through gifts

from home churches and other supporters.

For more info, email: personnel@cdn.om.orgwww.omcanada.org/join • call toll-free 1–877–487–7777

…and more!

What does it take to impact the world?A lot more than most people realize. Behind every worker on the fi eld, every Scripture distributed, every church planted, every village rebuilt, every national trained and equipped stand a team whose purpose is to reduce roadblocks, resource opportunities and rally God’s people to demonstrate and proclaim the Good News to every nation. We create and hold the ladders for others to seize the opportunities in global mission today. And we do it as a small, experienced, passionate team here in Canada. A team that needs ‘every hand on deck’ to make it happen. And this team needs more people with a vision to reach the world and a willingness to serve from behind the scenes.

Opportunities awaitHere’s a sample of the people we need on our team right now:

✔ PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR: Responsible for the regular payroll

functions for 60 staff overseas and in

Canada. Detailed training provided.

✔ MAILROOM COORDINATOR: Resource

our partners across Canada by sending

newsletters, tracking address changes,

communicating with Canadians abroad,

managing books and other media.

✔ RECEPTIONIST: Be the fi rst

impression with visitors and guests

to OM Canada while processing

incoming mail, researching travel

and general offi ce duties.

✔ CHURCH RELATIONS ADMINISTRATOR: Help coordinate training seminars,

ministry trips for pastors and link churches

to specifi c OM ministries.

You might discover that by completing the OM team, God will complete

what’s been missing in your own life.

Call Director Harvey Thiessen today for details!

• accountant

• system administrator• website management

• development coordinator

12 • www.omcanada.org • transforming lives and communities • info@cdn.om.org

© 2008 • OM Canada 84 West Street

Port Colborne, ON L3K 4C8Tel. (905) 835-2546 • Fax (905) 835-2533 info@cdn.om.org • www.omcanada.org

Publication Mail Agreement No. 40009991

missions for the rest of usmissions for the rest of us

There’s a gap between what you know and what you wish you knew. A gap between what you hear from others about your future and what your heart is trying to say.A gap between your present life of ‘faith’ and what it could potentially become.A gap between spiritual couch potatoes and hard-core players. A gap that God could fi ll with Himself.A gap that will never look back. A gap that may never happen again.

Missions can teach you life skills like nowhere else. Language. Culture. New ways of seeing the world. The amazement of making a real diff erence in real peoples’ lives. ‘Normal, not much, same old’—gone forever. Seriously.

So what’s it going to be? Let’s walk, and let the others talk. This is missions for the rest of us. www.om.org

gone forever. Se

So what’s it going to be? Let’s walk and let

South Africa Blow your worldview apart. Join

our intensive six-month missions

exposure programme. Learn more

about God, yourself, team life and

ministry. Sharpen your Christian

walk and get equipped for missions

at the same time. Get your hands

dirty and stretch your soul...

Learn skills and tools to share

your faith and connect with

youth. Learn about leadership by leading others.

With often more than a dozen dif-

ferent nationalities on the team and

hands-on experience, whether in

the bush or the inner-city, South

Africa will change you forever!

Openings in February and June.

t the others talk This is miissions for the rest of us www om orgt thhhhhhhhe other

Chile12-month Global Action Program. Learn more about God and more about yourself. On-the-job training enables you to maximize your experience through orientation on Chilean culture, relationship building, public speaking, life direction, mentoring, evangelism, learning Spanish, Bible study and practical work. Serve in TeenStreet/Teens in Missions. Join an Adventure Team or BMX/skateboarding ministry. Work in a orphanage or with the homeless.

, ame eeee o

• CUBE: An intensive 11-month (Sept–July) internship program empowering

college-age students (18–25) to be eff ective in cross-cultural ministry. Learn to

speak Arabic. Explore a diff erent culture and religion. Get cross-cultural experience

and see your own faith in new ways.

• Sellim (Arabic, ‘stairway’). Two-year training to equip for longer-term ministry

among Arabs, emphasizing spiritual development, ministry to the Egyptian Church,

language and cultural study and specialized ministry training.