Witness Spring 2021 Contents Editorial: Our Collective Witness.................... 2 Twenty Years with Team 2000........................4 Brought to Tears......................................................6 Touching Heaven Online..................................... 7
Our Collective Witness Editorial by Randy Friesen
The Fruit of Unfailing Love................................8 I Will Not Leave You as Orphans...................10 Sheep Without a Shepherd.............................. 12 Open to God.............................................................. 13 God Made Me Tuareg..........................................14
Staff Editor-in-Chief..............................Randy Friesen Managing Editor..................Mark J.H. Klassen Layout & Design..........................Darcy Scholes Illustration & Design..................... Colton Floris Writing & Prayer Mobilization.......Nikki White Media Director................................ Daniel Lichty Circulation & Administration.........Kyle Hendy
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There are still almost two billion people living on the planet today that are considered unreached by the Gospel. Those people are found in more than 5000 distinct ethnic groups that are without a reproducing church among them. The majority of these groups are in places like North India, Central Asia and North Africa. Each has its own cultural identity and history, which can be both a challenge and an opportunity in mission. The prophet Isaiah had a vision of the last days in which he saw people from among the nations saying, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord… He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths” (2:3). Isaiah saw people groups responding to the Gospel in community and learning God’s peacemaking ways. In that passage, Isaiah concludes with the challenge, “Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (2:5). In other words, the people of God have a responsibility to live in the light of God’s truth so that others will be drawn to God’s kingdom—our collective witness is crucial. When Jesus called his disciples to “Go, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18), he was speaking to a community about reaching other communities. Earlier, Jesus had sent them out on shortterm mission trips in teams, not as individuals. When he said, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), he was using the plural for “you” meaning “you all.” Jesus was preparing a community of disciples to live on mission together. There is both a “come” and a “go” expression of mission that involves community. We invite others to come with us to encounter God and to worship him, and we also go forth into the community to bring the Good News of Jesus to others. Last week, one of our neighbors knocked on our back door. She is an elderly widow with a house full of adopted children and grandchildren. After a career in social work, she is now a caregiver for an expanding family that looks to her for stability. We talk often with her and we try to provide her a space to process the challenges that she faces. We talk and eat together while the children play. We have enjoyed watching her grow in her faith and dependence on the Lord. She often asks for prayer, but this time she asked Marjorie and me whether we would host Sunday school for her grandchildren. For us, it was an example of being on mission together with our neighbors, within our neighborhood.
