Focus

For Jeremy’s* first birthday in Thailand, he received a gift from his brother in Canada. It was a black and white photo of his grandfather on stage at an evangelistic crusade when he was about Jeremy’s age. He was a very spiritual person, and Jeremy remembers his deep laugh and voice that sounded like Pavarotti when he sang.

Since December 20th, Alan and Carol have been doing a lot of walking through green fields and beside small streams once again as human interaction is limited by another lockdown in Wales, which is in the United Kingdom. In this simple act of observing nature, listening to music, or talking and laughing with a family member as they walk, they find the refreshment their souls desperately need.

A few weeks ago, while John* was preparing to leave the village for the city, a woman told him that her older sister had developed a new health problem. An hour later, John left to join his wife, Debbie, in the city and they traveled to northwestern Cambodia. A few days later as they were completing their trip, they received a call that Sokaa’s older sister had become much sicker.

Every Christmas season, Eric is reminded of the beauty of the song “Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming”. Eric was practicing this song on the piano, and being an amateur pianist, was having a terrible time with the last two measures of the first two lines. He felt like maybe he should just stick with playing the treble clef notes alone so that it has a semblance of cohesive sound. But the full sound is so much better, so he kept trying, and eventually realized that the quarter note was his steady guide through the disorientation.

Abby and Owen* had a very full and blessed season celebrating the birth of Jesus! It was a lovely time of sharing His love with their friends and neighbors. They had the opportunity to host a party for their neighbors on the weekend after Christmas. They weren't quite sure how to do it but they ended up inviting guests at 3 different time slots. 

David and Grace Shenk describe the past 18 years of serving as EMM global consultants as a remarkable journey. What has been especially surprising to them has been the interest of Muslim communities in hearing about the peace of Jesus. All of these open doors have surprised them again and again.

It hasn’t been an easy last several months for anyone. It has been especially challenging for EMM worker Imogene. There have continued to be more disappointments and frustrations with COVID-19. Imogene had gone back and forth, between online and in-person language classes, had many events be cancelled, and had been in and out of quarantining.

Christians may ask, “Why should I care about Christian-Muslim relations?” You may think that you live in an area where there simply are no Muslims. If you live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as many of you do, you may be surprised to find out that Lancaster City resettles 20 times more refugees per capita than the rest of the United States, many of whom are Muslim.

Christ’s incarnation — that is what John is referring to when he says that the Word became flesh — that incarnation sets an example of what “mission” means. God chose not to remain distant and detached from humanity. Instead, He chose to make His home among us!

Once again, EMM is experiencing a change as we are in the process of moving to Lancaster City — yet while EMM has been transformed over the years and is still being transformed, the mission remains the same.