In 2017, Betsy Stewart said “yes” to Jesus and went to Kenya for 6 months. Betsy’s term with EMM was spent at the Amani Gardens Inn in Nairobi, where she served as a hostess to guests who were traveling through the country. Betsy’s “yes” to Jesus was a “yes” to learning more about Kenya and its people — a place Betsy had visited several times before. But this kind of call wasn’t difficult for Betsy to obey.

Names are significant in the Dinka culture in South Sudan. Nicky Hess, who served as an EMM worker from 2016 to 2019 learned that early on when she was trying to learn the names

of students and people from the community.

On December 14, 2019, the Lord welcomed home his faithful servant, Richard A. Showalter. Richard served as the sixth president of EMM from 1994 to 2011. He left a lasting legacy on both the organization he served and the Global Anabaptist church.

A few months ago, Bethany Tobin, who serves with both EMM and Virginia Mennonite Missions in Thailand, had a particularly tough week of poor sleep. After several tiring nights, a man in the village called for Bethany to come and help calm his wife who had become very emotional to a point of almost becoming violent. It was already 8:30 p.m. and Bethany was in her pajamas. Fearing her tendency toward insomnia, Bethany answered the phone with hesitation.

Paper maché. Country western line dancing. Skits and games involving superhero costumes. What do these seemingly unrelated things have in common with each other? In the Czech Republic, these activities are just a few of the ways that workers “break the ice” with students participating in an English summer camp.

When Ted Smoker first arrived in Guatemala, he had ideas and hopes for how he might impact the lives of the K'ekchi'. He also had many questions on how to benefit them most effectively without causing harm to their beautiful culture and their self-reliance.

How did living in East Asia change and define Emma, her husband, Ethan, and their family? The better question to ask is, “How did living in East Asia not change and define them?”

Carol Wert is never quite sure if her own redefining occurs primarily because of the place where she lives or her continuing desire to follow Jesus authentically. But she can think of a few ways that living in Wales may have helped shape who she is today.

Did you know that when you give to EMM and support our workers around the world through your dollars and prayers, you too are bringing transformation to a world in desperate need of good news? We are incredibly thankful for your partnership in this important work. Check out these three short stories that highlight some of the work God has done through us together in 2019.

While living in Belize, the Davises became aware of a celebration called “la fiesta de quinceañera.” This event — which is sometimes referred to as a quince — is the tradition of celebrating a girl turning into a woman in Latino culture on her 15th birthday.