Focus

Have you ever thought about how overwhelming moving to a new place can be? Perhaps, you’ve experienced it a few times in your life. Experience the first couple of days of a mission intern serving in Wales, U.K. Victoria Derosier.

During the last week of December, more than 200 joyous attendees filled the Catel Mennonite Church in Guinea-Bissau. The meetinghouse resonated with jubilant singing, inspiring messages, and a special celebration. What was this special celebration? Mennonite Church West Africa, or MCWA, credentialed its first pastors and was gathering for an annual conference.

On November 30, 2018, Tyndale Theological Seminary in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands hosted the event: “A dialogue comparing the divine and the human in Islam and Christianity.” Exploring a unique aspect of Christian theology, EMM worker Jonathan Bornman highlighted the concept of “Imago Dei” — the belief that humanity is created in the image of God.

Learning a new language is never easy. Especially when it’s Garifuna, a dying language derived from five other languages! But somehow, learning to sing a praise song is the first step in EMM worker Tim Groff’s journey toward fluency!

Music can evoke emotions of joy, sadness, and reverence. It is also an effective way to share the gospel and get Scripture into the hearts and minds of people in any culture around the world. EMM worker Glenna Sollenberger is passionate about helping every culture understand the Scriptures in ways that are meaningful to them.

In 2008, John and Debbie Coats started a pilot program for children which focused on character training in a rural village in southeastern Cambodia. The program included music which helped the children realize that not only can worship be very beautiful, but that they can be a part of those beautiful sounds.

Brook Hostetter served with EMM from 2014–16 as an English and music teacher at the PROMESA school in Cusco, Peru. She connected a North American children's choir with a Peruvian children's choir. The result was an original song and music video, recorded and filmed in Cusco!

On Christmas Eve, nearly 2,000 people — many of whom are homeless — will be invited to a beautiful white-linen meal in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

EMM workers Steve Horst and Mark Schoenhals, along with 20 people from Life Enrichment Church, attended a house church planting conference where they were inspired to create some ambitious goals.

12.015.18w revised by Eastern Mennonite Missions