2021 - Free Methodist World Missions

Sharing God’s Love from Europe to Africa

by Magaly Mora | Sep 2021

São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea off the western coast of Central Africa. It is a Portuguese-speaking nation. In 2018, the Free Methodist Church in Portugal sent Moisés and Jacione Souza as missionaries. There are now two Free Methodist churches in São Tomé.

My husband, Camilo, and I are currently serving in Spain, but in June of this year, we traveled to São Tomé and Príncipe. Upon arriving in the country, we could feel the hot, humid weather welcoming us to the island. We were hosted by the Souza family: Moisés, Jacione, and their two girls, Filipa and Giovanna. The Souzas are doing excellent work. During our stay, they shared their story of God’s calling from Portugal to São Tomé. The call came from the words of Acts 16:9 – “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” It was beautiful to see how they know the community and are helping them in their needs, both spiritual and physical. Moisés walks through the streets greeting the people. He salutes everyone he knows, shows them a thumbs up and says, ”fish,” meaning good.

Establishing the Africa-Europe Church Network

by Josh Fajardo, Europe Area Director | Sep 2021

Approximately 200,000 migrants from Africa have landed on European shores in the last three years alone. This number adds to the 7 million already living in Europe. The majority of these African immigrants will be granted asylum and seek a path to residency or citizenship. A few years ago, I met the Rev. Albert Delali at the annual conference for the U.K. and Ireland. Albert is from Ghana but has been living in the London area since 2002. He shared his journey and the testimony of how he arrived in the U.K. He also shared his passion for missions and desire to network with African immigrants in the U.K. and across Europe. Last year, we continued talking about how best to partner. Then the pandemic hit. The need to collaborate and strategize about reaching the African diaspora on the European continent became even more evident. As a result, the FMC-Europe and the FMC-U.K. have formed an alliance to address this strategically. Therefore, the birth of the Africa-Europe Church Network.

Nafissa’s Story

by Rev. Dosseh Takpale | Aug 2021

From fear to confidence, this is Nafissa’s story. Nafissa is from Mali. She lost her husband, and she has been supporting herself and her two daughters through her service in the military. Not long ago, she started having health problems. At first, Nafissa attempted to get help from a traditional healer, but her living conditions and health continued to decline. She also found herself living in a perpetual state of fear. About this time, one of our church members met Nafissa and shared the gospel. She received Jesus and then became involved in our church worship gatherings.

From Darkness to Life

by Thom Cahill, missionary to Thailand | Aug 2021

How does one go from worshiping the spirits of the dead to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ? To understand this transformation, I share the story...

Still Thriving

by Vickie Reynen | Aug 2021

In 2015 a group of young women came together to form the Thrive Ladies discipleship group. Their original purpose was to encourage one another and carry each other’s burdens. As they grew, their vision also grew. They became advocates for those younger than themselves, providing a safe place for girls to share about their challenges. The Thrive Ladies participated in several training programs to educate and equip themselves to effectively minister to others.

The Happiest Day of My Life

by Testimony of Syrian refugee woman in Iraq | Jul 2021

I am Kibar. I was born in Syria to a religious, fundamental Muslim family. My father and mother prayed often and taught my three sisters and me to...

The Toktok Drive

by An Impact Middle East Leader in Egypt | Jul 2021

My wife and I traveled by Toktok to a house church. I asked the driver, Zechariah, to come back at 8 p.m. to take us home after the meeting was finished. When Zechariah returned, the meeting was still going on, so he decided to come inside to wait for us.

As the house church leader spoke and prayed, the Holy Spirit began to deal with Zechariah. He started to cry as he recognized his sins, particularly his addictions.

With You Forever

by An Impact Middle East Leader in Egypt | Jul 2021

She was a young, polite woman but always looked sad. We didn’t know much about her. Even after joining the house church group, she never shared or prayed. When the meetings were over, she left quickly. We respected her silence.

One day, when we shared about Jacob in the Bible, she spoke for the first time. She told her story:

This message opened my eyes. I was married when I was 13 years old to a man 26 years older than me. My family arranged this marriage. I was a child who just wanted to play with my friends and go to school.

Walls Coming Down

by The Set Free Movement Team | Jun 2021

Human trafficking in your community? Most likely. Human trafficking takes many forms.
Josh Avery, a campus pastor and Set Free Movement leader in Canfield, Ohio, didn’t feel he could sit by and do nothing when he saw the injustices happening in his local community. After spending time in prayer and learning about their community, Josh and his Set Free Movement team felt called to move forward in three distinct ways: prevention of human trafficking, mobilization of the community and rescue work.

Created in His Image

by Rose Brewer | Jun 2021

In the imago Dei, the image of God, this was how God created us, male and female. Transformational churches around the world are reaching out to men, women, boys and girls in their communities with the good news that all are created in the imago Dei.

So what does this look like in practical terms? For SEED Livelihood Network, the Set Free Movement and International Child Care Ministries (ICCM), it means we work for equity for all people. Many times, and in many places, this means intervening for disadvantaged women and girls.

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