Europe Missions
The Power of Teams
The Power of Teams
Wales
Ryan McCullough
The Hard Stuff No One Wants to Tell A ...

You don’t become a missionary by raising money and flying to a foreign country. You do it by being obedient to God. Tell people about Jesus where you live. Get out of your comfort zone. Sell something precious and apply it to your debts. Make a sacrifice. Develop better friendships. There is an old saying: “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” While this is not to be taken literally in this sense, (please, don’t start wearing the national garb of the country you want to go to just yet). However, somewhere in the process, we have to make a conscious decision that there is no going back. 

The Hard Stuff No One Wants to Tell A Prospective Missionary
Portugal, Spain
Dan Desrosiers
Starting from Scratch

Dan and Joy West have had a rich missionary career, yet at a time in their career when they might be tempted to stay in their comfort zone, Dan and Joy are starting over.

Starting from Scratch
Netherlands
Dan Desrosiers
The Miracle of the Oasis

More than 30 years ago, the last evangelical church in the municipality of Bergen, Netherlands, closed its doors, leaving no evangelical witness for two generations. But a small yet passionate group of Christians believed God for a miracle in their community.

The Miracle of the Oasis
Poland
Dan Desrosiers
On the Hunt: Embracing—and Breaking—Tradition ...

For most of his life, one of missionary Rich McLane’s passions has been hunting. His wife Lori enjoys playing the trumpet. When they became missionary church planters in Poland years ago, who would have guessed these passions would converge to reach more than 120,000 hunters throughout the country?

On the Hunt: Embracing—and Breaking—Tradition in the Name of Christ

Austria

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Outreach in Vienna's "Central Park"

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The first Sunday in June, Vienna Christian Center (VCC) conducted a citywide outreach day in Donauturm Park in Vienna that was called "I Love My City." Donauturm Park is the location of the Donau Tower and is one of the most popular parks in the city. Never before in Austria's history has a single evangelical church been granted the permits allowing such an open air evangelistic event. Some 2600 people were in attendance. The thrilling result was that several committed their lives to Christ.

VCC is a church which has nine services in eight different languages every weekend. Three times a year ALL these groups come together for a unity Celebration Service. This Celebration in the park was the first time in eight years that ALL of VCC has been able to be together in one service. Our theme was ONE - one church, one day, one place, one service - but most importantly one voice declaring the praises of God openly in a public park.

VCC is a part of the Frei Christian Gemeinde (the Free Church) in Austria. After decades of praying and waiting, the Frei Christian Gemeinde, for the first time ever, received FULL church recognition by the Austrian government in 2013. What a miracle! This miracle now provides VCC the right and opportunity to have outdoor events and outreaches that could never have happened before. Over the last year, there has been an awakening among Christians and churches in Austria as they have come together to conduct outdoor unity building events. It’s just the beginning of a revitalization movement and spiritual awakening in Austria. The March for Jesus event in September of 2014 attracted over 12,000 Christians from all across the nation. The Christustag March in Linz drew another 8,000 in May, 2015.

VCC is thankful to be a part of what God is doing and continues to pray for every church and every believer to celebrate the freedom to worship God and share faith with those who need Him most. This is a triumph for the gospel in Austria!

image006.jpgThe first Sunday in June, Vienna Christian Center (VCC) conducted a citywide outreach day in Donauturm Park in Vienna that was called "I Love My City."

Donauturm Park is the location of the Donau Tower and is one of the most popular parks in the city. Never before in Austria's history has a single evangelical church been granted the permits allowing such an open air evangelistic event. Some 2600 people were in attendance. The thrilling result was that several committed their lives to Christ.

VCC is a church which has nine services in eight different languages every weekend. Three times a year ALL these groups come together for a unity Celebration Service. This Celebration in the park was the first time in eight years that ALL of VCC has been able to be together in one service. Our theme was ONE - one church, one day, one place, one service - but most importantly one voice declaring the praises of God openly in a public park.

VCC is a part of the Frei Christian Gemeinde (the Free Church) in Austria. After decades of praying and waiting, the Frei Christian Gemeinde, for the first time ever, received FULL church recognition by the Austrian government in 2013. What a miracle! This miracle now provides VCC the right and opportunity to have outdoor events and outreaches that could never have happened before. Over the last year, there has been an awakening among Christians and churches in Austria as they have come together to conduct outdoor unity building events. It’s just the beginning of a revitalization movement and spiritual awakening in Austria. The March for Jesus event in September of 2014 attracted over 12,000 Christians from all across the nation. The Christustag March in Linz drew another 8,000 in May, 2015.

VCC is thankful to be a part of what God is doing and continues to pray for every church and every believer to celebrate the freedom to worship God and share faith with those who need Him most. This is a triumph for the gospel in Austria!

Ponies and Immigrants in Austria

Horse Therapy! It is normally used with disabled kids and their families. But a local ranch family in Austria has been trained in this very noble therapy and decided to extend the program to immigrant neighbors who are finding their way in a new, strange country. What a very loving offer with no cost to the families. Two families who are being helped arrived in Austria seven months ago, one from Syria and the other from Afghanistan. They were placed in the same house for asylum seekers. They fled their homelands and, well, everything! And they entered a very different world! Their children quickly picked up German in their new schools so they are often the translators for the grownups. It would be hard for us to imagine the fears, stresses and the extremes of all of these changes!

But then someone, like Hannes and Angelika, the ranchers, come along and love on these families in such a unique way! The kids are invited for afternoons of caring for ponies and riding them. This is being done to help these children who are traumatized, or who have anxiety as newcomers into Austria. This culture is VERY different from their home lands and the transition can be difficult. This opportunity with the ponies has been very successful in smoothing the way and dealing with the pain of fleeing their lands. (Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Romania, others) Also, people who would not be "friends" normally, become friends out of need for one another. Some fled because they were Muslim of one stripe or another, and others fled because they were Christians being persecuted.. Here, they find friendships in unlikely places! And with unlikely people!

IMG_0611-sm.jpgHorse Therapy! It is normally used with disabled kids and their families. But a local ranch family in Austria has been trained in this very noble therapy and decided to extend the program to immigrant neighbors who are finding their way in a new, strange country. What a very loving offer with no cost to the families.

Two families who are being helped arrived in Austria seven months ago, one from Syria and the other from Afghanistan. They were placed in the same house for asylum seekers. They fled their homelands and, well, everything! And they entered a very different world! Their children quickly picked up German in their new schools so they are often the translators for the grownups. It would be hard for us to imagine the fears, stresses and the extremes of all of these changes!

IMG_0623-sm.jpgBut then someone, like Hannes and Angelika, the ranchers, come along and love on these families in such a unique way! The kids are invited for afternoons of caring for ponies and riding them. This is being done to help these children who are traumatized, or who have anxiety as newcomers into Austria. This culture is VERY different from their home lands and the transition can be difficult. This opportunity with the ponies has been very successful in smoothing the way and dealing with the pain of fleeing their lands. (Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Romania, others) Also, people who would not be "friends" normally, become friends out of need for one another. Some fled because they were Muslim of one stripe or another, and others fled because they were Christians being persecuted.. Here, they find friendships in unlikely places! And with unlikely people!

At Time to Remember..A Time to Forgive in Austria

On the 7th of April, an event took place that is one in a long line of such events since the end of WWII. The “March of Remembrance” is a time to remember and a time of restoration and forgiveness for those whose lives have been marked or touched by the horrors of the concentration camps around Europe.

Marsch_des_Lebens.jpgOn the 7th of April, an event took place that is one in a long line of such events since the end of WWII. The “March of Remembrance” is a time to remember and a time of restoration and forgiveness for those whose lives have been marked or touched by the horrors of the concentration camps around Europe. 

Mauthausen, Austria is home to the beginning of the “camps” in Austria. It is not unlike Auschwitz and Dachau. It was an extermination camp – forced labor, experimentation, execution, suicide, atrocities, starvation, all sorts of brutality, deprivation, cold, disease…..

More than a thousand gathered at the Mauthausen site where the 5-mile trek would begin. People from around the world were present. As a point of remembrance, those gathered followed the trail that the prisoners had taken, descending the 189 steps into the granite quarry to the now-grassy floor. These are the same steep steps up which prisoners were forced to carry 40-pound stones, causing so many to die in the effort.

Israel-oestereich-flag.jpgAnd then there was a pause…a man spoke.  Many couldn’t see him because of the crowd, but they could hear him. He explained that his purpose in coming that day was to repent as the grandson of two Nazi officers, as the son of a racist family and as one who himself had harbored hatred toward Jews…until he met Jesus.  Broken, weeping and kneeling before the crowd, he recounted how those who were killed had been forced to kneel before their executioners. And now he was kneeling before people who offer life…asking forgiveness. What a powerful moment!

Faith for Pancakes in Austria

The International Church in Austria, Vienna Christian Center, is pastored byAGWM missionary personnel, Larry and Melinda Henderson. They tell of the great faith of a child which resulted in a miracle healing related to a Back to School brunch they hosted for the International Families. Amy, one of the mothers told us that she had brought her son's breakfast with them because due to his allergies he would not be able to eat what we had prepared.

IMG_1005.jpegThe International Church in Austria, Vienna Christian Center, is pastored by AGWM missionary personnel, Larry and Melinda Henderson.  They tell of the great faith of a child which resulted in a miracle healing related to a Back to School brunch they hosted for the International Families. Amy, one of the mothers told us that she had brought her son's breakfast with them because due to his allergies he would not be able to eat what we had prepared.

However watching those pancakes being flipped on the griddle was too much for Imanuel. He knew he could not have any dairy nor wheat products BUT he had faith to believe that God could heal him. Why should he have to go the rest of his life with these food allergies?

Image_14.jpegWithin minutes Amy approached us and said Imanuel wanted to speak to me privately. Imanuel followed and said, ¨Pastor Melinda if you will pray for me, I believe it will be okay for me to eat a pancake.¨ After a brief pause.. well there was only one thing to be done, and that was to pray! We held hands and united our faith.  You see, Imanuel is only 9 years old but he has learned that with Jesus nothing is impossible! Time has passed and Imanuel has been totally healed of all his food allergies. He has had no more reactions nor pain.

God honors our faith and now Imanuel can enjoy his pancakes, consuming seven of them that morning, by the way!