Charlotte Martin (Power to Change)

In just over 2 weeks our 2023 mission trips will be starting. We have about 33 students and 21 staff going on four different trips. Although we didn't hit our goal of sending 50 students, we know that God has a different perspective on numbers and that he can do mighty things through small numbers.

In a season where it feels like we are getting small results or little return for our efforts to mobilize students on mission trips, the following story is especially meaningful to me.

In 2020 Sarah was excited to go on our Desert Rain (DR) mission trip. She had almost finished raising her funds to go and then the pandemic hit and all our trips were cancelled. For two years we couldn't send in person mission trips. We hosted digital mission trips that allowed students to learn about the countries and cultures we work in internationally and engage online with students from those places. Sarah participated in our digital mission trip two years in a row and God continued to grow her heart for DR. In that time Sarah graduated from her undergrad and started a teaching degree. This summer Sarah is finally getting to go to DR. Here is her journey in her own words: 

"During undergrad, I prayed and longed for an opportunity to serve and partner with God in global missions. Three years ago, God answered that prayer by opening an opportunity to go to Desert Rain. While an opportunity to go in person was canceled due to the pandemic, God still provided me with an opportunity to reach his people virtually in 2020 and 2021. Little did I know that God would also break my heart for a nation and for people that I had never even met. During that time God has helped me to understand that being on missions is not weighed by trips or ministry but is a kingdom centered lifestyle. As I continued to pray for the nation, learn about the people and their faith, I felt a growing burden and the leading to go in person."

Thank you for your partnership in the work of mobilizing students to care about God's global work and to go. Praise God that it is not in our own strength that we mobilize students but God is always at work and what a pleasure to be a part of what he is doing. 

The last 8 weeks have held a lot of travel for me. Here are some of the different groups I got to spend time with.

Supervisors meetings at the end of February

Crisis Management Training in March

P2C Leaders Hub later in March.
The picture at the start of my update is also from this time when I went on a hike to a beautiful lookout with some women.

Russ & Meredith Martin

Inviting The Global Church Into God’s Mission

How do we invite the global Church into God’s mission? That is one of the key questions our team asks every day as we seek to resource and equip followers of Jesus with simple and easy to use tools to reach their world.

In our work with the Lausanne Movement, our team has been busy creating content along the lines of the fourfold we champion:

• The gospel for every person.

• A disciple-making church for every people and place.

• Christ-like leaders for every church and sector.

• Kingdom impact in every sphere of society.

In 2022, our devotional plans on the YouVersion Bible App increased 129%. We now have over 100,000 subscribers to guide and journey with, including subscribers from all continents!

Our plans are for you and are found here: https://lausanne.org/devotional-plan 

With family life stabilizing and the kids in school, Meredith has joined our team in a part-time capacity doing work on our websites and providing project management for design work. She’s a bit nervous getting back into professional work, but doing a great job.

WBC Friends, without your faithful partnership guiding people at this scale could not happen. Thank you for the part you play in leading the next generation of missions in a digital age.

Recent Highlights
A. Our two Student Council reps
B. Our blond footballer
C. April Fools + Birthday surprise for Russ

Gord Martin - Africa trip report - April 11 at Lincoln Road Chapel

Greetings to you all. 

I am planning, with Yonatan, to give a report on our recent journey to Sudan and Ethiopia to visit Eritrean refugees. 

In person at Lincoln Road Chapel, 145 Lincoln Rd, Waterloo, ON, April 11th,   at 7:00 p.m.

and by zoom, click on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89055708565?pwd=L3JUSk10RWJwQng2QWREMGZNdkZjUT09

Jenn Brubacher - Youth For Christ (local)

Gord Martin - update #4

Monday afternoon was the highlight of our trip. Not because we saw or experienced something wonderful. Quite the opposite. We came looking for trouble and found it!

We visited an Eritrean refugee camp north of Gonder, not too far from the Tigrayan border. That’s where war had been raging up until December.

The people we met had fled from Eritrea to settle as refugees in Tigray, the northernmost province of Ethiopia. Then war broke out between the federal government of Ethiopia and the province of Tigray. Now these Eritrean refugees had to flee again! They are double refugees.

We met with six church leaders who told us of the miserable and dangerous conditions for the 23,000 inhabitants of the camp. They said it’s not uncommon to find a dead human body, left in the open. There are armed bandits everywhere, part of the aftermath of war. They told us how desperate they were to immigrate, to anywhere safe. One of the men had his arm broken by a bandit who robbed him. They said that in the winter, coming soon, its cold and muddy. The place is called the ground that “swallows up”.  They are not allowed to leave the camp and its immediate surroundings. They cannot work legally. They have no rights.

One of the men said, “seeing you here gives us hope that God still cares for us”. Another said, “you have no idea how much this means to us, that you would come from such a distance to visit us!” So, sobering!!

We went right into the camp, looked inside the tents,  visited two churches that are meeting there. Of course, kids were curious, wanting to practice their English on us/me. I am more than a little conspicuous here!

We talked with them about possible solutions, short term and long term. Yonatan and I have been talking about those options since Monday.

Please pray for us that we will find a way to bring meaningful help to these dear “loved by God” people

Am heading home at 11 p.m. tomorrow night but am planning to meet a group of Eritrean pastors from about 3 till 7 p.m., to provide some leadership training/encouragement,  “on our way to the airport.