In the busy heart of London, Engage worker Mary has been bringing the hope of the gospel to the streets of Islington through her work with Inspire St James Church.
Having grown up in Ethiopia, Mary followed God’s call to move to London to bring the good news to those who’ve never heard about Jesus.
Sent via SIM’s East Africa office, Mary realised she was the answer to her new church’s prayers, as with a congregation of 60% immigrants, Inspire had been praying for new ways to connect with its local community.
“God has been at work in the past four years, first and foremost in my own personal life.” she says. “Living in Ethiopia and worshipping in my church was amazing but being in London in a super diverse church, worshipping with the nations, and studying the Bible with people from different cultures, has been a little bit of a taste of heaven for me. Seeing how they love Jesus in their own way, hearing them praise God and interpreting the gospel … has grown me so much.”
Mary’s main ministry is estate outreach, where she meets people from many ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“Being an Ethiopian, even my skin colour has been amazing. God has redeemed my background and who I am because people relate to me as someone who’s moved overseas, as an African, as an immigrant myself.”
This common ground helps Mary to develop friendships as so far, she’s knocked on 1,000 doors and had hundreds of gospel conversations. As a result, many have come to church and attended different evangelistic events such as Christianity Explored.
Through teaching English, Mary sees around 20 different people each week – two of whom have since given their life to Christ.
Her third area of ministry, Life Skills with CAP, has run six times with 100 people taking part. The church is now excited to be baptising its first three people who came to Christ through the life skills group.
“In heaven there is great joy over one sinner repenting. There is much joy and rejoicing in my heart seeing all the fruit through these ministries in the past four years” adds Mary.
Our Engage programme places gifted cross-cultural workers from overseas into UK churches. There are many opportunities to reach significant diaspora communities, through outreach ministries, activities, or groups, such as sports, language teaching, music or discussion. Find out more about Engage.
What do you do at SIM UK?
I am Lead Mobiliser and Safeguarding Lead, and I’ve been with the Mobilisation team for about five 1/2 years.
What does your job look like day-to-day?
I line-manage two of the mobilisers, which involves overseeing their workload, supporting them, and answering any questions they have. I also support Hannah Boxall however she needs.
As a Mobiliser, I’ll answer enquiries from anyone interested in serving with SIM UK, meet with them and invite them to apply if we want to go ahead. Then, I’ll research placements, help the applicants through the process and keep in touch with them once they’re sent out.
When the mission workers come back, we’ll debrief together, making sure everything went well. I’ll attend to any issues, such as sending them for health checks in case they picked anything up. If it’s been a stressful time, I’ll help them process that.
As Safeguarding Lead, if any safeguarding issues come up, I’m the first port of call and I’ll look into the situation.
There’s no normal day!
What makes you passionate about your role?
I love mission. I want to see people come to know the Lord, people to go deeper with the Lord and for them to experience the Lord in new ways. I used to be a mission worker – I spent five years in Spain doing evangelism and church planting, and then 12 ½ years in Costa Rica doing biblical counselling – so helping people and getting to still be part of that is what motivates me.
How have you seen God working through your job?
When I first started with SIM, and I joined a meeting with a couple, who’d come back from Liberia. The husband was a dentist, and he said to me: ‘How many dentists are in Liberia?‘
Liberia has a population of five million, and there were five or six dentists, so you can imagine the patients’ problems he’d dealt with: not the extractions or fillings, but serious health issues like tumours, because they hadn’t had regular check-ups to catch problems early.
You couldn’t even train to be a dentist in Liberia, they didn’t have anything. But in the past couple of years, the couple received funding that enabled them to establish a dental school, with a course that’s recognised by a university in the UK. Having people able to train to be dentists there is making a huge difference in Liberia.
Another story where I’ve seen God at work is about a young lady who went to Ghana to live in a place where many people can’t read or write. So, she brought the gospel to them in a new way.
Through her love for art, this gifted mission worker depicted the story of grief in the Bible and displayed the pictures around her house. She then invited people to come to her house and explained what emotions were represented in each picture and inviting them to come to God with these emotions. It was incredible how she took this idea and thought, ‘How do I help these people?’
She brought the gospel to people – not in a traditional way like a sit-down Bible study – but by explaining about how Jesus is the one who can heal this sorrow, grief, sadness and anger in their hearts.
How can we pray for you?
For more people in Scotland to respond to the Lord’s call – I would love to see more people come through longer term.
That I continue to serve the people I look after well and equip them well so they are able to see others come to know the Lord.
Training coaches is an integral and expanding part of SIM’s Sports Friends ministry and now hundreds of coaches across the globe can be trained at the click of a button.
More than 20 years ago, Serving In Mission knew that in most countries they served, populations were very young, and they didn’t have many youth-focused ministries; nor did their local church partners.
SIM needed to develop ideas that worked on the ground, and God provided the answer in the shape of two men, from opposite corners of the world. He gave them the vision to start a global movement of churches using sport to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Sports Friends began in Ethiopia in 2002 and today, more than 14,000 godly volunteer coaches serve more than 280,000 young people in 19 countries.
In some places where Sports Friends works, churches and coaches are frequently threatened, cheated, or attacked. Yet, despite this persecution, God’s church is growing and our teams in these areas draw strength from God’s faithfulness and from knowing other Christians are praying for them and standing with them from afar.
Here in the UK, SIM workers Somchai and Cat Tongkao – who are sent by Holcombe Brook Methodist Church, Bury – are training and equipping churches across Manchester to replicate the Sports Friends model in their local communities.
One of those is Bridge Community Church in Radcliffe – a town grappling with the weight of fractured families, poverty, and crime. As their pastor, Tom King, observes, “Jesus shared life with people where they are. And if you want to know where people are in Manchester, they’re in sport; they’re in football.”
When asked what they loved most about the church’s football coaching the kids responded: “Some adults can be a bit mad and scream at you when you do something wrong, but Tom tells you in a really kind way.”
“I like that Somchai is always in a happy mood and is very welcoming. When people start messing around, he just tells them, ‘Come on, let’s keep going’ and they just do it.”
“Every time when we’re playing football and we do training, we always have a talk and Tom tells us about Jesus.”
“I’m really grateful they spend all their free time with us being kind when they could be on their phones or laptops.”
This year, the ministry has launched a new online training programme to help coaches as they invest in their team technically, physically, socially, psychologically, and spiritually. Here, Communications Intern DK Roy, shares her conversation with SIM UK’s Ben Wildman, who works to enhance the training and equipping of Sports Friends coaches.
Ben Wildman is full of energy, an insightful communicator, and a bold bringer of new ideas. I had the chance to chat with him about how he’s implementing innovation in the training of Sports Friends’ coaches – what he calls the “bread and butter” of the ministry.
Innovation is starting with something you already have and improving it. For more than 20 years, coaches from local churches have been trained to use sports as the platform to share the gospel with young people in their communities.
In his role as Sports Friends Director of Training, Ben is using new technology to take this to the next level. What was previously done through manuals is now communicated online and available to coaches anywhere in the world.
The online training platform has various levels and types of training: Level One is all about the coach and how to start a church-centred sports ministry and the new Level Two is directed toward the player, with a deeper focus on ministry.
Ben, who is sent by Holy Trinity Jesmond Church in Newcastle Upon Tyne, is hoping to initiate Level Three soon, which will focus on the community and the local church.
One positive of this plunge deeper into the digital world is that language becomes less of a barrier. Ben shares that at a recent global conference, a Sports Friend’s worker told him, “Because of this online translation option, you have saved me nine months of translation work!” and he can now share this training with coaches in their heart language.
While Ben reminds me that face-to-face training will always play a vital part in the Sports Friends ministry, he says it must also make the most of the online tools and platforms at its disposal.
“We’re excited about what the future holds. The world is ever-changing with AI and various other developments. We’re open to seeing how we can, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, leverage the ever-changing world of technology to continue to make disciples and advance God’s kingdom.” he adds.
Please pray
Praise God for how he has moved powerfully through the Sports Friends ministry for more than 20 years.
Pray God will open doors for Sports Friends to move into new areas that are least reached with the gospel.
Pray for coaches where sharing the gospel message could mean putting their lives, homes, and families at risk.
The digital space is not only a means of enabling exploitation, but also an effective tool to protect the world’s most vulnerable people and reach them with the gospel.
Today, tens of millions of people are trapped in human trafficking and exploitation in every country of the world. In response, SIM established For Freedom, our anti-trafficking and exploitation ministry. Serving In Mission workers are currently serving in more than 70 countries and many are in communities where people are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.
For Freedom offers training and resources to equip our mission workers so they can conduct their ministries to address some of the risks vulnerable people face and to care for them holistically. According to the International Labour Organisation, there are more than 49.6 million victims of trafficking worldwide — men, women and children who are exploited for labour, services, and commercial sex — and this number is increasing.
This is in part due to rapid advances in digital technology that have made it much easier for traffickers to find and exploit victims. Human traffickers are known for being innovative, and are using digital tools to amplify the reach, scale, and speed of human trafficking.
Sarah Scott Webb, Serving In Mission’s For Freedom ministry co-lead, has just returned from attending a Global Summit on Technology and Exploitation in the USA, where more than 600 movement leaders and advocates from 15 countries, gathered together to learn more about Artificial Intelligence (AI), emerging technology and its impact on exploitation.
At the summit, Sarah heard disturbing accounts of how traffickers are using popular online platforms to groom and exploit new victims.
It was shocking to hear that most trafficking is now occurring on social media — especially on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook,” she admits, “and it’s teenage boys who are being targeted the most.”
Sarah advocates some simple tips for keeping safe on social media and building a ‘healthy cynicism’ when online: “Make sure your privacy settings are always on, and location is always turned off — and don’t engage with, like, or comment on anyone’s posts unless you know them in real life.”
While speakers discussed the dangers of new technologies, they also acknowledged that this technology is our greatest weapon to fight exploitation and restore dignity to survivors.
“We heard many examples of tech companies who are developing new platforms and protections to keep us safe online,” adds Sarah. “They reinforced the need to teach our young people how to be aware of the dangers online, and how to use technology safely.”
Social messaging apps are being used by For Freedom workers and partners to prevent trafficking from happening in their communities. During the opening months of the Ukraine war, For Freedom partners used social media channels, websites, and WhatsApp groups to share information and help many displaced people avoid traffickers and find safe passage.
For Freedom workers in Zimbabwe also use WhatsApp groups to learn about trafficking and teach others what to watch out for. They belong to a local WhatsApp group that regularly posts stories of people who’ve been trafficked.
“This WhatsApp group is a powerful way that people are keeping safe from traffickers,” Sarah says. “People hear about where traffickers are operating and how they’re trying to trick them with false job offers. With this knowledge, they can keep safe.”
Making people aware of online dangers and sharing how to use technology safely are important ways of protecting the vulnerable and preventing trafficking and exploitation.
“Because SIM is serving in so many communities — in many practical ministries, including health, sports, church planting and education to name a few — we’re in a prime position to share this information, put some practical protective measures in place and keep our communities safe,” she adds.
“Sharing God’s love in this practical way opens doors to be able to share the good news of Jesus.”
For Freedom ministry co-lead Karine Woldhuis was made aware of a trafficking case in the town she was serving in with her family, Loja, Ecuador. Despite the whole town immediately responding and searching for the young girl who’d been taken, sadly she was killed by her traffickers.
“I could see the need for us to grapple with it as Serving In Mission — no matter where we serve — whether it was in southern Ecuador or somewhere in Africa or Asia,” she shares. “Everywhere we work, we can be responding to people who are at risk of being trafficked as part of our mission call.
“Since For Freedom began, there’s been a steady increase of understanding of how modern slavery exists in the places where we serve and we do have an opportunity to take simple, yet effective measures, to prevent human trafficking across many different ministries.”
Please pray that Sarah and Karen may know the Lord’s direction and leading as they finalise a new five-year For Freedom strategic plan.
Pray that the Lord will reveal himself to the millions of human trafficking victims in the midst of their suffering.
For the Lord to give SIM workers wisdom about how to keep vulnerable and desperate people safe in the communities they serve.
Living in a rural area of Ghana where it’s common for people to farm for their year’s food, Yvonne has been working to change the idea that work is a curse. Centred around Genesis 3, it’s common to think that because the ground is cursed, the workers must be also.
But through many faithful years serving in Ghana, Yvonne has seen the exciting change that can result from sharing more about God and his love for them. She collaborates with a growing team of Ghanaians in a local Bible school and in surrounding churches to teach pastors and church leaders what the Bible says about business, money, and work.
Amongst all the things we teach them about business, we teach them that God was the first farmer. When he put Adam in the garden in Genesis 2 v 15 the garden was already flourishing and all Adam had to do was pick the fruit.
When farmers realise that what they’re doing is an honourable business and the same as what God did, it just changes them! They want to work, and they want to follow God.
Alongside her teaching work, Yvonne set up a social enterprise with a pastor – which they hope will one day be a profitable business. Buying the land from people who knew little about God has given Yvonne amazing opportunities to discuss the Bible and pray for them as they work together on the land.
The connections Yvonne has built over the years are ones she still values today and something that goes two ways. Forming close relationships with local women in Ghana is not something she found happened quickly, but Yvonne says being accepted by the women she was living close to was highly valuable to her.
It can be years before they think ‘Yes I can trust this person and I will tell them things close to me’ … so that’s greatly rewarding when it happens.
Whilst living in Tamale, Yvonne lived in a Muslim community, which she still goes to visit when passing through.
I visit the men outside the mosque, I visit the women in their houses, the children come and play… and they say to me ‘Yvonne, you have never forgotten us. You always come and visit us.”
Continuing to build these connections gave Yvonne the time to share the gospel message with them, even if she didn’t always know how initial conversations would turn to talking about Jesus. But God worked through her and gave her the opening she needed to share about why Christ died on the cross for them. “These guys heard the whole gospel … and asked me lots of questions.”
As Yvonne continues to support the work in Ghana, she’d love to see new people join the team. SIM Ghana needs a treasurer and the social enterprise needs a food production manager – find out more about opportunities in Ghana.
Enquire here if you would like to find out more about the production manager opportunity, mentioning Yvonne Mildred and the Zuru project.
What do you do at SIM UK?
I’m the Families Adviser for SIM UK, which is part of the People Care team. My role involves resourcing and supporting parents in educational issues and offering pastoral care as they serve overseas. I also connect with TCKs (Third Culture Kids) to help them navigate the joys and challenges of growing up between different cultures.
What does your job look like day-to-day?
No day is the same, and it varies, depending on the time of the year. During the summer months, many families return on Home Assignment and so I’m much busier doing debriefs with the children and checking in on families, with time to chat through any concerns they might have and to try and support them in whatever way they need. There’s a lot of preparation involved as I create bespoke material for each family’s needs in order to support them in the best way possible.
Throughout the rest of the year, my time is spent checking in on families via email, or Zoom, and answering questions they might have about education, or anything else they need help with. I’ll also send them any resources that might be helpful.
Tell us more about your time overseas and how it impacted your current job?
Before joining the team as the Families Adviser, I served with SIM overseas with my family short-term. After this, it was clear God was leading us to serve him long term. We felt that SIM was an organisation we could get on board with and felt like a family where we’d be supported well.
When we came back from serving overseas, it never felt right to cut ties with our SIM ‘family’ that we’d been a part of since 1994! The transition back to the UK wasn’t an easy one for us, and because it was a rocky re-entry for my own children, I ended up doing a lot of reading and research into what it meant for them to have left the country they grew up in and return to their ‘passport country’, alongside considering the impact all on TCKs and this sense of longing and identity. As I did this, I became passionate about sharing what I’d learnt and wanted to ensure other families also had this understanding and information.
How have you seen God working through your job?
I’m sure there are times when we all wonder whether what we do makes a difference to those we’re serving or working with, and I’ve definitely wondered that sometimes! So, it’s really encouraging when families have been in touch with comments such as, ‘We didn’t know we needed you until we spent time with you. And because of you, we’re able to remain where we are.‘ That’s a huge encouragement and spurs me on in my role.
Having the opportunity to meet with TCKs and to see God working in their own life and in their family’s lives is really encouraging to see.
How can we pray for you?
For the families that serve with SIM: that I’m able to serve them well. For wisdom in knowing how to interact well with them, and for me to support them in the best way I can.
For our TCKs as they live a life that’s incredibly different from their peers in this country. For God to work in them, and for opportunities for them to go on and to serve him later in their own lives.
On a sunny afternoon in September, mission workers Steve and Mary visited the SIM UK office and encouraged the team with stories of God at work during 33 years of overseas mission work.
After completing a short-term assignment in Bolivia during his university studies, Steve felt led back to the country to serve long-term. Serving for so many years allowed them to see a shift in mission work:
“The most exciting thing to see is a country that’s received missionaries for a century, now starting to send their own missionaries. … There are now Bolivian missionaries serving in Kenya, Indonesia and a number of places that are not as open to granting visas to Western countries – but Bolivians can go.”
The Hawthornes used the skills God has given them in medicine and education to further his kingdom. Steve worked 15 years in a rural hospital and Mary used her gifts in education to do Sunday school training. Both were also involved in leadership development among the Quechua churches.
In 2012, they faced new opportunities and challenges after relocating to Potosí, in Bolivia, where there’s a need to share Christ’s love with the mining communities. As one of the highest cities in the world – at 4,090 metres (13,420 ft) above sea level – Potosí was once the largest and richest city on the planet. The sprawling Cerro Rico (literally ‘Rich Mountain’) towers over the city and has been mined for silver for 500 years.
The miners of Potosí work in some of the darkest places on earth, physically and spiritually, and most have never heard God’s good news of salvation.
“Because of the work they do underground, the miners feel like they’re working in the devil’s territory and so make sacrifices to an image of the devil at the entrance to every mine. … If anyone didn’t participate in the offerings to the devil, the miners thought they could bring bad luck to the whole crew.”
Image by SeetoPhotography
Getting access into the mines to share the gospel wasn’t going to be easy, but God used Steve and Mary to shine his light through the darkness.
Every week, a lady would bring her children to the local church the Hawthornes attended. Her husband, Luis*, who had been a miner since his teenage years, didn’t join them. One day, while working in the tunnels far underground, Luis was unaware that NOx, a colourless, odourless gas, which forms after the explosion of dynamite, had collected. Overcome with fumes, he fell backwards and broke his neck.
Luis spent two months in the hospital, with his neck immobilised. One afternoon, a woman from another local church made her regular visit to local patients.
“He still remembers seeing her enter his ward sort of silhouetted – there was a window with the sun setting behind her, lighting her up where her profile was dark but there was this glow around her. She came over and shared the gospel with him, and that’s how he became a Christian.”
This gave Steve the opening he needed to get inside the mines, and he became an occupational health and safety worker for the mining company. Luis, now recovered, invited the Hawthornes and other miners to his house for Bible study, and Steve and Mary were able to help them understand the Scriptures and to help them share the gospel message.
Work with miners in Potosí (made by SIM)
In 2022, Steve and Mary relocated to the States and continue their mission work as part SIM’s Health Ministries Team. They recruit, prepare and journey with healthcare workers, helping them flourish as they make disciples of Jesus Christ in communities where he is least known.
The connections made after many years of faithful service are continuing to bear fruit. Steve and Mary’s background working in South America have enabled them to link Esther, a dentist from Bolivia, with an SIM family in Peru who make trips out into the countryside to give dental treatment in Quechua villages. As a native Quechua speaker and with a heart to use her profession for mission work, Esther will make a valuable addition to the trips.
“That’s what I like about my job – being able to network people that we’ve known, people that we’ve discipled in the past in Bolivia with people who are using their vocation in healthcare ministries to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Join them up to see even more fruit from what they do.”
Pray for Steve and Mary
As Steve shifts from working overseas to an office-based role supporting those going on mission.
For the set of guidelines the Health Ministries team are creating for how to do Healthcare Ministries well – that field testing goes well, and these can be implemented soon.
That the document will be useful to those working in many countries around the world.
*pseudonym used. Featured image: by SeetoPhotography
Serving short-term with SIM turned into a life-changing journey for friends Lizzie and Katie.
“My faith is the cornerstone of my life, and my desire is to use the skills I’ve gained through my medical degree to serve Jesus,” says Lizzie, who was on a six week placement with SIM in South Asia.
Lizzie was able to share the joys and challenges of navigating unfamiliar and unexpected situations with her great friend Katie, whom she first met at university: “We met through various Christian freshers events and ended up going to the same church and living on the same road… and here we are five years later!” she says.
“We both wanted to explore mission abroad and go with another person, so it was a perfect fit!” she adds.
“We didn’t feel called anywhere in particular,” recalls Katie,” our general approach was to explore options and pray and see which doors God closed, and then to pursue the ones which were open.
“It was interesting as we never felt a particularly strong calling to South Asia, however, after being there, we can definitely see how that was exactly where God wanted us to be!”
The medical students served at a mission hospital that’s committed to showing God’s love by offering free care for those unable to pay.
“It gave us such a perspective about the purpose and importance of the hospital and seeing the love and care for each individual patient and staff member. To see people following God’s calling on their lives, and the joys, triumphs, and challenges in that was also really encouraging,” says Katie.
Although their plans often didn’t go the way they expected, the pair say God was always in control and worked things out, particularly when they faced their first challenge early on.
“Lizzie was turned away at the airport due to a damaged passport (which she had had checked and was told was fine to fly with), so I flew alone,” recalls Katie. “Once landing, I had to spend a few days alone before travelling into the hospital and so was grateful for the contacts I had with SIM.
“But God was very gracious and kind to both of us in those days we were separated. We were also so grateful for all our church family, friends and family praying and that Lizzie got a new passport quickly and joined me at the hospital only one day later than planned!”
During their mission trip, both students grew in their faith, as they developed a greater appreciation for global health challenges and enhanced their medical skills in a resource-poor environment.
“We were sad to leave the hospital and the community. Six weeks is so short, and some connections felt like they were just starting to form and flourish. The country, lifestyle, community etc, were so beautiful and we miss it!” admits Katie, “but we also acknowledged our need to progress in our training and that we couldn’t stay any longer.”
“I developed the habit of turning to God in prayer in all circumstances — big or small — rejoicing when things don’t go to my plan, and confidence in my identity as a child of God,” says Lizzie. “I gained a love and appreciation of God as a good father who provides, and awe at the fact that he is the God of all nations, and yet he cares about me personally.”
Now they are back in the UK, the pair say they’re grateful for the relationships formed, the lessons learned, and the ways in which this experience has shaped their perspective on medicine and mission. And while their futures remain quite open and they don’t know what God has in store for them, they’re prayerfully consider all their options.
“Out trip has given me more appreciation of skills that I can develop over the next few years that would be helpful in overseas medical work, and how living abroad could look like. I’m not sure if God has/will call me to overseas mission, so we’ll have to see!” says Katie.
However, Lizzie is typical of many who go on short-term mission and invariably return more committed to local and world mission.
“Before our trip I didn’t think exploring cross-cultural mission was something I’d want to do long-term, but now I’d definitely be open to doing long term overseas mission,” she says.
“I’ve discovered that as Christians we plant seeds and it’s God who does the main work. Mission can be very relational — showing God’s love, praying for people, and being honest when questions arise. I’ve learned that this can be hugely impactful, even though it isn’t overtly sharing the gospel. I also think there’s a need in many places, and our mission field is wherever God has called us now, so I don’t need to wait until I reach a certain stage in my career to be a mission worker.”
Our Forged programme will help you explore how your skills and experience connects with opportunities and needs across the world.
What do you do at SIM UK?
I am a Mobiliser and I have been part of the mobilisation team for the past eight years.
What does your job look like day-to-day?
A lot of my role is connected to people who want to work overseas: walking with them through the application process, finding them placements, making sure they’re doing well on the field as well as when they return back. Coming back brings its own challenges, so I try and make sure they have what they need by doing debriefs to help them readjust to life back in the UK.
I’m also part of a team of people from different mission organisations that go into universities and speak to groups of students throughout the year.
What makes you enthusiastic about your work?
Having gone overseas for 15 years out of conviction that it was where the Lord was leading us, then it becomes part of who you are and you recognise that the gospel isn’t just for us – it’s for every person on the planet. Taking the transforming gospel to the corners of the earth is so important and motivates me in all I do.
How have you seen God working through your job?
It can be hard to define the fruits in ministry sometimes because we don’t always see how God moves, we just know that he does. Sometimes, you see things lining up so well when people go and serve. Other times, it can be supporting people who’ve crashed and you’re helping build them up again so they continue to serve. Or, it’s answered prayer on numerous occasions.
How have you been involved in mission in the past?
My family and I served overseas for 15 years. From 2000-2015 we worked in West Africa, first doing church planting among the Fulani people, then in the last five years, we were involved in theological education, training Fulani-speaking Christians in ministry.
How can we pray for you?
For wisdom – when people come to SIM exploring, it’s not only seeing if the Lord is leading them into mission, but finding the right placement for them.
Helping enquirers to discern whether this is where the Lord is leading them, and what shape their ministry will take.
Liffy Gorton has previously served in West Africa, where she taught English and worked with street women. This summer, she returned to her birth country to work with a project called Talitha Cumi, which aims to teach vulnerable girls in rural Zimbabwe about the Lord Jesus and to provide funds so they can complete their schooling. Here she shares how the Talitha Cumi project began:
In 2011, Violet Myambo, a teacher at a Zimbabwe mission high school, was approached by two young sisters whose father had died and whose mother was unable to work.
They were left with responsibility for their two smaller siblings and needed help. Violet’s friendship with the two girls led to practical and financial support for them to continue at school and eventually find work.
This was the start of Talitha Cumi and it later became one of SIM Zimbabwe’s ministries.
There are many more girls in need of help, such as Rosemary, Vimbai, and Brunette, who were kidnapped and abused by a man pretending to be a businessman, who offered them shopkeeper jobs.
Eventually, they all escaped and were helped by Talitha Cumi and their story has a happy ending: Rosemary learned how to cut and design clothes; Vimbai started a vegetable business and Brunette found a proper job.
Today, Violet continues to give practical help and to be a strong advocate for young girls who through poverty, bereavement, abuse, child marriage or a host of other reasons are trapped in circumstances not of their own making.
Talitha Cumi teaches the Bible to help girls discover their value in Christ and their worth to family and society.
As well as enabling them to stay in school, they develop vocational and life skills so that they can make good life choices. Today, 25 young girls are currently receiving support: seven girls are in higher education, 15 are in secondary school and three are in primary school.
An extension of the Talitha Cumi work is helping women to start small businesses in order to provide an income that help them to send their girls to school and to care for them better.
Violet says, “I desire that these girls and women may know Christ and his power to change their lives.”
Talitha Cumi needs your help to raise funds, and support more young girls, expanding their impact in the community. Here are specific things your gift can help with, so these girls can keep learning:
A gift of £25 will buy a school uniform and provide personal hygiene items.
A gift of £50 will pay for a girl’s education for one term at a primary school. £150 will pay for a full year.
A gift of £100 will pay for a girl’s education for one term at a high school. £300 will pay for a full year.
A gift of £616 will pay for a girl’s education for one semester at a university. £1,232 will pay for a full year.
A gift of £200 will give a micro-loan so a mother can set up a business to support her children.
Please go to sim.co.uk/respond/ if you would like to support Talitha Cumi, and mark your gift Overseas Project 96397.
Please pray
Pray that God will continue to encourage and protect the girls supported by the Talitha Cumi ministry that they may mature and become the young women God created them to be.
Pray that the Talitha Cumi ministry will receive the support needed to continue rescuing young girls from vulnerable situations.
Pray for Liffy’s work on a manual to help the girls have a better biblical perspective of their place in the world and their value in Christ.
What’s your role at SIM UK?
I’m SIM UK’s Engagement Officer, based in Cambridge. It’s a new role at SIM that I started three months ago.
What does your job look like day-to-day?
Day-to-day, I create social media posts, write newsletters, update our website and anything else that helps engage people with our work.
A key part of my job is building relationships with our supporters, donors, mission workers, and staff, to help connect them into the SIM community. I work closely with the rest of the communications team to help share the amazing work God is doing through SIM.
What makes you enthusiastic about your work?
I love that my work allows me to be so creative. Seeing ideas come to life and playing a part in shaping the direction of them is an exciting process to be a part of. The fact that I can use the skills God’s given me to further his kingdom — particularly through sharing amazing stories from our mission workers — is wonderful.
How have you seen God working through your job?
Even though I only started at SIM in June, I’ve already seen God at work so much. Getting to join a team God has clearly placed together is such a privilege. Not only is God at work through those serving in different countries, but he’s at work through all the behind-the-scenes work too – in the prayer meetings, the calls with supporters, and even in the spreadsheets!
How do you continue your ministry outside work?
I’m involved in serving at my church on the communications team, youth team, and serving on a Sunday morning. I love any opportunity to have conversations about Jesus with people who are curious to know more, and I’m always up for reading the Bible with them too.
I’ve been involved in youth work at my church for the past six years, because I think investing in young people is important. I lead on youth camps twice a year, and seeing young people’s hunger to know Jesus and desire to put him at the centre of their lives is so inspiring. I definitely learn a lot from them!
How can we pray for you?
Please pray that I can build good relationships with everyone in the SIM UK community and communicate well with them.
Pray for a deeper knowledge of God’s love and his good plans for me.
After five years living in a remote Central Africa community, Sam Knight spoke to SIM UK’s Engagement Officer, Hannah Penwright, about why he’s now serving in a new role to help strengthen the church in France.
After previously serving in Africa, Sam Knight continues to follow God’s call to mission as the Head of Mobilisation at SIM France Belgium. When asked how his new ministry came about, Sam shares:
“My wife Katie and I felt God was leading us to be part of a change that needs to happen in the church in France. Having received great blessings, it now has the opportunity to be a great blessing to others and the rest of the world.”
Sam was recently invited to meet a group of young Christians excited to pray about opportunities for their generation to get involved in mission.
“Young people are both an important part of the church of today and the church of tomorrow and it was so encouraging to see how God is working through them. I can’t convince people to be involved in mission in my own strength, but God can bring people into something that will allow them to serve people in other places.”
Throughout our interview, Sam’s passion for building up and equipping churches for mission shone through. When asked what he finds most rewarding and challenging about mission work, he says:
“One of the most rewarding things is being able to see God working in people’s lives and communities transformed. Being de-rooted from our lives can bring challenges, but it can also bring rewards.
While it’s hard being far away from family and friends, and not having a home in any particular place, it means we can invest and build our lives in a new place which can be incredibly rewarding – and it’s so good to see God at work!”
There are two French teams currently looking to expand their ministries: In Strasbourg, where SIM workers are sharing the gospel with international students, particularly those from a Muslim background; and in Toulouse, where SIM France is sharing the good news with refugees and immigrants.
If you have a heart for working with international students or refugees and immigrants and are interested in finding out more, enquire about serving.
Pray for Sam
As he supports pastors and individuals who want to see more people have a heart for mission in their churches.
For a new era of mission workers sent from churches across France.
That there would be people praying and supporting those sent out as mission workers.
After almost 30 years of serving God in south-west Africa, the highs, lows, and stories of ways God is working in Paul and Hilary’s lives are humbling to hear.
Paul and Hilary Gunnings’ many faithful years in Namibia have allowed them to walk alongside young people growing up in Namibia — like Tom*, who didn’t let having to canoe over a crocodile-infested river stop him from attending school, which he finished in seven years.
His education didn’t stop here either. Tom then went on to attend NETS, a Namibian Bible seminary set up to train pastors and church workers — and where Paul works.
As long-term mission workers, Paul and Hilary were able to witness Tom grow up, as he chose to follow the Bible rather than conform to his culture and paved the way for others after him. Stories like this echoed Hilary’s words: “The longer you’re there, the more you see it: long-term plans that you look back on and say: ‘Wow! God’s amazing.’”
Paul and Hilary not only shared stories about the lives of individuals, but also about how they have seen Namibia change as a country.
As a teacher at St Paul’s College, a Catholic school for children from Reception age through to sixth-form, Hilary has been able to walk with the children through significant changes. St Paul’s was the first school in Namibia to accept black students before independence, resulting in being banned by the government from taking part in school activities and sports. When Namibia became independent however, the school band was invited to march down independence as part of the celebrations, as a picture of an integrated society.
When asked what they find rewarding about mission work, Paul shared:
As a theological educator, I enjoy seeing students wrestling with the Bible and culture, as they not only understand the Bible better but also address cultural issues with biblical truths. They have to be critical of their cultures, asking: ‘As a Bible-believing Christian what can we keep from our culture? What in our culture do we have to stop doing and rule out?’ Seeing students go through this battle is an amazing process. I see it year after year, and it’s fascinating as God challenges people’s beliefs and cultures.
The opportunities to do mission in Namibia are currently focused on two key areas: discipleship and youth/children’s work.
For discipleship, mission workers are helping Christians grow in the way the gospel challenges their way of life, following God’s will for their lives and becoming more like Christ. NETS plays a key role in this, as it disciples students who, in turn, become pastors and church leaders and disciple others.
There is also a need for youth and children’s workers, as mission workers help churches with their youth and Sunday school programmes and show them the value in building up children and young people.
Pray for Paul and Hilary:
For growth in the Namibian SIM team. With six overseas mission workers, and a similar number of Namibians associated with SIM, we pray for some younger members and short-term workers to join the team.
For energy as they work in hands-on roles.
For support to continue.
*Pseudonym used
What do you do at SIM UK?
I am the Irish Mission Mobiliser at SIM UK, working in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
What does your job look like day-to-day?
It can look different day-to-day, which I love. Every day I’m in contact with somebody, whether that’s a missionary helping them sort things out, or an enquirer who wants to go out and serve short term. Or I could be in contact with a church, chatting through things with them.
What makes you enthusiastic about your work?
Getting to play a part in somebody serving short term, and what it looks like for them to fulfil the call that God’s put on their life. Also, the privilege that I get to stand alongside long-term mission workers who’ve decided: ‘I’m going to give my whole life to this.’
I love working for SIM because I love the fact that it’s sharing the good news of Jesus with those who are yet to hear it, which is a really important thing and something which we need to focus on.
How have you seen God working through your job?
In the past two-and-a-half years, I’ve seen the next generation of mission workers coming through and God stirring their hearts to go on to the mission field. This is definitely not a dying thing – God is still sending and using people. I haven’t necessarily had to do anything: I haven’t had to go to lots of youth events or conferences, but instead God keeps sending them, which is really exciting.
I got to see one of the young people that I led leave for a mission trip recently, and it’s amazing seeing how God is still speaking to people and using people in mission.
How have you been involved in mission in the past?
When I was 16, I was at a conference, and I felt like God was asking me to go to China. There’s no way I could go when I was 16, but it wasn’t something that I just threw away, it was something that I held very close to my heart. I consulted my youth leaders and pastors at the time, and they helped me work through it. I had the opportunity to go to China in my gap year, during which I worked with vulnerable women and trafficking.
In what ways do you continue your ministry in life outside of work?
Outside of work, I’m involved in youth ministry. I think it’s really important to talk to young people about mission from an early age and making it normal that people are being sent onto the mission field. I recently went to France with a church mission team and I took four young people with me. The youngest was 16, which shows the younger ones in church that this isn’t a far-off concept for them either.
How can we pray for you?
For balancing work and life outside of work, involving youth and church. To know that God is sustaining me.
To rely on the wisdom of God in situations and areas that I’ve never been in before.
Tell us a little about your background
I grew up partly in Sweden (I’m half Swedish) but mostly in northwest London with loving Christian parents and my older brother. I can’t remember a time I didn’t believe in Jesus. Though I gave my life to him as a child, as a teenager I didn’t really live out my faith.
Going to university had a huge impact on my journey with God and my commitment and passion grew massively when I joined the Christian Union and then became its Outreach Coordinator. I have been involved in some form of ministry or leadership ever since.
It was at university that I felt a calling to world mission and to serve the poor and broken-hearted and I participated in short-term mission in Peru, Mozambique, and Romania.
My first job was leading a personal development programme for young homeless men with the YMCA in Norfolk.
Tell us a little about your family
The other very important thing that happened at university was falling in love with Ellie! After getting married, we embarked on an amazing journey together of living by faith and seeking to make Jesus known.
Along the way, our wonderful sons, Isaac and Joshua were born; now aged 15 and 13. Since moving back to the UK, we’ve been based in Ipswich, Suffolk. Ellie works part time as a teaching assistant for children newly arrived into the UK and has been teaching English to refugees and asylum seekers through our church.
How did God lead you into SIM?
It has been a long road, and, in many ways, it feels like my life up to this point has prepared me for joining SIM and serving in this role. This includes serving as a mission worker in West Africa, Mozambique, and Cambodia; leadership experience, including being Country Team Leader for Interserve in Cambodia; and church leadership in the UK; along with Bible college and other training.
After more than 20 years of either being overseas or in between overseas assignments, we felt led to return to the UK in summer 2022 for family reasons. God opened a door for me to work with CAP (Christians Against Poverty) as their Mission, Evangelism and Discipleship Lead and alongside that, I kept up my concern for world mission.
I have known and respected SIM for many years and when I heard the role of Country Director was vacant and saw the job description, I felt stirred in my spirit and really hoped to get the role! I resonate deeply with SIM’s vision, mission and values.
What are you looking forward to in your role as Country Director?
Getting to know our mission workers, hearing their stories, encouraging them in the challenges of mission and ministry, and celebrating what God is doing around the world.
Serving alongside the gifted and passionate team that God has brought together to lead SIM UK as we look ahead and participate in God’s plans and purposes.
Fostering a strong sense of community and helping to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, depending on him to lead us and sustain us.
Developing our friendships and partnerships in the UK church and doing what I can to enthuse, inspire and challenge the church about making disciples and to engage in cross cultural mission.
Helping us build on the work we are already doing to create more opportunities for gospel collaborations with churches and helping to mobilise and equip ordinary Christians to participate in the challenges of local and global mission.
Enjoying fellowship with, listening to, and learning from, brothers and sisters from around the world.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Outside of work, you’ll find me having a bash on the drums, being a taxi driver for our boys (who have a busier social life than us), fixing things, keeping up with tennis but not playing as much as I’d like, enjoying the Suffolk countryside and keeping in touch with friends around the world. I also love good music, summer evenings, dark chocolate, and mangoes!
Has following Jesus been easy and what supports you when life gets difficult?
Following Jesus is not the easiest or safest option! There are definitely some tough experiences that I could have avoided if I weren’t following Jesus.
Many others have suffered far more than I have following Jesus, but Ellie and I have experienced bombs, the loss of colleagues and friends, a serious bout of malaria and other difficult health issues, the heartache of sharing in other’s pain, along with disappointments and discouragement.
Of course, God and his Word are my strongest support. I have also come to hugely appreciate the family of God and the support we bring each other. Ellie has been a massive source of encouragement and help in hard times and I have been blessed with very supportive and caring parents and parents-in-law and a few close friends I can be real with.
What inspires you from Scripture as you follow Jesus?
I have often found encouragement to persevere in following Jesus from Hebrews 12:1-3 where we find both stunning reasons to keep running our race and some ways to do that. It has been fuel for my journey, as among other things, we see that Jesus is worthy and that Jesus understands what it means to live and suffer here and we’re exhorted to throw off sin and whatever hinders us, fix our eyes on Jesus, and keep an eternal perspective.
Also, we’re to run with perseverance, indicating that this is a marathon, not a sprint and we’re to run together as shown by the references to ‘we,’‘us’ and ‘our.’
How can we pray for you and your family?
That I will grow in love for God. That I will listen well. For wisdom and insight and to be like the men of Issachar who understood the times.
For our family, as we mourn the loss of my mum, who passed away in June. Also, that we live as a family on mission where we are, be bold witnesses, and bear much fruit.
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