Ministry stories

All ministry stories and updates from our workers and projects.

Taking it to the next level

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…

Responding to human trafficking

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…

Growing in God’s love in Ghana

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…

Staff Spotlight – Cheryl Gibson

What do you do at SIM UK? I’m the Families Advisor for SIM UK, which is part of the People Care team. My role involves…

From mining to mission: shining God’s light in the darkness

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.

Lessons from short-term mission

A short-term mission trip with SIM turned into a life-changing journey for friends Lizzie and Katie.

Cross-cultural mission since 1893

Young men in South Sudan

In 1893, three young men who founded SIM set out for the interior of the Sudan in west Africa, compelled to see souls saved for eternity. The next seven years…

‘Were it not for the training, I would have left teaching’

Read how SIM is helping a headmaster be an ambassador for Christ in his rural school in Benin.

Called: Ted Watts

The call to mission runs deep in surgeon Ted Watts.

We count on the Lord

‘We are stewards of God’s money and we have a responsibility to spend it wisely.’

The gospel drop by drop

Lizzie White’s water hygiene ministry is opening a door for the gospel in some of the least-reached communities of the Peruvian Andes.

Books that save lives

For more than 30 years, Paul Todd has strived to help God’s kingdom grow in West Africa through his work to help provide books that encourage Nigerian Christians in their faith, witness, and ministries.

‘They are used to hearing stories’

Tuareg Men, Algeria

The challenges of taking the gospel to the Tamajaq people of the Sahara Desert.

Christ on Campus

Student ministry not only connects with the next generation, but equips them to share the gospel with others – both at university and when they return home.

Esther’s Ghana mission

Esther prayed daily for God to give her opportunities to serve him in Ghana and after four years of waiting, she experienced an incredible short-term mission she’ll never forget.

Three projects get one home

In 2019, SIM launched a building project to help create disciples in a country where Christians are in the minority. Give thanks that it’s now come to fruition.

God in the everyday

Read a lovely example of God at work in the everyday, from one of workers serving in Mexico…

Staff Spotlight – Mark Gibson

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….

Staff Spotlight – Hannah Penwright

Meet SIM UK’s Engagement Officer Hannah Penwright

Sam passes on his passion for mission…

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.

‘It’s so exciting!’

An amazing answer to prayer will ensure a missional business in rural Ghana can continue to make a kingdom impact.

God is at work in Namibia

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…

Staff Spotlight – Beth Jennings

Get to know the staff behind SIM UK. First up, meet Beth – Mission Mobiliser in Ireland.

From broken to beautiful

A SIM worker discovers how the power of the gospel to heal and restore is like the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken pottery.

Introducing our new country director, Alex Hawke

New SIM UK Director Alex Hawke shares about his background, faith and what he is looking forward to in his new role.

When God makes plans

A gospel-hearted couple praise God for leading them to set up home in a country where most people have never met a follower of Jesus. 

Why Uruguay needs the hope of Jesus

SIM is committed to seeing South America’s most secular country reached for Christ.

Bolstering Bolivian believers

Read how Jonny and Olga are serving and equipping the church in Bolivia.

Dreaming of sundried tomatoes…

Can you help a unique ministry that’s rooted in Farming God’s Way?

God’s unfailing love for the dying

Medic

Read about a palliative care team that gives hope in Christ to the terminally-ill in Angola.

Encouraged, visit by visit

The brokenness of the Middle East fills the news, but a centre for children with special needs is bringing hope to one region.

Ten years of God’s faithfulness

SIM by prayer video

Joshua Bogunjoko, who’s led with integrity and grace in his role as SIM International Director, reflects on the past 10 years as he prepares to hand over the baton.

Not only on a Sunday

How do you disciple in rural France?

Behind closed doors

Sarah Allen is reaching out to the hidden and forgotten in one of the poorest countries in South America.

A special time of year

Making cookies is one of the highlights of celebrating Christmas in Nigeria…

A divine appointment

Covid could not thwart God’s plan to bring Ram Strestha and his wife Keshari, from South Asia, to serve in the UK.

Jonny Anderson

Read how Jonny & Olga are serving and equipping the church in Bolivia  Jonny and Olga’s difficulties in getting local Bolivian pastors to understand that…

Seeking to break the Circle of Silence

Meet Donald and Becky, who serve with their family in central Mexico, helping to train up local church planters.

‘I felt God telling me to go, 40 years ago…’

SIM worker Barbara, 70, used a lifetime of experience as a nurse to serve refugees in Greece.

It’s 2am…

SIM UK surgeon Ted Watts shares a moving account of how God is using the broken to make something beautiful at the hospital where he serves.

Together in mission

An encouraging snapshot of one worker’s cross-cultural ministry.

Together in translation

Lives are changed when people are able to access the Bible in a language and format they clearly understand, says SIM UK worker Debbie Simpson.

Top of the pops for Gen Z

A popular French band has joined forces with SIM to inspire a new generation to ‘Go’ into mission.

We clinic by faith

Despite many trials, God has always provided for SIM’s clinic in Doro, South Sudan. Even as their clinic doctor moves on to a new challenge, their attitude is an encouragement to all who work by faith.

Happy landings

A couple’s desire to return to serve overseas finally became a reality after two years of preparation.

Opening doors through business ministries

SIM Business Ministries harnesses workplace skills to reach out where other mission models cannot.

Mummy and me

Had there been no Faithful Witness team in place, a mother and daughter in Thailand might never have met a faithful witness for Christ.

A daily dose of Jesus

‘Most of the people here are animists, which brings a lot of fear into their lives, but at the Good News Hospital, they hear the gospel…’

Sewing seeds of hope

SIM worker Sarah is combining her creative sewing skills and therapy training to help people living in the Cape Town townships recover from trauma and discover hope in the gospel.

Wow, what a visit!

A SIM UK worker shares her inspiring story of showing Christ’s love in the Middle East.

A labour of love for Jesus

Even though it requires dedication, determination and patience, Caitlin is learning Thai so she can tell others about Jesus.

Gospel refuge for Ethiopia’s hidden children

‘This is no ordinary house; it’s a house with a purpose; where children are offered hope, encouragement and, perhaps most important of all, love.’

Cyclone Freddy devastates southern Malawi

How you can help SIM’s Cyclone Freddy Relief Appeal.

Napkin notes sketch route to Central Asia

A quickly scribbled diagram on a napkin is a precious souvenir for a couple on the pathway to mission work in Central Asia.

Come back next month…

When the answers we seek don’t come quickly it can be tempting to give up. A woman’s decision to keep coming back to SIM’s Doro Clinic reminds us of the importance of faith.

Teaching the love of Jesus

SIM UK partners with TnT to develop seminal Sunday school materials in Arabic.

The dress

The Good News Hospital in Mandritsara offers free treatment to cure a condition that causes women to be shunned by their community. Here they are given a new life physically, but also a new eternal life, symbolised by the parting gift of a new dress…

Luis lets his light shine

God has given us the powerful tool of sports to share his love with young people all around the world, offering them a hope found only in Jesus Christ.

A hub of hope in Dhaka

Read how a young mother’s life was transformed through a SIM programme for vulnerable women living on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Board starts search for new Director

SIM UK is looking for a new Country Director.

Inspired

Read how a trip to Mozambique as a teenager led one SIM leader into mission.

SIM mobilising relief aid for Turkey quake

As the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey soars, find out how you can join us in supporting those affected at this tragic time.

Born-again Kuba seeks God’s priorities in Poland

Kuba was nearing 40 and wonders now whether he was having his ‘midlife crisis’ when he felt his heart for service was missing. But God was not going to let Kuba go and began slowly, drawing him back to himself…

School’s out for Naomi

For the past seven years, Naomi Coleman has played a vital role in helping colleagues on the field to thrive by teaching their children.

Choir hits all the right notes

A key achievement of cross-cultural worker Lawrence Jah’s ministry with a Glasgow church is helping to launch its first African choir.

‘Finishing’ well

Retired couple Stephen and Heather show how you’re never too old to be involved in missions…

A message from Ukraine

‘Please tell the Christians in your country thank you. And please keep praying because we feel it — you are carrying us.’

Home is where the heart is for Anaïs

Anaïs encounters people with amazing, yet heart-breaking stories in her ministry, but tries to see God at work in each and every one.

The Macs’ Greek odyssey

Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to share the hope of Christ for one family serving in Greece.

Get in the game

With Sports Friends ministries in many of the far-flung corners of the world, is now the right time to bring this amazing ministry to UK churches?

The gospel that saves also sends

Read why it’s a blessing for a local church to be part of God’s global mission.

Young legends success continues

Many children and young adults now have a new sense of hope and purpose, thanks to a Christ-centred sports ministry in South Africa.

‘Second chance’ pastor on track to see gospel growth

Hearing God’s voice on a train led a businessman in the world of organised crime to become a Christian and church leader.

‘We’re just an ordinary family’

Meet the Harrison family, who moved from their settled life in the UK, to a new exciting, but challenging, one on the mission field in Ethiopia.

Sewing threads of hope

Read how a group of Nigerian girls are learning about Jesus as they learn how to sew…

Unlikely friends bring Nadeem to Christ

Nadeem* is the second-known believer among his people after his life-changing encounter with SIM’s Faithful Witness workers.

Our workers join Pakistan flood relief response

SIM workers have been helping out with food and medical relief in the flood-hit Sindh province of Pakistan.

Ukraine Bible school reopens

Ministers of the gospel of peace continue to be encouraged and equipped as Odesa Bible College begins a new term.

Mexico bound

A family share why they are about to travel thousands of miles for a new life overseas.

Bible translation: A labour of love

With International Translation Day approaching, read how SIM workers achieved a milestone in Liberia.

A message from SIM UK’s Director Steve Smith

“The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he (or she) is a minister of God” John…

Back to normal?

Pastor Wayne Sutton says the pandemic has given his church a profound wake-up call.

When we pray, God works

We believe prayer is the first and most important thing we can do in our efforts to recruit, prepare, and journey with Christians sent by churches to make disciples of Jesus where it’s most needed.

Radio Hope

Read how Waves of Hope Radio Ministry team helped 90 children learn more about Jesus in rural Ecuador.

Resourcing the future: Your impact

SIMAIR medevac flight

Here’s what your support during the 2021 Giving Weeks enabled!

Doing business God’s way

Business is another tool in SIM’s toolbox to reach places where Christ is least known…

The healing power of art

“It was here in a watercolour class that God used colour and line — and women who didn’t even know him — to heal my heart.”

Mustard seeds of faith continue to grow

Sunday school materials translated into Arabic are providing the foundation for the next generation of gospel workers in the Middle East.

For such a time as this

Meet a couple with a real heart to share their faith with a multicultural community in Manchester.

True to our word

Read how our commitment to biblical truth helps SIM embrace diversity.

A dream is born

The Lord is opening doors for sub-Saharan Africans to live and serve in North Africa.

Pastor Nong’s ‘crazy’ plan kicks off

In a rural village in northern Thailand, God placed a burden on pastor Nong’s heart to find a way to share Jesus with the local teenagers who often gathered together to play football.

Back on the ward after 25 years

A semi-retired doctor recalls the highs and lows of her two short-term medical missions in West Africa.

Planting gospel seeds in central Benin

Maze of Dirt Roads, SIM Benin

Introducing someone to Jesus who knows nothing about him, and who has probably been told that Christianity is false and the Bible is corrupt, takes time.

‘God shows no partiality’

Intercultural churches are not a blueprint, they’re an outcome of living out Jesus’ teaching, says Steve Smith UK Director

Brushing teeth with God

Read how one SIM worker helped students make praying for their friends a daily habit they’ll never forget!

A gospel soap story

ENGAGE worker Lawrence, from The Gambia, is learning new ways to serve cross-culturally in Glasgow – including how to do the washing-up!

All smiles after dental outreach

Dental outreach in Liberia

Simon and Grace Stretton-Downes led a dental outreach in Liberia this summer – their biggest trip yet – treating patients who had endured pain for months, or even years.

From camper to coach

Read how one boy’s life was transformed through attending a Sports Friends camp.

‘No regrets’ says mum on a mission

Meet a mother and mission worker serving in West Africa, who shares the highs and lows of giving birth to her second child far away from the comforts of home.

Seeing is believing

A week spent helping a team of eye doctors helped put mission into focus for one SIM UK couple serving in southern Ecuador.

Where is Christ least known?

Where are the communities where Jesus is ‘least known’? asks SIM UK Director Steve Smith.

The aroma of Christ

Steve Smith, SIM UK Director, reflects on how this brilliant metaphor contrasts Christian and non-Christian responses to hearing the gospel.

Voice of hope among the Hassaniya

The stirring story of a family living among the Hassaniya-speaking Moors in Mali, west Africa, as part of a new Faithful Witness team.

‘A young and vibrant couple’

Today, there are no known believers in the Kayes region of Mali, which is predominantly inhabited by Hassaniya herdsmen. Living in this remote region on…

Seeing the gospel grow in France

2022 is set to be another busy year for one of our families serving in France…

Are you a game changer?

Cat Tongkao encourages others to use their skills and talents for sports ministry.

‘This training changed my life’

The church in Bangladesh is tiny, but for the past 63 years, one SIM project has been providing support to isolated believers as they seek to follow Jesus.

Faithful in study, fluent in hope

Sometimes the language learning phase for mission workers can seem like a detour. But language coach Candace, who serves our Faithful Witness teams, sees it as a ministry in and of itself.

From tequila to truth

Read how SIM is helping to train local leaders and plant churches in a vastly unreached area of Mexico.

Joyeux Noël – the gospel in France

Peter and Claire-Lise Judkins have served in three very different settings over the past decade and the latest leg of their ministry is in a town near the Disneyland resort in Paris.

Committed to community

Read SIM International Director’s Christmas letter.

How beautiful are the feet…

At 78, Elijah can no longer walk long distances, but says he won’t stop sharing the gospel in the Maasai lands of Kenya…

‘Be our eyes and ears’ to stop human trafficking

COVID-19 has created a global health crisis affecting millions of people in every community where SIM workers live and serve. While SIM continues to help…

A measure of success?

God as active in our day-to-day lives as in the big events, say one couple serving in Ecuador.

‘Inspiring things are happening’

SIM worker Mary Haile isn’t returning to her home in Ethiopia just yet – God hasn’t finished using her ministry at a central London church for amazing stories of restoration and reconciliation.

Teamwork in Thailand

Two SIM ministries are partnering to bring hope and restoration to the people of Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Flying hope and healing with SIMAIR

SIMAIR and Cessna 210

Across West Africa, SIMAIR serves remote communities with medicines, safe transport and the gospel message.

New year, new beginnings

For SIM UK member Ted Watts, there was one major item in his diary for the beginning of a new year: “Start PAACS”. Ted is…

Shared blessings – multicultural ministry in London

Mary joins our ENGAGE programme, designed to help UK churches share the gospel with cross-cultural communities on their doorstep.

From so-and-so to somebody

Find out about the exciting work the Lord is doing through SIM’s Faithful Witness initiative among the Fulani in northern Nigeria.

Memories of Christmas where it all began

As Advent approaches, SIM UK worker Kate shares some Christmas memories of her ministry in regions where Christ was born and the church was founded.

Raising a family on the mission field

On any given weekend, *Rachel and Joshua take their sons to the desert and visit archaeological ruins where the children can run around and dig…

Couple’s joy as home reopens

Six years after tragedy struck, children are returning to SIM’s Mseleni Children’s Home in South Africa.

Shalom House: A haven for survivors of trafficking

The risk of human trafficking is very real for many people in the countries and communities where SIM works. Read about one SIM ministry that is helping survivors on their recovery journey.

Home is where the gospel is

Geaane, from the Netherlands, felt called to serve the Lord for a year in South Africa in 2015, but it soon turned into a long-term ministry that helps families living in the poorest communities

Harriet’s story

How do you support a new believer who lost her sole source of income? An income that dried up when she stopped performing demonic healings…

Christian villages attacked in Nigeria

People after village attacked in Nigeria

Since 23rd July, there have been numerous attacks on predominantly Christian villages and communities surrounding Miango

Art with a gospel impact

Loving your neighbour is one way to fulfil the Great Commission, but sometimes this involves stepping outside your comfort zone, says Justin Agnes, who served…

In the business of saving souls

“As in most relationships here, it doesn’t take long for religion to come up in workplace conversations,” explains Barry*, a businessman who is sharing the…

Your gifts of love

Chikwakwa clinic in Zimbabwe with Covid 19 PPE

Your generous donations helped SIM come to the rescue of two rural hospitals in southern Africa during COVID-19.

Partners in media ministry

Although 2020 has been a difficult year for our mission workers and their ministries, read how the Lord used COVID-19 to further the gospel work of one couple serving in Kenya.

Anthropology, evangelism and me

‘As a Christian studying for a degree in Social Anthropology, I spent a lot of time feeling nervous whenever Christianity came up in class. Within…

How the gospel lens can fix our ‘cultural blindness’

Real inclusiveness means more than just being welcoming and friendly. It requires significant investment, personal sacrifice, and courageous leadership.

Urgent: Flooding in Niger

Severe flooding has covered Sahel Academy and the Bible school in more than five feet of water…

A beacon of hope for the future

Read about The Good News Hospital in Madagascar’s exciting new vision to train Malagasy surgeons and secure its future.

You’ve got mail

Paula Beaton’s God-given gifts to provide administrative support within Serving In Mission are put to good use to encourage others during COVID-19.

Neither here nor there

Child looking at globe

Read a Q&A with Cheryl Gibson, SIM UK’s Third Culture Kid Coordinator.

Life-saving supplies help fight the virus

Read how donations from supporters helped Serving In Mission protect the people of Egbe, Nigeria.

Loving your neighbour in lockdown

A pastor shares how his church joined forces with a charity to help those in need during COVID-19.

A new Bible translation!

The Kafa Bible was dedicated in Bonga, Ethiopia, earlier this year. Read about this labour of love spanning more than 40 years.

‘Aunty Dinah is truly an ambassador for Christ’

The story of the Kasena people of Chiana, Ghana, demonstrates how God is moving in the hearts of a formally unreached people group

From Nairobi to Niddrie – serving in Scotland

Our first Kenyan mission worker to Scotland describes her journey to ministry and her work with Niddrie Community Church.

Couple’s happy ending

When the pandemic closed down the country, 40 per cent of financial support trickled away for Kenyan mission workers Tony and Julia Mburu. Needing a fast solution to a shrinking bottom line, they revived an abandoned book-selling idea from years earlier.

Holistic health care

Read how SIM is helping empower women in rural east Africa as workers share the gospel with a least-reached community, alongside compassionate healthcare.

Courageous calling

Read the amazing conversion story of Tambaya Ibrahim, who travels across Niger to preach to the Fulani people.

Preparing for lift-off

Covid-19 might have seemed like a major roadblock to her plans, but new mission worker Kara never stopped trusting in God’s perfect timing.

A simple solution to a complex problem

Read how a SIM worker developed an online system to feed thousands of hungry families in Peru’s second largest city.

Better together

Meet the new SIM team passionate about sharing the gospel in Ghana.

The right Orientation

Discover how our five-day Orientation programme introduces our workers to some important areas they need to keep learning and growing in, as they start serving in mission.

A heart for mission to ‘forgotten’ communities

Read why growing up in a community that had never heard the gospel gives SIM International Director Joshua Bogunjoko a heart for our pioneering Faithful Witness scheme.

Mission dentist honoured with an OBE

Simon Stretton-Downes, serving long term in Liberia, is honoured with an OBE for services to dentistry in Africa.

Passing on the baton

The commitment to see God’s word spread in Niger will be the hallmark of Jonathan and Elaine Burts’ ministry as they retire to the UK…

Power to transform

God is doing amazing things in a township in Cape Town, where a SIM project is having a profound impact.

God is at work

Global work

VIDEO: Join us in 12 months of pandemic praise. No boundary, quarantine or confinement can stop the work of God’s hands.

First Bible translation in Ciyawo

Revelation 7:9 gives us the amazing picture of a host of people before the throne of the Lamb, people from every nation and tribe and…

Unity and diversity

Siegfried Ngubane, SIM’s Regional Director for Southern Africa, says the gospel is not confined to any single nation or tongue.

The power of a child’s prayer

In the Bible, Josiah was made king at the age of eight and his faith in the Lord had a transformative influence on the nation…

Untouched by sunlight

Potosi miner

The mines of Potosi in Bolivia are dark places, but SIM believes no one is beyond the reach of God…

A match made in heaven

Veronica and Samson will soon join a Faithful Witness team in Thailand, but their story of faith and of marriage began in an astonishing way.

New academy opens

A mission training school is preparing new believers in Europe for refugee ministry in their communities.

You will be my witnesses

Read about SIM’s Faithful Witness initiative to share the gospel with people who have never heard of Jesus Christ.

Surgery training moves one step closer

SIM UK surgeon Ted Watts gives an update on exciting plans to ensure mission-centred medical ministry continues in Madagascar.

Hiring now!

Read how one SIM couple are helping job seekers in the aftermath of Covid-19.

‘I’m so excited to see what the next 15 years will hold’

As Bingham Academy in Ethiopia prepares to reopen on September 22, SIM UK worker Theresa Ebrahim-Adem says she has never felt “so at home” anywhere…

Room to grow

Following a pause owing to lockdown, construction has restarted on building a new training centre that will help SIM workers in a South Asian country…

Still sharing hope with refugees

Five years ago, more than a million people crossed into Europe and safer parts of the Middle East to escape conflict and poverty. Many of…

Shaping the future…

The importance of education options to mission families cannot be understated.

‘I learned what it really felt like to trust God’

Read a testimony from a young SIM intern in Bolivia to encourage anyone exploring mission. “My last few weeks in Bolivia – spent tying up…

‘Chad is not an easy location’

With its diverse population of hundreds of ethnic groups speaking 120 languages and dialects, it’s no surprise that Chad is sometimes called the “Babel Tower…

Beirut explosion: Pray with us

The massive explosion at Beirut’s port on August 4 has brought fresh devastation to the people of Lebanon. The blast left an estimated 4,000 wounded,…

Life in lockdown

Todd's in Nigeria

Within months of arriving in Nigeria, the coronavirus pandemic forced Paul and Tricia Todd, sent from High Kirk Presbyterian Church in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, to…

Take up a daily prayer and challenge this Lent

Please join us in praying for the salvation of many refugees and migrants this Easter.

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