Category: Missions Focus

Then & Now: Short-Term Mission Trips

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By on May 13th, 2013

For twenty years, East-West has been taking the gospel to the nations. Almost since the beginning, we have had short-term mission trips that give people the opportunity to GO.

Pictured above is our very first short-term mission trip team. They went to Russia to share the gospel almost twenty years ago.

Now our mission field has extended beyond Russia. While we still send teams there, we also send them to South Asia to share the gospel in remote villages, to East Asia to teach students about Jesus through cultural exchanges, to Latin America to tell people about Jesus in their homes, and to orphanages or village children in various parts of the world to help them make Jesus their best friend.

We also take trips to Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Europe. And we’re developing new trips that will help you utilize your passions and gifts to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in countries around the world.

Then & Now: Evangelistic Literature

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By on May 8th, 2013

We’re still celebrating our 20th anniversary this month. Let’s take a look at how another aspect of our ministry has developed in the last 20 years.

In the beginning we distributed evangelistic literature in the form of Bibles and New Testaments. The people in Russia were so hungry for truth, that they would swarm teams in the street to get their hands on Bibles (see photo above left). Eventually, that was a became a big part of the ministry so teams would bring in boxes and boxes of evangelistic literature to distribute throughout Russia (see above right).

Now, East-West has worked with several partners to develop evangelistic literature for people in all stages of coming to Christ. We then train the local believers how to use it to evangelize or start conversations with their neighbors (which you see in the top photo from East Asia).

Most of our literature is translated into multiple languages so that it can communicate the universal message of the gospel in many different nations (like in the middle photo from Latin America).

Some of our partners develop literature that is used during our mass media evangelism campaigns (like the bottom photo from India).

 

Then & Now: Staff

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By on May 6th, 2013

We’re celebrating East-West’s 20th anniversary all month long. Today, we’re looking at how our staff has grown over the last 20 years.

East-West started as a few men going into to Russia to evangelize and train the people. After a few years, another handful of men and women joined the cause as missionaries and support staff (as seen above).

But now, East-West has over 100 missionaries serving in more than 47 countries worldwide. Because our missionaries work in unreached and restricted access nations, we cannot include a recent photo of our field ministry staff for their safety.

Additionally, our support staff based in Texas has grown into several departments—like financial services, evangelism, human resources, development, moblization, training, and more—with a number of staff in each one. What a difference 20 years can make!

Then & Now: Evangelism

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By on May 1st, 2013

This month, East-West celebrates our 20th anniversary! So all month long, you’ll get a look at us throughout 20 years of ministry.

Today, we look at how our evangelism efforts have evolved over the years.

When East-West first began, evangelism was largely done by Americans who would go to Russia to share the gospel after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

John Maisel gave many speeches and lectures at universities throughout Russia (which you see above) as a way to share the gospel with those who were largely unfamiliar with it because the decades of communist rule had made atheism the “intelligent” choice.

Now, evangelism remains one of our core ministry strategies. However, we now encourage and equip believers in regions like Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America (see above) to share the gospel with their own people.

The Missional Life: Making a Connection

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By on Apr 24th, 2013

Living missionally requires seeing the everyday opportunities to share the gospel or point people to Jesus Christ. One of the best ways to do this is simply to have a conversation with them. Here are a few tips for starting a conversation and connecting it to spiritual topics.

1. Start

The first step to transitioning a conversation into spiritual matters is to start the conversation. Without that there is no conversation to transition.

It seems like common sense, but we often miss the everyday opportunities to have spiritual conversations by avoiding conversations all together. Engage people first by just talking with them.

2. Ask questions

A great way to start a conversation or begin to bridge into spiritual topics is to ask them questions. In fact, asking more about them shows genuine interest and helps people relax. And it’s a great way to listen for keywords.

Ask about their lives, their families, or even their opinions on a topic. Getting their opinion on a topic loosely related to spiritual matters is a great way to make the transition.

3. Listen more than you talk

You can’t get to know someone if you’re doing all the talking. Once you ask questions, be sure to listen intently and actively to get to know them.

Their responses will often point you in the direction of their hearts and help you find common ground or keywords that will help you find the time and place to connect the conversation to God or spiritual matters.

4. Look out for keywords and common ground

If you’re asking questions and listening, then you will be able to pick up on what matters to them or what experiences you both share.

Do they have a family? Are they going through a hard time? What do they love to do? These are all great places to start when finding common ground with them or natural places to steer the conversation to deeper topics.

5. Shift the conversation gently

Once you’ve gotten to know the person a little and have found common ground or shared experiences, you can begin to make connections to spiritual topics.

You can do this through more questions or by offering prayer for them for something going on in their lives. These will bring responses that often guide you in bringing up Jesus in a way that they find relevant and not overpowering.

Once you do that, you’ll know how to gently steer the conversation and share the gospel with them.

6. Connect again

Maybe you shared the gospel or maybe you just got to encourage a fellow believer. Either way, you should make a point to connect with them again.

Leave your contact information for them to get in touch with you if they want to talk further, or—if you think they need more connection—get their contact information so you can do the reconnecting.

Disciples are not made in a moment, but you can help someone on their spiritual journey by making a point to start conversations and connect to them spiritually.

How have you successfully started spiritual conversations with people?

The Missional Life: Everyday Conversations

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By on Apr 17th, 2013

As believers, God desires that we live our lives in pursuit of His glory and His mission. But being missional doesn’t always require you to go across the world. You can find opportunities to live life on mission at home too.

So here are a few tips for finding opportunities to start spiritual conversations whether you’re at the coffee shop down the street or in a hut in a remote African village.

Prayer is the foundation

You can be part of someone’s faith journey, but it’s important to recognize that the Holy Spirit is the one who works in people’s lives to draw them to the Father through Jesus Christ. That’s why every person desiring to be missional should always ground their days and their spiritual encounters in prayer.

You can pray for opportunities to arise to share the gospel, for those you meet to be open to the gospel message, and for clarity in speech while sharing about Jesus Christ and your faith. All of these prayers recognize God’s part in the process and also make you more aware of opportunities to share the love of Christ with the people God leads you to.

Start the conversation

God can work in mysterious ways, but it’s not very often that someone will simply walk up to you and ask you about Jesus. You will most likely have to make the first move. You must be intentional about engaging with those you come across each day.

The clerk at the grocery store. The person in front of you in line at the DMV. The woman who sits next to you on the train. Each of these people represents an opportunity to engage in conversations that present opportunities to share your faith. But they may be waiting for you to start.

Let go of the pressure

Your conversation may lead to an opportunity to talk about Jesus and the redemption found in Him. When it does, we can suddenly feel the pressure to get the story right or to tell them the exact right thing … but you don’t have to feel that way.

When you finally get to share the gospel, you have to remember that it’s the Holy Spirit’s work in your life and the other person’s that has brought you both to this point. You may be the tipping point, but you may also just be part of their journey into faith.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to equip you with words and for their hearts to be open. If they don’t make a decision, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s your fault. They weren’t quite ready, and the Holy Spirit is still working. And if they do, you can praise the Lord that you had the opportunity to be a part of their story.

Ultimately, all we can do is what the Lord asks of us—share His message of love by looking for opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations—and He will take care of the rest.

 

Church Planting Movement Multiplies in Africa

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By on Mar 13th, 2013

When Gabriel received his training 2 years ago, he expected to reach his own people with the gospel, but he didn’t expect that his movement would spread beyond his own national border.

Gabriel is an East-West national partner that works to spread the gospel and train believers to share their faith and plant churches. Over the last two years, he has seen a church planting movement begin and multiply into the fifth generation.

But Gabriel did not stop in his own nation in East Africa. He sensed God’s call to trek into the mountainous forest to a neighboring nation to share the gospel message. He has now begun to share the gospel with a new tribe of people in this land—a land prone to war for the last 20 years and is finally on the road to recovery.

He has even seen three leaders of the local defense force and their families to turn to Jesus Christ, and the movement continues to spread.

There are now seven new house churches, 60 new believers, and 15 leaders being trained in order to continue the movement … because one man followed the call of the Lord to a new land and a new people.

The Urgent Task

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By on Dec 10th, 2012

An Exclusive Message from Kurt Nelson

The Urgent Task: An Exclusive Message from Kurt Nelson from East-West Ministries on Vimeo.

What if you had never heard the name of Jesus Christ?

Give Now to Make an ImpactOne-third of the world’s population—that is 2.3 billion people—still live in deep spiritual darkness … with no understanding of Jesus and no hope of escape.

You can help us change that.

Any gift made to the general ministry of East-West by December 31 will be doubled up to $361,500 by a special matching grant—touching twice as many lives in the world’s spiritually darkest places.

 

Why do we share the gospel?

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By on Nov 7th, 2012

There are many reasons why people don’t share the gospel …

  • They don’t want to force my beliefs on anyone else.
  • They don’t want it to be awkward.
  • They don’t want to feel rejected.

But when it comes to evangelism, we can’t let these reasons stop us. We need to see why it’s important to share the Good News (well, the best news!) with those we know or meet.

Gratitude

Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. —Mark 5:19-20

Compassion

“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” —Matthew 9:13

If you had known what these words mean, “I desire mercy not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the innocent. —Matthew 12:7

Obedience

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. —Matthew 28:19-20

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the Holy angels.

Whether it’s you sharing your testimony with your cashier at the grocery store or with a stranger in a foreign country on a mission trip, we need to take time to conquer our fears. By telling those you meet how Jesus Christ changed your life, you will be displaying your gratitude, compassion, and obedience to God.

How do you start conversations about Jesus with others?