making disciples among the unreachEd SEND International of Canada 2016 Annual Report send.org/canada Canadian DIRECTOR As SEND Canada strengthens its commitment to make disciples among the unreached, contributing my “welcome” to our Annual Report presents a challenge: I want to highlight things the Lord has accomplished in 2016, but also to look forward into 2017… Perhaps the biggest highlight for us this year was reaching our Big Goal of deploying 10 new career mission workers by September 30 (p. 4). This full-team effort by our Mobilization, Personnel, and Donor Services/Finance Teams required great faith. We thank the Lord for answering many prayers to “send out more workers”! (Matthew 9:38) In this changing world we see the Lord at work through the migration of people, both through refugee crises and diaspora communities (p. 3 and 6). SEND is seeking to respond with wisdom and compassion, and we see precious people coming to know the King of Kings! Looking ahead, we are encouraged by the initial response to our newer tools for local churches engaged in global missions. Resources like the Global Missions Podcast (p. 5) and the Global Missions Toolbox (coming soon!) are resonating with churches across Canada! Thank you for sharing in the Lord’s’ work with us. Your prayers and financial support are helping to get the Good News of the Gospel to many who have never before heard. Together with you to engage the unreached, PS. Is your church/organization planning a missions event this year? Perhaps you’d consider Mags for a message or workshop. Inquire about scheduling at [email protected]. Rob “Mags” Magwood Canadian Director, SEND International What is an UNREACHED people group? 3.11 An unreached people group... billion – has less than 2% evangelical Christians. – does not have enough Christ-followers to evangelize unreached people in the world and disciple that group. – has little or no opportunity to hear the gospel. The ministry of SEND is increasingly focused on unreached people. We trust God, through prayer and careful discernment, to lead us into effective engagement of the unreached. SEND International workers are currently engaging over 50 unreached people groups in about 20 countries. SEND is a global movement of Jesus followers making disciples among the unreached. 16,587 6,738 people groups in the world unreached people groups in the world 2 SEND International of Canada | 2016 Annual Report Source: The Joshua Project Expanding our Borders: Ministry to Muslims In 2016 the world witnessed ongoing upheavals of communities and peoples in traditionally Muslim areas of our world, as well as the continued movement of God’s Spirit in bringing Muslim people to embrace the Lord Jesus. In response, SEND launched “SEND Hope and Light,” an initiative to respectfully share the love of God with Muslim peoples around the world. Beyond all else, “SEND Hope and Light” is a prayer movement. During 2016, over 100 people requested to receive quarterly updates to pray for SEND’s teams engaging unreached Muslim communities. These teams are in such diverse places as Southeast Asia, the northern Caucasus region, and even among the displaced in North America. SEND has also been praying that the Lord would increase the number of SEND workers serving in unreached Muslim communities from 35 to 75 workers. The SEND Canada communication team played an important role in 2016 in a global communications campaign to help spread the word about opportunities to serve and engage Muslim people. God has raised up workers to launch into several new locations. Others have been called to join SEND teams and the teams of SEND partners, in South Asia, West Asia, and Southeast Asia. By the end of 2016, 23 had joined SEND teams to extend “hope and light” among these Muslim communities, or had begun preparing to be part of these teams. Others are investigating how they might best contribute to see the hope and light of Jesus Christ breaking in among those who need it. Join us in asking God for new workers to serve among Muslim communities in the coming year – maybe some workers from your church! Learn more at: www.send.org/shl Responding to the refugee crisis in Europe We are so excited about the work that God is doing in Macedonia! The SEND team in Macedonia is engaging two unreached people groups: Macedonians and Albanian Muslims. While refugee ministry might not have been in the long range plans, the Macedonia team recently found themselves situated on the route that many refugees have been taking towards Western Europe. SEND workers partnered with other faith- based agencies and were able to reach out to the refugees with food, a warm welcome, and, when appropriate, the Good News of Jesus. Sherri Ens, a Canadian worker on the Macedonia team, has played a significant role in this ministry. Please pray with us for more workers to make disciples among the unreached in Macedonia! Learn more at www.send.org/macedonia send.org/canada 3 Deploying new Mission workers A Big Goal and God’s Faithfulness In June 2014, SEND Canada prayed over the idea of setting a big goal. Our team was looking for a target that would stretch us, unify us, and cause us to lean into God’s faithfulness – a goal we couldn’t reach on our own strength. As we prayed over what this goal should be, we landed on this: To identify, prepare and deploy 10 new full-time, cross-cultural workers by September 30, 2016. It was a big goal, but we know nothing is impossible with God! In September 2016, we celebrated two departures – Kaitlyn Reimer heading to Spain, and Ana Aquino heading to Japan. These two young women represented deployment #9 and #10 – the goal was met! This goal saw fruition not only because of our team’s work, but because of God’s faithfulness, much prayer, and great support from families, sending churches, and donors. Thank-you! Would you join us in rejoicing in God’s faithfulness? Kaitlyn Reimer “I took my first short term trip to Haiti as a teenager and it was then that God first called me to missions. Throughout my time in college, I spent time in both Guatemala and Malawi. In 2014, at a mission conference, I connected with SEND and God gave me a passion for the people of Spain. I am now a full-time mission- worker doing women’s discipleship in Spain and I am so excited to be sharing Christ with the young people of Spain.” Ana Aquino “I grew up in an unbelieving home in the Philippines. I didn’t come to know Christ until I moved to Toronto in 1991. Since then, God has been establishing a strong desire in my heart for the unreached people of the world. He has used personal mentors and courses such as Perspectives and Kairos and several short-term mission trips to show me the great need. God brought me to SEND and to Japan to make His name great among those who have not yet heard the Good News of Jesus Christ.” DID YOU KNOW? The Japanese are the second largest unreached people group in the world. Only 0.5 % of Japan’s population are evangelical Christians. Source: The Joshua Project and Operation World 4 SEND International of Canada | 2016 Annual Report Resource: The Global Missions Podcast launched its second season this fall! This podcast provides valuable resources to churches and The Global Missions Podcast missions committees to help them engage more effectively in God’s global work, both at home and around the world! The podcast is hosted by SEND Canada Director, Rob “Mags” Magwood and is co-sponsored by SEND Canada and the Jaffray Centre for Global Initiatives. Gaining attention from other organizations, The Global Missions Podcast recently formed an advisory group of leaders from 5 other missions agencies who contribute ideas for interviews, a network of guests, and finances towards the production. To date, the podcast has had over 25,000 downloads and over 200 subscribers - and the audience continues to grow! For great resources for you and your church, visit www.globalmissionspodcast.com. Subscribe: COMING in 2017: The Global Missions Toolbox Resources for Pastors and Missions Committees! Stay tuned for more details! “The Great Commission is too big for anyone to accomplish alone, and too important not to try to do together.” – Steve Moore send.org/canada 5 AWAY FROM HOME: Diaspora MINISTRIES The word diaspora means “scattered,” and refers to people living outside their ethnic homeland. It’s important to note that from a Biblical perspective, people are not scattered by accident, but by divine purpose… SEND Canada is now helping Chinese-, Vietnamese- and Filipino-Canadians reach their own ethnic people living “in diaspora”. We do this by mobilizing teams to participate in evangelism, church planting and leadership training. We have been blessed with five Chinese leaders who lead short-term teams 4-5 times each year to Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe. We are also pleased to offer a training program for Chinese leaders at Kyiv Theological Seminary (KTS), in cooperation with the Hudson Taylor Center at Tyndale University College. SEND Canada is also helping equip and send Vietnamese believers to Ukraine and Eastern Europe, and Filipinos to the Middle East. Together, we are striving to bring the Good News to those living far from home, and enabling scattered believers to be “salt and light” in sensitive areas of the world. Mission Workers from new countries joining send Rescuing girls in Southeast Asia from a life of bondage and teaching them the truth about Jesus; discipling minorities in China to live boldly for Christ in the face of persecution; teaching English and seeing a church planted in Poland; or finally breaking through hard soil to engage the unreached in Spain.