"As a nurse I get to minister to those in my community after hours. Also, as a foster carer, I support other foster carers."
- Emma, Narrogin Baptist Church, WA
"Inviting people to come to hear God’s word is always scary. What if they say no? Navigating this in a different culture complicates things even further. I met two ladies recently and wanted to invite them to the women’s group, but an opportune moment hadn’t arrived. So I committed to praying about it.
That very next day I met both husbands whilst walking to the market. This was my moment! They already knew about the group of women who met regularly, so I explained that we studied God’s word. Both men responded positively and expressed that they were honoured that their wives should be invited.
Later that week, both of these women turned up to the group (and they haven’t missed a week in the last four months!)." - Melanie, Baptist Mission Australia, Malawi
"Crossing the street is the essence of what we are doing daily here in Cambodia.
I recently joined a group of Khmer women who exercise publicly on the side walk. While communal dance aerobics is not really my preference for a fitness regime (!), I do love the coming together of women of many backgrounds, economic status and stories. Communal exercise is a leveling and unifying experience.
For me, the experience didn’t translate into well-coordinated in-sync moves, but it did provide an opportunity to be with and learn with a community of Khmer women, expressing care, joy and abandonment. And as we become more than familiar with each other, we became an exercise family."
- Deb, Baptist Mission Australia, Cambodia
"’ve actively joined many groups that already take place in my community. My mission is to show people Jesus through my interactions and attitudes.
I want to see all my contacts have the love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control which only comes from Him. I am seeing God at work through the relationships I am building. It’s not like they have said, “Thank you Marg, I’m following Jesus now”, but I get told of my attributes which I know come from the Holy Spirit. I trust He is working in their hearts." - Marg, Lakeside Baptist Church, WA
"I cross the street with school mums, my neighbour, our community mums at Mums and Bubs, and with the non Christian friends God has blessed me with!" - Ayla, Eaton Baptist Church, WA
"One of the translation team members sadly lost his grown son recently. I attended the funeral along with some of our translation team colleagues. In this culture, it is not really acceptable for men to express their grief openly. There were a couple of hundred people in attendance at the funeral and despite these numbers, the grieving father chose to walk with me from the residence to the cemetery, and back again.
We crossed the street together walking partly in silence but also partly in conversation as this man expressed his grief to me. It was obviously a very sad time but it was also a beautiful time to walk in grief together. Jesus walked with us as well, that much felt certain." - Tobias, Baptist Mission Australia, Mozambique
"Jesus is with me every step of the way. Once upon a time, I would run and hide from any kind of conversation with anyone outside my close knit circle of friends. But now, God has given me the confidence to cross the street and speak His truth." - Elsie, Crosslife - A Baptist Church, QLD