Vision for Mission

Vision for Mission is a newsletter from Randy Friesen, General Director of MB Mission. Randy highlights recent worldwide stories and events that will help you build a vision for mission.

April 2012

At the recent dedication of the “House of Grace”, the Oasis ministry training and media center in North Africa, we reflected on the significance of an “oasis” in the desert. David wrote Psalm 63 in a physical desert that mirrored the emotional desert he was experiencing as he lived the life of a fugitive. Many of our Oasis team members can identify with that metaphor. They too are “on the run” from those who pursue them. They too live in a “dry and weary land where there is no water.”

March 2012

Our lead team had an amazing day the other week! We pray as a lead team every Wednesday over lunch, but on this occasion we spent the entire day praying. Without a pre-planned agenda we gave the day to the Holy Spirit to orchestrate for us. We began with worship and we meditated on Psalm 1, on the impact that being rooted in God’s presence has on our lives. The Lord then began focusing on sin issues in our lives which were blocking His glory. As we humbled ourselves and confessed sin to God and to each other we found a new boldness and freedom to intercede for others.

February 2012

I have recently been reading Eric Metaxas’ excellent biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled, “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy”. I have been encouraged again in reading of Bonhoeffer’s choices to live in the gospel by daily meditating on God’s word, and regardless of the cost, then responding in prayer and action to the challenges of following Jesus in Nazi Germany. The gospel Bonhoeffer was living and sharing had no room for “cheap grace.”

January 2012

The Race of Faith

We have a new group of long term workers who are leaving our mission training classroom in January to start on their apprenticeships and build support teams. Their mission work is focused on beginning new faith communities amongst the least reached, and this will take them to some of the most challenging places in the world.

December 2011

Our God is a God of healing!

We were on the platform of the largest ‘cave church’ in C*iro (probably the world) just behind the ‘garbage city’ as it is known by the locals. An elderly poor garbage collector was taking us on a tour of his church and we had just passed a room off of the main stage that was full of crutches, braces and wheelchairs. When I asked where they had all come from, he replied that they were from the many people that Jesus had healed at the church. I asked for a recent example.

November 2011

Fight the Good Fight

I was recently invited to speak to all the young men at a bible college for an optional late night session. We talked about our inheritance in the Kingdom of God and how lust is robbing our generation of our potential and our Kingdom reward.

October 2011

The Price of Faith

One of our Oasis follow-up leaders serving in Sud*n was praying with his leadership team for the Nub* Mountains region of Sud*n where they knew of no Christians. They sent a prayer scout team to discern the spiritual needs and opportunities. The leading M*ll*h of the region met them and told them the region belonged to him, they were not welcome and they should return home. The team replied that the region belonged to God. ‘No’, the M*ll*h replied, ‘ it belongs to me’.

September 2011

Several pioneers with MB Mission who have had a significant impact on our global mission work have recently gone on to their eternal reward. Both James Wiebe and Ernie Friesen were gifted leaders, faithful servants and mentors within our mission family.

August 2011

Jesus understands suffering (Isaiah 53:3-6). He sees those who suffer on the margins. As he directed Philip to cross paths with the Ethiopian eunuch 2000 years ago (Acts 8), Jesus continues to orchestrate encounters between His followers and “the least” of our time.

July 2011

Grace to Steward

This past week, I watched seven members of our city receive their Order of Abbotsford awards. The mayor had some personal words of affirmation for each one, among them a friend of mine who has invested heavily in our community and given generously to charities. As each one was honored and applauded by the audience, I imagined the end of our earthly race and the personal words that Jesus will say about each one of us, His followers.

February 2011

Walking down the pharmacy aisle recently I passed a man who looked vaguely familiar. I said “Hi” and he recognized me from some mission presentations I had given at his church. We talked about the good choices his children were making to live on mission. I talked about how businessmen like him were making an impact in a number of our current projects around the world.