Our mission (Reach Beyond) is having a monthly Zoom “prayer concert” for missionaries and employees. The September meeting had about 60 attendees, with people sharing from Australia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Africa, and both Eastern and Western Europe.

My (Jody’s) heart was touched when our regional director for Sub-Saharan Africa shared a message a partner Christian radio station received from a listener. The listener’s country has faced years of extreme poverty, insecurity, and instability

“My name is Oumar. I live here with my wife and three children. These radio programs are in my language and they encourage us a lot. They speak to us of the word of God, of peace, of forgiveness, of reconciliation and of social cohesion. Through listening to these shows, I saw people who hated each other, sit under the same tree and chat about the content of the show without arguing and I said “glory to God”. I encourage you in this direction because these programs contribute a lot to the appeasement of hearts and to raising awareness towards living together in communities.”

This is why we are missionaries. And this is our desire for the U.S.: that people who hate each other can sit under the same tree and share the word of God. If it can happen in Africa, surely it can happen in the U.S., right?