“Why am I so adamant to talk to everyone around me for the sake of a scavenger hunt but not for the sake of Jesus?”
This was a question raised by college student, Ashlee, during a CMM vision trip to our mobilization team in Germany.
Ashlee and six other individuals joined our CMM team in Frankfurt for two weeks of experience in frontier missions and mobilization through a “boots on the ground” approach. There they had front row seats and actively participated in the work our Germany team is involved in day in and day out.
In the midst of ministry and mobilization, the students paused to engage in a scavenger hunt to get more familiar with the city of Frankfurt—but the activity served as a deeper spiritual illustration as well. While searching the city, they had to ask many strangers for directions. Ashlee was electric, asking every person she found. But afterward she was troubled as she thought back to the game and the ministry they had been doing. She was convicted by her boldness in something trivial, and her lack of courage for something that held eternal value. But this was just the beginning.
The team went to refugee camps, local churches, participated in street evangelism, and led Xplore trainings. Spending time in the refugee camps and interacting with unreached people who came from war-torn, persecuted places was especially impactful for them. They realized they were stepping into a unique window in history and that Germany currently offers unprecedented access to unreached people who come from places where it is extremely difficult and dangerous to take the gospel.
Due to the refugee crisis and influx of immigrants in Europe, 60 percent of Frankfurt residents are not native Germans, and 180 separate nations are represented in this city alone. This makes it an incredible location to be reaching those from many nations. With over 1.5 million refugees in Germany, there is a window of opportunity to share Christ to those who may have never had the chance to hear His name before. With this in mind, Frankfurt, Germany was a strategic place to send a short term team to learn about mobilization among the nations.
A few students who came on the vision trip were already interested in working among refugees, and by the end of the trip, several others also expressed interest in moving to the field and taking next steps towards missions. Their hearts changed as they heard the stories and saw the faces of those who lived in the Middle East and came to know Jesus in Germany.
One such story is that of 16-year-old Nagma from Iran. She shared with a couple students about her journey to Germany. During the time, she did not know why her parents were making her leave her home. It wasn’t until after her arrival in Germany that she learned it was because her mother had come to know Jesus. In Iran, proclaiming faith in Jesus can lead to prison or worse. At first, Nagma felt angry that this was why they left their home and entered so much hardship. But she went on to share that after several months in Germany, while attending an Iranian fellowship with her mother, she softened and accepted Jesus into her heart. The students were amazed to hear stories like this from many refugees and learn of the plight of the countries they come from.
Throughout the two weeks, the students on the vision trip grew in faith and experienced God’s heart for all people in a new way. Many lives in Frankfurt were touched and the work of the long term team in Germany was propelled from a season of intensive language learning into the beginnings of their ministry. Please join us in prayer for the students who attended this trip. Pray that the Lord would give them direction for their futures and lead them to their most strategic roles in fulfilling the Great Commission!
Please also pray for the Germany team as they dive deeper into ministry and connections made through the short term team. Pray for the Lord to bring the Germany team into the right relationships and give them wisdom in how to disciple and mobilize the nations for the glory of our King.