If you are anything like me, striking up a conversation with a stranger or pursuing a friendly relationship with someone can be awkward and challenging. We desire to make the love of Jesus known in our communities, but engaging the…
“And Jesus said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” – Luke 10:2 Before moving to NYC in July…
0Times of crisis tend to challenge people’s creativity and resilience. And although many of our workers are staying inside to protect themselves and their families, as well as the community, they are still pursuing thier calling to love…
0Did you know that half of the missionary workforce leaves the field in under five years? One of the biggest reasons for low attrition rates is a lack of pre-field training. While seminary and Bible college may provide a theological…
0Buckle up for a crash course in Mission work 101. 1. Your schedule may start to seem like organized chaos A lot of cultures do not operate on our nine-to-five schedule. Instead, they center around community, with deep relationship and…
0New York in Christmastime There’s nothing like New York in Christmastime. The tree at Rockefeller goes up, everyone is full of cheer, and you can have as much hot chocolate as you want. But there’s something else unique…
0As the holiday season approaches, it is particularly difficult to stay focused on the work at hand. The faces of people blur together as my mind wanders from prayer. Instead, my family comes to mind and I think of each one of my family…
0Being a native Kansan, a phrase I am used to hearing after arriving to a new place is, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorthy.” I groan, while the relayer laughs thinking himself creative and clever. I moved to New York City for…
0If every situation is supposed to be filled with thanksgiving, then that includes when life is hard, and gratitude must become a discipline….
0“Success” has already arrived, in the form of praising God amongst the nations and being faithful to bless the people He puts before me….
0I Love Christmas. Why? Because this is the miracle that we celebrate at Christmas: the incarnation of Jesus!…
0This revelation caught me like the first time I ever read Gods word and how it impacted me, I felt like a kid in a candy store on freebie Friday! I was excited….
0We were not called by God to be a dim light. We were all called to be his children and glow in this dark world. So how do you fall in this spectrum?…
0Transitioning to a new culture is hard. We must remember that ministry is not always easy and rely on promises from The Father….
0One of our EQUIP participants learning to rest in the assurance that God’s love is unchanging, and trusting that He will work through me for His ultimate glory and bring about true justice….
0The greatest evangelism tool we have is to listen….
0Last evening, I visited an Islamic home goods shop in my neighborhood with a teammate. We greeted the store clerk with “a salaam alaikum (peace be unto you),” to which she smiled warmly and replied, “wa-alaikum salaam (and unto you…
0“A big part of how you show who you are is in the way you treat your neighbors.” Who would you guess said this quote? Maybe a Christian paraphrasing a verse from the Bible? Or your pastor on Sunday morning from the pulpit? What if I…
0An EQUIP participant shares her thoughts on receiving training in New York City as a wife and mother, and what it meant for her and for her family….
0This is a story about Philip. That is not his real name. But this is his story. It is remarkable and amazing. And it could only happen through a loving and all-powerful Creator. Philip was born in Rwanda. Early in his childhood, his…
0Often, when parents are considering joining us for our 10-month Equip Missionary Training program, they worry about how their kids will adjust to life in New York City. Find out what these four boys under 10 think about their time…
0As the most diverse borough in New York City, Queens offers a lot of culture and authenticity. One day, the interns and I decided to stop by the traveling street fair a few blocks from our building in Queens. Local vendors set up shop…
0Heading to New York City to join us in ministry? Stop by some of these exceptional eateries on our DIY Food Tour….
0Have you decided to come to the city for Seed Week? Or maybe you’re spending the weekend with us to learn about our ministry while you are considering joining our Equip Missionary Training program next fall? Summer in…
0Water is important. It makes up the majority of our world. You could almost say we live in a “water world.” But Kevin Costner and Dennis Hopper would probably prefer you didn’t. #seewhatididthere. Water is not just important, it is…
0This year, on March 17th, millions across the globe will tap into their inner Irish for St. Patrick’s Day. Glow in the dark shamrock necklaces will be adorned. Cheap plastic emerald green bowler hats will be donned. Rivers will…
0A Simple Question One of the greatest joys of working in cross-cultural evangelism, or missions, is getting to explore neighborhoods and areas where you would normally never find yourself. You get to dive into real cultural epicenters….
0Sharing your faith cross-culturally is not that difficult, but you might have to take everything your mother told you about manners and throw it out the window. Okay, I know that sounds harsh and yes it is slightly overdramatic. This…
0How To Share My Faith My teammate, Katherine*, and I sat down at a local Egyptian restaurant to practice our habit of “intentional eating.” We use our patronage as an opportunity to meet members of our unreached people group and share…
0What does mission work have to do with movies? Bruce Willis… Essentially, he is the reason I got into police work when I graduated from college. Well, specifically, it was because of the movie Die Hard. I remember watching…
0Obedience to Christ or comfort? At first glance, these do not seem to be related — or are they? There is much to say about the desire to be comfortable. We have done much to make sure we have comfort. But this is not what we are…
0Becoming a missionary is hard. Ministry is hard. Working in missions is hard. Cross-cultural ministry is really hard. So is moving across the country, living in New York City, and walking through a blizzard in two feet of snow to buy…
0Serving God is the most important thing in my life and also my wife’s life. Because of this, we came to New York City to train in the Equip missionary training program and have been here for about six months now. Next year, we…
0Becoming a Missionary I walked into ministry in New York City fully confident that I rooted my identity in Christ. I knew the truth of my salvation served as the source I gained my strength from and from which I gave my strength away….
0Growing up in church you are likely to regularly hear the words of Jesus as he gave the Great Commission to go into all the world and spread the Good News (Matthew 28:18-20). And if you are like me, you often deflect the command for…
0I recently had the pleasure of strolling through Times Square with my wife and small kids. It was overwhelming, to say the least. It is hard not to feel small among the hundred-foot screens and lights. I felt like we walked into New…
0One of the toughest things to do in missions is to communicate the gospel effectively. This is where contextualization comes in. Contextualization is used by missionaries when explaining the gospel in a relevant way to the current…
0Evangelism. This word scares many Christians. It scared me at one time. Most Christians do not know “how to do evangelism.” They do not know how to share their faith. The word “evangelism” seems to paralyze people. “How can…
0Fifteen years ago I would never have imagined I would be on a journey to serve in long-term missions. I would never have believed that I would be moving to New York City with my wife and three small children for missionary training….
0What does “serving God” mean? We are given the command in Deuteronomy 11:13, “I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” Serving God can mean many…
0If you come to New York City for long-term missions to reach one of the many unreached people groups living here, I can almost guarantee you will hear about and experience “the nudge” sooner or later. Most likely sooner…
0“Seed week – learn to share the gospel with the unreached people groups of NYC!” When I first saw the above short-term missions trip opportunity in New York City, I thought, “I am a Christian, of course, I know…
0If you, like me, have found yourself contemplating whether or not short-term mission trips are worth your time, money and if they even help expand the Kingdom of God as you would like to think, then this is for you. I understand the…
0Let me tell you about the man who wrecked my life. It was the first week of my senior year of college. I went with a group of friends to a back-to-school event. We naturally found ourselves waiting in the free food line. And…
0The first smell that hits you as you enter a west African market is the spices. Oh, the spices. Cinnamon, onion, coriander, cumin, saffron… Oh yes, the wonderful spices. They mix their spices in a way I am not used to. Savory, sweet…
0My life as a student has been one of longevity yet little outcome. I crammed three years of college into four, and came out with an Associates degree. I loved English, and teachers always told me, “Write what you know.” So…
0“The Bronx.” Their facial expression morphs slowly from shock, through pity, to a polite smile. “That will be… nice,” they reply as genuinely as they can. It is the same reaction I received when I told my friends and family I was…
0What does it take to become a missionary? It takes many things — including some very interesting experiences such as the one that follows. The plate of food stared back at me, daring me to try it. “What kind of meat did you say this…
0I wanted to go on medical mission trips for as long as I can remember. In college, I slaved away for hours studying microbiology, chemistry, pharmacology, pathophysiology… all for the single purpose of becoming a medical…
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