By Rick Sample This spring during Ramadan, I participated with the Afghan American Church in Fremont, California, for a unique prayer experience. About 25 people—a mix of Afghan Christian immigrants and local American partners—gathered for a prayer service at the church on a Sunday afternoon to share in prayer for Afghans worldwide. The room was … Continue reading
By Karen Morrow “And now for the rest of the story,” was the way Paul Harvey would begin telling about a recent event. All events have a back story that often is left untold. Refugee stories are no different. We often see the story that is unfolding here in the U.S. when there is often … Continue reading
By Michelle Norman Often, we hear stories of the impact missions make around the world. They are important stories of God’s work. But often, we fail to mention the impact that missions have on the missioner. Occasionally, we hear stories of transformation for a participant of a short-term team, but the transformation occurs for long-term … Continue reading
By Elket Rodríguez All along the U.S.-Mexico border, the pastors who comprise Fellowship Southwest’s Immigrant Relief Ministry are facing a nuanced and complicated migratory flow. The number of Mexicans fleeing violence has skyrocketed, due to an ongoing cartel turf war in the southwestern states of Michoacán, Veracruz, Guerrero and Chiapas. The increase in Mexicans fleeing … Continue reading
By Grayson Hester Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., officially joined CBF’s Encourager Church initiative in 2019. But it had been doing the work of field personnel encouragement years before that. “Our Encourager Church program came about naturally. It wasn’t something we sought out particularly,” said Andrea Woolley, co-pastor and minister of spiritual formation, … Continue reading
By Elket Rodríguez Rosalío Sosa sat ringside when boxing legends Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield battled for the world heavyweight title in 1997. As millions watched the sluggers, Sosa waged his own fight, struggling with God’s call to ministry. Holyfield defeated Tyson, and Sosa surrendered to God, although he felt like the winner. Twenty-four years … Continue reading
The refrain and melody ring in his head: “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” CBF field personnel, Eddie Aldape wished he could get this song from the old television program to quit playing in his mind. But the song comes unbidden as he walks alongside the refugees and immigrants … Continue reading
By Eddie Aldape From a professional football (soccer) player to a refugee in a strange land, an estimated 3.5 percent of the world’s population, or 272 million people, are on the move around the world. Some of the people we minister to in Spain are on the move because of war or because their lives … Continue reading
By Grayson Hester After 20 years elapsed, scores of lives lost, and trillions of dollars spent, America’s longest war, staged primarily in Afghanistan, is over. The Pentagon heralded its conclusion, rather somberly, by tweeting a picture of a military helicopter carrying the last remaining American service members out of the country. A conflict that started … Continue reading
By Andrew Nash Sanela doesn’t read or write English. So, without the help of CBF field personnel Sasha Zivanov, she would not have been able to pass the computer test that landed her the job at Walmart that feeds her family. “When I was starting out, I had to take pictures of the questions and … Continue reading