What are we up to?!

What are we up to? Through our family's healing journey, the Lord has placed a deep call to missions on  our hearts, particularly within the Muslim community, and we feel led to serve as a family. We have been earnestly praying about how we can share His good news within this community. Our prayers were that we could serve on a few short term trips together to prepare for a long term move. 

Last summer, the Lord called JP to North Africa, igniting a stronger passion for mission work within our hearts. As we prayerfully consider our long-term move to the mission field, we have an exciting opportunity to travel to Berlin, Germany, this summer as a family.   

In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit called the apostles Paul and Barnabas to take the gospel to Gentile lands. Leaving Antioch, they traveled to Cyprus and what is now modern-day Turkey. By Acts 19:10, we see that during two years in Ephesus, “all the residents of Asia” had heard the word of the Lord—estimated to be around 15–20 million people!

By Romans 15:23, Paul was eager to push on to Spain because he had “no more room” for gospel work. At that point, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, and Turkey were considered reached people groups.

Today, these same regions are once again considered unreached.

There is a renewed and rightful emphasis on reaching the unreached. Yet while missionary efforts are focused on the 10/40 Window, the Church is quietly losing ground to Islam in Europe.

Western Europe is now home to an estimated 44 million Muslims. In Germany alone, there are nearly 2,800 mosques—a number that continues to grow.

When COVID-19 hit, it exposed a major weakness: most ministry efforts toward Muslims in Europe were tied to refugee outreach. These efforts largely relied on humanitarian aid to build relationships and share the gospel. But as the wave of refugees slowed and communities settled, that bridge disappeared. Many teams left, just as these immigrants began integrating into everyday European Muslim life.

And yet—Europe is stirring.

Youth are coming to Christ at staggering rates. Young people who’ve had little or no exposure to Christianity are rediscovering the faith of their ancestors. A new missions movement is beginning to emerge. These young believers will form the next wave of messengers who will carry the gospel throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

This summer, we’re partnering with churches from both the U.S. and Europe to reimagine what it looks like for Muslims to encounter the love of Jesus—not by leading with aid, but by helping them discover their true identity in Christ.

The first person named before birth in the Bible was Ishmael—the ancestor of the Islamic world. His name means “God hears.” This is a people group God is already inclined to hear and respond to. They have a heritage from the Lord.

We believe God is inviting us to help Muslims rediscover who they are in Him—through the power of the Holy Spirit, and through signs and wonders (Romans 15:19).

This summer in Berlin, we’ll engage with Muslims, help them hear God’s voice, and lay a foundation for a life of following Jesus through biblical discipleship.