Michael Babienco, in his article “Ikigai,” (p. 29), asks, “What gets you up in the morning?”
For AFM missionaries and supporters (that’s you), it is often the opportunity to take up Christ’s great commission and tell others about Him—teaching what He has taught us in His word and, hopefully, one day baptizing them in His name.
Michael follows his question with, “What if it was the chance to share joy with others?”
Our supporters and missionaries do just that. You bring joy to missionaries by praying for them, joining them in their successes and sorrows, and funding their missions, vehicles (Baldwin, p. 6), and various projects. In turn, you and they bring joy to the unreached around the world as their burdens are shared, lifted, and, in time, placed upon Jesus.
In this issue, you will find stories of those joyfully beginning their walk with Christ as a result of prayer (Barakah, p. 8 and Tumberg, p. 38) and stories of fires destroying homes, only to be rebuilt because of your generous project funding and the sharing of household items by fellow church members (Hicks, p. 9). Other stories recount the joy of a shared Sabbath worship service (George, p. 24) or the chance reuniting of friends via technology after many years (Mays, p. 14).
Be blessed as you read of new Christians serving those around them, joyfully slipping inspirational messages into gifts for their customers (Joy, p. 27), and imagine the subtle joy felt by a student at her lowest when she is heard by a teacher who showed how much she cared (Wright, p. 28). Share in the joy of being inspired by the actions of others (Hayward, p. 30), and praise God for the joy of His miraculous love and care (Lieben, p. 34).
May God bless each of you with joy today and always.
