In the 1970s, a Marxist military group called the Derg gained control of Ethiopia by force. There followed several years of civil unrest, in which gunfire seemed to resound beyond every horizon, friends and neighbors were divided by fear and betrayal, and the church was forced deep underground.

CUSCO, Peru — Bringing light to the darkness. For Chilean couple Eliana Medina and Ricardo Ibaceta, that is what their childhood sexual abuse prevention nonprofit, Niños Caminando en Victoria (Children Walking in Victory), is all about. As the value of their ministry has become apparent to the Chilean government, Niños Caminando en Victoria has won grants enabling its message to spread further.

Germany — Eastern Mennonite Missions’ Christian/Muslim Relations Team (CMRT) traveled to Germany for 13 days (Nov. 8–20, 2016). The team supported churches in reaching out to new Muslim neighbors brought by the refugee crisis. Some names and locations have been omitted due to security risks.

HALLE, Germany — Now it seems hard to believe, but Kaylene Derksen remembers a time when Eastern Mennonite Missions’ (EMM’s) church plant in Halle, Germany was close to dying out.

LANCASTER, Pa. — Many individuals, small groups, and congregations desire to engage in mission, but do not know how to discern a way forward. Others are already engaged in mission, but do not know where to find the resources needed to increase their effectiveness. Initiated by a conversation about planting new churches, a network called Missional Pathways was developed to help churches think through new ways of engaging in mission.

LITITZ, Pa. — Luke S. Martin, a former missionary to Vietnam, is releasing his new book “A Vietnam Presence: Mennonites in Vietnam During the American War.”

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Vietnamese pastor Nguyen Quang Trung led a 40-year struggle to see the Vietnam Mennonite Church (VMC) legally recognized, finally succeeding in 2007. Now, after 51 years of service to the VMC and eight years as its first official president, Trung is stepping down. Entrusting its future to the next generation, the VMC elected Pastor Huynh Dinh Nghia as its new president on Dec. 2, 2016.

"Healthy teams don't just happen — they are built!"

A GO! participant in Peru teaches not only art, but self-worth. “I can’t draw that!” my second-grader exclaimed as she slammed down her pencil on the desk.

A photo journalism intern rediscovers the power of images. Photography is where I find the words to say.

An EMM staff member sees God's spark in artists of every kind. I notice this gift of beautification at the home of our friends; their house, inside and out, is like a retreat.

An art teacher bridges cultures through creativity. I notice this gift of beautification at the home of our friends; their house, inside and out, is like a retreat.

“The purposes of art and religion are the same. Transformation." ­— Kenyon Adams, former Arts Ministries Coordinator at the Center for Faith and Work, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

Last year, Karen Baker and her family moved back to the U.S. after serving for three years as EMM missionaries in a rural area of Guinea-Bissau. Here are some of her reflections since coming home.

Coming home late, I can smell if he has already prayed. The beeswax candles leave a sweet warmth in the air for hours. It is always long after the children have been put to bed, with prayers and kisses and toddlers finding their second wind's second wind. It is in that decisive moment between reading one more chapter or laying the book down and heading to bed. We often wait too long, and we go sleepily to our prayer corner, yawning.

A prophetic word becomes worship music in South Asia. For several years, when people prayed for me, I heard this phrase often repeated, “You will write new songs ...” But it wasn't until we were living overseas, worshiping in a place that was longing for true praise of God to arrive, that I really began to see that promise come true.

SALUNGA, Pa. — On a Sunday morning this past July, four children from the U.S. entered a church in Bumangi, Tanzania, over 7,600 miles away from their hometowns. They were welcomed as family, embraced, and given gifts of intricately woven East African cloth. Then they heard stories of their great-grandparents from those who still remembered.

One of the unexpected joys of cross-cultural missions is celebrating new holidays that you’ve never heard of before. As soon as I learned about Kartini Day, I couldn’t wait to celebrate it.

It was a happy day for four couples in our church. Wan and Jalt had been living together before they came to Jesus. But now it is official — they are husband and wife!

This April, something pretty incredible happened: I was invited to join one of my students and her family at a name day party.