Asher started second grade in the fall. For most second graders, starting school is a familiar process. They may return to the school where they went to first grade and might know the other kids in their classes. They may be a bit nervous about their teacher or disappointed to end vacation but overall not feel too overwhelmed. Asher’s first day of second grade felt a bit different from that.

In a culture that prizes independence and freedom from restraint, obedience sounds confining, even oppressive. It implies doing something I don’t want to do just because of a command from a person in authority. Children know that the most unsatisfying answer to the question “But why do I have to?” is “Because I said so.” As parents, we wish for that answer to be enough; we wish that our children would trust in our wisdom and love for them and know that obedience is for their good.

SALUNGA, Pa. — “Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God?” is a perennial question that has led to much division in Christian theological circles. Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) global consultant Dr. David W. Shenk was invited to share his ministry reflections on this question in an October 2019 publication called Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God?: Four views.

CATEL, Guinea-Bissau — “Yahweh, Yahweh,” sung with jubilant exultation ricocheted off the stucco walls of the modest Bissau-Guinean Mennonite meetinghouse. Dressed in colorful, traditional West African attire, participants at the annual conference of Mennonite Church West Africa (MCWA) celebrated the growing interest of Christocentric theology throughout the region.

Obedience is rarely what I think. When I say yes to God, I assume the story will take a particular turn or that He is concerned about a specific outcome, only to find new and different treasures He has in store for me. Maybe this is why obedience may cause confusion, disorientation, and pain. But it also brings beauty.

In 2017, Betsy Stewart said “yes” to Jesus and went to Kenya for 6 months. Betsy’s term with EMM was spent at the Amani Gardens Inn in Nairobi, where she served as a hostess to guests who were traveling through the country. Betsy’s “yes” to Jesus was a “yes” to learning more about Kenya and its people — a place Betsy had visited several times before. But this kind of call wasn’t difficult for Betsy to obey.

Focus is a weekly 3 minute radio program which airs on WDAC (94.5 fm) on Saturdays at 8:55 p.m. This program aired on Saturday, January 25, 2020.

Names are significant in the Dinka culture in South Sudan. Nicky Hess, who served as an EMM worker from 2016 to 2019 learned that early on when she was trying to learn the names of students and people from the community.

Focus is a weekly 3 minute radio program which airs on WDAC (94.5 fm) on Saturdays at 8:55 p.m. This program aired on Saturday, January 18, 2020.

SALUNGA, Pa. — Paul Timothy (P. T.) Yoder Sr. passed away at the age of 91 on December 16, 2019. Yoder and his wife, Daisy, served as missionaries with Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) from 1956 to 1977.

On December 14, 2019, the Lord welcomed home his faithful servant, Richard A. Showalter. Richard served as the sixth president of EMM from 1994 to 2011. He left a lasting legacy on both the organization he served and the Global Anabaptist church.

Focus is a weekly 3 minute radio program which airs on WDAC (94.5 fm) on Saturdays at 8:55 p.m. This program aired on Saturday, January 11, 2020.

SALUNGA, Pa. — On December 14, 2019, the Lord welcomed home his faithful servant, Richard A. Showalter. Having served as the sixth president of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) from 1994 to 2011, Showalter left a lasting legacy on both the organization he served and the Global Anabaptist church.