Unity in Diversity: Gospel Strategy in Indonesia “Unity in Diversity,” the national motto of Indonesia, binds together its 17,508 islands as one nation. This value shapes daily life, with different beliefs and backgrounds coexisting in harmony. In many ways, this creates an open door for Christians to share their faith in Jesus in a predominantly Muslim nation. People are willing to talk. They ask questions: but that same value also creates a challenge. Faith is deeply tied to identity, family, and community. Because diversity is respected, personal change can feel like a disruption of that unity. What is welcomed in conversation can feel much harder to see in practice. This creates a catch-22: Conversations about faith may be welcomed, but putting trust in Jesus feels like a betrayal to the fabric of Muslim community in Indonesia. That tension even exists within the church. As a minority group, many Christians choose not to stand out, seeking to respect and honor the culture they have been surrounded by since birth. Real Relationships So, what strategy can the church and missionaries employ to reach a nation that values such harmony? The answer is two-fold. One method that our very small SEND team is using is slow, intentional, and genuine relationship-building. SEND missionary I.C. has been welcomed with open arms into her neighborhood: she’s been invited to multiple weddings, a funeral, a monthly neighborhood women’s group, and even into family homes. For I.C.’s language learning class, she is asked to meet strangers and ask questions every day as part of her homework. Meeting people in the humble posture of speaking their heart language creates comfort and interest for Indonesian locals that I.C. can build upon. The other benefit of building long-term relationships with locals is that over time, they don’t just hear what you believe, they see what you walk out. A Christian’s character and integrity become a powerful testimony for the gospel. I.C., for example, has been described as trustworthy, which opens the door for others to share more openly. Her willingness to be honest about struggles, and how she walks through them, becomes a quiet, yet powerful, witness. In a culture that values harmony, this kind of life doesn’t disrupt; it draws people in. The Need for Both Locals and Foreigners Another method that our team is using is one that requires missionaries to take on a training role rather than an evangelistic role: encouraging the existing church in Indonesia to reach out to their Muslim neighbors and friends. As local believers grow in confidence and are equipped to share their faith, they become the most effective bridge into their own communities. What may feel risky for an outsider becomes natural within trusted relationships among locals. There are just some things that a born-and-raised Indonesian instinctively understands that a foreigner may find harder to understand. But this doesn’t mean foreign Christians are not needed. Instead, missionaries can help the church by providing more resources and training. In this way, both the missionary and the local believer are empowered and activated in unity. Looking Forward I.C. is the first SEND missionary to put down roots in our new team in Indonesia. But I.C. is not alone in strategizing how to reach the unreached of this beautiful island nation. SEND leaders in Asia are coming alongside her as she takes the first physical steps. Through relationship-building and international missionaries serving the local body of believers, we at SEND are hopeful and expectant to see God move among the unreached of Indonesia. Join us in praying for openness to the gospel: that Indonesians would see that Christ does not just offer a moral pathway, but a lifesaving one. ------- Partner with us today in helping resource the unreached: 

"Come as You Are" in Central Asia "I thought when I came to church, I would see grandmas holding candles. Instead, I saw anime girls.” This was a favorite quote said by a first-time visitor to a new Church plant in Central Asia. SEND long-term missionaries in this region are rejoicing at the plethora of new visitors coming to the church. Their story is just a small glimpse of the grand work God is doing in this region. Small Beginnings In October 2025, we joined together with a small team of believers here in Central Asia to start a new church plant. What started as a simple discussion group for young adults soon grew into a weekly Bible study. Over the past few weeks, we have begun inviting these young people to the Sunday service. New Interest in the Church We have been amazed and encouraged by the people God is bringing through the doors. Many are young men and women in their twenties who are searching for meaning, genuine relationships, and truth. They come just as they are, sometimes wearing questionable attire (including t-shirts with profanity) or stepping out to take a smoke break. Many have never been inside a church before, yet they quickly see that this is a place where they are loved and can learn about the One who created them. One Sunday, thirty new people came who are not yet believers, in addition to our core group of Christians. Several of the guys from our weekly Bible study decided to come and brought their entire families with them! Another family stayed long after the service ended because their 13-year-old daughter was having such a good time that she begged them not to leave. God's Mighty Hand at Work There is no explanation for this except that God is at work. We are reminded again that we are fully dependent on Him, and that prayer is essential. May the Lord continue drawing all of us closer to Himself! Interested in supporting more work like this in unreached places?

Discipleship at a Critical Age "If you could pray for me to know the Bible more and grow in my relationship with God." That was the prayer request that I wrote down that Mila shared with me in Sunday School last fall. After class I asked her if she has anyone meeting with her for discipleship. I knew she was the only one of the adolescents who has professed their faith in Jesus and been baptized, so I has assumed that she had someone. She told me that the girl who previously met with her before was not able to this year, and she had noted how it was affecting her. Long story short, I said I would be very happy to. Now, every other week Mila and I are getting together and we are currently reading though the book Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller. I have really enjoyed discussing it with Mila, getting to know her more, and even being challenged myself in ways to grow in my relationship with God. I know that these are essential years. Mila is 15 years old which reminds me the decision I made at 14 years old -- I was going to live in Spain one day. -- Brooke's decision came to fruition: she now lives and serves in Spain! This story is just one of the many connections Brooke is able to make as a missionary. Through one one one conversations and genuine friendship , God is using Brooke as one way to answer Mila's prayer. Sometimes this is all it takes, a person mature in faith spending quality time with a person hungry for more. In what small way can you influence those around you for the gospel? -- Interested to support work like this in the nations?

When I was a Buddhist, I would frequently scoff at missionary work.

Fasting for Favor

Fasting, Feasting, and Faith Conversations

The Journey to Church Planting The Preparation We are a family called by God to church planting in Spain, where we have been serving faithfully for the past 12 years. The first four years of our journey were dedicated to cultural learning and understanding the Spanish context. During that time, we supported a fledgling church in Toledo for two years, followed by two years serving a century-old church in Jaén, in southern Spain. This season gave us firsthand experience in both Spanish culture and the evangelical landscape of the country. Into the Unreached In 2019, we entered a second phase of our calling when God led us to the Basque Country in northern Spain, specifically to the Uribe Kosta region. This area is made up of approximately seven towns and has a population of around 150,000 people—yet at that time, there was no evangelical presence or church in the region. As a family, we settled in one of these towns, Berango. God opened the door for us to work alongside a church that shared the vision of starting a new ministry in Uribe Kosta. During our first year, this church walked with us, supporting our adaptation process and helping us gain a deeper understanding of the region and its people. That same year, God allowed us to begin discipleship with the very first family who accepted Jesus, along with a woman who also came to faith. Since then, the Lord has continued to add people to His kingdom, and we have had the joy of discipling them as they grow in their faith and in their relationship with God. In 2022, God provided the opportunity to rent a space where we could begin regular Bible studies. The journey was not easy. There were days when only our own family gathered to read the Word and pray. Yet God gave us the grace to persevere, and little by little, more people began to join us. The Fruit of Perseverance To God’s glory, today we are 35 members strong, forming the first evangelical church in the Uribe Kosta region. We feel profoundly privileged that God is using us to make His name known in these lands, with a firm commitment in our hearts to be a light and to bear faithful witness to Christ. Finally, we want to emphasize something very important: we are not alone. We are deeply grateful for the support of two missionary units who have fully embraced the vision of planting this church with us! Behind our family stands a faithful network of people who support us through prayer and financial partnership. Together, we are reaching the Basque people for Christ. -- This is just one glimpse into the many stories unfolding through the SEND network of missionaries. Together, we are committed to seeing new churches planted and communities reached around the world.

When pursuing missions as a 22-year-old, a big concern I had was my ongoing struggle with depression. Even though dark thoughts plagued me on and off since early high school, I never talked about them with anyone. I remember one summer day before my sophomore year of high school, looking out my bedroom window and feeling despair settle over me.

A Call to Prayer

When God First Widened My World: Remembering Urbana 1996 I still remember the winter air. It was December 1996, and I was a junior at Oakland University in Rochester Michigan, serving as a small group leader with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship—the ministry that had profoundly shaped my faith since my freshman year. I was growing spiritually, serving faithfully in my local church, and stepping into leadership on campus. Attending Urbana felt like the natural next step. Urbana only happened every three years, and I knew that once I graduated, I might miss the chance altogether. My church believed in that moment enough to cover the cost. They entrusted me—and my campus minister—with a van full of college students, driving from Detroit to Champaign-Urbana during the quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s. I had heard the stories: thousands of students, passionate worship, a clear call to live fully for Jesus. What I encountered exceeded every expectation. A Campus Taken Over by the Kingdom Buses poured in from every direction, unloading students onto a snow- covered campus. Dorm rooms filled. Cafeterias buzzed. The entire university seemed overtaken—not by noise or spectacle, but by a quiet, collective hunger for God. For the first time in my life, I met students from places far beyond Michigan— Harvard, Loyola, Wheaton. My world was expanding in real time. I don’t remember every speaker or session. What I do remember is the unmistakable clarity of the invitation. God was bigger than I had ever imagined. Not just personal. Not just local. He was King of the nations. And there were people—millions of them—who had never heard His name. The question was simple, but it felt weighty: Would I commit my life, in whatever way God asked, to the Great Commission? Explore God’s leading toward the nations with a SEND missions coach.

Adjusting to Changing Relationships

Opening Your Homes This Thanksgiving 

Creating Safe Spaces for Conversations 

Just over a month ago, our SEND global family gathered at Harvest Bible Church and online to celebrate our 80th anniversary.

Creating Safe Spaces for Conversations 

"This probably looks impossible, but you serve a God who is greater." These are the words of Abigail Niles, a young woman who followed the Lord to Romania.

I remember crying out to God: “Lord, I don’t understand this, but raise up more of your workers and send them out to bring hope and light to the lost."

At SEND International, we’ve seen time and again how God brings the right people to the right places.

Your Muslim friends and colleagues will react very differently concerning the day of Ashura, depending on which branch of Islam they belong. Shias will be mourning; Sunnis will be celebrating.

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29.

Someone recently told me that to become a missionary, you simply have to be stubborn. Otherwise, you'd never make it to the field. Now, I like to think of myself as incredibly humble – perhaps even the most humble person you’ll ever meet.

A hunger for discipleship. Physical hardship. Spiritual darkness.

Hajj 2025 (or Hajj 1446 AH in Islamic year) is when over a million Muslims will descend on Mecca for pilgrimage from June 4 through June 9.

Over the past few weeks, I had the privilege of joining several SEND leaders on a deeply moving survey trip through Myanmar and Nepal. This journey wasn’t just about exploring ministry opportunities—it was about listening, learning, and witnessing firsthand how God is at work in some of the most complex and challenging corners of our world.

We asked three of our SEND International missionaries to describe the spiritual climate in the communities where they serve. Here's what they said...

These days, Christians and non-Christians alike are hearing constant news about immigrants and refugees. In the midst of this, we must remember that there are many different groups of refugees and immigrants in the US. Each group faces its own concerns and fears.