'God never stood us up'

Last fall, a young Ukrainian couple was sent by their church on a short-term trip to Central Asia to share the gospel. They were part of SEND’s Missions Mobilization Ministry (3M) that helps Ukrainian churches send their own people as missionaries to unreached people groups.

The couple had a wonderful ministry in Tajikistan, and when their short-term trip was almost over, the Central Asian church asked Chad Wiebe, the SEND missionary who heads up 3M, if the couple could stay longer.

“You’ve sent them here for six months. God is really using them. Can they please stay for another three months?”

The mission leaders hadn’t planned for that financially. So Chad contacted the churches in Ukraine and began getting the word out about this need.

A few weeks later, Chad was at one of the couple’s sending churches — a small, country church of around 85 people. A deacon walked up to Chad, grinning ear to ear and holding a thick envelope.

He handed the envelope to Chad and said, “This is everything. This is everything from our church strong box. This is everything from our church budget. This is everything from our latest offering.

"A year and a half ago, we sensed as a church that God was calling us to support his work for getting the message of the gospel to the nations," he continued. "We’re not a very rich church. But ever since we’ve been giving in this way, God has never once stood us up.”

Through this gift, the couple was able to extend their stay in Central Asia. And they are planning to return for longer.

Because Ukrainian churches cannot yet afford to fully support missionaries, SEND 3M assists by providing up to 50 percent of the needed support. This couple was one of the recipients of that help.

They say, “We would like to say thank you from all our heart to the churches that contributed to the mission agency. It was so important for us to go and we want to really, really thank you for your help.”

What an incredible testimony about what God is doing to raise his people up to engage the unreached in big, bold faith step ways!

If you would like to stand by churches and missionaries like these, please consider giving to the Missions Mobilization project. Watch Chad tell this story and learn more about 3M here.