Judy Acheson was just awarded the MBE after 30 years in Congo… May 6 1980. I arrived in Bunia, knowing so

little about Congo. I have now been here

for three decades, including several years

of dictatorship and horrific tribal war. At

one point there were three different armies

fighting outside my house. Listening to the

guns and shouting, I realised that I had

an inexplicable peace. God sent 20 people

to hide in my house during the conflict and

even when the house was attacked, he kept

us safe.

Since the first democratic elections in 2006,

the country is beginning to pick itself up. With

70% of the population under 25 years old, the youth

can be a major resource for reconstruction. Giving them

hope is crucial.

Through working with young people, my faith has

stretched in order to keep up with their hunger to

deeply understand the Bible and have a real walk

with Jesus. Responding to their needs, we produced

manuals like Young people, with God let us rebuild

our beautiful country. We watched as young people

who had scarcely known peace worked through issues

and took hold of their future. Example: in Mwena Ditu,

young people from many churches have joined with

Muslim youngsters to work together for development. At

present they are voluntarily building a bridge so people

can transport their produce to markets and get out of

poverty. It’s a real testimony.

The highlight of my life and work in Congo has been

handing over the provincial youth department work to

Rev Bisoke Balikenga and Mr Jean-Bosco Tshishwaka.

God has empowered these local men to help young

people love God, each other and their country.

As I prepare to return to the UK, I can see how my life

has been challenged and changed. God has shown me

things in my life that weren’t pleasing to him and he

has shown me how to depend on him. Praise God for

the gift of his holy spirit.

Settling in another culture is not easy. It meant

examining what is gospel and what is culture. Often

I have made mistakes, but it is worth the struggle.

When we give of ourselves to others, they give of

themselves to us and together we enrich each other.

What a privilege.

Pall Singh, providing a sanctuary for seekers in Birmingham…

You might expect a Sikh family to be

disappointed when their son becomes a

Christian. For a time, I lost not only my family

but also my Asian identity. I was a youth

worker in a white, middle-class church and my

cultural background was largely ignored.

Gradually I began to discover that my heritage,

far from being somehow unchristian, was a rich

spiritual well. I was inspired by the teachings

of Sadhu Sundar Singh, who said that while the water

of life offered by Christ was for everyone, Indians were

put off because it was brought in a western bowl.

“What would a modern British Asian bowl look like?”

I wondered. I began to find my true calling, to help

British Asians discover the truth and peace of Jesus.

Since 2007, I’ve helped establish Sanctuary, a safe

space in Birmingham where British Asians can meet

Jesus in a place designed to be comfortable for Sikhs,

Muslims and Hindus. We meet outside the main Asian

area so people will feel safe coming to us.

Creating a safe, contemplative place for British Asians

is a challenge because often it is misinterpreted as

condoning “unchristian” behaviour, yet it is God’s

gracious character that is emphasised at Sanctuary.

Festivals like Diwali, the celebration of light, are

colourful occasions that allow us to invite British Asians

to celebrate Christ as the light of the world. Basically,

I see people from other faith backgrounds as holding

candles of God’s light. We want to open the curtains

and let them see the sun, without blowing out their

candle.

I also help western Christians who want to build bridges

with Asians. Many Christians are keen to support work

amongst Asians in far-off places, but struggle in their

local context. We all must lift our eyes beyond our

hedge. May God give us the wisdom to balance grace

and truth.

James Pender, six years in Bangladesh…

I came to Bangladesh in 2004 with a

desire to serve God through working for the

poor and restoring his creation. My work

includes strengthening the development

initiatives of the Church of Bangladesh

Social Development Programme (CBSDP).

Together, we have begun new programmes

that fight human trafficking, care for the

poor and help the environment.

I find it most fulfilling when my interests

in environment and fighting poverty

come together. For example, I helped

develop an arsenic mitigation project to ensure poor

people do not get poisoned by the water they drink.

I’ve recently had the privilege of helping the CBSDP

develop a project that equips church members to go

to their neighbours, teach them about the effects of

To be in mission is to give yourself away — your time, your skills, your comfort, your stuff. Sometimes this means going to other places for a few months, a few years or a lifetime. Below are some people in mission who have agreed to share their stories: how they got where they are, what they’re doing and how their lives have been changed as a result. Because that’s the thing about mission that some don’t tell you: often the life you change may be your own.

Judy

Ach

eson

Jam

es P

ende

r

Pall

Sing

h

So the environment is better cared for, those vulnerable

to climate-related disasters are more secure and church

members are sharing their lives and faith with others.

Some Christians make a distinction between

development and environmental work. While

in Bangladesh I’ve discovered that the God

who calls us to ‘tend the garden’ in Genesis,

advocate for the oppressed in the prophets,

heal the sick and feed the hungry in the

gospels and preach salvation to all people in

Acts does not call us to rank or choose, but to

obey. I have increasingly felt that my concern

for climate change is not my own, but a burden

God has put on my heart, and my work in

Bangladesh and campaigning in the UK is not

my work but his.

Kate and Tim Lee on leaving a piece of their heart in the Philippines…

We arrived in Manila in May 2003, thinking that

we had been sent to change the lives of some

of the thousands of deprived kids that roam

the streets and slums. However,

our own lives were changed

dramatically.

We began a weekly kids’ club, with just us, three

Filipino volunteers and two boxes of our own children’s

toys on a church floor. This grew into an organisation

called Jigsaw, which employs 25 local staff, has four

community centres, runs clubs for over 1,000 children

and provides school sponsorships, special education

needs and literacy classes six days a week.

Yet, God has shown us that no amount of projects

can substitute for the change that happens when we

love one another unconditionally. Love isn’t just a nice

thing; it’s the most powerful tool God has given us. As

we were accepted and loved by the Filipino staff, we

began to understand how life-changing love is.

God gave us a vision to provide places for children that

were God’s kingdom on earth — where they could grow

in love and healing, in contrast to their chaotic, abuse-

filled lives. In doing so, we learnt that God can only use

us effectively when we give up control. Jigsaw relies

totally on God for finance, staffing, vision and future, and

we have never been let down.

Jam

es P

ende

r

Zew

elan

ji Ch

amun

da

Tim

and

Kat

e Le

e

God also showed us that he wanted Jigsaw to be run

by people from the deprived areas where the ministry

works. These people are often considered incapable, so

it’s been a real privilege to see God use them mightily.

After six years, we felt God saying we actually needed

to leave the Philippines in order for Jigsaw to grow and

be locally directed. So we returned to the UK where we

continue, as mission partners, to enable, empower and

support Jigsaw staff. This phase of mission often gets

missed. Tim communicates daily with Jigsaw via skype

and makes three visits a year. It’s been a year since we

left and Jigsaw is growing strong.

We praise God for the staff of Jigsaw whose

unconditional love and faith have helped us on our

journey to know God so much more.

Ed Todino, five months in Tanzania…

Having a disability myself, arriving in Tanzania

for five months of mission amongst disabled

people was both humbling and shocking. In

Tanzania, disability is considered a curse

— those with disabilities are often hidden

away or abandoned to fend for themselves. Employment opportunities are practically

nonexistent, which is why Neema Crafts —

where I was going to work, was started. Since

2003 they have

trained, employed and given a life

to more than 100 deaf or disabled people. Beyond that,

they have worked to change people’s perceptions

of disability.

In Tanzania, I taught computer literacy, networked with

other charities and spent time with the Neema workers.

There was a guy called Haruna who works behind the

shop counter; he’s a really funny chap, always smiling.

He uses walking sticks due to polio, but is really strong

and confident. We spent a lot of time together, talking

about how Neema had helped him and about disability

policy in Tanzania. I really feel like getting to know him

changed me. He knows what it’s like to suffer but he

creates such a positive atmosphere wherever he goes.

I won’t pretend that the trip wasn’t challenging

physically for me. I had to get used to not having things

I consider necessary, such as bars in the bathrooms or

reliable public transport. But God gave me patience and

a sense of purpose. I’d wanted to go to Africa for years

and prayed for an opportunity and God eventually gave

me one through CMS. I think it’s important to know

your limits, but it’s also important to push them. If

you have a disability and think overseas mission can’t

be for you, I’d say as long as you have the heart and the

calling, then nothing should stand in your way. God loves

you for who you are and how he made you, and he can

work through you.

Zewe Chamunda, five months in Argentina…

My name is Zewelanji Chamunda (most people call me

Zewe). I’ve recently returned from short term mission (five

months) in an orphanage in Argentina called Hogar El Alba.

I wanted to do short-term mission because I felt called

to mission work abroad, and to make good use of my

gap year I decided to test it out. I wanted to go to South

America because I enjoyed studying Spanish at school. I

specifically chose the Hogar because I was thinking about

going into social work, plus I love working with kids.

For the first few weeks I found it difficult knowing

how I could help, because generally when you think

of mission work you think of building houses, medical

work, teaching etc, but that wasn’t the case at the Hogar.

Mission work meant getting stuck into helping with the

day-to-day aspects of running the home, and bringing

Jesus in through how I served, loved and shared what he

was doing in my heart. That was a major thing

God taught me — mission is to be everyday,

how we live, not just a special project done

abroad.

In Argentina, I was able to deepen my

relationship with Jesus and learn to depend on

him so much more. I also feel like I have greater

patience and understanding for kids that are

troubled and hurting, along with a greater desire

to bring Jesus to those in difficult situations.

These five months were invaluable. CMS is

passionate about missionaries sharing Jesus

with people as well as receiving from them.

Mission isn’t just one-sided. For me, my time

in Argentina was a stunning picture of that kind

of mission — the Argentine people and I, from

two different places and cultures, sharing the

same Jesus, blessing one another in our walks

and enjoying friendship with one another, as it

should be.

Ed T

odin

o

Join the We Are Saying Yes campaign for everyday missionGod calls us all to be in mission, wherever we are. We Are Saying Yes is all about

taking simple steps to make God’s mission our lifestyle. At wearesayingyes.org you can

get and share ideas for everyday mission actions. Log in, choose an action, share your

story. It all starts with saying yes: www.wearesayingyes.org

Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ Tel: +44 (0)1865 787400 Email: info@cms-uk.org

Here are some ways you can give yourself away today…

www.cms-uk.org

Lose your life that you may find it. We have opportunities in Asia, Africa,

Europe, the UK, the Middle East and Latin America. Go for a few months, a

few years or a lifetime. Remember, the life you change could be your own.

For more information email: vro@cms-uk.org or call Carmen Guanzon on

01865 787416

Link up with a CMS person in mission…Linking with a person in mission (like Judy, Pall, Kate, Tim, James, Ed or Zewe) is a two-way relationship.

You can support them through your time, prayers and gifts and in return they can help you and

your church gain a fresh understanding of another culture. Having a link mission partner isn’t about

just supporting mission; it’s about being involved in mission. Call or write to Julie Hinckley for more

information: 01865 787524 or julie.hinckley@cms-uk.org

Enquire about short or long-term mission service with CMS

And what better time for mission than Advent?For some people, Christmas is a time of presents, food and the warmth of family and friends. For others, it

can be a time of sadness or loneliness. Your church can make Advent a special time for mission this year

with Share the Light, the CMS Advent mission resource. Call Michael Burke: 01865 787515

or michael.burke@cms-uk.org or visit www.cms-uk.org/advent