All Posts
February 28, 2013
by Janet Blosser
VMM Italy Field Director
On December 27, VMMissions held a celebration for Willard and Eva Eberly for their forty years of ministry in the Mediterranean region. After a worship song led by Shawn Green, Janet Blosser presented a slideshow reflecting on their 40 years of ministry. Their initial assignment included planting churches in Sicily; later they became Mediterranean Regional Director and Assistant, expanding the work to include Albania and the Balkans. The Eberlys not only touched the lives of many Italians and Albanians, but opened their hearts and home to many missionaries who came …
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February 27, 2013
by Gloria Lehman
VMM Caribbean Regional Assistant
Sunday, December 16, the hill of Top Hill in the rural parish of St. Elizabeth was filled with mothers, fathers, aunts, grandmothers, and the students and teachers of Maranatha School for the Deaf. The annual Christmas program brought people from near and far, and both hearing and deaf persons attended. VMM worker Eve Knepp worked with the other teachers and the students to prepare a program of interest to this variety of people. She led the youngest students in “The Little Drummer Boy,” (they did the ‘pum, pums’ on oatmeal …
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February 26, 2013
by Loren Horst
President
During our Christmas holidays my five year old granddaughter came to me and said, “Do you know what, Grandpa? I gave my heart to Jesus.” Bless that little heart! She told her mother, “When Jesus knocks, you must let him in!” I was much older when I accepted Jesus. I was all of eleven! I doubt if my granddaughter knows much more than I did at that time, but still, it’s a start. I could tell her that much will happen in the decades to come to fill in the …
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January 9, 2013
by Matthew Bucher
Team co-leader to Egypt with Partners
In this season of remembering Jesus’ birth and childhood, the Egyptian (Coptic) Church celebrates the special place that Egypt holds in the Christian story. They remember the Holy Family’s pilgrimage in Egypt as they fled from the wrath of Herod (Matthew 2:13-15). Since that time, the Coptic Orthodox Church has been growing and worshiping faithfully in the lands around the Nile river. To this day, many pilgrims travel in the steps of the Holy Family through this changing and beautiful land. Though we are geographically distant, Mennonites share deep roots …
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January 7, 2013
by Sam & Beverly Scaggs
Mt. Pleasant Mennonite Church
Our journey to Trinidad & Tobago actually began in Orlando, Florida! Sam was privileged to attend a church planter’s and pastor’s conference, “Exponential,” in April 2012, thanks to the generosity of VMC, VMM and our Eastern District. One of the highlights of this trip was meeting the pastor of Charlieville Mennonite Church, Ganesh Kalloo. We became friends quickly and continued our friendship after the conference with email exchanges and phone calls. We were blessed to receive an invitation to come and serve Charlieville as well as the rest of Mennonite …
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December 9, 2012
by Chris Riddle
VMM worker in Italy
“You were like a Mother and a Father to me.” “Your friendship was important and precious.” “Your commitment over the years has been a great example for us.” “You have been faithful to us, the church and God.” “You showed us love.” On September 22, members of Centro Koinonia, friends from the community and colleagues from other churches said these comments about Willard and Eva Eberly. It was a celebration of over 40 years of service Willard and Eva gave to the church in Italy. The evening was filled with …
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December 7, 2012
by Loren Horst
President
When I think of consequences my mind first goes a rather negative direction. We call it the fear of consequences and are reminded that we reap what we sow, or are warned, “be sure your sins will find you out.” This may be due to a particular kind of upbringing that believed that stern warning equals good deterrence, that and a healthy dose of discipline. For some of us, it helped. For others, not so much. There are, however, good consequences. I recently heard Bill and Lynne Hybels’ daughter Shauna …
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December 5, 2012
by Esther Augsburger
Former art teacher, Eastern Mennonite School
Flying into the beautiful mountains of Albania on October 11, we knew we were there for a new kind of mission. Esther was asked by the board of Lezha Academic Center (http://www NULL.albanianchristianschool NULL.org/Lezha%20Academic%20Center/Welcome NULL.html) (LAC) to stimulate an interest in an art program in the school. Myron was asked by VMM to meet with church leaders and speak in churches. We were welcomed by LAC principal, Klementina and Dini Shahini, Allen Umble, VMM mission worker, and three students in their blue and white uniforms greeting us with lovely flowers. …
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December 4, 2012
by VMM staff
November 22, 2012
by Linford Stutzman
EMU Bible professor, author of Sailing Acts
While Genesis 1 to Acts 12 is a story written by and about people who lived in hills, mountains, deserts, and land empires, almost all of the New Testament from Acts to Revelation was written to, by, and about people who lived in Mediterranean seaports. Paul spent most of his life in seaports. The early church west of Palestine thrived primarily in port cities of the Mediterranean. Dr. Mark Wilson, a biblical geographer working in Turkey, became aware that biblical studies focused on the unique physical and cultural environment of …
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