Extreme Makeover theme sparks renewal at Italian retreat

January 5, 2012

The annual retreat/vacation for Italian Mennonites took place this summer on the “heel” of Italy among the pine groves that shade the Ionic seacoast. Participants convened from extreme ends of Italy, from Turin in the north to Sicily in the south, with most coming from central Italy—representing various church affiliations. Following prayer time each morning, […]

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Service sows passion to see German youth grow in God

January 3, 2012

In reflecting over this past year on my mission-intern assignment in Kaiserslautern, Germany, I have been astounded in God revealing more of the passions and skills He has placed in me. I have the opportunity and blessing to live with nine Germans currently between the ages of 16-19 years old. The youth live here for […]

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The difference between hope and despair: refugees in Ecuador

January 1, 2012

As I was enjoying the company of a few Ecuadorian friends in late June, my cell phone unexpectedly rang. The anxious Colombian voice on the other end explained the details of a dilemma that has become a common story since I began working with the Colombian refugee population in Ecuador in December of last year: […]

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Marie Shantal’s story: a very bad day in Haiti

December 30, 2011

Eight-year-old Marie Shantal went to school just like the other children in her middle class Haitian neighborhood on that fateful day in January 2010. But, as she walked home from school with her friends, the ground began to shake. Buildings fell around her. Thousands of people ran, screaming, into the streets! She got separated from […]

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Remember, remember not

December 6, 2011

One of the paradoxes of the Bible is God’s call to remember but not dwell on the past. “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there,” declares Deuteronomy 24:18 (NRSV). That memory forms the basis of Israel’s identity. When remembrance turns to nostalgia, however, God has […]

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Will you join us as we join God?

December 6, 2011

Christmas reminds us that God is on a mission. Our future and the future of the church rest entirely on our embrace of that mission. We start by discerning God’s activity in the world. Then we enthusiastically align our priorities with God’s. At VMMissions, God’s work takes many different forms. • Church planting efforts in […]

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Virginia youth build relationships with Jamaican community

November 22, 2011

On July 5, fourteen senior high youth and four adult leaders from Mountain View Mennonite church, in VMC’s Southern District, left the mountains of Virginia for the mountains of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. We were going to do a work project in the Top Hill community, where Rodney & Lindsey Nice were serving as missionaries with […]

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Humility and growth: Partners in Mission turns 25

October 7, 2011

When I began working at VMM one year ago, the organization was in the midst of routine transition. A new strategic plan was in development, and several program directors were moving on from their posts. Like a plant entering a new season, the ongoing process of growth was being felt more acutely, in exciting and […]

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Lezha Academic Center opens first school year

October 3, 2011

The sounds of school ring loud and clear this September at Albanian Christian School’s Lezha Academic Center (LAC) in Lezhe, Albania. The city is located along the Adriatic Sea in the northwest corner of the country at the foothills of the Albanian Alps. Virginia Mennonite Missions has had a presence in this city of approximately […]

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Children in Bari, Italy, enjoy meaningful activities at “Happy Week”

September 19, 2011

What occupies the long summer days for children who live in high-rise apartment buildings in densely-populated Italian cities? Many parents ask this same question! In the South, parks are usually few, crowded, and poorly equipped. Apartments have limited space for active play. Recognizing this opportunity to meet a felt need, the Mennonite churches in Italy […]

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Educator lays foundation for new partnerships in Israel, Palestinian Territories

September 7, 2011

Partners teams have traveled to the Palestinian Territories and Israel over the last 5 years to volunteer at Nazareth Village and teach English to local children. These groups have traveled the land, stayed with host families and learned quite a lot about Arab & Israeli history, life and culture in the Galilee. Through these successful […]

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Virginia youth build playground, relationships with Jamaican community

September 1, 2011

What neither we as leaders and planners nor the youth anticipated was the rich fellowship with the deaf community of Top Hill… Over the coming years, I anticipate that these experiences will be the most valuable “things” that they brought back from Jamaica.

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Partners pedals to Pittsburgh

August 18, 2011

It was a hot day in the City of Bridges as the group wound their way along bike paths and city streets.  They were following a couple they met on the Three Rivers Trail a couple miles earlier who had offered to lead them in to the Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh and were telling […]

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Indonesian Mennonites promote interfaith dialogue

July 20, 2011

From mid-January to the end of March 2010, my wife Cathy and I were in Indonesia on a short-term Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) assignment during our sabbaticals, mine from Park View Mennonite Church, Cathy’s from Eastern Mennonite University. We stayed on the island of Java, in the city of Salatiga, centrally located on the island […]

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International team takes leadership at Cornerstone Church, Lezhe, Albania

May 24, 2011

After faithfully serving the Albanian church in many capacities during the last five years, Leon and Naomi Zimmerman (Rosedale Mennonite Missions workers) have terminated their missionary service. Leadership of the Lezhe church has now been passed on to a newly chosen “church council” composed of three Albanian believers who will collaborate closely with the three […]

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Introducing new Virginia Mennonite Missions staff

May 22, 2011

Aaron Kauffman, Global Ministries Director Aaron Kauffman will begin serving in a quarter-time position as Global Ministries Director for VMMissions on June 1. This new position convenes and leads a team of four regional directors with responsibility for VMMissions’ global relationships and ministries. Aaron served in Ethiopia with Eastern Mennonite Missions and more recently with […]

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It all looks different

May 20, 2011

Learning to drive in Thailand is a metaphor for our first year here. Driving on the left side of the road makes for a whole new view of the journey. Shifting gears and looking in the mirrors are all reversed. Passing and turning are challenges requiring careful thought. Which way do you instinctively look first […]

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Playing, laughing, talking, building relationships

May 18, 2011

There are many teenagers in Palermo (population about 80,000) and just 2% of them know what it means to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus. Andrea and Sheila Crocivera are involved with Youth for Christ and tranSend in a project to reach them. In November we opened a youth center called MY SPACE […]

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“Full circle” after forty years

April 26, 2011

With youthful excitement, we eagerly researched the Italian city where we would serve after language school in Florence. Finally, we were going to fulfill the call to missions we’d both received years before! Vasto—a coastal city amid vineyards and olive groves on the foothills of the Abruzzo mountains in central Italy—was to be our destination. […]

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LCC International University hosts ecumenical conference

April 24, 2011

About a month ago, LCC hosted our 2nd annual Congregational Development Conference on the theme, “Proclaiming the Gospel in Contemporary Lithuania.” Once again, there was a good response and participants from almost all church groups in Lithuania. Steve had a brief opening address on “Discussing theology in a liberal arts setting.” He attempted to share […]

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Inside and outside the hospital in Honduras

April 22, 2011

God works in mysterious ways, so mysterious that it is often easy to miss the ways He’s working, especially when times get challenging. Thank God His plan does not depend on whether we understand it or not. That is how I would sum up my first year in Siguatepeque, Honduras—recognizing a call without fully understanding […]

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Anticipating God’s amazing ways

April 20, 2011

Wow! What a year it has been. A year ago I was busily finishing my last semester of college while preparing for this mission year by accomplishing seemingly endless forms, personality/spiritual tests, interviews and trainings in Pennsylvania. I knew I was being called into missions, but wasn’t exactly sure where, how or when. May EMU […]

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Actions speak louder than language barriers

April 18, 2011

“Good morning.” “Buenos dias.” “Alli punsha.” In the small Ecuadorian jungle community of Arajuno, these three languages, English, Spanish and Kichwa, flowed together harmoniously as a group of 10 men from Nebraska, three Colombians and I worked alongside the local indigenous people to help them construct a new church building. During a week of hard […]

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Investing (missionally) for long-term dividends

April 14, 2011

Our first term here in Bari was spent learning; culture, language, people and places. When we came back for our second term, we had no idea what God had in store for us, but we felt it would be good. We can now confirm that it has been a wonderful experience! Upon our return in […]

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Closeness and joy through shared ties

April 12, 2011

In November 2010 the country mice became city mice, and moved from their lush, green dairy farm in Dayton, Virginia, to a block house in the center of the concrete-covered world of La Mesa, Colombia. Since that time we have been learning to live in a completely different way, interpreting the new sounds of honking […]

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Planting Seeds in Jacó

April 10, 2011

We call the program Vida 220 referring to Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Nine participants from four different countries live in community at the mission base in the mountains near Heredia, Costa Rica. Every week we attend classes, hear lectures on a […]

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Miracles of transformation among the deaf in Belize

April 8, 2011

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10 Miracles of transformation: This year two more young deaf people were baptized. Both are in their 20s. One has been coming to our church ever since the first time we gathered for worship in […]

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Company, connections and comfort food

April 6, 2011

I vigorously mashed potatoes by hand in the stainless steel kettle to feed nine persons around the table. Being emotionally exhausted this week, I had felt that I needed to push myself to do each of my responsibilities: Tuesday morning Bible study at the church in the village of Kemishtaj, Wednesday afternoon English lesson at […]

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Living out our faith like Monjira

March 30, 2011

Recently, I have missed my family. The cultural divide between me and my neighbors has seemed huge. In thinking about how the cultural practice of seclusion hurts women, I have felt in despair. Every Thursday I go to Monjira’s neighborhood and meet with three women to study the Bible. They are wives of men who […]

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God’s unexpected movement in Jamaica

March 28, 2011

In the past year God has been moving in our community here in Top Hill, Jamaica. One way we’ve seen this is in the growth of our Wednesday night Bible study from being nonexistent to consistently having more than 15 persons attend. In the course of working at ministering to persons in the community by […]

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Prayers felt in Albania

March 26, 2011

God gives us the opportunity to be His servants. He enables us to serve Him as He inspires and motivates us to do His will. My work with the Roma people has its up and down seasons. All of this brings me closer to God. Right now I am giving praise to God for the […]

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Jamaica Mennonite Church conference delivers deep impact

March 24, 2011

“The Word of God: Eternal, Powerful & Profitable” was the theme of the 53rd annual conference of the Jamaica Mennonite Church, March 4-6, held in Kingston. Delegates gathered on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday to discuss reports from congregations and directors of various areas of church work. During the delegate session, Morris Baker was […]

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New witness launched in central Italy

March 14, 2011

Termoli, an ancient and modern city several hours north of Bari, Italy, of approximately 50,000 people, is situated among the coastal hills overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Guarded by a picturesque castle, it nestles among flourishing olive groves and vineyards. Although without an established believers’ church witness, God is at work to carry out His purposes […]

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The global family of faith

March 10, 2011

As I stepped off the platform at Winter Delegate Session a couple weeks ago, I whispered to Conference Minister Owen Burkholder, “This is good!” We had just received two more congregations into Virginia Mennonite Conference, Eastside Church and Iglesia Discipular Anabautista. This is becoming a regular and healthy occurrence in our conference. In the history […]

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A tribute to Paul Kropf, long-time missionary

February 28, 2011

On behalf of VMM, I wish to recognize the significant service rendered by Paul and June Kropf, long-term pioneer missionaries to Albania with Eastern Mennonite Missions. Paul died unexpectedly on Christmas morning. With great sadness and sense of loss, we remember Paul and his contribution to the Albanian church. Upon their arrival in Lezhe, Albania, […]

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Seven joyful baptisms in Trinidad

February 24, 2011

On January 30, Margaret and I had the privilege of participating in the baptism of seven people. The baptism was scheduled for Saturday, but it was raining most of the day and at noon we learned there was a warning out that people should not go in the ocean because of dangerously rough water, so […]

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Transformed, transforming.

February 10, 2011

God is on a mission to change the world. Everyone knows the world needs it. Humanity has a propensity of messing things up and we all have done our share. Sin, we call it, and it ripples out into all of our relationships, human institutions, and even affects creation. God’s mission to change the world […]

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Mennonite Church in Trinidad now “totally local”

February 4, 2011

Borrowing from a popular local slogan, Pastor Ganesh Kalloo described the signficance of the day at Sangre Grande Mennonite Church in Trinidad as “Totally Local.” On Sunday morning, January 9, the Mennonite Church of Trinidad and Tobago (MCTT) commissioned and installed the first Trinidadian as their conference overseer. Rawl Gunpath had pastored for many years […]

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Amor Viviente pastor challenges Italian Mennonites

February 4, 2011

“Although God cares about poverty, suffering and pain, these human problems are not His first priority. He sent Jesus to bring forgiveness, to seek that which was lost, to give new life-abundant and eternal. Jesus commissions us to continue His ministry and make disciples. The message must be so clear that people either believe and […]

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Signs of Life Fellowship celebrates one year

January 27, 2011

On January 9, Signs of Life Fellowship (SLF) celebrated it’s one year “birthday” of meeting for worship at the Shenandoah Valley Club of the Deaf. SLF is a joint outreach ministry of Virginia Mennonite Missions, Springdale Mennonite Church and Community Fellowship Church in Staunton. Four families from the two churches who had been functioning as […]

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From religion to relationship

January 24, 2011

When Francesco, a young man who attends Centro Koinonia, Bari, Italy, began a new job, he immediately connected with Luigi, a colleague, who questioned him, “Who are you? I can see in your face that you are different!” Two years earlier Luigi had left the religious sect he was part of, having discovered who Jesus […]

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Praying with the Early Church

January 20, 2011

On December 12, the Early Church (in downtown Harrisonburg) gathered to ordain Ron Copeland to the ministry. It was my first visit to their worship service and remarkable in many ways. The youthful diversity of the gathering—students from EMU and JMU—meet with the group on a regular basis. Persons with various racial/ethnic characteristics came together […]

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Thoughtful choices change lives with fair trade products

January 20, 2011

When you hear the term “fair trade,” what comes to mind? Whenever I give tours of our organization, I find that there are many folks who are not acquainted with the term or the impact that fair trade has on artisans and farmers around the globe. In a nutshell, fair trade organizations offer a market […]

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Mennonite Women gather to consider purpose, discipleship

January 20, 2011

When the new officers of Mennonite Women of Virginia met for the first time, we began by considering our constitution. We found elements that may need revision. However, we were encouraged to find that the purpose of Mennonite Women of Virginia has not changed. Briefly stated, it is to support each other as we “find, […]

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Three baptized in Kemishtaj, Albania

January 3, 2011

The Adriatic Sea wind whipped our faces but the bright sun beamed upon the group of believers from the Lajmetaret e Jesus Krishtit (Heralds of Jesus Christ) church of Kemishtaj, Albania, gathered for the baptism of Lazi, Ilir, and Eva. A deserted beach-side food stand sheltered us from the wind as Allen Umble, VMM worker […]

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Blood revenge claims life of Albanian pastor

December 23, 2010

On October 8, Pastor Dritan (Tani) Prroj died in a busy plaza in the center of Shkoder. Similar to Jesus, he was executed in his early 30s for the sins of others. His crimes? Belonging to the wrong clan, refusing to stay imprisoned in his own home, continuing his public ministry although knowing he was […]

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Shining the light in Hickory

December 23, 2010

Nearly 60 years ago, evangelists from Franconia Mennonite Conference brought the light to Hickory, North Carolina. On Sunday, November 7, the Mennonite churches that grew out of that evangelistic trip celebrated their history and Virginia Conference’s 175th Anniversary. The day consisted of a homecoming celebration for Mt. View Mennonite Church—current members, past members, and family […]

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Our core values

December 23, 2010

Core values are those values we hold dear. They represent the orienting center of our lives, the priorities by which we live. They are usually expressed by how we live our lives and what occupies our attention in terms of time and money. Sometimes core values are also expressed by our words. When our core […]

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The Gospel in cultural context

December 9, 2010

With eyes riveted in wonder at the dancers and their gentle gyrations, Wiang’s heart leapt in longing.  Who are these people who can dance with such freedom and joy?  Did she care who they were?  Not really.  She simply sensed intuitively that she belonged among them. Wiang was attending a gathering of followers of Jesus.  […]

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