Stories of Mission
Explore mission themes in our quarterly magazine as workers tell stories of making disciples in the way of Christ.
Stay informed of all the latest VMMissions news.
Barriers and Breakthroughs
This latest season of COVID-19 has been a time of very visible limitations. Many activities such as visiting local believers, getting to know our neighbors, and enjoying worship times with others all halted, just like most of the world. All these limitations have pushed us to wonder what God is up to. Was God still moving?
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My Coins Count Raises Over $11,000
VMMissions and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) cooperated this year to channel My Coins Count funds to help some of the most vulnerable people during the global COVID-19 crisis. Gifts through My Coins Count are supporting VMMissions’ continuing response to needs arising in the communities where our workers and partners live and serve.
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Karen Yoder Hired as Ministry Support Coach and Global Assistant
This summer, VMMissions hired Karen Yoder as the new Ministry Support Coach and Global Assistant. In these roles she resources Ministry Support Teams and lends administrative support to Jason Showalter and the Global Team.
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A Bridge Between Former Inmates and the Church
VMMissions worker and jail chaplain, Jason Wagner, is happy to announce the launching of a new initiative of care for persons released from incarceration. He has begun a partnership to build bridges between former inmates and the church. He acknowledges that it is complicated to walk with people in hard situations and churches are often ill equipped to do this.
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Love Tears Down Walls
A vital truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ: love tears down walls. And it was love that led John Perkins to tear down the wall of a formerly segregated health clinic in Mendenhall, Mississippi. As Perkins puts it, “God’s love and justice come together in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, and we can’t be about one and not the other. They’re inextricably connected.”
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VMMissions Hosts Prayer as Mission Seminar
VMMissions workers Michael and Ruthy Hershey led a seminar on October 17 and 18 focused on engaging prayer as the foremost tool given to us by which to engage in God’s mission and see God’s purposes unfold in our lives and in our world.
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Bike Shenandoah Riders Pedal in Memory of Steve Leaman
On a crisp, sunny September morning, the largest number of riders in Bike Shenandoah’s 22-year history rode in memory of Steve Leaman, a beloved former principal, educator, and VMMissions staff member. The 133 total riders chose among four rides between 5 and 62 miles to raise money for six non-profit organizations.
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Motorcycles Go the Distance for Missions
On September 11-12, a group of 24 motorcycle riders covered a total of 419 miles in support of the ministries of VMMissions. Despite ominous skies, the first group left Harrisonburg early Friday morning, and met up with another pack of riders at Powhatan Mennonite Church. VMMissions workers Tyler and Kendra Yoder met them to share about their church planting work in nearby Richmond.
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VMMissions Announces Stephen R. Leaman Memorial Endowment for Missions
VMMissions is honored to announce to the public the Stephen R. Leaman Memorial Endowment for Missions, which will benefit three areas of ministry. To finalize the endowment, VMMissions is seeking a total of $25,000, of which $20,435 has already been committed. Would you be willing to help us reach our goal?
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Worker Profile: Dan and Mary Hess
We serve in the city of Lezhë and the town of Milot, Albania. Our focus is building relationships to lead many to Jesus. We are involved in children’s ministry, discipling new believers and training emerging leaders. Having served in Albania from 2001 to 2005, we feel blessed to have the privilege of living in Albania once again.
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Call to Prayer: Cherishing What God Speaks
We are in the process of moving into a new home. I realized that in our 14 years of our marriage, we have moved 14 times, not to mention all the transitions each time we came back to the States for home ministry assignments! I wondered sorrowfully how that reality has impacted our children. Then God brought me comfort by reminding me that we have not only survived all of this transition, but have been able to thrive.
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Prepared in Cusco for Service in Virginia
My identity and understanding of the world and the gospel are forever changed by the opportunity I had to grow up as a TCK in Cusco, Peru. I remember an empowering conversation with my mother before leaving for Peru, where I was given a say in this decision to move. Making this choice at age seven deepened the degree to which I took on the role of “missionary.”
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