Missions

At Work in the World

Mission Global ELMER AND SHERRY KOMANT

It was 1973. Elmer Komant was just finishing up his four-year carpentry apprenticeship when he heard a missionary lady share at his church. Leaning against the back door of the sanctuary, he suddenly felt God speak to him, “Elmer, I want you to go into missions.” And he knew immediately that his calling was to Africa. For 48 hours, Elmer wrestled with God. He confesses, “I knew it was a losing battle. I finally said to God, ‘If You want me, You are going to have all of me...

Mission Canada WHO WILL YOU CHOOSE TO BE?

Canada has entered a Samaritan scenario. We personally didn’t ask to be here, but here we find ourselves. And we each have a path to choose. What role will you choose in our current cultural predicament? We’ll return to why this is our Canadian scenario in a moment. First, let’s allow the Word to lead us. A religious legal expert challenges Jesus with the question, “[W]hat must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). In response, Jesus employs His wonde...

ERDO JUST GO

“It didn’t matter that I was young. I saw the need and felt God’s calling. I knew that I could make a difference.” Jennifer Iacob was 17 years old the first time she travelled to Romania in 1998. On that short-term mission trip, she was exposed to the harsh reality of widespread child abandonment that plagued this post-communist country. That year alone, 10,000 children were left in Romanian hospitals. What was meant to be a month-long trip turned into a 25-year devotion...

Mission Canada PRESENCE VERSUS PROXIMITY

Several years ago, I began the process of re-orienting my entire way of life within the proximity of my neighbourhood out of a longing for a more integrated way of living and a deeper experience of connection and community. I began deceptively simple practices that I now think have the potential to be staggering in their scope in helping us and others live well. My imagination was sparked for another way of living and being. For most of my life, I lived on adrenaline and deadlines. Neighbours we...

ERDO TRAINING AND TRANSFORMATION

Every morning, Bonita feeds her children breakfast and walks them to school. Since the school is so far away, she stays until they are finished, then the family walks home together. Bonita’s husband, Hilton, is a fisherman. He was in a bus accident early last year and saw several people killed. He was left shocked and traumatized and now suffers from ongoing back and chest pain. Although he can no longer do strenuous labour, he works through the pain to feed his family. Bonita, Hilton and ...

Mission Global THE MISSIONARY CALLING

Does a missionary calling even exist? Aren’t all believers called to be followers and witnesses of the Good News? The Bible clearly states that all followers of Jesus are called, and this calling speaks to the longing of every human heart for purpose and identity. Who are we, and what are we here for? When Paul writes that “we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10), he is writing to the w...

ERDO SERVING IN A WAR ZONE

War in Ukraine On February 24, 2022, Pastor Sergey Eremin awoke at 1:30 a.m. with a deep heaviness in his spirit. He began to pray. Three hours later, still in fervent prayer and unable to sit still, he went for a walk outside. “I could hear things going on,” he says. “The sky was filled with military aircraft. Ukraine was being hit with rockets. Thousands of planes were firing missiles.” Other than interrupted sleep, Pastor Sergey had no warning Ukraine was about to be ...

Mission Global HONOURING VICTORIA

It was 2001 when an 18-year-old young lady from Owen Sound began working with AsiaSPAN (Now RAN Network). That started a 22-year journey that led a high school graduate to an appointment as the associate executive director of PAOC Mission Global. In December 2023, Victoria Ninaber brought her service with the PAOC to a close. I was asked if I would share a tribute in her honour. A little over 10 years ago, I returned from serving as a global worker in Africa and walked into the PAOC Internatio...

Mission Canada INTERCEDING FOR OUR CANADIAN NEIGHBOURS

Recently, I was travelling through Chicago O’Hare International Airport, waiting for a flight connection back to Canada. I found myself in a very long line of weary travellers trying to navigate the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security clearance. As the line got longer, the airline representative encouraged passengers to try the new facial recognition program to avoid the throng of passengers waiting to be screened. Tempted by the offer, I read the fine print on the sign....

ERDO FOOD AND FAITH

In certain areas of Uganda, food is not available. Families in Kotido, the northern part of Uganda, have resorted to eating small plants or shrubs and picking leaves off trees for food as nothing grew during a long-lasting drought. However, because they were eating food not meant for human consumption, they developed stomach aches, headaches and other health problems. The thought of life without food is hard to process. Everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to nutrition. E...

Mission Global A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP

As I zig-zagged down the “road” along the rocky edges of the steep mountains in northwest Pakistan, making my way back to Islamabad, I couldn’t help but think, “Don would have loved this!” I had just wrapped up three days of leadership training with 60 select pastors from across Pakistan. We had met at a remote retreat centre not far from the Afghanistan border. We spent some incredible time together, diving into the leadership material that Don and a small team&mda...

Mission Canada FAITH AND THE NEXT GENERATION

Have you ever prayed a prayer over and over, with deep sincerity, asking God for something specific? I have. This past year, I’ve been asking God to show Himself to the next generation—that they would see, hear, know and experience the deep love of God and the miracle-working power of Jesus; that their faith would grow and be steadfast and unwavering; that they would stand strong and not be shaken. What I didn’t realize was that God would use us—my husband and I—to ...

Mission Canada CALLED TO THE URBAN CORE

As a Mission Canada urban worker, I have the privilege of representing Jesus in the core of the city and making Him known to people who live or work in the urban hub. I love what I do! As I reflect, the 2023 spring season was filled with wonderful opportunities. They included building trusted relationships with families without connection to Christ or the local church, completing my degree in Ministry Leadership from Horizon College & Seminary, and participating in the Our City Conference ...

Mission Global FOR GOD SO LOVED TURKANA

While just a young teenager, Deborah Sirjoosingh distinctly heard God’s call to serve Him. She was kneeling in the prayer room during a Sunday evening at Bethel Pentecostal Church in Ottawa, Ont., when God spoke Isaiah 61:1 over her. A deeply special moment for her, she would recall that evening many times over, reminding her of God’s plan and purpose for her life. For the past 40 years, Deborah has devoted her life to bringing the holistic gospel to the remote Turkana people in nort...

ERDO BLINDSIDED BY WAR

Alina and her daughter, Kateryna, were watching TV when a special report was broadcast. Their country had been invaded. Soon, Alina’s son, Kateryna’s brother, went to serve in the armed forces. Kateryna’s husband, her sister’s husband, her sister’s son and her niece’s husband—all the men in the family—enlisted in the army before the week was out. Alina and Kateryna were left at home with no income. In a matter of days, parts of the country were b...

ERDO OUR THEORY OF CHANGE

When you give toward a country or a project near and dear to your heart, do you ever wonder what is going on in the background? Today, we at ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) want to shine some light on everything you don’t usually see taking place at the ERDO HQ. Helping a family break free from generations of poverty does not happen overnight. When we partner with incredible global workers and the often-unseen churches around the world, it takes serious thought. It takes...

Mission Canada LIFELAUNCH

Over the last few decades, a problem has crystallized in the lives of young people across Canada, particularly in those who have grown up in the evangelical church. Time and time again we have seen the trend proven; a staggering number of students leave their Christian faith in the transition period from high school to post-secondary education. All too often, questions are being asked as to why this is happening. One of the most poignant answers is that students are ill-prepared for the challeng...

ERDO SPONSORSHIP MATTERS

Thirty years ago, ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) and The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) launched the child sponsorship program, ChildCARE Plus (CCP). In the years since, thousands of children from all over the world have been educated, housed, clothed and fed through CCP. It is amazing to see how God has used ChildCARE Plus for over 30 years to reach families who otherwise would never hear the name of Jesus. ChildCARE Plus Has Been Changing Lives for Over 30 Years ...

Mission Global WORLDWIDE TESTIMONIES

The Bible begins with Spirit of God hovering over. Where there was darkness and void, He commanded light. This truth continues to be evident in our world today. There is light shining, testifying of God’s goodness. May you be encouraged and reminded of God’s nearness as you read the latest testimonies from the field. Each worker has been called by God and has seen the unique and beautiful manifestations of the Creator drawing His creation to Himself. —Victoria Ninaber, Associat...

Mission Canada HISTORY MADE

On July 24, 2022, Pope Francis arrived in Canada for what was described in his own words as a “penitential pilgrimage.” It was a six-day sojourn—longer than any single-country visit Pope Francis had made save for his first visit to Brazil for World Youth Day in July 2013. It is interesting to note that what Pope Francis said while in Canada was not notably different than what he said in Rome in April 2022 after spending several days in lengthy dialogue with Canada’s Indig...