Global Impact Report 2019-20 | Page 13

God put on our hearts to start an MFM-like ministry in 30 new countries over 5 years, starting in January 2019. This ministry goal is called Global 5-30. We have sent teams to Cuba over the last few years, but now, God has given us a director there. He recently formed a team of men and started MFM in Cuba. A team from the U.S. had planned to go in March 2020, but then the pandemic hit, and we had to cancel the trip. The MFM Cuba team said, “Since you cannot come, our team will go out to the community and church where you were going to minister.” They loaded up their van with clothes, Bibles, and work supplies, and God used them in a great way to be the hands and feet of Jesus. They passed out Bibles, distributed clothing, did work projects, evangelized, and preached in the local church. When they left, the pastor shared what an impact they had made in the community and the church. Many in the community had not ever been to the church before. 2019 U.S. Ministry Teams • 23 evangelism teams to 11 countries with 168 people • 10 medical teams to 7 countries with 102 people • 4 prayer teams to 3 countries with 25 people • 38 work teams to 16 countries with 231 people Overall: 75 teams to 22 countries with 526 people In February 2020, Pastor Wilberforce Bwire, a Hope61 national trainer in Uganda, facilitated a Hope61 human trafficking prevention training at Dowhe United Methodist Church in eastern Uganda. In this training, attendees learned about human trafficking and the church’s role in preventing it. They discussed issues in the community that cause people to be vulnerable to becoming involved in trafficking, and they also considered their own gifts, talents, and abilities that may help reduce that vulnerability. One of the major causes of vulnerability in many areas is lack of education, which prevents people from learning to read and write, making it difficult to get good jobs to support their families. The particip- ants shared that this is a major issue for their community and that many people have been offered and accepted jobs in the Middle East. This activity is one of the most prominent tricks that traffickers use to victimize people. They offer them a good job somewhere else only to enslave them and force them to work for no pay in jobs and activities that were never part of the original agreement. These victims have little to no contact with their families and no way to ever get out of this trap. After hearing this, the church knew they had an opportunity and a responsibility to do something. Pastor Wilber followed up with them at length after the training, and they decided that they could use the gifts and talents God gave them to start a new school in their community. The kids will be educated and prepared for good jobs, learn about the tricks and traps of the traffickers, and, most importantly, hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and become part of the church community. As a result, this entire community, both adults and children, is much less vulnerable to becoming involved in human trafficking. In addition, the students are preparing for the rest of their lives with good schooling and awareness to keep them safe, and they are now listed in the Lord’s Book of Life, forever saved by the work of Jesus Christ. This is the power of the Gospel in the hands of disciple-makers like Wilber Bwire. 2019 statistics • 4,101 people trained in 8 countries. • 28 new Hope61 trainers were trained in 3 countries. As of March 2020 statistics (before the COVID-19 pandemic struck and Hope61 trainings were mostly shut down) • 1,411 people were trained in 5 countries. Men for Missions, a lay-focused ministry of OMS, mobilizes ordinary men from all walks of life to do extraordinary things by doing, going, and giving whatever God asks. God uses MFM to provide short-term mission opportunities for men and their families to use their talents and testimonies to impact a lost world for Jesus Christ. A ministry of One Mission Society, Hope61 seeks to prevent human trafficking around the world by equipping the local church. By learning about human trafficking; understanding the causes of vulnerability to becoming involved in human trafficking; and considering how the church’s existing gifts, talents, and resources can be used to reduce those vulnerabilities, churches can be equipped to have a significant impact in preventing this atrocity from happening in their communities. 13