onlineversion mag 149

together
APRIL 2016 Issue 149
BUSINESS AS MISSION

SIM and MECO International
join hands in the Middle East
Official publication
of SIM New Zealand
(Serving In Mission), an
inter-denominational
evangelical Protestant
mission.
Editor: Zoë Cromwell
For security reasons
some contributors may
use pseudonyms. Stock
photos are sometimes
used to help represent
stories. Except for stock
photographs, all images
copyright ©2016 SIM
and its licensors. All
rights reserved. SIM
New Zealand (#CC28002)
is a registered charitable
entity in terms of the
Charities Act 2005.
For more information,
visit the Charities
Register at www.
charities.govt.nz
SIM New Zealand, PO
Box 38-588, Howick,
Auckland, 2145
Phone: 09 538 0004;
Freephone:
0508 47 46 69;
Email:
nz.info@sim.org
Office: 12B Picton Street,
Howick,
Auckland, 2014
In a region with one of the biggest
gospel opportunities of our generation
this new initiative will seek to put more
workers into Middle East countries.
SIM and MECO believe that together
they are far better able to take the
good news of Jesus to where he is least
known than either could have
done individually.
(See page 17 for the news release)
Also in this issue:
• Stories about the use of business as mission;
for example, enabling workers to be in places
that are otherwise closed. They offer exciting
new opportunities for mission partners, often
in places that SIM hasn’t been before.
• There’s a tribute to Joy Crombie’s life of
service on page 11
• We introduce the Hat people in Central Asia:
10.6 million with no church.
2

Around the world, people
understand business and accept
it as a basic human activity...
what is business
as mission?
James and his wife thought starting an ice
cream business in Central Asia was a good way to
get a long term visa, but were soon struck by other
benefits: relationships with staff, clients and suppliers were
according to biblical principles; in a tense local inter-racial environment,
they saw harmony between employees from different backgrounds; and
importantly, the work supported their core ministry — the gospel.
In India, the EC Group employs physically disabled people and Freeset
employs women getting out of prostitution while introducing them to Jesus.
Villagers in Fiji are being helped by missional business to market coffee that
was found growing wild in the bush. Carlos and his wife went to West Africa as
traditional mission partners, but seeing the poverty around them they realised
that starting a business would help provide jobs.
Other mission partners in other places have started fashion businesses,
consultancies, hotels, a burger restaurant, textile factories and a photography
business. A Business As Mission (BAM) initiative in Colombia formed a coffee
co-op of previously rival farmers, and paid them fair trade prices. On page 4
there’s an African safari business started by a SIM couple. Another story on
page 7 describes the growing venture resulting from another couple going as
pioneers to North Africa, starting a small art workshop in a bazaar.
BAM can range from simple ‘tent-making’ to a big wireless
tech company supporting a 400-member church that has now
expanded from the Middle East to Asia. It can range from small
companies launched with micro loans and donor gifts to large
capital-based companies. There’s no one model of how it
should be, and it will vary depending on the particular mission
partners and the host country.
Some say business as mission is the next wave of
evangelism. Historically, the Moravians used it. William Carey
mixed business with ministry. In the early church era the
gospel was often carried by those seeking to do business.
The bottom line for BAM: is the venture’s principal reason for existing the
greater glory of God; to create an intentional platform for sharing the
gospel and planting churches?
3

Sometimes we struggle to imagine what kind of business mission
partners could do, and how this might work in terms of the
gospel. Here’s a creative example:
Safari
business
in
Tanzania
My wife and I run a safari business in a remote area of Tanzania.
The local community granted us some land next to a village, along a
river. One of the country’s game reserves lies next to the property.
It’s a typical day: our progress up river is considerably slowed by a
line of hippos stretching from bank to bank. In the evening they are
“book-ended” by a medium-sized elephant guarding our Land Cruiser,
and a seemingly countless number of ants. The ants, affected by the
temperature outside or a shift of the moon, flood into our house and run
us out in the early morning hours. But by the time the sun has fully risen,
they are gone.
Although our village is isolated, the local government census tallies
4,000 people. Between our family and the nearest mission partners, who
live three hours away, are villages that are home to thousands of people
who do not know Jesus. They are Muslim, but primal religion has mixed
with it to form a folk Islam. Sadly, many are held in fear: afraid of life,
4

afraid of death. Yet we serve the One who is greater than their fears. It
has always been our ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not
known, so that we do not build on another’s foundation. About 99 percent
of the people in this remote area do not know Christ. But God loves them
so much that he sent his Son to save them. Through our ministry and
presence, he has opened a door to proclaim this good news, a door that
only he can shut. Although we live in a place darkened by witchcraft, false
prophets and fear, we want to allow the Spirit of God inside us to direct us
to the most immediate needs.
We need Christian teachers!
Our agreement with the community is that we will provide jobs.
Because of this, our neighbours have a reason to interact with us every
day. From the top chairperson of the village to youths looking for work,
many come to us.
Another promise we made was to one day open an English school
on our land. When it opens, it will be in demand by every age group.
Now we are praying for Christian teachers who will come serve with us
… loving the students and developing the curriculum as they seek to
establish God’s Kingdom. We want to transform the world by investing our
lives in other lives. When the light of Christ burns brightly in our home,
our light will catch others on fire.
by a member of the SIM Tanzania team
Go
If you think God
may be calling you
to join this team,
please contact
nz.info@sim.org to
discuss the possibilities.
Or go to
www.sim.org.nz
and click on GO to
find this or other
teaching
opportunties.
5

Now we need
pioneers in
North
Africa!
It’s time for the Church to respond! How many Pauls and
Timothys do we need in North Africa? How does SIM
join with others, and where do we start in a region so
vast? Consider these numbers:
• 564 groups (199 million people) are ‘unreached’ — that is, the church
comprises less than 2% of the population. That’s 89% of the people
groups.
• 351 groups (25 million people) are ‘unengaged’ — that is, they have no
resident long-term church-planting witness living among them, leaving
77% of people that the church so far has no presence among.
SIM has explored parts of North Africa (NA), listening to the needs of national
churches and international agencies, while praying for the Lord’s guidance as we
step forward. This has led us to three regions.
The first is in the Sahel/Sahara of Niger, where
SIM Niger is now recruiting interns for desert work
through a two-year on site training programme
called TIMO. The second is in a NA country where
links are being made with the indigenous church for
theological and missiological training, so that they
can extend their ministries and send out workers into
the rest of the region.
6

The third is in another country,
where God gave a SIM couple a vision
for ministry several years ago. That story
deserves to be told:
An arts business in the
marketplace
In 2007 “Don and Louise” knew that after
twelve years it was time to relocate their
ministry from East Africa to North Africa.
One scorching hot afternoon, as Don and
I stayed motionless beneath an overhead
fan, he shared his dream of ministry and
life in North Africa.
Don rarely had the opportunity to
use his artistic gifts but now he could
see himself operating an art gallery as a
missional business inside the old walled
city. He pictured a workshop space where
people could come, learn how to paint,
make friends and be introduced to Jesus.
He imagined his family living above the
business. I was mesmerized.
Don, Louise and their children
realised that dream three years later.
He opened an arts business with a
partner and began to reach out into the
neighbourhood. God used Don’s amazing
relational gifts to meet artisans in the
bazaar. He prayerfully sought out people
of peace with whom he might develop
business relationships, helping them
export their products to various markets
abroad. That led him into the desert,
where he met the extended family of one
7
Pauls & Timothys
SIM cut its teeth with “Pauls”,
journeying up-river beyond the
influence of settled missions to
those who had never heard. Over
ensuing decades “Timothys”
faithfully served burgeoning
churches until they became
established church-planting
entities. Today we are reaping
the fruits of the third category of
workers, those who have served in
partnership with these churches,
which are now sending people
into cross-cultural settings.
Now God is renewing SIM’s
emphasis on those who are living
and dying without hearing the
gospel. This creates a passion for
new initiatives. As a result, we
have an escalating need for Pauls,
who will pioneer, and Timothys,
who will work to establish new
churches.
continues over the page u

of his business friends. Don always had a heart for nomadic peoples, and now his
business had the potential to touch the desert from the heart of the city.
In April 2013 we met up again. This time I was serving in my new capacity
as Ministry Point Person for North Africa. I could see that although the work
was not easy, they were buoyed by their faith and trust in God, who was clearly
directing them. Don took me around the country, sharing his vision of what SIM
could do there, and introducing me to potential ministry partners. Everything
looked so good.
Weeks later Don was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the family was
immediately jerked back to their home country. They were devastated, as were
all whom they had touched in North Africa. Five months later God welcomed
Don into paradise. The funeral was huge: it was easy to see that God had used
him tremendously. His witness of Jesus Christ had impacted and transformed
many lives. It is not easy or even possible to understand why God saw fit to take
him, when ministry in this NA country seemed so dependent on Don and Louise.
Three weeks before his death I needed to Skype with Don one more time.
I was shocked at his gaunt appearance. It seemed he had aged 40 years in four
months. Louise assisted him as he took the time he
needed to get comfortable. After greetings, I said,
“Don, you have shared a big vision for this country.
Do you want me to continue with your vision?”
He hesitated to gain strength, and then
smiled, saying, “It would be foolish of you
not to.”
I wept as we prayed and said our goodbyes.
Since then this particular country has been
the focus of most of my work. We now have
functioning partnerships with a few agencies
and missional businesses. Last year three
families arrived for long-term service, and
there are another 50 ministry opportunities
yet to be filled with our partners!
We need creative Pauls and Timothys.
We need trained professionals who can work
as lead consultants for palliative care, for disabled
youth and for people at risk. We need teachers for missionaries’ children’s
...50 ministry
opportunities
yet to be filled by
our partners
schools, a visual artist and a videographer. We need people to come and train in
country so they can do missional business.
Our message is similar to Caleb’s: “We should go up and take possession of
the land, for we can certainly do it.” (Numbers 13:30) God has called us. It is
time to go. Let us pray and mobilise for this great opportunity.
Author’s name withheld. Names on pages 7-10 have been changed.
8

‘Lucas’ is
continuing the
business venture
begun by Don in
North Africa...
He says: “In this
country and others
like it, many more
godly business
people are needed.
People who will
stick it out. People
who are willing to
invest deeply. People
who are willing
to put in the time
to do business well,
not as a necessity
to get a visa, but
as an avenue to
meet and interact
with a community
of people in the
struggles and joys,
though authentic
and openly shared
lives.
“As Paul said,
‘I have become all
things to all men
that by some means
I may win some.’ ”
9
not for the
faint of heart
“We have been here for two years now
without Don and Louise,” Lucas says. “This work is
hard — even harder without partners, but Don always
challenged me to think bigger, go deeper, don’t take
the easy way.”
Lucas runs studio workshops several times a
month teaching skills in photography and digital
imagery but also has a commercial photography business.
This way, many people come through the door
and he meets a large cross-section of society, from
creative types to managers and owners of companies,
government officials and accountants.
“It’s not for the faint of heart,” Lucas adds. “Things
are not straight forward. They work on a different
rhythm, sometimes different principles. We are able
to reflect godly morals and business ethics.”
When he’s asked, “Why are you still here, with all
that is happening in this region?” he replies, “In the
very beginning, we were excited about the possibilities,
and felt like God was inviting us to locate our
business in this place. After all that has happened I
don’t feel God is calling me to leave yet ... He still has
something for me to do here.
“It is his work. The work of business, of helping
people in this place to better their lives, of bringing
peace to a troubled community, a troubled country,
of seeing lives and hearts changed. It is ALL his work.”
continues over the page u

Don’s vision was a workshop space where people
could come, learn how to paint, make friends and be
introduced to Jesus. Now SIM’s vision is a team that
joins what God is doing in this North African country
to his glory, through business and in other ways.
Pray
For the Lord to
send workers whose
pioneering hearts
have been touched
by the needs of this
region
Go
Perhaps God is
challenging you
to consider a new
ministry opportunity
such as this?
If so, please
don’t delay. Contact
nz.info@sim.org to
discuss the exciting
possibilities. Or go
to www.sim.org.nz
and click on GO to
find North Africa
business and other
vacancies.
10

Mother Joy: the nurse
who was a ‘doctor’
Joy Crombie’s life, 40-plus years of it in
Africa and twice forced to leave countries
where she worked by political upheavals,
shows she was strong ... strong
in faith and character, and physically.
Once she did 111 tooth extractions in
two days, and that takes stamina.
Joy died in January aged 90. From a childhood where her parents didn’t
approve of church, she began following Christ as a teenager and promised
God at age 17 that she would be a missionary if he called her. She left her
office job and trained as a nurse, then did two years Bible training.
Going with SIM to Ethiopia, Joy worked as a nurse but said, “Basically
I did the work of a doctor.” Once in one of the country areas where Joy
spent most of her time a young man involved in a shooting accident was
brought to her. It had happened a week before and gangrene had taken
hold. To save his life she amputated his leg. Another time some parents
repeatedly begged Joy to operate on their daughter’s cleft lip; finally she
gave in, and felt the Lord guiding her as she had never seen this surgery
done before.
Later, because Communists had taken over Ethiopia, it wasn’t open to
Joy any more; she pioneered community nursing in Liberia, in a bush town
rife with secret societies, witchcraft and cults. The wild hyenas of Ethiopia
had given way to tropical snakes and malarial mosquitoes. She trained
locals to be health workers and taught hygiene — not just talking about it,
but building toilets and digging wells. Joy also began teaching agriculture
and gardening, using books borrowed from the American Peace Corps. She
introduced new crops and ran a big vaccination programme. Best of all, the
health projects opened doors and hearts to the good news of Jesus Christ.
Learning on the job was a bit of a theme for this practical woman.
And each time Joy moved, there was a completely new language to learn.
Even after hostilities forced her out of Liberia, “Mother Joy” managed to
get back to Ethiopia at age 70 for a final two years. She retired for good in
Kaitaia, ‘her kind of place’ — warm enough, with down-to-earth neighbours
and enough need of God’s good news to keep her busy.
11

Bangladesh
Some projects that exist to reach
out to girls and women who were
exploited or became prostitutes in
order to survive, have ended up starting
businesses to give their clients a
safe place for using new-found skills
in textiles and other crafts — to earn
wages in dignified work on the long
road back to wholeness.
Basha is one of those businesses.
The Children’s Uplift Programme (CUP), a
ministry of SIM, takes in at-risk women and
girls who are begging or selling sex in Dhaka’s
public squares and bus stations. As well as
counselling and immediate shelter, it also runs a
1-2 year training programme to give them literacy,
!
Basha ‒
a house
of
hope
vocational and life skills. At the end of this, it seeks to find them a job.
Partner organisation Basha Enterprises Ltd, in the same building, offers
work to most of them. They
receive on-going counselling,
education and child-minding
support from CUP, making it
an easier transition. The two
work closely together.
Their products:
Bangladeshi women like
ornate saris to wear on special
occasions. Basha sources
factory rejects of these, repurposing
them into quilts,
blankets, cushions and bags,
featuring lines of perfect,
Kantha
straight hand-sewn stitches
in a traditional Bengali tech-
12

nique known as “kantha”.
They’re embellished with
borders, hand painted designs
and special weaves.
In order to offer places to
more and more women,
and to expand their skills,
Basha added a jewellery
business in 2012, and a
base in another city,
Mymensingh, employing
women from a similar
programme to CUP. The proceeds
from sales go to expanding
the number of women who are helped
in this way. But Basha also seeks donations.
—For example, $100 supports a
young girl in a safe hostel for 1 month;
$40 provides tutoring/day-care for a
woman’s child for a month.
See more of the story at
www.bashaboutique.com
A 14-year-old mother sheltered by CUP,
who after education and training is able, if
she chooses, to work at Basha, with child
care for her baby and ongoing support
Good news for
Rubina
As children, Rubina and her
brother were left largely
on their own. Away working,
their widowed mother
couldn’t keep her children
from the bad influences of
society. Rubina began mixing
with street children and
with them got into drugs,
stealing and sex. Aged 13-17
she worked in the sex trade,
finally marrying a customer.
But when she became pregnant
two years later her
husband left her. Desperate,
Rubina discovered the CUP
programme through her
friend, one of CUP’S former
clients.
Rubina successfully completed
her training last year
and now has a job sewing
kantha bed quilts at Basha
Enterprises.
13

W is from a Hat Muslim home. As his parents
have become older, they’ve become very
devout Muslims. But for W, life has been
busy with running his restaurant business.
Recently his wife became ill with chronic
health issues, leaving him with more responsibilities
at home as well as at the business.
W’s restaurant was across the street from
us and he would often see me cycling for exercise.
One day as we ate in his restaurant W
asked if he could exercise with me. As a result
we started to cycle together once a week,
followed by refreshments back at his restaurant.
As our friendship deepened he shared about his wife’s health issues. Along
with being able to give some medical advice I promised to pray for her. There had
been little interest in spiritual conversations up until this time, despite his parents’
willingness to talk more deeply in the restaurant about their own uncertainty as
they faced eternity. W had never heard about Jesus but he appreciated my prayers
and advice for his wife. Eventually, just before we had to leave that place, W asked
to learn about Jesus while we were out cycling. He was not a follower of Jesus
when we left that town. But he had heard the gospel and been introduced to a
website where he could read the Bible online and seek spiritual help. In W’s town
of several hundred thousand there is only one church (of people from a different
ethnic group). There have been a couple of Hat believers from this area, but it
Learn
Pray
Love
10 million with
no church
The Hat people are a
Mandarin speaking group
whose Chinese-Islamic
heritage and culture distinguishes
them from the
majority population in
their Asian country.
Numbering about 10.6
million, they are
descendants of Muslim
merchants to the East
from Persia and Arabia,
as well as Muslim mercenary
armies. Pray for
workers willing to go
among them with
humility, vulnerability
and respect.
seems they had to move once they became believers.
Pray that W and his family would come to know Jesus. Pray
also for the millions of Hat who have yet to hear of Jesus,
that God would send more workers into this harvest field.
14

Introducing:
Stef
has recently returned to her work in the Middle East.
A partner with MECO for 17 years, she’s now with SIM
NZ. Stef’s work in a big city is varied, including support
of migrant workers both in prison and in repressive
domestic situations, care of Syrian refugees and
suppport of local churches. She has developed a large
distribution network for the Jesus DVD. Stef is sponsored
by Palmerston North Central Baptist Church.
Philippa Edwards
will be doing a medical elective at Mukinge hospital
in Zambia, located 2 hours by plane from the capital
city, Lusaka. “I am really looking forward to going to a
hospital that I know will be very different from what
I have experienced so far, and to seeing what God
is doing through the staff there and how I can learn
from them. I’m also hoping to be challenged
by thoughts regarding how I could possibly work
as a doctor somewhere similar in the future.“
Philippa leaves in August. She lives in Christchurch
and attends Riccarton Community Church.
15
Caleb Goh
is a final year med student heading to India (Raxaul,
Bihar) in May as part of a medical elective; he hopes
to learn more about missions and discover what
God’s calling for him is. “I want to be open to his
guidance.... How I ended up in the field of medicine is
only by God’s nudging and grace in my life.” He grew
up in Malaysia, is studying in Dunedin, and attends
the Dunedin Chinese Methodist Church.
Steven Mead
is going to Malawi focusing on Sports Friends
and youth ministry, before returning home at the end
of the year to start an engineering degree. He would
welcome financial and prayer support, as he follows
God’s leading... “God showed me he wanted me to go
to Africa (I wasn’t planning on it).“ Steven is from Inglewood,
and attends Northpoint Baptist Church.

16

SIM and MECO International join hands
in the Middle East
SIM and MECO International are joining hands in a determined effort to
drive the gospel forward as we work with churches and other organisations
in the Middle East. The region offers one of the biggest gospel opportunities
of our generation and this new initiative will seek to put more workers
into Middle East countries.
Both SIM and MECO leadership teams believe that together they are
far better able to take the good news of Jesus to where he is least known
than either could have done individually. Mike Parker, MECO International
Director, said, “This is a historic moment for both organisations. “It represents
a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to proclaim Christ and
make disciples where he is least known, to live out the love of Christ and
to partner with churches and other organisations to strengthen Christian
witness across the Middle East.”
Joshua Bogunjoko, SIM International Director, said: “In the midst of all
the turmoil of the Middle East, the Lord is doing remarkable things. “We
pray the Lord will use our joining to further his Kingdom and draw many
into the light of Christ.”
The move will allow SIM to make a formal
entry into the Middle East, while MECO’s longheld
desire to see more workers mobilised for
service in the region will be realised. The intention
is that the new ministry structure, based in
the Middle East, will become fully part of SIM,
allowing MECO’s international board to dissolve.
Immediate responsibility for these developments
in the Middle East has been taken on by Keith
Walker (SIM’s International Strategic Development
Director) and Mike Parker.
Sending offices of the two agencies are seeking to set up the most
appropriate future arrangements to help more workers be sent by their
churches to the Middle East.
17

Our new Health Coordinator
Welcome to Jocelyn Johnstone, taking over as
SIM New Zealand’s health coordinator from
Jenny Roper. Jocelyn moved recently to Cromwell
from Gore with her husband Paul and works
as Clinical Nurse Manager at Maniototo Health
Services. She is also trained as a counsellor. The
Johnstones became connected to SIM 18 years
ago and have always been involved with local and
overseas mission. They have three adult children
and one mokopuna, 11 months, called Luke.
Teachers needed now for August
Schools that teach mission kids and local students are always looking for
staff. Teachers are spoiled for choice as mission schools in Ethiopia, Niger,
Thailand, Cambodia and many other places try to fill their staff needs for
the coming year, at all levels and in all subjects including English, IT, science
and special needs. Our contact details to find out more are below.
Do you have cutis anserina?
How about horripilation? (those are two technical terms
for goosebumps ).
As you look through this magazine, perhaps suddenly
you’ve been thinking: Now that’s something I always
wanted to do. That’s a place which has often tugged at my
heart. Or, I could do that!
We would love to discuss helping you with a mission
venture, to help get you to a location that the Holy Spirit
may be nudging you about. Start a conversation with us:
• Web: www.sim.org.nz (click on GO)
• Phone: 0508 47 46 69
• Email nz.info@sim.org
Divine
nudges
&
goose
bumps
For a list of ministr y opportunities,
click your smartphone here
18

19
project for April:
A simple gift of sandals to a
prisoner who has no shoes
shows that someone cares. You
can help to bring more than
footwear to men and women
who have a need of the gospel in
a Zambian jail.
The kingdom
goes inside
Loss of freedom is
a given for the men
and women in a rural
Zambian prison,
but add to that no
provision of personal
hygiene items
and other necessities,
a failed sewage
system, an urgent
need for water, and family often so far away that they can offer no support.
David Friend’s ministry to the inmates doesn’t just provide practical
things like soap, mosquito nets and sandals, tools for maintenance
and generally lifting health standards in the prison, but also brings gospel
teaching. He sees spiritual hunger in most of the prisoners — they are
given and study Bibles. Much of the crime is poverty related, so practical
help is vital. For example, literacy and vocational classes, and help on
release (bus fares to get home, clothes to wear). The women now have
sewing machines — but nothing to sew! They need a covered cooking
area and a fridge (for fresh milk for young children there). All the inmates
need fresh food and vegetables. Your donation to this project will truly
make a difference for eternity.
You can give by emailing nz.donor@sim.org or visit www.sim.org.nz
click on DONATE, and quote project # ZA 94546