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Fresno, Calif.
Through the eyes of missionaries

Centennial book cover

For most Mennonite Brethren, cross-cultural mission has been a part of their church experience since childhood. Many have memories of hearing mission stories in church and meeting missionaries on furlough. Now, a coffee-table book brings to life that mission experience by telling stories and sharing photos from every country where MBMS International missionaries have served.

True Life: First-hand Stories of Mission, commissioned to celebrate 100 years of global mission through MBMS International, features stories of friendship, travel, ministry and transformation as told by missionaries. It also includes over 130 colour and black-and-white photographs.

Missionary Roland Wiens travelling by ship as a child.

“The book is a tribute to those who sacrificed comfort, safety and family because they felt the message of Christ was for everyone,” says editor Brad Thiessen, who is media and communications director for MBMS International. “In the course of sharing the gospel,” he continued, “missionaries are shaped by the people they meet and the cultures in which they live. We need to hear their stories and learn from their example.”

The stories were compiled from missionary biographies and memoirs, letters and e-mails to family and friends, and submissions from former and current missionaries.

“We asked missionaries to share their real-life experiences – not necessarily the ones that were the most flattering or grand, but the ones that shaped their walks of faith,” says Thiessen.

Thiessen looked for photographs that were unique and brought to life everyday experiences. He feels the collection truly shows the world through the eyes of missionaries. Photographs were compiled from missionaries, MBMS International files and the MB Historical Archives.

A boy reads at a clinic in Pakistan, 1993. Source: Dr. Herb and Ruth Friesen

“The book will be a special remembrance for those who have served as missionaries, but it is also for those who supported mission over their lifetime, says MBMS International Board member Delores Friesen. “As a Board we wanted to create something that would truly represent the work of all Mennonite Brethren, recognizing that none of it would have been possible without God’s faithfulness and the support of thousands of faithful believers in North America.”

For Thiessen, working on the project taught him a great deal about what it means to be a Christian. “Missionaries’ stories have taught me the meaning of commitment and sacrifice; of love for all people; and of the need to be humble and accept the gifts offered by others. These are lessons that apply to us.”

True Life is available for $14.95 through Kindred Productions at (800) 545-7322 or e-mail kindred@mbconf.ca.

 – MBMS International release

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Last modified November 7, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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