RAW Mission

In this episode we hear the story of Ruth Ripken. Ruth and her husband, Nik, spent over 30 years obeying Christ’s command to share Jesus across the globe. After 7 years in Malawi & South Africa, they moved to Nairobi, Kenya to begin work among the Somali people, in the context of war and famine. Many Somali believers there suffered for their faith. Most were martyred. Near the end of the Ripken’s tenure among the Somalis, their 16-year-old son died. One year later, the Holy Spirit led the Ripkens to begin a global pilgrimage to learn from believers in persecution how to recapture a biblical missiology of witness and house-church planting in the midst of persecution and martyrdom. Currently the Ripkens have interviewed over 600 believers in persecution, exceeding 72 countries. Sitting at their feet, the Ripkens learned from the suffering church how to thrive amidst suffering, not merely survive. To learn more of their incredible story, or to purchase their books: The Insanity of God, The Insanity of Obedience & The Insanity of Sacrifice, visit https://www.nikripken.com/ To watch the documentary about the persecuted church that they made, visit https://www.insanityofgodmovie.com/ _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode we meet Andres, a Latino doctor who spent many years living and working in Kurdistan and now serves in a senior leadership position in Frontiers. What happens when the brother of one of the guys he’s discipling comes to ask for help to kill a personal enemy? What impact did a dream have on one of the first Kurdish believers in their city? And what are the pros and cons of being a Latino worker in the Middle East? _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

Taken on a trip to Jordan by her father when she was 14 years old, Becky spent time with Palestinian refugees and was deeply impacted by them and the work of the missionaries there. But it was India which captured her heart a few years later, with its incredibly friendly and hospitable people, its amazing food and, most importantly its huge need for gospel workers. In this episode we hear about how God's love for all people and Becky's adventurous spirit have combined to shape the life of a young lady from Liverpool. ___________________________________________________________________________ NB. Consider this statistic that shows a significant Great Commission imbalance. Number of Christian missionaries per million people: Latin America receives 155 Africa receives 68 India receives only 7 https://joshuaproject.net/assets/media/handouts/why-india.pdf _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode we meet John from Canada, an intrepid adventurer turned missionary. In his youth he rode his motorbikes across North America, Europe & the Middle East – most often sleeping under the stars. He had various accidents too, including one in which he broke his neck. But when the Lord called him to take the good news to Muslims, he ended up living in Asia for 30 years! And there in the tropics, John's love of adventure and water sports became what God would use to establish him in business, to give him many friendships with local Muslims and no end of gospel opportunities. His is a fascinating story of adventures, calling, unreached Muslim people groups, betrayal, deportation, redeployment & resilience. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

The conflict between the Israeli governement and Hamas has surfaced once again these past several months - with the kidnapping of Jewish civilians, the bombardment of Gaza, the terrible loss of life, the constant fear and the international community deeply divided in how to respond. In this episode we hear from Charlie, who lived with her family in Jordan and East Jerusalem for several years. She made friends with Arab-Israelis, Palestinians, Jews and Christians alike, praying all the time for reconciliation between 'enemies' and for many Muslims to find hope and peace in the Lord Jesus. She also shares about returning to the UK and ministering to immigrant and refugee communities, some of whom it turned out were from the very neighbourhood she had been living in. For ways to shape the nations through prayer, visit our Pray Now page on the website here. To download the Pray Now app - a daily short prayer feed for the Muslim world , click here. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

Most of our guests have been 'on the field' for years, since we at Frontiers are all about long-term engagement with unreached peoples, i.e. going deep into language and culture to be as effective as possible in making disciples and planting churches. But today's young guests report back on a recent short-term mission trip that they went on in Turkey (Turkiye) that lasted for only a week. Hannah and Lucy were sent out on a team to experience the 'Muslim world', to go to a remote town where there are no known believers, to pray and see who God would lead them to. Where would they stay? Would their reception be hostile or welcoming? What kind of spiritual formation would God be doing in them? _________________________________________________________________ If you would like to consider going on one of our short-term trips, click here. To learn about the YWAM Discipleship Training School that Hannah did after leaving school, click here. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode we meet Naomi, a young Brit who has dedicated her life to sharing Jesus with Muslims in Africa. What happens when a friend's roof is blown off in storm? Will God provide? Should Naomi give her the money for it? How should she deal with bats living in her bathroom?! How did some of the new believers from a Muslim background show Naomi what it really means to obey and boldly live out the teachings of Jesus in their context? How should she deal with some of the men in the neighbourhood catcalling and harrassing her? You'll certainly be inspired and challenged as you listen to Naomi's experiences of life in the desert. “If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop to become a king.” (Jordan Grooms) _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode we hear from J, who spent 11 years with his family in Northern Iraq living amongst the Kurds. We discuss ISIS (aka Daesh / the Islamic State), the connections that the Kurds have with the ancient Medes (as mentioned in the Bible), eco-tourism and archaeology, and the role that statehood (or lack of it) has for the Kurds. We also discuss the Californian, Roger Cumberland, a missionary to the Kurdish people who was martyred in 1938. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Cumberland NB. Kurdistan is a term that Kurds may appreciate since it speaks of their dreams and aspirations for unity and statehood, but for others in Turkiye, Iraq, Iran & Syria it is a term imbued with a very negative political meaning, one that relates to separatism and division. For more on the Kurds, read: Ethnic Realities and The Church, Lessons from Kurdistan by Robert Blincoe For J's sermon at the International Church in Dohuk, entitled What the Bible says about Kurds, click here. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

44 years ago there were only a few hundred believers in Iran from a Muslim background. Now the number is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands! Iranians (or Persians) are coming to Christ in amazing ways all over the world - not only in diaspora communities, but also inside the deeply conservative Islamic Republic, in spite of the country's strict laws against owning a Farsi bible and sharing the Christian faith with others. Often Christian leaders have been arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned in the nation’s notorious Evin prison. And our guest in this episode is one of them. Mojtaba Hosseini has a remarkable story of coming to faith in Iran as a young man, along with some of his family members. His underground church was raided twice by officers from the intelligence services. He was arrested and spent several years in jail. Persecution and suffering are often part of the story of the emerging church in places hostile to the good news of Jesus. But so are perseverance and mighty works of God. This is one of those stories. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode Matt interviews 'Hope' who, with her family, has lived and served in 4 different Middle Eastern countries over the last 30 years. Hope talks about how her Middle Eastern experiences have brought a greater understanding of the original context of the Bible, how she uses stories to bring good news to her Muslim friends and neighbours and how God's Word has sustained her and encouraged her to keep persevering even in her first decade of not seeing much fruit and through expulsions and relocations. They also discuss cockroach infestations, karaoke and raising kids in cross-cultural environments. A great book mentioned in this episode is: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth Bailey 2008 SPCK _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

Emily’s husband, Stephen, had given her a well-read copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs on their first date. And a few years later, while they were serving in Northern Africa, he was shot and killed by Al Qaeda terrorists. In this episode Emily shares some of her story, describing the love and mission that God had given both her and Stephen for the people of that part of the world, the tragic loss she and kids experienced when Stephen was killed, and her experience of and trust in the ongoing grace and goodness of God. You’ll hear what happened when, a few years later, while working with a medical team in one of the local prisons, she met the man who had murdered Stephen. To find out more, do get a copy of her book: We Died Before We Came Here, by Emily Foreman. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

Indonesia contains more Muslims than any other country in the world – more than 230 million. And that’s why José, a young man from Latin America, decided to join a Frontiers team there, because the need is so great. In this episode José shares about the challenge he faced to get his church to understand God’s global vision and their role in it, the joy of being mentored well in his preparation time and some great stories from his first 4 years on the field. What happened when his friend interrupted his basketball game to tell him there was a ghost in their apartment block? Why is it that many Christians in Indonesia have little gospel interaction with the majority Muslim community? The Latin theologians mentioned in this episode are : C René Padilla, whose seiminal work is Mission Between the Times: Essays on the Kingdom, 2010 and Samuel Escobar, whose writings have been helpfully summarised by the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS) here, entitled Samuel Escobar, An Anthology To find out more about unreached people groups and places visit https://joshuaproject.net/ _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

Although we at Frontiers believe that Jesus is worth risking everything we have: our comforts, our hobbies, our wealth, our careers, our reputations and even our lives – we also are strong believers in supporting our workers on the field well and helping them to navigate the traumas, conflicts or disappointments they might face. In this episode Matt chats with Harriet who heads the Member Care team at the British office. She and her husband lived in West Africa for many years and raised their 3 kids there, so she knows what it’s like to serve overseas in tough places. They discuss living with the poor (without running water and electricity), sharing a home with locals, dealing with cockroaches and mosquitos, a camel that smashed into their car, driving into a ditch at night… and much more. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode we meet Cynthia Anderson, a YWAM missionary, speaker, trainer and author of a brand-new book called The Multiplier’s Mindset which tackles some of the main paradigm shifts we need to adopt if we are to catalyse Disciple-Making Movements. Cynthia spent decades pioneer church-planting in Nepal & India, where, after years of frustration and self-doubt, she saw hundreds of new believers and many movements to Christ emerge. She has also developed a video training course for those seeking to start discipleship-making movements and many of her trainees have seen incredible fruit. We discuss the growth of the church in Nepal, her family’s expulsion from the country, her real struggle to enjoy India and some of the differences between making converts and making disciples. Cynthia's Book - www.multipliersmindset.com Cynthia on Instagram- www.instagram.com/daretomultiply/ Cynthia’s DMM blog- www.dmmsfrontiermissions.com/blog YWAM Discipleship Training Schools: https://ywam.org/dts _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode you'll hear some incredible stories from Jeremy, a brother from Ethiopia. His life was one of loss, anger and drugs until he discovered Jesus. He then became a teacher and a pastor in the church, and later an elected official in the local government. And then his life direction changed again when God called him to reach out to Muslims in his country. He was very resistant to this idea, not believing that a Muslim could turn to Christ, and it didn't start well. For 2 years he saw not one Muslim turn to Christ, but when he shifted his focus to another group of Muslims, remarkable things began to happen. He began a training programme for churches, through which teams of evangelists would go out to Muslim villages, proclaiming the kingdom of God and praying for the sick and demon-possessed. And over the years hundreds of Muslims have turned to Christ! This is an amazing story of partnership between Frontiers workers and local believers, and a great testimony of the power of the gospel. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

How do 2 people with no particular overseas 'calling' end up living and raising their family for many years in the desert?! In this episode we meet John, who’s been serving the poor in North Africa for 15 years. We talk about some of the challenges that he and his wife have faced adjusting to North African culture, the false dichotomy of ‘salvation or social transformation’ and working with the marginalised, whether that’s vulnerable women, nomads, or the disabled. He also shares how he got into App development, social media outreach and the joy of working alongside local Muslim-background believers. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

What can we learn from the early Celtic Christian saints who brought the gospel to Scotland and Northern England: St. Patrick, St. Aidan, St. Columba & St. Cuthbert? These were the wandering & worshipping monks & missionaries, the peregrine pilgrims, devoted to prayer, justice and sharing the good news amongst the pagan tribes. And what about the Early Church Fathers & Mothers or the Nestorians who travelled deep into Asia? Matthew Burden, our guest in this episode, is the author of a fascinating new book called Missionary Motivations: Challenges from the Early Church. He grew up in Brazil, spent time in Africa and now pastors a church in Maine, USA. We discuss the attractional nature of the Desert Fathers, inaugurated eschatology, Christus Victor & much more! ____________________________________________________________________________________ To connect with Wycliffe Bible Translators, click here (UK) or here (USA). To connect with Matthew and to see the books that he's written, visit his blog here. To hear a brand new uncut, unplugged album, written and sung in caves, mountains and on beaches over the last few weeks while on a Celtic Pilgrimage from Iona to Holy Island (with 247-Prayer's Pete Greig,) check out Rich Dawson's Pilgrim Songs here on Spotify or wherever you listen to music online. To follow their journey and to access a 21 day devotional about the Celtic missionary monks, check out the Lectio365 app (11th June - 2nd July). _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode we hear from 'Latif and Fatima' who grew up as Muslims in London in immigrant families. They share about their arranged marriage (how they got engaged without ever having spoken with each other and how they found the relationship difficult and full of conflict for a long time), their journey to faith in Jesus, the traumatic rejection from their close family members and the grace and goodness of God they experienced in the midst of that. They also talk about how the Lord clearly called them a couple of years ago out of London to live in the Middle East in their retirement years, to make disciples and plant churches. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

Andrew Brunson has never been connected to Frontiers, but he joins us as a guest for this episode to share his incredible story of persecution and perseverance. Accused of terrorism by the government, he spent 2 years in Turkish jails from 2016-2018, following more than 20 years serving as a missionary and pastor there. He talks about the terrible suffering he and his family endured and how he almost lost his faith in the goodness of God, as his incarceration went on and on. But he also challenges us to consider our own faith, our own theology and our own preparedness for such things. He tells the full story in his book: God's Hostage: A True Story of Persecution, Imprisonment, and Perseverance And you can watch his video series Prepare to Stand on Youtube: Prepare to Stand Session 1 - Recognize the Danger - YouTube _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

11 years after receiving a call to do gospel work in the 10/40 Window, Ria was still in her home country, having a very successful youth ministry, but having almost given up on the dream of working among the least reached. But then she heard a Frontiers worker asking for more people to come and do sports ministry in the Muslim world, and that was the prompt that God used to reignite the calling she had received years earlier. In this episode you'll hear what Ria's first year has been like, moving from Central America to Northern Africa, initially encountering a wave of spiritual attacks and finding ways to share Jesus in her day to day life and work. _________________________________________________________________________________ Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests. matt@frontiers.org.uk You can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.uk Or, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK: Instagram: frontiers_uk Facebook: @frontiersukfriends And do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes: www.momentumyes.com (USA) www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________