The greatest story
By Anna McShane —
Discipling people to conversion and beyond is a concept that is not well understood in the North American context where we focus on point-in-time conversion, not the process that brings us to the Lord. Those who work in other cultures, especially Asian and Middle Eastern, understand more fully that discipleship takes place as much before salvation as after, and the moment of conversion may not be fully clear either to the disciple or to the discipler. Stories from the Word are a powerful tool to disciple people living in community cultures.
One of SEND’s workers among Muslim people in Southeast Asia compares sharing the Good News to the propagation of bamboo. He writes, “The beauty of bamboo is in its simplicity. A closer look at bamboo reveals character properties that are exceptionally light, that exceed the tensile strength of steel and concrete, while providing the extreme flexibility that withstands super storms. Incredibly, some varieties grow up to one meter a day! Bamboo’s beauty and simplicity extend sub-surface with anchor and feeder roots that maximize balancing nutrient storage and reproduction. Even a single bamboo cutting stuck in the ground has the ability to grow new roots and self-propagate.
“We can’t duplicate this masterpiece of God’s creation, but we can replicate some of God’s creative principles. Simplicity over complexity leaps out at us as we think about our personal spiritual growth and reproducing ourselves in second-generation believers. As we share the Good News, we want to do so in ways that produce new shoots and clusters, clusters that produce even more groupings. In the fast pace of our global society, imagine being lighter, stronger and more productive. God designed us in His image, let us walk in that!”
Story-telling is a growing movement to share the Good News among people who are not highly literate, people who love being in groups and will likely make faith decisions in a community, rather than as disparate individuals. Another worker on the same Southeast Asia team writes about how storytelling is impacting their ministry.
“This past quarter, our team has focused on creating small group studies where we discuss core stories from the Bible. As students and friends leave their small group studies, we hear of them retelling their lessons in their homes, dorm rooms, from child to parent and parent to child. From values classes, parent/child gatherings, literacy programs, agricultural training, development training, campus classes and seminars, and of course in classic Bible studies, we are hearing how God’s Word is being shared again and again, replicating in the lives of our Muslim friends like a stalk of bamboo that takes root and propagates into a cluster of vibrant stalks.”
One of the campus students told her teachers, “I shared two stories from our study with my family over semester break; they really liked it. When we go home for weekends or semester breaks, we always share some stories from our study with our families. Our Grannies especially like that because they remember some of the stories but not in as much detail as we give. At night, in the dorm, when it’s too hot to study or sleep because the electricity went off, we get into our beds and recall aloud the stories we’ve studied with you. We help each other remember details in case someone leaves something out!”
Even though this teacher is not yet seeing fruit of faith, all the girls enjoy discussing the meaning of the “stories” while they are together. It’s special that they enjoy retelling the stories to their families. In the re-telling, may God’s Spirit touch the lives of the tellers and listeners.
What is it about stories? While we love them as children, we still love them as adults. A story gathers a group together and binds us in suspense, especially if the stories are told at night, in the dark. A short-term worker on the Muslim team says, “My time in [Southeast Asia] has taught me many things, and when it comes to telling stories there’s one big lesson I’ve learned: there is beauty in darkness.
“When the lights are off there’s an impression of awe and anticipation in my listeners. The darkness of night brings a sense of security and they seem to relax as I breathe out stories of my life, the prophets, and even of Jesus.
“We recently shared the story of the Lost Sheep during a sleepover. With eyes wide the children listened as the shepherd left his 99 sheep for that one who was lost. The darkness of night and the comfort of our beds set the stage for these children to learn the story… but where would it go from here? The point isn’t just for them to listen, the point is for them to live it and share it.
“The story cannot stay in the darkness; it needs to be retold in the light. We ended our time with a challenge: learn the story and pick someone to share it with. The children took turns naming those they would share with. Just like that, with a simple story told when the lights are off, a bamboo-propagating process has begun.”
Bamboo, stories, pushing back the darkness with the Light of the world. May the adult in our heads never forget that the child in every man and woman is longing for stories that will make sense of life and bind us together with others. The story of Life in Jesus is the only story that will hold the world together.
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Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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