Two brave baptisms
Sara’s parents were worried. Their teen-age daughter’s health was declining. She seemed weak. Some days, she wouldn’t even recognize her parents and siblings.
The family tried everything: The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong; the local religious leader tried sacrificing a goat and other traditional methods, but they didn’t help.
In desperation, they invited a Christian woman to come pray for Sara.
That worked.
As the woman prayed and her family looked on, Sara slumped to the floor. Something that looked like smoke emerged from her mouth. The woman asked Jesus to cast out the dark forces in the room.
Sara awoke utterly changed.
Because of what they saw that day, Sara and her parents committed to believe in the God who set Sara free. A SEND couple has grown very close to this family, walking with them, discipling them, and watching them grow. Sara overflows with love for Jesus and lights up when she reads the Word or sings about Jesus.
The day Sara was set free, many other family members saw what happened. But worldwide, only a tiny fraction of their people group believes in Jesus. To this day — despite Sara’s changed life — all her other family members remain skeptical. Yet her mom, in the midst of being ridiculed, opposed, and even shunned, has walked with grace toward others and faith in God.
This summer, Sara’s mom publicly declared her faith through baptism — a step of confirmation and obedience to show her love for Jesus and to proclaim that he has all power and authority over sin and death. Two days after the baptism, her face was still glowing with joy!
Another miracle
Joining Sara’s mom in baptism was another woman who also experienced a miracle. Beth was so sick, she thought she might die. Like in Sara’s case, doctors couldn’t help.
Beth’s daughter, a believer, had mentioned Jesus many times. In desperation, Beth cried out to this Jesus, begging for mercy. She said that she was ready to believe in him and to give her life to him.
Jesus replied by removing her physical sickness — no doubt as a sign of what he had healed Beth of in her heart!
Beth felt like a new person, lived like a new person, and was full of joy because she knew Jesus and Jesus knew her. But her culture is male-dominated; her own sons are against Christianity. Because of this, Beth kept her faith to herself.
For the past year, SEND workers have been sharing the Word with Beth and praying with her — and Beth developed a strong desire to take a stand for Jesus.
With her baptism this summer, she took that stand, not fearing what anyone would say or do to her, and in baptism showed that she was buried with Christ and raised with him to serve the living God!
Editor’s note: Due to the highly sensitive nature of this community, all names have been changed.
Additional Posts
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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