Exploring the faith she mocked
Alim, a former child soldier, now follows Jesus.
Anissa stems from generations of fierce rebel fighters, the eldest daughter of a rebel commander.
And this unlikely pair are married.
Their marriage was arranged before they graduated college, and its early years were plagued with constant disagreements. Anissa mocked her husband’s faith in Jesus, but she loved him and did not want him to be martyred.
Alim and Anissa live in Ummi, a town where Team Hope has been building bridges of trust through education, economic empowerment and community health for about 20 years. The residents of Ummi belong to an unreached people group of 1.4 million people, 99.9 percent of them Muslim.
Throughout our years of friendship, Anissa has consistently resisted the Word of God. She enjoys teaching, and has even taken pride in reading a Bible story at a community event, but genuine heart changes have never been visible — until now.
A big step forward
Our team held a free medical clinic in Anissa’s hometown, and the tangible care and love of Jesus impacted her deeply. After the clinic, we asked Anissa’s family if we could begin a Bible study together. She finally agreed.
Anissa has started sharing with her family members the stories of God from the Bible passages we study. She and her husband have entered into deeper conversations and planning for their family, based on what they have learned about God through the stories of Jacob and Joseph. She’s started to acknowledge her own sin and to recognize the consequences.
She’s even thinking beyond her own family — mentioning that a mutual friend of ours does not know about Jesus and should hear about him. We were surprised that she would make that connection, even though her own heart has not yet yielded to Jesus.
Bridges of trust
Anissa’s story demonstrates the significance of building bridges of trust into communities — even when those bridges are slow to erect. For years, Team Hope workers have engaged Ummi women, teaching them to craft and sell purses, scarves and other accessories to support their families. They have empowered these women, who have been denied access to education, by teaching them to read and write. They’ve traveled by foot from home to home, meeting felt needs and sharing Bible stories.
After two decades of this house-to-house approach, God has provided a plot of land in a central location of Ummi where we plan to build a community center, giving us a continual presence in the neighborhood.
The community center will include outdoor gathering spaces and safe rooms where women and children can gather for literacy and livelihood classes, public health education, parenting classes, values meetings, and other programs.
Most importantly, the Ummi Community Center will be a welcoming refuge for neighbors and friends like Anissa to come and have real, spiritual conversations and to discover Jesus through the stories in his Word.
As we wait for the completion of the community center, bridge-building efforts continue. We’ve recently held classes with the religious leaders and spouses of the women we work with, teaching organic farming and goat-raising principles and including Bible stories in the lessons. This is the biggest gathering of men we’ve ever seen in Ummi.
Please pray for Ummi — that men, women and entire families would come to know Jesus as Savior and share his Word with their extended families until the whole community of Ummi has heard!
To contribute financially to the Ummi Community Center project, please click here.
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?
Learn about the spiritual harmony in Vietnam & how missionaries engage with college students. Join us in sharing the gospel!
Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
