A breeze flowed through the small green leaves and yellow flowers of a narra tree as we sat in a bamboo hut perched on tall stilts. I noted the peaceful setting because it was in such stark contrast to the story my friend was sharing. Days before our Bible study,  my friend’s brother was shot at as he travelled to his little farm. The family that had come to power in my friend’s home province had already killed his father and two of his cousins in a political feud. Concerned about retaliation, this politically dominant family continues to hunt down my friend and his many relatives. My friend has a few acres of land in his home province. He had hoped to grow fruit trees and crops there to provide for his family — but returning to his farm would mean risking death. Family feuds on this island have been known to last seven generations, so my friend sits imprisoned within a structure that restricts freedom to the land that would enable him to feed his family. My friend is stuck. But God is on the move. After a time of prayer for my friend’s family, we opened the Word to Acts 3 and spent an hour talking about the power and role of the Spirit of God and the authority he has to transform us. My friend looked intently at the message of Peter, particularly focusing on the words faith, repent, return, and presence of the Lord. He mentioned that faith in God is not enough. Even the family who wants to kill him has faith in God! There needs to be repentance and then an obedient return to God that brings us into his presence. I was amazed when my friend began praying a blessing on the powerful family that wants to take his life. He was seeking the Spirit’s power on this family, so that they would  repent  and  return  to obey the words of Jesus. He wanted them to  be blessed by the  presence of God.  His prayer was not fueled by revenge, but a desire for his people to know Jesus. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19) THE PATH TO FAITH MOVE | SEND International 2017 Annual Report | send.org MOVE | SEND International 2017 Annual Report | send.org 7 6 MACEDONIA Our Macedonia team got curious.Most Macedonians consider the evangelical church a cult, so why did some people risk ostracism by accepting Christ as Lord and joining an evangelical church? So, the team asked. They interviewed 30 first-generation believers, wanting to know how God moved them from unbelief to faith. One woman attended a free English class. Her teacher invited her to church, but she admits she went as a skeptic — until the pastor started preaching about Jesus, and she heard a voice whispering to her, “This is what you need.” Now when her husband and neighbors criticize her for attending a “cult,” she says, “Well, come and see! How can you make claims and condemn something when you haven’t been there? I’ve been there, and I can tell you! But don’t believe me. Come with me and see.” This woman has taken many friends to church and given out at least 20 Bibles! A language class was also the draw for Katrina* — but this one was in Spanish, taught by a SEND intern from Chile. He was preaching in the church and invited his whole class. Katrina remembers her first impressions: “When they sang, it was so beautiful, such a wonderful feeling. I was surprised by the fellowship, the togetherness, the commitment and intention to listen to the preacher. The whole atmosphere captured me. “After I accepted Christ, my relatives did some grumbling at the beginning, mocked me a bit. I tried not to react too much. I found the meaning of life, and no one can convince me otherwise!” Thoughtheinterviewsprovedveryencouraging,theteamdidhave an ulterior motive: they have identified 154 key contacts, people they are personally engaged with, people whom they are hoping to help move forward on their path to Jesus. The team believes that understanding how other Macedonians came to faith will help them pray purposefully, answer common objections and share the gospel strategically so that the church will grow. *Name changed to protect identity REJECTING REVENGE SOUTHEAST ASIA send.org/macedonia “I have found the meaning of life, and no one can convince me otherwise!” send.org/se-asia “I was amazed when my friend began praying a blessing on the powerful family that wants to take his life.”