An Invitation to the Worldwide Day of Prayer

Image courtesy of Amy Humphries.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:16

The IET would like to invite you to participate in our Worldwide Day of Prayer on Saturday, March 16, 2024.

Navigators from all corners of the world will gather virtually and in-person on the third Saturday of March for a time of corporate prayer. All Navigators–laborers, donors, and friends–are invited to participate. In anticipation of this significant event, International President Mutua Mahiaini extends a personal invitation:

"As the annual Navigators Worldwide Day of Prayer approaches once again, we are excited about the opportunity as a Navigator family to come together before God’s throne. Although we are very familiar with Hebrews 4:16, which urges us to draw near to the throne of God with confidence, I hope it will inspire you to reflect on the fact that this is the ultimate throne, and that God is seated on it. He is the One Who is inviting us to this experience on 16 March 2024. I pray we all take His invitation as seriously as He does.”

Last year during the Worldwide Day of Prayer, Regional Director David Rice experienced the profound impact of gathering with his local community in Istanbul to pray. Here are some of his reflections on the importance of in-person prayer gatherings:

“Every year, our teams across Eurasia pray for the requests in the Prayer Guide in their own way. In one country, the leaders and others gather together to pray as a community, seeking God's intervention in far-off places. This is combined with praying for their local efforts to reach their friends and family members. This helps them feel a part of a bigger movement and creates a sense of belonging. Even though they cannot visit these places, they ‘visit’ them by joining with them in prayer. This broadens their hearts for the world and the lost, which is a crucial part of disciple-making. Some people join the Zoom calls, but most focus on local opportunities for prayer. Personally, I try to make one of the online Zoom prayer sessions for encouragement and to pray with like-minded brothers and sisters around the world. Perhaps I’ll see you on one of the Worldwide Day of Prayer Zoom calls—this time from Poland!”

Here is the Worldwide Day of Prayer 2024 Schedule:

Friday, March 15, 2024, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time

Saturday, March 16, 2024, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time

Saturday, March 16, 2024, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time

The consistent format for the Zoom calls includes a short devotional by Mutua Mahiaini and breakout sessions for Navigators from different countries to pray together in groups of 6-8 people. There are two different breakout sessions so you can enjoy praying with more people from around the world. In addition to these Zoom meetings planned by the International Executive Team, each region and country is encouraged to have their own observances of the Worldwide Day of Prayer. For more information, please contact Stephanie Plaisted at Stephanie.Plaisted@Navigators.org.

As this annual event approaches once again, we are excited about the opportunity as a Navigator family to come together before God’s throne.

European Missions: Opportunities in Austria and Hungary

Linz, Austria. Photo courtesy of Matthias Mitterlehner.

Navigator leaders in Europe are excited to see God sending new laborers to Austria to work with young people in this post-Christian culture. In the past month, Mark and Megan Smith have accepted the invitation to serve in the city of Linz, which is one of the primary missions sending priorities for Navigators in Europe.

Austria, as Regional Director Bill Sparks says, “is one of the toughest places to reach” for Christ. As with people in many parts of post-Christian Europe, Austrians are often hesitant to consider the Christian faith. But this reality has inspired Mark and Megan all the more to serve in Austria. Details are still being finalized, but they hope to move to Linz from the U.S., with their three young children, by early fall 2021.

The Smiths, along with European Navigator leaders, are eager to find at least one more young married couple or two single people join them. The need is for people about age 30 of any nationality and who have some Navigator ministry experience in discipleship among nonbelievers. New team members should be willing to learn German and stay in Austria for at least five years. Mark said they would also be open to an “empty-nester” couple in their mid-50s who could support and encourage younger team members.

Mark calls the work in Austria a “dream situation” because there is a strong support network of mature Austrian Navigators who have been laboring among secular people for many years. The new team will also be collaborating with Navigators in nearby Hungary.

Linz is a strategic location, says Bill. The city of about 250,000 people, which is situated on the shores of the Danube River, is home to eight universities. It is also only two hours by car from Vienna, where an even larger student population lives and studies. Equally important, the team in Linz will be able to collaborate with Navigators in Hungary, and possibly in Germany. Bill believes that these regional partnerships could transform this part of Europe into a sending hub for all of Europe and beyond.

European Navigators are also praying that God would send at least one couple to Budapest, Hungary to work primarily with college students and young professionals. The couple (or couples) would join a mature Navigator couple who has been serving fruitfully in Hungary for many years. The cultural and spiritual context in Hungary is similar to Austria’s.

If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please write to Grace at grace.pike@navigators.org.

Missions Opportunities in the Middle East

Navigator leaders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are seeking pioneering missionaries to join existing teams in two countries, both of which are among the least reached nations in the world.

In both countries, the religious context is primarily Muslim, but each has unique cultural and demographic characteristics that create both challenges and opportunities for the advance of the Gospel.

Country 1

Foreigners comprise the majority of this nation’s residents, including a large number of Arab expatriates. The transitory nature of this population creates opportunities to invest in expatriate Arabs who are eager to develop new relationships and who are asking significant life questions. As Navigators seek to establish them as followers of Christ, the Gospel can flow naturally to the nations from which they came.

Country 1 also has a predominantly middle- and upper-income population of permanent citizens. No known fellowship of disciples exists among these people. A small team of conventional income Navigators has been working among these families for the past decade and seeks additional laborers to work with them.

Among permanent citizens, members of our MENA team run a successful youth soccer academy, which is a remarkable platform for relating with Arab families. To assist with this effort, the MENA team hopes to find a female, part-time soccer coach, who can train the girls and engage meaningfully with their families.

For both tracks (Arab expatriates and permanent Arab citizens), candidates would need to work in a flexible profession such as soccer coaching, teaching, business, or financial advising. MENA leaders are praying that God would lead singles and/or couples to serve for at least two years, but preferably long-term. There is a particular need for young professionals who could initially work part-time while developing language and culture proficiency.

New missionaries would not need to speak Arabic immediately, because many people speak English. But, upon entry, the new team members would begin part-time Arabic classes at a language school.

Country 2

This nation has the lowest level of Gospel penetration in the world. New pioneering missionaries would join an established team to support existing work among predominantly Muslim students, families and professionals. The MENA team is seeking people who are willing to serve long-term. Learning the local language is required and essential, as few people speak English.

The Navigator ministry in this nation has strong foundations and mature leadership. Our MENA leaders need additional support to replace a small number of missionaries who are returning to their home countries. They also hope to expand existing ministries to additional large cities in the country.

New missionaries could enter as business professionals, teachers, entrepreneurs or other mainstream roles. The government, however, is not eager to give visas to foreign doctors and engineers in order to protect these positions for its own people. One strategic way to gain natural access to people is to pursue a master’s degree or Ph.D. at one of the nation’s excellent universities.

“We are on the verge of seeing a Gospel movement,” said one Navigator leader in MENA. “God is shaking this nation in many ways. So, we need new people who are passionate about prayer.”

Do You Fit?

Our Navigator leaders in the MENA region emphasize that new missionaries should be humble men and women who are willing to enter under the leadership of existing teams and learn from nationals. Candidates should be team players, not “lone rangers,” and be adept at relating well with people in humility and love.

Candidates should have an ongoing, deep relationship with Christ from which attitudes of love and humility flow into relationships with the team and with the locals. Because nationals in both countries give high priority to family and friends, the missionaries should make building friendships a top priority. Understanding of the culture, religion, and history of each nation is helpful, but humble character and eagerness to learn is most important.

Finally, new missionaries should not be attached to Western forms of Christianity. The goal is to help new believers in local contexts to remain in their existing relational and family networks without creating religious barriers that hinder the organic spread of the Gospel.

Interested?

If you, or someone you know, is interested in these pioneering missionary opportunities, please write to Glenn at glenn.ilc.communications@gmail.com.

Remarkable Opportunities to Reach Eurasia

Could God be calling you to invest in unreached people in Eurasia?

Navigator leaders in this vast region are asking God to raise up several couples and single men and women to serve in two cities. (The names of these cities are publicly withheld due to the sensitive nature of the work.) In both contexts, the new missionaries would invest their lives in people from numerous ethnic and religious backgrounds, including Muslims, postmodern secularists, and others.

In city 1, a new missionary couple is needed work within a robust existing ministry platform—a thriving school with excellent rapport in the community—under the experienced leadership of nationals. The new missionaries would preferably be in their late 20s to 40s and eager to play a supporting role to national leaders.

Our regional director for Eurasia says that this school-based ministry is highly strategic because there are so few missions efforts in the area. The school, which serves youth from kindergarten through college, provides natural opportunities to improve the community and invest in families from various cultures.

Due to the educational nature of this work, the missionary couple would need, at a minimum, a CELTA certification to teach English as a second language or equivalent, up to a master’s degree. Professional teaching experience is a plus. Incoming missionaries would receive a nominal salary from the school, but they would need to raise funding to complement that income and cover insurances and ministry expenses. Entry into the country would initially be based upon a language learning visa followed by a business visa later. Learning the local language will be essential.

Interested individuals can be from any nation, but they must be native English speakers because the school offers first-rate English learning as part of its program. Due to political and cultural sensitivities, the couple should be willing to disassociate online from churches and Christian organizations.

City 2 provides a tremendous opportunity to help an existing Navigator team relaunch a university ministry among secular students. The city, with a population of six million people, has about 400,000 college students. These students come here to study from around the region and, after graduation, become influential professionals.

Because there are so few laborers reaching out to this vast population of students, Eurasia’s Navigator leaders need couples and singles to join an existing team of expat missionaries and nationals. The goal is to lead students to Christ and then equip them to carry the Gospel to their own cultures. “This work will be important for the future of our missionary sending efforts in this region,” said our regional director for Eurasia.

Interested individuals should be flexible, highly relational, have a healthy walk with God, and have a clear understanding of the Navigator Calling. Due to the difficulties of working and living in this context, they should have demonstrated ministry experience in their home countries. Entry into the country can occur initially under a language learning visa. Learning the local language will be required. Missionaries will eventually obtain a professional visa, ideally as credentialed teachers of English as a second language. The best options will be decided once on the field as local regulations are subject to change.

In both city 1 and city 2, our Navigator leaders hope to find people who are willing to serve in the region long-term. If you think God may be leading you in either of these directions and you’d like more information, please contact Glenn at glenn.ilc.communications@gmail.com.

Asia-Pacific: Reaching "Just" a Billion People

By IET Communications

Eight hundred million unreached Hindus in India. Two hundred million Muslims in another impoverished Asian nation. Those numbers can seem overwhelming. But, with God’s calling, perhaps you can help.

“When you learn about what’s happening among the Muslims in this poor nation, it breaks your heart,” said our regional director (RD) for Asia-Pacific. “We have no words to describe how they suffer. They are gripped by the darkness. Economically they are suffering, trying to survive on simple jobs and low wages. Other nations in the region look down on them. They are always treated as the lowest, as if they were animals.”

Life is similar for many unreached Hindus in India. They also face staggering poverty, overcrowded living conditions, lack of medical care, and spiritual darkness.

But, our RD said, “The people in both countries are open to the Gospel. They have soft hearts.” For these reasons, Navigator leaders in Asia-Pacific are making a strong push to raise up new missionaries to advance the Gospel in these countries.

Reaching Muslims in Asia

To reach Muslims in the country described above, the Asia-Pacific Leadership Team (APLT) is seeking at least one couple, or a small team of single men and women, to serve for at least two years (preferably longer). These missionaries would be joining a team comprising an experienced couple who God is using to carry the Gospel into relational networks.

Access to people would come from work in a legitimate and exciting missional enterprise start-up. This business would also provide much-needed jobs for local people.

The new team would need to avoid traditional Christian forms and embed among local people, offering a pure Gospel and having a strong knowledge of the culture and religion. As a result of the faithful service of previous missionaries, there are believers and emerging laborers scattered in Muslim family networks. The APLT hopes to find people who have cultural sensitivity and business abilities, and who can equip local believers to advance the Gospel deeper into the culture.

This work is suited to people from any ethnicity or nationality. Those from younger generations are especially encouraged to consider this opportunity. The APLT has formed a strong task force and missional enterprises team to support this exciting and important work.

Other Ways to Help

In addition to serving in-country, there are three ways to help. First, the APLT has already raised $40,000 to launch the missional enterprise, but hey need to raise an additional $15,000. Second, they hope to recruit more Navigator investors who can provide strong joint venture investment in the missional enterprise. Third, the APLT welcomes prayer warriors for this nation.

Reaching Hindus in India

Nearly 80 percent of people in India practice Hinduism. The APLT is seeking a pioneering team composed of couples and/or a small team of single men and women to work among Hindus. One couple should be experienced enough to lead the team. There are no limitations on the nationalities of those on the team. However, the team must be able to adapt and create new pathways for the Gospel rather than relying on traditional methods. To best gain political and relational access, the team members should be able to work in professions such as business, teaching, community development, medicine, etc.

The APLT has also established a task force of people who are committed to working with the pioneering team in developing a ministry strategy and supporting the effort.

And . . . Melbourne, Australia

The APLT also has a priority goal of recruiting spiritually mature young singles and/or a couple to bring new energy to our campus ministries in Melbourne. The city is home to eight universities that teach close to 300,000 students, with more than a third from overseas. Many students come from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other unreached Asian nations, which makes this a strategic opportunity to equip them to serve Christ in their home countries. We also aim to reach the Australian secular/postmodern students.

The new missionary team would join three Navigator staff couples and one single staff who are already working among college students. The new couple and/or singles would serve in two capacities: 1) to participate in grassroots ministry primarily among the postmodern population of Aussie students; and 2) to serve the existing laborers.

“This is a new era in Australia,” said our RD. “There is a new culture among young people. About 51 percent say they have no religion. We need more support from people who are comfortable working in this secular culture and able to adapt and create new pathways for the Gospel.”

Next Steps

If you are interested in any of the missionary partnering opportunities described above, please contact Glenn at glenn.ilc.communications@gmail.com. We will guide you forward.

International Partnering Eases Pandemic Hardships

By IET Communications

Paul, when writing about the Body of Christ, said that we “should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).

As a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, we have seen many Navigators around the world face increased hardship. And we have seen others in our Worldwide Partnership share in that suffering. As a result of this mutual concern, Navigators hit hard by the economic impact of the pandemic are receiving financial assistance—an expression of international partnering.

In early Spring, as governments imposed lockdowns to slow the spread of the disease and as unemployment around the world consequently surged, the International Executive Team and regional directors implemented a Pandemic Compassion Fund. The fund was established with IET resources and many donations.

As of late June, the fund had distributed nearly $63,000. This financial support has so far assisted 313 families, numerous churches where Navigators have discipleship ministries, and many rural villages where food has been scarce. Below is just a small sample of the needs.

In Eurasia, directors of a missional enterprise (a learning center) intend to use the compassion fund’s resources to continue paying salaries to local staff during the shutdown. Leaders have also requested assistance to buy a significant supply of much needed fingertip oximeters for at least two hospitals.

In Francophone Africa, where Navigators are serving among Muslims and in poor rural villages, the pandemic has taken a severe health and financial toll on many large families. Financial assistance was requested to support these families who otherwise would not have food or medicine. Local leaders in just one rural area (predominantly Muslim) plan to channel financial support to farmers so that they have seeds and fertilizers to start vital planting on time.

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where pioneering ministries occur through businesses and professionals, many Navigator laborers suddenly lost their sources of income. Therefore, leaders in the region intend to use these resources to help people pay their rents, buy food, and keep their businesses alive until after the lockdowns end. As a result, they will be better able to continue ministering to non-believers.

The fund has helped many nations in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, in Nepal, 16 Navigator families have struggled to pay their rents and buy food after losing income as a result of the pandemic. In addition to supporting those families, the compassion fund is aimed at supporting numerous college students who study and work in Kathmandu but who have had to return to their hometowns without any income.

Please continue to pray that God would protect Navigators financially and physically through these difficult times. May the name of Jesus be glorified among non-believers as they see the Body of Christ bearing the burdens together.

If you would like to contribute to this fund, please contact Bob Meredith, at bob.meredith@navigators.org.

Medical Professionals Needed in Eurasia

By IET Communications

In a village hard-hit by Covid-19, a Navigator team in Eurasia is operating a primary care clinic where they provide medical and spiritual support to unreached locals. This pioneering ministry team has a permanent medical staff, but they have long-term and short-term needs for additional medical personnel of all types. The team also needs medical equipment and financial support.

Long-Term and Short-Term Medical Professionals

Primary care providers and allied workers, such as physical therapists and occupational therapists and nurses, are especially needed. The Eurasian team hopes to see medical professionals who are willing join the effort long term, to learn the language and to engage more deeply in evangelism and discipleship.

Short-term support from health-care professionals is also needed and welcome. Additional medical professionals are most needed during the summers (northern hemisphere). The greatest need for short-term help would be family practice physicians, particularly those comfortable with prenatal care and gynecology. It is legal in this country to temporarily practice volunteer medicine. No visa is required if the visit is less than 60 days.

Medical Equipment

For those interested in supporting this pioneering work in other ways, the team accepts donations of working medical equipment that is no longer needed in the U.S. The most urgent needs are a portable ultrasound machine, ophthalmoscope, and colposcope.

Financial Contributions

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is a short-term financial need for food distribution and medications. The team is currently giving about $2000 per month in aid beyond their usual budget. One-time gifts and grants, as well as long-term giving, are all welcome.

For more information: All inquiries can be addressed to Glenn at: glenn.ilc.communications@gmail.com.

Other Partnering Opportunities

Navigators in the Philippines are serving many young people and children in impoverished locations. Through discipleship that addresses the spiritual, physical, and emotional aspects of children’s lives, a Navigator non-profit called Community Hope Alternatives, Inc. (CHAI) is carrying the Gospel to a new generation. You can read a full article about this effort by clicking on this link. Asia-Pacific leaders seek financial support of five (5) CHAI staff, $100 each or $500 per month Funding for training ad projects, a one-time gift of $2,000 English-speaking laborers with heart for the poor and who have some business background. For more information, please write to glenn.ilc.communications@gmail.com.

Help is needed for the crisis in Venezuela: Please join a prayer team and/or provide financial assistance for Venezuelan Navigator families who are weathering the economic and political storm.