Our names are Simon and Eleanor Stevens and we are based in Timaru, New Zealand. We are in our mid 50s and have a grown up family of 5 kids aged from 26-31 and 3 grandsons aged 6 months - 3 years. Simon is a builder, but like many Kiwi guys he can do a bit of most things, and Eleanor is a registered nurse and presently works as a staff educator at a rest home complex.

Prayer has been offered for Thailand for over 180 years, since Protestant missionaries came to Thailand. For many, the progress has been slow. Yet, in the 27 years that I have served in Thailand the Church has doubled in size, not once, but twice! Growing at 5% per year, the Church doubles in 14 years. This is not dramatic growth but significant growth! An avalanche is dramatic. A glacier moves slowly yet affects the landscape markedly. Sometimes we want God to answer with an avalanche but he gives a glacier.

When most people head overseas with their family, the plan is to relax and take in the sights. Not so for Daryl and Jenni from Maungaraki Baptist. They wanted a trip which would be an experience they and their children wouldn’t soon forget – so they contacted Rachel Murray at Mission World.

We all have our stories. Individually, they could just be our experiences but when they are viewed as a whole they become an amazing tapestry of God’s glory in Nigeria. Each individual has been shaped through encounters with God and others, has journeyed through pain, frustration and joy to become part of God’s purpose. Let’s join the dots of a few of these to see the big picture.

This morning as I eat breakfast the perspiration is running down my face, soaking into my clothes. And it is only 6:30am! Already I am hot and sticky. Come to think of it, I woke up hot and sticky. Furthermore, I was hot and sticky when I went to bed last night. Welcome to Puerto Rico. It is HOT. And sticky.

I grew up as a missionary kid in PNG but never considered that I myself would ever take the path my parents had. However, after attaining my nursing degree and working for a few years as a nurse in Auckland Hospital, I was hungry for an adventure and had reached a point in my walk with Jesus where I wanted to explore my faith a bit more and try my hand at a ‘missional’ life.

How do you pray for a Bibleless People Group? Pray by Faith. “I will build my church.” Matt. 16:18"

Ruth gives an insight into her gifts in administration and how they fit into the big picture of mission. “I would like to bust a myth…There is no such thing as a ‘normal’ week in the office, and even a ‘normal’ day defies description.“I would like to bust a myth…There is no such thing as a ‘normal’ week in the office, and even a ‘normal’ day defies description."