BACKGROUND
Ben: Born and raised in Germany
Burgi: Born and raised in Germany. By profession, I am a language teacher. I have lived in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Egypt, and Cyprus. My husband and I are discipling young people on their way with the Lord. We also help start churches in the countries where we do ministry.

CONVERSION EXPERIENCE:
Ben: Although I was raised in a liberal Lutheran congregation, I had a chance to go to an evangelistic summer camp when I was 14 years old. A year later, I went again and was deeply moved by the commitment and prayer of the believers at the camp. Shortly after, I gave my life to Christ. Big family fights started about this time, but Jesus helped me through it all and called me to work intensely with people.

Burgi: I came to the Lord as a teenager and was delivered from a lot of darkness. Very soon after that, I sensed His calling “for more.” God has taken me through tough training thus far.

IM CO-WORKERS:

• Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria staff and interns.

MINISTRY FOCUS:
Staff/interns care in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Ukraine. (No direct ministry in Syria and Cyprus at the moment.)

GREATEST HOPES IN MINISTRY:
Branching out national leaders who grow in maturity and consistency.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Our teams in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Ukraine need daily protection
2. We personally need much wisdom as we walk with our staff through tough times, especially in Lebanon.
3. Special sensitivity and wisdom while serving among the “majority” people in the above countries.
4. Evangelistic English Youth Camps in Lebanon and Egypt. Also Family/ Marriage Camps in Lebanon and Egypt.

To Print, CLICK HERE

About Us:
Since 2013, Cornerstone for Life Pregnancy Resource Center has served our community with compassionate care for women, men, and families making pregnancy decisions. Our mission statement, Offering HOPE & HEALING: Honoring LIFE through the Gospel, has guided every decision we make. Because every person is valuable, each individual who comes through our doors receives the highest quality care in a comfortable, hope-filled environment. Through Cornerstone for Life Pregnancy Resource Center, critical partners have helped us serve hundreds of clients in the last 8 years. 

Our Commitment:
We are supported by individuals, churches, and the local community, so we are able to provide our services free of charge.

We are an affiliate of Care Net, an organization that supports one of the largest networks of pregnancy centers in North America with more than 2.8 million clients served since 2008.  

BACKGROUND:
Darwin: Raised on a farm in northwest Iowa and the youngest of four children. He attended two years of Bible School at Trinity Western College in Langley, British Columbia, and Northwestern Bible College in Roseville, Minnesota, and received his B.S. in Dairy Science, with a minor in Christian Education, from North Dakota State University in 1975. For the first 13 years after college, he was involved in the dairy industry by owning his own herd of Holsteins, managing a dairy research farm for several years, and working as a management consultant for dairy farmers. In 1990, God moved them out of that career and led them into ministry through their long-time friendship with the Rasmussons, who founded International Messengers. Darwin continues to devote one day monthly to dairy consulting to keep him current with the dairy industry.

Darlis: Raised in central North Dakota, one of four children, also in a home where her parents loved the Lord and actively shared their faith with their family and friends. She received her A.A. in Biblical Studies from Trinity Western College in Langley, British Columbia, in 1974. Darlis spent the early years of their marriage—before kids—in secretarial jobs for a junior high school and an insurance company. Now she travels full-time with Darwin, therefore, her time at home or in the IM Home Ofce, is limited. She is most at home in her kitchen, cooking, entertaining, and preserving fruits and vegetables. She also enjoys sewing, her grandkids, and reading. However, she doesn’t get as much time with these hobbies as she’d like!

CONVERSION EXPERIENCE:
Darwin: I was raised in a home where Jesus Christ and God’s Word were both honored. I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was nine years old after viewing a movie on the life of Tony Fontaine. Initially, it was basically “free insurance,” but later, in high school, my walk with Jesus was deepened by the prayers and example of my youth group leaders. Through all my growing-up years there were several people praying and contributing towards my spiritual growth.

Darlis: I was raised in a home where my parents were godly Christians, and we attended church faithfully. As an eight-year-old, during a week at Bible camp, I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior after realizing I didn’t have a story on Testimony Night. I struggled for years with the assurance of my salvation because I didn’t see any significant changes and hadn’t “felt” any change. I received that assurance six years later at an
evangelistic crusade in our hometown. There, I understood that my salvation was an act of faith and not of feeling and that by faith, I could believe that Christ died for my sins and that I was truly forgiven by grace. Since that time, I have been seeking to grow and walk with Christ daily, and desire to know Him better.

MINISTRY FOCUS:
Darwin has been president of International Messengers since the death of its founder, Bob Rasmusson, in November 2003. He works in staff leadership and care, administrative oversight, missionary training, development of teaching resources and Bible studies for camps, and recruitment and training of short-term ministry teams from the US. He and Darlis also minister to churches through missionary conferences and pulpit fill, lead ministry teams overseas, and enjoy marriage enrichment ministry. Darlis assists Darwin in his duties as President and supports him administratively. She gives direction in the Home Office, helps plan the annual staff conferences, gives direction to the scheduling of training, speaks for women’s groups, and is involved with Darwin in staff care, administrative decisions, and ministries at conferences and churches. Their extensive travel schedule stateside and overseas keeps them on the road 38-42 weekends per year.

GREATEST HOPES IN MINISTRY:

• To be the sweet aroma of Jesus to everyone we come in contact with.
• To see our neighbors come to Christ.
• To see the North American churches regain their heart for evangelism.
• To see lots of short-term teams flled to capacity, to be able to travel and do camps, and to see the Gospel spread.
• To lead and serve well, with humility, grace, and love.
• To be available when the Lord asks us to be and not “protect” our schedule.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Good health, stamina, and safety in our rigorous travel schedule
2. For a hunger to go deeper in loving and serving God
3. Wisdom in daily decisions at home, in the office, and for our staff.
4. Please pray that our staff would be bold in planning/requesting ministry teams and that we’d be able to motivate and mobilize the church in America to send people cross-culturally. Fear and comfort have overtaken the need to go and share the Gospel

SPECIAL REQUESTS:

1. Ability to balance ministry and family needs Integrity and passion in our personal walk with God
2. That our kids will live “ministry as a way of life.”
3. That our grandchildren would grow up to love Jesus

To Print, CLICK HERE

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is an international organization that reaches out to coaches and athletes from the youth level to professionals across the globe with the hope of the gospel. FCA’s mission is to lead coaches & athletes into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. Their strategy is to make disciples by engaging, equipping & empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ and lead others to do the same.

Northwest Iowa FCA has gained momentum in recent years through the leadership of Adam Timmerman of Cherokee. He has respected influence & a powerful platform as a former NFL player. Adam has gathered a group of men who have lived and worked in Northwest Iowa for many years and have deep spheres of influence as well.

Roger Sommerlot is the inside man who is well acquainted with school systems in our local area, having taught & coached in this area for over 3 decades. He coached at national FCA camps during dozens of summers. Roger and his wife, Geri have hosted a local student huddle in their home weekly for many years. Roger’s outreach has traditionally been open to all students and teachers—not just athletes & coaches.

Retiring from teaching in 2020, Roger became an FCA Area Representative. He works hard to build on existing relationships to make eternal impacts. Roger’s outgoing personality thrives while encouraging and interacting with students, coaches, teachers, & administrators in local school districts. Several of these individuals have become mobilized volunteers—now leading their own student or adult huddle. These volunteers multiply the times the gospel is shared and lives are changed.

Fellowship Of Christian Athletes Website, CLICK HERE

BACKGROUND:
Florin: I was born and raised in Pitesti, Romania. I come from a big family where I had the opportunity to learn a lot of things from my older siblings. I went to a Christian high school but also worked during my school years to help support my family and myself. When I finished school, I had to work, and God blessed me with a really good job. I worked for two years at that job while also serving in my church. Then God changed my direction to go and serve in Ukraine. This meant leaving behind my family, friends, personal desires, and plans for the future to go to a place where I didn’t know anyone, anything, or even the language. All I could do was trust the Lord with what He was asking me to do.

Avery: I grew up in a little Hispanic community in central California. I was homeschooled and am the second oldest of eight.

CONVERSION EXPERIENCE:
Florin: I grew up in a Christian family, but it was not until 2000 that I received Christ in a personal way. In the summer of 2000, I went to a church where the pastor was speaking about giving your life to Christ. He challenged everyone that if they had prayed to accept the Lord into their lives before but were still unsure if they were saved, they could come forward and begin a new life with the Savior. Growing up in the church, I had heard this message before and had prayed such a prayer, but it was at this time that I was convicted of sin in my life and realized that I had to come clean before God through Jesus. After that, my life started to change radically. My purpose became to please Him with my life as I serve and work for Him.
Avery: I grew up in a Christian home and I believed with a childlike faith in Jesus at a very young age, but it was not until later that I really committed my life to the Lord. When I was in my early teens, I went through a really hard time. My mom became seriously ill. We discovered a serious mold situation in our house, and so we were without a home for about a year. My family moved away from my Hispanic hometown to northern California, and I lost my friends and everything I knew. In this difficult time, I began to question my faith and everything I had grown up believing. I was lonely, hurting, confused, depressed, and had no purpose in my life. The Lord, in His mercy, did not leave me alone, but instead, He drew me to Himself when I had nowhere else to turn. Even though I knew so much truth in my mind, I needed to really take it by faith as a part of my own personal life rather than just the faith of my parents. I began reading the Bible and trying to find the answers to my questions. One day the Lord showed me through His Word, in a very real way, that He was alive and really did love me! That was a turning point in my life. The Lord pulled me from my hopelessness and gave me hope. Since then my relationship with the Lord has increasingly grown. He became the reason for my life, and my desire to serve Him with my whole life continues to increase.

MINISTRY FOCUS:
We are serving in Bucharest, Romania, primarily among the Muslim immigrant/refugee population here. We are also disciplining Romanian nationals, as it is a way of life for us.

GREATEST HOPES IN MINISTRY:
We desire to see a solid and consistent team of believers who work together for the same eternal goal of reaching the lost in the M community so that a consistent Bible study group in Arabic would be re-established.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Spiritual and physical protecton for our family amidst the intense spiritual batle that we are contnually in.
2. For wisdom as we disciple others through many difficult life situations. May the Lord Jesus reach the hearts of His children and bring transformation.
3. That we would be filled with wisdom, peace, and hope as we navigate the many restrictions here in this season and that we would be faithful witnesses to the lost around us

To print, CLICK HERE

About Us:
GoServ Global shares God’s love by responding to disasters, empowering sustainable community development, and creating world change through hands-on involvement.

Co-founded in 2011 by an Iowa farmer and a missionary in the wake of a devastating earthquake in Haiti, GoServ Global is a non-denominational faith-based organization that provides essential humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable communities around the world. GoServ Global transforms the lives of the impoverished by providing for basic human needs, developing local leadership and establishing sustainable communities. Those who volunteer for GoServ Global missions seek to serve those in need and find their own lives transformed by the experience.

BACKGROUND:
Zoli: I was born in Hungary. I am a Baptist pastor and church planter.
Helga: I was born in Hungary. I teach English and organize evangelizing events.

CONVERSION EXPERIENCE:
Helga: I was raised in a non-Christian home, and I first heard about real Christianity at a concert when I was 16. Two years later, after attending an evangelistic event, I invited Jesus into my heart. The real turning point came in 1993 when I went to an IM English Camp. I have lived a committed Christian life ever since.
Zoli: I was raised in a solid Christian home with seriously committed parents. I have gone to a Baptist church since my birth. At the age of 15, Christ’s love and sacrifice personally spoke to my heart, and I came to Christ. I have lived a committed Christian life ever since. Our children, Rebeka and Laura, are both born-again Christians! This is a great blessing for us!

IM CO-WORKERS:

• István and Kati Vágó

MINISTRY FOCUS:
We have been ministering in Mohács, Hungary, for 19 years. This includes a church plant, youth group ministry, adult Bible studies, and Evangelistic English Language Camps. We are blessed to witness a spiritual hunger and growth in our youth group and a growing interest in our adult Bible study group.

GREATEST HOPES IN MINISTRY:
Our desire is to expand our ministry in a location that serves this purpose better. We want to take good care of all the souls that have been touched by God’s love so far, as well as provide more opportunities to help seekers come to Christ.

BACKGROUND:
I was raised in a large family of non-believers in Plainville, Connecticut. I quit school at a young age to get married. Ten years into a difficult marriage, I trusted Jesus as my Savior, and He changed my life. A year later, my husband came to faith in Jesus, and then a number of my family members came to believe in Jesus. Twelve years later, my husband went to be with Jesus.I attended a university while working in a trauma unit of a local hospital. During the summers of 1995, 1997, and 1998, I was a short-term missionary to Hungary, teaching English at Word of Life Camp. I believed God was calling me to Hungary full-time. I attended a Bible school there for two years. After attending Mountainside Ministry
Training Center (MMT) in Libby, Montana, I came to serve full-time in Kaposvar in 2002 and am still serving here.

CONVERSION EXPERIENCE:
One day, while I was contemplating divorcing my husband, I received a telephone call from a lady whom I didn’t really know. She was having Bible lessons with a few Cub Scouts (my son being one of them) and decided to call us parents and share the Gospel with us. She shared that God loved me and that Jesus died for me. Romans 5:8 got my attention, and that day, I asked Jesus to come into my life. With no follow-up, it took a couple of
years before I asked Him to be Lord of my life. I started reading my Bible, praying, and taking my children to Sunday School and church. A year later, my husband received Christ, and we started serving the Lord together (ministering to young people and being involved with other church ministries) until he was called Home over 30 years ago.

MINISTRY FOCUS:
At present, I am Serving with a European Organization called Compass. The send volunteers to Hungary between the ages of 18-30 so they can learn about and appreciate other cultures. I have been serving with this organization for several years. I mentor three at a time but I also was asked to share my personal faith with Jesus Christ. At first, I prayed. I invite them over for meals and special American holidays. I also have special times with the young ladies, like nails, makeup, etc. I also serve with the International Students at the University in town and some who attend the University in Budapest. I serve them in the same way.

GREATEST HOPES IN MINISTRY:
My greatest hope is that the Holy Spirit will draw them to Jesus Christ. I pray that God’s Word will take root in their hearts. I offer them God’s word in Arabic and Turkish. Just these past few weeks, I gave seven Turkish Bibles to girls. I believe these days will be the greatest to share Jesus.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. For the people we have been ministering to for many years—that they would come to know Christ.
2. For the people who have come to know Christ—that they would grow in their faith and that we would know how to help them grow.
3. For guidance for us to know-how and where to continue our ministry.

To Print, CLICK HERE

Hidden Acresh Christian Center
Dayton, IA

About Us:
Hidden Acres is a camp and conference center that was purchased in 1979 by the Central District Evangelical Free Churches. Today, we have more than 60 buildings, housing over 800 guests, and a dining hall that seats over 1,000 people. Hidden Acres offers many enjoyable activities, including an indoor pool and hot tub, gym, game rooms, snack shop & gift shop, lake & point, blob, 410-ft waterslide, sledding hill, climbing tower, zip line, giant swing, horse rides, hiding paths and much much more!

What is our mission?
To glorify God is service to mankind through organizing, conducting & scheduling Biblical camping and retral programs that urge commitment to Christ, nurture Christian character, encourage daily Christian service worldwide, and strengthen family life in a wholesome natural environment.  Hidden Acres wants to be a place set apart to encounter Jesus.

BACKGROUND:
Sasha was born and raised in a Jewish family in Odessa, Ukraine.

CONVERSION EXPERIENCE:
Sasha: When I was fifteen years old, I met a wonderful missionary couple, Ben and Burgi Oehler, who were ministering to Jewish people in Odessa. As they ministered through the Jewish Association, the Lord brought them into my life when they began to visit my Jewish grandmother. During that time, I had many questions about God. By God’s grace, He answered my questions in a special way through my relationship with them.
When I met Ben, I wasn’t looking to develop a friendship with him, but a couple of days after meeting him, God gave me a special desire to meet and talk with him. We started a wonderful conversation and for hours, he explained a lot of things to me about new life
through Jesus Christ that God provided for everyone—including me! So, at that moment, with huge pleasure, I decided to accept Him. God completely changed my life. I later had a wonderful opportunity to attend one of International Messengers’ English camps in Poland. After that, we started a small youth group in Odessa. After a while, it grew, and now it has become a church.

Lena: When I was 10 years old, we moved to Odessa, where my parents became acquainted with the family of Ben and Burgi Oehler. A friend invited me to one of the Oehlers’ English camps. There, I learned about God and His relation to me and accepted Christ as my Savior! But my life did not change! Then I went to camp again, and I decided to “follow” Him, even though I really did not understand what that meant. I started attending the youth group, church, and prayer meetings. Thinking about it now, I realize that my involvement was all just for the sake of something or someone, but not for God’s sake.
I knew that everything I was hearing was slowly changing my heart and my life, but I was still not giving all areas of my life to God. I understood that this could not continue. I may have been able to deceive others and myself, but if I were to have a relationship with God, this would not work for Him! It was simply impossible! He knows the heart of a man, and of course, He knew my heart. So, He changed my heart! I repented again, this time seriously and decisively. God changes lives only when we allow Him to. He worked in my life. He gave me confidence of salvation and delight from the fact that I am a daughter of the living God! Now, I am learning to listen and understand His Word for me. I want to live for His will and His Glory! He has blessed me with a wonderful husband and wonderful children.

IM CO-WORKERS:

• Ron Winkler

MINISTRY FOCUS:

• Pastor of the church (Light Christian Fellowship).
• Currently helping refugees and older people with food supplies in our church and sharing the Gospel with them.
• Summer English camps
• Winter discipleship camps

GREATEST HOPES IN MINISTRY:
Our hope is that as many people as possible that are coming to our church to get help, would hear and be comforted by the love and Gospel of our Savior

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Please pray that this war would be ended as soon as possible
2. For us as a church, to be an effective tool in God’s hands towards whom we serve
3. Please pray for us as a family—for God’s guidance.

To Print, CLICK HERE

Our Mission:
The Bridge strives to care and advocate for Storm Lake youth in vulnerable places of life by meeting them where they are, building a supportive community there, and providing training toward a more hope-filled future.

Our Core Values: 
To invite young people into a loving relationship with Jesus Christ • To be examples of Jesus' grace and justice in our everyday living • To live justly and minister holistically • To invest and connect youth in multiple long-term and supportive relationships • To meet youth where they are with support and love • To raise up leaders among youth of all backgrounds • To affirm and support local churches, area schools, community organizations, and services that are devoted to caring for young people and meeting their needs • To share hospitality and friendship, encouraging relationships and understanding across cultures and backgrounds.

Lead Pastor – Tone has a radical testimony of a life saved and redeemed by Jesus. Tone has 6 kids and a great wife and ministry partner named Missy. Together, they have been in ministry for the last 23 years. About 9 years ago, Tone felt the call to start a Church that was focused on living out God’s Mission and living for God’s Kingdom. So in September of 2012, a small group of people met in Tone’s backyard for a BBQ and began to talk about Jesus and what it would look like to be a Community of people that started to Worship Jesus together, eat meals, and take communion together, Live on Gods Mission together and Love people in a tangible way together with their resources…especially the least of these. That's kinda how the W.E.L.L. began. Tone loves fishing and the Chicago Cubs. He loves strong coffee and sitting down with people and hearing their stories as well as sharing what God is doing.

What we do:

1: Worship

• Worship is at the heart of everything we do at the well! We do this out of brokenness. We humbly understand our great need for a savior. It is only when we can take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on the only one who is worthy of all our attention that we can truly worship God. God is a person with unlimited resoursces and he says, "i love you". He says, "I accept you, not because of what you have done, but because of who I am and who you have believed in." Jesus told the woman at the well that God was looking for worshippers. So, at The Well, our hope is that worship would not just be expressed in our music, but something we do with our whole lives. The Bible tells us to offer our bodies to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). When God stirs our hears and we begin to live differently and act in response to God's love, this becomes our spiritual act of worship

2: Eat

• There are many aspects of eating that are important to us at The Well. First of all, meals are a daily reminder of our common need for God and His faithfulness to provide both physically and spiritually to sustain us. The physical reality is that we cannot live without food, and the spiritual reality is that we cannot truly live without a relationship with God. Another reason we eat together is that Jesus called us to remember Him and His sacrifices for us through a meal. So when we eat together we remember what God has done for us through His son; we remember how God has come and given us new life. Then we celebrate and invite others to take and eat as we have. Finally, we believe God speaks to us through his work; that at The Well, the Bible is our food. 

3: Live

• At The Well, we believe that God has left us here on a mission. Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. Jesus said, “Just as the Father has sent me, I am sending you. At The Well, our desire is to live in such a way that we are on God’s mission all the time. That our lives are not fragmented but that our actions and words are all part of the life God has given us to live at work, with our families, and with our neighbors. John 14:12 – Jesus tells us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the Father.” At The Well, we believe that as we invest our life for God without fear of losing it, the life we find will be an “abundant” life. the words of Jesus are true, “if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.”

4: Love

• At The Well, we believe love has to go further than words. We believe that love has to go further than words. God could have shouted down from heaven and said, “I love you!” but He went further than that. He came and lived among us and did what a person who loves people does; He cared for people, healed people, told people the truth, and showed people what it looked like to be alive spiritually. At The Well, we believe that we are not just here to share good news but to “be” good news. Our goal is to “be” good news to our community and the people who live in it. We believe God’s love will be poured out as we make serving people in tangible ways a priority, especially as we serve the least of these.

The Well, CLICK HERE