Keep the Gospel at Your Fingertips

16 April, 2026

In 2009, my wife and I looked around and saw nothing but lost people, millions of them. We were in Mosul, Iraq, and the reality of the gospel was pressing in on our hearts like never before. We didn’t know what we were going to do, but we knew we needed to do something. The Lord called us to the Upper Amazon Basin.

After three and a half years of service, we decided to come home from the mission field without having completed the mission. The people group we set out to reach with the gospel of Christ is still unreached. They are still dead in their sins and in great need of a Savior. We were broken; absolutely crushed. It feels like we’ve failed.

No one will write a book about us. People will not tell our story at missions conferences.

We are going home, settling back into a normal routine of work and life — and licking our wounds for the foreseeable future. We gave everything to the mission. I won’t go into details here, nor will I make us out to be martyrs. I will simply say that we have counted the cost of missions as a family in every conceivable way, from finances to our health (physically, emotionally, and spiritually).

God Will Complete His Mission

I’m thankful to be a member of a healthy church that will remind my family and me of that truth. As Christians, the presence of the body is crucial during times like these.

We need to be hugged, cried with, preached to, and resourced to help us start over again. This is why Christianity is not a journey to be taken alone. This is why Jesus saves us as part of his bride.

The more the church cares for my family, the deeper the grief we feel for the peoples of the Upper Amazon Basin who still don’t have one. But the more we look into God’s word, the more confidence we have that God’s mission will still be completed, even though we now know that that means that this particular initiative will be completed without us.

The more the church cares for my family, the deeper the grief we feel for the peoples of the Upper Amazon Basin who still don’t have one.
But the more we look into God’s word, the more confidence we have that God’s mission will still be completed.
Even though we now know that that means that this particular initiative will be completed without us.

✦ ✦ ✦

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Can. 476 Whenever the correct governance of a diocese requires it, the diocesan bishop can also appoint one or more episcopal vicars, namely, those who in a specific part of the diocese or in a certain type of affairs or over the faithful of a specific rite or offer certain groups of persons possess the same ordinary power which a vicar general has by universal law, according to the norm of the following canons.

Can. 478 §1. A vicar general and an episcopal vicar are to be priests not less than thirty years old, doctors, or licensed in canon law or theology or at least truly expert in these disciplines, and recommended by sound doctrine, integrity, prudence, and experience in handling matters.

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As we prepare for His coming at Christmas, how are we preparing our hearts, and what might we need to change during this time of waiting?

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For Small Christian Communities  
Conversion is not only personal endeavour, but also something we live together as a community. How are we supporting one another in this journey, and how are we as a community turning back to God?
For Ministry 
Planning is essential in ministry, but it is just as important to involve the Lord in our preparations. How can we make sure Jesus is part of our plans, so that He leads us to where He wants us to be?
For Family
 As a family, how can we move beyond our usual routines this Advent and plan ways to be more ready to receive the Lord Jesus?

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Fr. John Doe, OFM

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  
– Matthew 28:19-20

Key Resources

The framework of a missionary Parish

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The framework of a missionary Parish

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Resources with description

Friar Michael shared how St Mary of the Angels parish transformed its approach to hospitality after COVID-19. The session provided practical strategies from St Mary's experience for creating genuine connections and inclusivity.