The Least of These

Jesus calls us to care for "the least of these".

Alive in Him and resting in His love, the mercy we receive is a gift to be shared.

Across the globe, Crossway international workers are the hands and feet of Jesus, speaking and showing His love to “the least of these.” As a sending church, we currently support an international staff of 71 workers in 25 nations including Australia. Help us continue this vital work and demonstrate God’s love for “the least of these.”

Rani

I met Rani when she was working at a bed and breakfast run by some people of peace. God had lifted her up from a background of poverty, physical abuse and assault at the hands of her alcoholic husband.

Rani

I met Rani when she was working at a bed and breakfast run by some people of peace. God had lifted her up from a background of poverty, physical abuse and assault at the hands of her alcoholic husband. She was a Christian and attended church when her husband was away, but she had not experienced knowing that God is with her, loves her, sees her and hears her. So we joined with her and local leaders to pray for her and her alcoholic husband.

I had to return to Melbourne, but kept in touch on how Rani was going. A couple of months passed and there was a national festival, with the whole country in holiday mode. Day wage earners like Rani’s husband had no work for ten days, and Rani and her children were terrified in anticipation of the violence and abuse this would entail.

Her husband came home prepared with his stash of alcohol. On the first day of the festival, he attempted to drink but found he could not do so. His body rejected the alcohol, making him quite ill. He confided with his wife and began a journey of discovering God for himself.

These days, the family prays together. Rani’s husband asks her to lay her hand on him and pray before he leaves for work. He attends church with them when he is not working. Rani is talking about Jesus with others in the community. She meets with them to pray and do Discovery Bible Method. Rani’s life is an amazing example of the transforming work of God.

"Rani’s life is an amazing example of the transforming work of God."

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

Matthew 25:40

Prayer is our foundation - Spensor & Karen

In 2016 my husband and I went to Sri Lanka to pray and ask God to show us people of peace.

Prayer is our foundation - Spencer & Karen

In 2016 my husband and I went to Sri Lanka to pray and ask God to show us people of peace. Our initial contact person was a lady in Colombo, who introduced us to two women who wanted to learn about Disciple Making Movements (DMM), and how to make disciples in their context. So Spenser and I spent that one month training these ladies.

The following year, I went back to Sri Lanka to track with the ladies. We decided to go to central Sri Lanka to prayer walk and ask God to show us people of peace. It so happened that the husband and wife hosts of our homestay accommodation turned out to be key people. They were Christians originally from a Buddhist background, and they had a heart for connecting with people from Buddhist and Hindu backgrounds. They were well connected and respected in the community. When we shared our story they asked us to coach them in DMM, so when I returned to Melbourne, Spensor and I started coaching them on a smartphone app. We prayed together. They shared the vision of Disciple Making Movements and started engaging in the harvest, using DMM strategies that were relevant in their context and culture. Three other couples joined what became a team. The original couple, in turn, started training these couples. And they engaged together in the harvest among their relational networks. There are so many incredible stories of how each of these individuals are living out the Gospel, sharing their faith and leading others on a journey of discovery, using the Discovery Bible Method.

COVID happened and church could no longer meet in person. Today, as many as 40 people (and growing) meet online to pray, every day, from 4:30am to 6:00am. A majority of these people are new believers who have experienced God in supernatural and incredibly personal ways. A move of God is gaining momentum. The Gospel is spreading in central Sri Lanka, and other places, through these relational pathways that are getting hard to track. We are so privileged to have a glimpse, albeit from a distance, into a growing Disciple Making Movement as the Holy Spirit moves in powerful ways to reveal Jesus and transform lives in communities.

"A move of God is gaining momentum."

Shanti

In 2018, a local team in Sri Lanka wanted to run a Christmas Outreach program for children in two rural villages. One village was majority Buddhist, the other majority Hindu.

Shanti

In 2018, a local team in Sri Lanka wanted to run a Christmas Outreach program for children in two rural villages. One village was majority Buddhist, the other majority Hindu. The team asked if we would donate some gifts for the children, so some of our family and friends donated about 70 small gifts which we shipped over from Melbourne.

Around 100 children attended the program in both villages, along with adults from their families. They had the opportunity to hear the Christmas story and many wanted to know more and asked for prayer. Shanti, a twelve year old girl, indicated that she wanted to follow Jesus and learn more about Him. The next year, our team leaders started to disciple her. She became a believer and subsequently her father, grandparents and two younger brothers became believers as well.

Enter 2020 and Shanti was diagnosed with bone cancer. The local team journeyed with the family, praying with them, practically supporting them and Shanti through the painful season of treatment and finally as her leg was amputated. Shanti shared that all she wanted to do was tell as many people as she could about Jesus before she died.

Shanti died in April 2021, just 1.5 years after coming to faith. Throughout this time the team built an amazing rapport with the Hindu village in which she lived. The village was hostile to Christian ceremonies and Christians in general, but the village and relatives from surrounding villages attended Shanti’s Christian funeral service. They heard Shanti’s story, as well as the Gospel message. To date, 10-12 families have indicated interest in learning about Jesus and are asking the team to visit and pray in their homes.

A young girl, a relative of Shanti from another Hindu village, expressed interest in knowing Jesus because she saw how Shanti lived. Through this young girl, opportunity has opened up for the team to visit her village. The team has asked us to pray that they would connect with people prepared by God, spiritually hungry people who will be the inside leaders.

The harvest is always around us. Shanti did not have any idea of the eternal impact of her life and walk with Jesus. She influenced her family, her friends and her village, and now, after her death the multiplication process continues.

"Shanti did not have any idea of the eternal impact of her life and walk with Jesus."

Our appeal target is $300,000.

The funds we raise through this appeal will be distributed to our Crossway missions program (80%) and Global Interaction Australia (20%). With your help, together we can continue this vital work and demonstrate God’s love for “the least of these.”