June 2024
Interns and Making Disciples
We receive occasional requests from people wanting to know if they could intern at MAP. The answer is often yes, but only after the potential intern fills out an application, provides references, and interviews with us. Most do not work out; however, several have.
After a three-month internship at MAP, Stephanie Walters moved to Pennsylvania and started an Amish taxi service. We are continually blessed to hear how the Lord uses her to reach Amish with the gospel. To learn more about Stephanie, go to FeaMinistries.org/missions/walter.
Miranda Verheij, from the Netherlands, served a six-month internship with MAP on two separate occasions. Today, she is a regular writer for the Amish Voice publication. Later this year, Esther and I plan on visiting Miranda and her husband in the Netherlands.
In late October 2023, Alex Lyakhovets, in Florida, contacted MAP to inform us that he had found our website and was praying about an internship with us. By April 8, Alex had moved to Ohio and began serving with MAP. Alex has traveled with Esther and me, presenting the ministry. He has helped me with numerous individuals who are still Amish or have recently left the Amish. Alex is a natural when connecting with the local Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities in our area. He has invested many hours editing and preparing our Plowman’s Academy Bible study workbooks for our website.
After serving for one month, Alex said, “Joe, I believe the Lord wants me to commit to staying for two years or maybe forever.” All I could say was wow, I am feeling the same thing from God.
While the ministry has not paid Alex a salary during his internship, we will need to do so after he finishes his 90 days. While this requires a huge step of faith, we are all at peace that God will provide. If the Lord has blessed you with abundance, we encourage you to join us on this journey of faith and excitement. Your prayers are also greatly appreciated.
Next month, you will hear from Alex himself.
Mission Trip to Germany
In August 2022, Esther and I asked ten individuals to give us one year of their lives. Our goal and passion was to take these ten individuals through a Bible study course that taught all the doctrines of the faith. Last month, in May, we finally completed our final lesson.
During our year and a half of teaching and learning the doctrines of the faith, Esther and I were honored to officiate several weddings and do premarital counseling. From the beginning, we challenged each one; when we finish, we must take what we’ve learned and teach others—disciples making disciples.
Now that we have finished our discipleship study, our group wants to do one more thing before we disperse and go our separate ways. After much conversation and prayer, we felt God was leading us on a 10-day mission trip to Germany.
In all, 15 of us have committed to going to Germany from October 1 to 10. Getting there will cost us about $2,100 per person ($31,000 for the group). Some of us can afford the cost. Some cannot.
We have devised a plan to raise the necessary funds for our mission trip.
We will be making and selling up to 5,200 delicious, high-quality pizzas. Each pizza will sell for $13 and will contribute $6 toward our mission trip. These pizzas will be prepared with the utmost care, using the finest ingredients, and come pre-baked with love and excitement. Consider ordering enough to fill your freezer and share with your friends and family. We also extend this invitation to your entire church community.
Here are the two ways you can place your pizza orders:
- Call or email Michal at (419) 962-1515 / michal@mapministry.org
- Go to MapMinistry.org/Germany and place your order online (payment required at time of order)
We invite you to join our Facebook group and follow along as we make loads of pizzas and travel to and from Germany. There will be lots and lots of pictures.
Growing in Christ Academy
Growing in Christ Academy provides online Bible and ministry courses. We have almost one year’s worth of coursework developed so far, and more will be added soon. Each week, students work their way through the material, and then we meet on Zoom to discuss what we are learning and how it impacts our lives.
These Zoom calls are where we can share our insights and life experiences and learn from each other. They are a highlight of everyone’s week. I consistently hear that the learning comes to life in our group discussions.
The students find a lot of value in what they are learning and actively apply it as they learn. One student commented that the course content was very useful and very practical for the ministry they are starting. Another said, “This is the kind of learning I have been looking for, and I didn’t know where to find it.” He wants to review the course material again to take additional notes because he finds the information so valuable.
While there is a great need for this type of education, people from an Amish background are often hesitant about continuing education. Some of this hesitation likely stems from 500 years ago, when the only option for higher Biblical education was through the Catholic church—and that is who the Anabaptists were separating from because of corruption in the church and theology.
Another hesitation is that the value the broader American culture places on higher education conflicts with Amish values. The broader culture often values earning a degree for financial gain or status.
The value we offer in Growing in Christ Academy is a practically lived-out theology. As students study Scripture, they incorporate the lessons into their everyday lives and learn ministry skills as they go. The goal is to understand Scripture better, live it out, and be equipped to work with God in building His kingdom.
This type of learning—working alongside someone with knowledge and experience—is how Jesus taught His disciples. It is also a method familiar to the Amish, since many of their skills are learned through hands-on experience with others.
Pray for us as we continue to develop the Academy and for the students who are on this journey. Learning is a serious and challenging task, but also very rewarding as we work with God in expanding His kingdom.
