The Schafers: Mission to the World
Long-time Grace Chapel members Jason and Mandy Schafer, along with their two boys Finn and Gus, are serving as long-term missionaries with Mission to the World (MTW) in Tokyo, Japan. MTW is the missions arm of the Presbyterian Church in America. Jason graduated with his Master of Divinity in 2015 from Covenant Theological Seminary and is a teaching elder in the PCA.
Tokyo, Japan is the largest city in the world with 38 million people. It is one of the most influential cities in Japan, Asia and the world, culturally and economically. Yet, it is one of the most Christ-less cities in the world. Only 0.2% of Japanese people profess faith in Christ. Most have never met a Christian or heard the hope of the Gospel.
The Schafers long to see Christ redeem both the beauty and brokenness of Japan. The Japanese are diligent, hospitable, and loyal, yet many struggle with isolation, depression and hopelessness. As part of the church-planting team in Tokyo, they are working alongside Japanese leaders and fellow missionaries to establish communities of faith, bringing Gospel hope to where there is none.
Dale & Lori Taylor: Tarahumara New Testament Translation
Dale and Lori received their missionary training under New Tribes Mission, now known as Ethnos 360 and went to Mexico in 1981. In 1985 they were invited to work among the Tarahumara Indigenous people of the Sierra Madre mountains in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The next 10 years were spent in language and culture learning and evangelism. In 1995 the gospel took root and a church was born. Dale and Lori remained there until 2000. For the next 15 years they lived in Norfolk, NE and then moved to Lincoln in order to be closer to family as well as to have more time to develop Bible materials for the Tarahumara believers.
In 2019, Dale was approved for Bible Translation under Ethnos 360 and received training and equipping under their translation consultant program. Dale began to work on the New Testament in 2020 and has the goal of completing it by 2030. Dale is also a certified legal interpreter with the Nebraska Judiciary and income from this helps pay the bills. However, in order to meet his goal of completing the N.T. in 10 years, he needs to be funded by people and churches that will unite with this vision. If God should put this on your heart, you can support this N.T. translation by clicking on this link, ---- which will take you to the website for Lifepoint church in Norfolk, NE. This is their commissioning church, and a tax deductible receipt will be issued.
Juniper Refuge | Lincoln, NE
Juniper Refuge is a para-church ministry that seeks to provide refugee-status residents and Christians the opportunities to make genuine connections with one another. They provide platforms through which Americans and refugees can engage with one another in mutual interests, grow in understanding of one another, and create lasting friendships. They strive to bring along more Americans to become bridges for vulnerable refugees that they might thrive in America, knowing that we grow and are changed by understanding our refugee neighbors more deeply.