100 People Network

Profile by Sarah Vanhoose
Photo by Todd White

Grant and Brandi Duncan enjoy playing obscure European board games and are particularly fond of one in which the object of the game is to build railroads that connect faraway places.  As self-described planners, they delight in working together to develop a strategy to solve the problem and win the game.  In a twist of beautifully divine irony, the Duncans will soon be serving as the real-life pieces that connect the unreached people groups of Southeast Asia to Christ and his message of love. There they will have the opportunity to help translate the Bible into many native languages. 

Coming from Christian families, Brandi’s grandfather, aunt, uncle and sister were long-term missionaries, and Grant had participated in several short-term mission trips in college.  The two had foreseen short-term missions as a definite part of their married future, but it wasn’t until a year ago when they moved to Austin and took a Perspectives course that they began to consider the idea of long-term service abroad.  Their introduction to the 100 People Network also served as a means for God to reveal to them his heart for the nations and the reason they were called to go.

“What we’ve realized is that there is an obligation, a responsibility, for us as believers to share the gospel and we are gladly accepting that responsibility.” 

Reflecting on their history, they see God’s careful detail in bringing them together to ultimately glorify him in their lives and in their marriage. They met while serving together at a Christian organization on campus at a college in California and, as it turned out, Grant lived only one floor beneath Brandi.  He pursued a career in pharmaceuticals and Brandi completed her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology. They spent the first two years of married life in California and learned about the Austin Stone before their move last year; they listened to sermons online and were convinced even before their arrival to Austin that this was to be their new home church. 

As missionaries, they’re constantly confronted with the ever-popular question, “When did you feel called to go?”  They candidly struggle with an emotionally impacting response as their personal decision never involved an earth-shattering sign from above, but rather a steadily strengthening confirmation of where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing. 

“We’re very logical people, and we believe God gave us logic to make this decision.  This makes sense for us.” 

The blessing and calling that God has personalized for the Duncans is his undeniable creation of their availability and a freedom to make such a sizeable change. This has manifested itself in a number of ways: Grant’s contract with his employer just expired, their apartment lease is up, and Brandi has just completed school. 

Just having returned from training with their sending organization, God has magnified their passion for the mission at hand according to his impeccable timing. They have learned about the dire need for Bible translation in an area of the world in which Islam, fear and darkness permeate the culture. Grant and Brandi have seen the potential for their willingness to submit to the call stirring in the hearts of others, like the couple in their missional community that have prayed with them step in their process and are now making initial preparations for long-term service as well. 

Their fear of learning new languages is far outweighed by their conviction that they’d have much more to fear if they abstained from this calling of God on their lives. Brandi takes comfort in her mother’s old adage that proclaims, “The safest place for anyone is always where God wants them to be.” 

There is no doubt they’ll miss many things about life in Austin, but they radiate with excitement when considering what a blessing it will be for their full-time jobs to be so directly glorifying to God. The Duncans are uncertain about how long they’ll stay, only knowing it will be until God is properly introduced and his power is demonstrated to a people that need to know him. They plan to stay until the message of his unending love and complete omniscience is communicated to the people in this region in a language that they can understand. 

All the while, Grant and Brandi will make it clear that none of the victory in this real-life quest is of their own effort. They long to live in such a way that it’s said of them, “God must be with them, because there’s no way they could do any of that on their own.” 

Profile by Allicia Garza
Photo by Jen Crane

It was their hearts for the nations that first brought Scott and Shelly together at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

“It’s kind of neat when you meet somebody and they have that same unique interest as you do,” Shelly recounted. “It’s not every day when you can talk to somebody about your love for Africa.”

This love for Africa eventually led the two to Kenya. “It was on that trip that the Lord solidified that this was the person I was going to be serving with. This was the person I was going to marry,” Scott said.

They planned to adjust to married life here in the States for a year before embarking on the mission field, but God had other plans. “We were never on the same page about going,” Scott explained. “We prayed for God to [give us direction], and about a week later, The Austin Stone announced the launch of the 100 People Network.”

Though both Scott and Shelly had a heart for Africa, they had never thought about the possibility of serving in the Muslim cultures of North Africa. However, after learning more about the unreached people groups in the region, they began to pray seriously about serving there. Not long after they started praying, a friend asked them to consider taking a vision trip to a country in that area. “I didn’t even know where it was! I had to look it up!” Shelly confessed. “We didn’t have a clue about the lack of Christ’s presence in the Muslim world. God very much showed us while we were there that what we had always assumed about our lives wasn’t necessarily his plan.”

After that trip, the two knew the place they would be serving. They quickly connected with a team of families that were interested in going to the same region and started learning everything they could about the culture. Despite the peace that they’ve experienced about their move across the world, the two admitted they will have to make some difficult adjustments.

“In Muslim culture, it is unheard of for the man to be seen cooking, and I love to cook,” Scott acknowledged. “Maybe I’ll try to take up fishing instead!”

Along with Scott’s cooking, the couple said they would miss simple things such as Austin restaurants, air conditioning, and the constant love and support they receive from friends and family.

“The support we’ve had from our friends and community here is amazing. I can’t imagine taking a huge step like this without that [support],” Shelly said.

The couple believes the support they’ve received is evidence of the entire body of Christ at work. “You don’t have to be a goer to be a part of the 100 People Network. There are 100 people going, but there are hundreds more people supporting [them]. The goers aren’t any more important than the senders or mobilizers. You have to have every part working in cohesion.”

With the support of their loved ones and with a baby on the way, the couple is confident that the Lord has big things in store for their family and for North Africa. “He doesn’t have us going there for no purpose,” Shelly said. “We have to believe that what we’re doing is making an eternal investment.”

“I’m excited to see God fulfill his promises in my own life and on a global scale,” Scott added. “To uproot my family and move to the desert—there’s no hope in that unless you believe God’s promise to bring all nations to himself. If I didn’t believe that, there would be no hope in going.” 

[from Desiring God]

Profile by Casey Henegar
Photo by Jami Sall

Lillian remembers having a deep desire for community and fellowship at a young age. Although she attended church with her great grandmother or neighbors on a sporadic basis, the desire for her immediate family to attend together was always near to her heart.

After moving to a new city, Lillian was able to regularly attend church with one of her middle school teachers. She started attending the youth group and, at summer camp, she truly heard the gospel for the first time.

Trusting in the power of her new faith, Lillian began a pursuit of perfection. But it wasn’t long until she found herself acting as moral police, correcting others and putting on her own disguise of excellence.

While her life appeared to be ideal from an outside perspective, Lillian’s world began to crack. Her great grandmother unexpectedly passed away and she was torn with grief and emotion. Reluctantly, she went to camp two days later where God revealed a specific calling on her life to go to the nations. For the first time, Lillian felt fully embraced and known by God.

The mask of perfection began falling away, but her journey was far from over.

In college, a snow-tubing accident left Lillian temporarily paralyzed. During her recovery, she endured physical restrictions on her body and struggled with depression, anxiety and fear. She withdrew from school and moved home … only to realize that fear had taken over.

Months later, as she was listening to the lyrics of a song, she came to a realization. “The Healer shall set you free, you’re free to dance.” Lillian knew she was free from fear.

After graduating from college, Lillian moved to the University of Hawaii where she began meeting and sharing her faith with a group of Asian doctoral students. Her heart hurt for these students; they so desperately wanted follow Jesus, but had great difficulty overcoming their cultural and familial barriers.

She returned to Austin for what she thought would be a few weeks, but has turned into five years. While waiting for clarity in her next steps, God showed her that she couldn’t continue casually waiting. Instead, he taught her that she should begin actively living the lifestyle he had called her to right here and now.

During this time, Lillian had a recurring dream that she was carrying a basket. In this dream, God wanted to give her a gift but he knew that she couldn’t carry both his gift and her basket. One night, she saw into the basket. Inside was everything she treasured in life: her job, dreams, family and friends. As Lillian held this basket close to her heart, God told her that she had to be willing to lay it down.

Reluctantly, she put the basket and its contents down. She quit her job without knowing what was next. It was after that moment of faithful obedience that God began to open doors.

As she shared with others what God was doing in her life, she was presented with a chance to move to Southeast Asia in order to share the gospel with people who have never heard the good news of Jesus. With pure joy, she embraced the opportunity.

After experiencing true community here in Austin, she believes that her role on the team in Southeast Asia will be to bring unity to a body of believers that serves others, while showing the unreached what biblical community can look like. Lillian will also serve through relationship building, community development, team administration and storytelling.

Lillian has a great love for children and hopes to develop a relationship with a local orphanage. As the church grows, she hopes God will use her to help families teach their children about Jesus.

This time, Lillian knows God is getting the attention, and she gets the honor of being a part of his story.

Desiring God: National Conference 2011

Finish the Mission: For the Joy of All Peoples Bringing the Gospel to the Unreached and Unengaged

/// September 23 – 25, 2011 | Minneapolis Convention Center | Minneapolis, MN ///

Plenary Speakers: Louie Giglio, David Platt, Michael Ramsden, Michael Oh, Ed Stetzer, John Piper

Seminar Speakers: Jeff Vanderstelt, Dave Harvey, Ed Stetzer, David Sitton, David Sills, Jason Mandryk

Registration

Registration received by July 29

$145 per person (save $40)

Registration received between July 30 and August 31

$170 per person (save $15)

Registration received between September 1 and September 16

$185 per person

Click here to register

Visit the Desiring God Conference Page for more information about Schedule, Speakers, Venue, Accommodations, and Resources.

Profile by Brian Lundin
Photo by Chris Hedlund

When he was a child, Cameron's mother had one single prayer for her son’s life; all she wanted was for him to follow God's will. It was a simple prayer, but it was that simple prayer that is now taking him to North Africa.

Preaching the gospel to an unreached people group in a foreign land was the farthest thing from his mind when Cameron walked into The Austin Stone Community Church for the first time. The look in his eyes and the confidence in his voice tell the story of a changed heart.

Before coming to Austin, Cameron was not walking with God. “I began to realize what a hypocrite I was, but I met a group of people here who really had a relationship with Jesus, who really knew him and loved him.”

This spoke to Cameron deeply and the change in his life began with simple, small steps. “I began to do the only thing I knew to do,” he said. “I began reading the Bible and telling God, ‘I want to know you more.’”

During his last summer as a college student, Cameron took advantage of a last-minute opportunity to spend his summer teaching English in the Czech Republic. His time among the Czech people confirmed a growing awareness that God was calling him to go and serve the nations. “God just opened this door and I jumped through it,” Cameron said. “But by the end of the summer, I knew I could do this for the rest of my life.”

On his way back to the United States, he made a stop in North Africa to stay with a friend. In hindsight, Cameron realized it was during this visit that his eyes were opened to see a truly unreached group of people in a place where the gospel is rarely preached. “In the five days I spent in North Africa, my heart was really drawn to that area,” he explained.

On the plane ride home, Cameron filled out an application to serve on the international missions team at the Austin Stone. A few weeks later, he had been selected and was starting his internship. While serving as an intern, Cameron met the leaders of a group that was preparing to go to North Africa and decided joined their team.     

In the midst of his final preparations, he knows that this call to go to the nations is not the end of a journey but, rather, the beginning of something much greater. “My time in the Czech Republic was a huge time of sanctification and growth in my faith. It’s not like [God] grew and sanctified me and then sent me out. It’s that I didn't know what I was doing. He sent me out and then used that to produce fruit in others and in my own life,”

Cameron’s first two years with his team in North Africa will be focused on learning the language and building relationships within the local community. He and his teammates are eager to fully immerse themselves in the culture of their new homeland. “Thirty years down the road, if we spent the first two years learning the language – and learning it well – it will be much more fruitful than if we did not.” After this intense time of language acquisition, the team will begin working to planting churches in one of the toughest areas of the region.

It was the words of Jesus in Scripture that helped Cameron say yes to God’s call, as well as to help calm any fears that may arise as he looks to the future.

“Behold, I will be with you always to the end of the age.”

It is with a distinct boldness Cameron claims, “When I read that, the Holy Spirit pierced my heart. It led me to a place of saying, ‘I want to be in a place where this is true for my life. Wherever that is, that’s where I want to be.’”

[from omf.org]

6 WAYS - MOBILIZE from K H on Vimeo.

MOBILIZE:

• Advocate for a people group or a cause.

• Invite friends to an internationally-focused class or event .

• Volunteer with a mission organization.

• Organize a small group with a global advocacy focus.

• Invite a friend to join you on a short-term trip.

• Help bring a global vision course like Perspectives on the World Christian Movement to your church.

• Invite The Traveling Team to your campus ministry.

Right click and choose SAVE LINK AS to download MOBILIZE video.

[from omf.org]

6 WAYS - WELCOME from K H on Vimeo.

WELCOME:

• Become a friendship partner with an international student through organizations like International Students Inc.

• Introduce yourself to internationals in your neighborhood or while shopping.

• Start an English class for internationals at your church or join an existing conversation group .

• Volunteer at a food bank or refugee outreach.

• Connect with a local welcome ministry to a specific people group.

Right click and choose SAVE LINK AS to download WELCOME video.

[from omf.org]

6 WAYS - SEND from K H on Vimeo.

SEND:

• Pray about a missions worker God might want you to encourage.

• Create a local sending group. Consider sending care packages.

• Encourage a missions worker by e-mail, Facebook, telephone or Skype webcam call.

• Share a meal, your professional skills, a car or guest room with a missions worker.

• Financially support a missionary or project.

• Plan a trip with your life group to visit missionaries where they serve.

Right click and choose SAVE LINK AS to download SEND video.

[from omf.org]

6 WAYS - GO from K H on Vimeo.

GO:

• Go on a short-term cross-cultural trip with your church or a mission group.

• Use your profession to share the good news and Christ's love among the nations.

• Students can go on a "back and forth" trip with their college group or seminary. Serve Asia is one opportunity.

• Contact a few mission agencies to see how they might utilize your skills short term or long term.

Right click and choose SAVE LINK AS to download GO video.