Insights and Inspiration from the 2023 Simply Mobilizing International Conference – Part Two

I was quite inspired by the session on youth mobilization. Having been involved in mobilizing young people, I have always believed in the strategic nature of youth mobilisation so I was excited to hear about new ways to engage them in a rapidly changing global context. The launch of ‘The Unfinished Story for Youth’ (TUSFY) was truly exciting! It is brilliantly done and I believe it will go a long way to catalyse mobilisation, especially among Gen Z.

Finally, while reflecting on the trends in the changing world and the church, I was encouraged to mobilise with hope while expecting the Lord’s power to be manifested in both natural and supernatural ways in my day-to-day normal Christian life and ministry!– by Harriet Ngugi

Hello, I’m Harriet from Kenya! My journey with Simply Mobilizing started when I attended a Kairos course together with my husband, Sam, in 2006. Since then, God led us to form Mission Campaign Network as a platform to prepare a harvest force from Africa, to the harvest field among the nations in Africa and beyond. I just recently finished my Masters in Contextual Theology with All Nations, a Bible College based in the United Kingdom.

Our experience this year at the International Conference in Chiang Mai was marvelous and miraculous. We prayed that we would not have jet lag, not get sick flying around the world, and be ready to both give and receive well. God answered. My wife and I felt great the entire time with not even a hint of such a time difference. Every moment of our time in Thailand was filled with meeting wonderful people serving God from all around the world, seeing and enjoying the sights and tastes of Thailand, and even playing with elephants.

A stand-out from the conference for me was something that Max said (almost parenthetically). He said there are THREE things that must happen before the second coming of Christ: the gospel must be preached to all people groups; the bride must make herself ready; AND the culmination of evil must happen (so that the effect of the cross could cover all evil). Many Christians anticipate the second coming but (I believe) very few understand the prerequisites for it.

I was thrilled when I was able to pray a blessing over Max and Dorothy on the final evening. This prayer was not scheduled but I forged ahead and sensed God giving me permission and it was wonderful to do so. Many of our delegates were dressed in customary outfits from their home country and they surrounded Max and Dorothy, which made it a special scene. – by Bret Johnson

After spending months organizing, communicating, and meeting over Zoom as part of the organizing team in preparation for the SMI Conference, I was excited to finally see everything, especially everyone coming together in Chiang Mai. It was a joyful and epic family reunion, having never met most of those attending face-to-face before and yet knowing our “tribe’ was gathered. It was such a joy to work side by side in the same room with the SMI team from the Philippines, we were in this together, overcoming challenges and meeting deadlines on the run. Being on the sidelines, I had an opportunity to interact with each person who spoke and presented and prayed with many of them as well.

The Southeast and East Asia elective on effective strategies was highly inspiring and eye-opening to see how things work in a different cultural context and the impact as a result. When it was time for the offering at the end of the conference it was so moving when two women from an Asian Country sprinted to the front with joy to be the first to give. What a privilege it was to hear the testimonies and journeys of our mobilizers around the world. I left absolutely exhausted and yet completely satisfied, challenged to persevere in prayer, relying on God’s timing to mobilize the various countries in Europe in His way, and fully committed to investing and building on the work He has already done. – by Jennifer Nagy

Hello, I’m Jennifer from the USA! I currently serve with Simply Mobilizing as part of the Global Regional Team for Europe and Country Link to Poland to see all churches missional and all believers living a life on mission with God. I am also overseeing the translation and development of a national team in Poland while supporting national teams and new initiatives throughout Europe. My ministry involves a great deal of training development, training mobilizers, and encouraging the mobilized teams.

It is an honour for me to be contributing to this article, especially because the Conferences I have attended have been crucial for my calling as a mobilizer. My first Conference was the Kairos International Conference in 2011. There, the Lord showed me through Linda and Max that I truly belonged to this tribe of mobilizers and assured me that I was not misinterpreting Him.

Now, thanks to a new miracle, the Lord allowed me to attend the 2023 Simply Mobilizing International Conference. Again, Linda, Max, and Keith were used to encourage me and to affirm my calling to be a full time mobilizer in Spain.

I know we are on the right path, let us therefore keep our eyes and ears open to see and hear were the Lord is taking us as a movement and faithfully follow His lead. – by Belkys Moreno