The territory of The Gambia was annexed from the French and became a British colony in the 1700's. It served as the main hub for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It became an independent nation in 1965, becoming the smallest country on the continent of Africa. English is the official language. Poverty is at 48% nationwide. The Gambia is a 96% Islamic country. There are less that 0.01% evangelical believers living there now with no prevoius record of an Assemblies of God presence.
Cyndi Martin - Wife
Abigail Martin - Daughter
The Kenyons are missionaries to the Youth Culture of Panama and present the gospel to students in the high schools of Panama City. They are launching a Youth Church that will establish a model to other churches in Panama of how to incorporate the emerging generation into their community without requiring them to meet an unstated list of rules and regulations in order to enter the premises or participate in the church community. This church will also provide a place where Panamanian students can retreat to feel safe, valued, and heard…a REFUGE. This REFUGE will house and rehabilitate abused girls within the context of the church.
Amazon River Basin has 306 tribal groups, the majority of which are unengaged/unreached. 900,000 people populate those tribes
Lithuania has a population of approximately 2.8 million people. It was the first country to gain freedom in 1991 from the Soviet Union, so, understanding the nuances that come with a culture that was under oppression for generations is important. Lithuania is predominately Catholic with between 75-80% professing Catholicism, 6% Secular, .8% other (Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist). Only .08% of Lithuanians are Evangelical Christian. Though Lithuania is a predominately catholic country, they like most European countries are experiencing a trend toward secularism, among the younger generations especially. Generational scars run deep, and a spirit of oppression rests on the people of Lithuania making it challenging for them to open up or build relationships. It is said that it takes approximately two years to establish a meaningful connection with one Lithuanian. With the war in Ukraine, there is a renewed fear of what Russia did just one generation ago, and a greater inward focus of self preservation and isolation. Even though they are under the protection of NATO, many Lithuanian people are weary to believe it will protect them from what Russia has been capable of doing in the past. Lithuania carries some pretty staggering statistics, they have the highest suicide rate in the European Union, (double of the United States). Depression is prevalent, yet mental health is avoided in conversation along with struggles in general. Lithuania is number 3 in the world for alcoholism, and 1 in 3 women will or have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. The outward appearance of most Lithuanians is one of looking put together, accomplished, and successful, yet inwardly, many struggle with depression, suicidal thoughts, addiction and fear of failure.
According to the CDC, there are over ONE BILLION people in the world who live with some form of disability*1, including... - 61 million adults, one out of six children, in the United States. *2 - Within the disability population, more than 200 million experience considerable difficulties in activities in daily life. *2 - If pulled together, individuals with disability would represent the third largest nation in the world, with the highest rate of abuse, divorce, suicide, homelessness, and joblessness (WHO 2011 report). *3 *1 - 1 Billion people worldwide *2 - 61 Million Americans - Disability Impacts All Info Graphic *2 - Increase in Developmental Disabilities Among Children in the U.S. (1 out of 6 children) *3 This stat can be found in the WHO Disability Report on the WHO website here:
England is the 4th most secular nation in the world, with close to 70% claiming to be non religious.
River Valley 500. Paul and Robyn are serving in Northern Thailand. They are leading church planting teams reaching university students through English teaching centers.
Indonesia is the fourth most populated nation in the world; approximately 266 million people in which more than 80% are followers of Islam. Though with social and political persecution, Indonesian Constitution allows freedom of 5 major religion including Protestant churches. They allowed the Indonesian church to invite missionaries with religious visas, which is invaluable for evangelism.
Tod and Andrea Chapin are pioneering a ministry in the capital city of Edinburgh in Scotland. They minsiter to university students and young families seeing lives transformed by the power of Jesus and giving the spiritually hungry an encounter with the living God.
Mark and Anjali are located in Swaziland, a small, landlocked country within South Africa and bordered by Mozambique.
Dareth and Thida are working to plant churches among the unreached Khmer people of Cambodia. They are using multiple approaches to accomplish this goal, including a compassion ministry that focuses on children through school and feeding programs.