Horizons International

Hey Mars Family! As a missionary with Horizons International supported by our church I want to share a little bit with you about what God is doing among Muslims in the Middle East!

“J” is from the Christian minority in Syria and used to pray that God would allow her and her church to share Christ with the Muslims around them. Laws against proselytizing and the vigilant secret police made this dangerous and difficult for the Christians of this mostly Muslim country.

Since the beginning of the brutal conflict in Syria over 5 million people have fled the country. J and her family fled to neighboring Lebanon leaving behind home, possessions and all that was familiar. As a refugee she encountered Horizons International reaching out to the thousands of refugees in Lebanon.

Now in a country with no restrictions on sharing faith she began helping in the women’s ministry and has led many Muslims to the Lord as well as discipling them. Upon realizing that her prayers of reaching her neighbors were answered by the awful circumstances of the war, she declared that she is not a refugee, but a missionary.

Horizons has mobilized over 80 Lebanese and Syrians into ministry through our 10 ministry centers we call Lighthouses. Many are from a Muslim background themselves and are being discipled by Horizons even as they are sharing Christ with others.

“F”, a Muslim also from Syria, came to a Horizons Lighthouse in Lebanon for assistance and immediately was impressed by the love she felt in that place. She continued coming to meetings and eventually became a Christian. Now she leads the Horizons school for Syrian refugee children called School of Hope.

I’ve worked for Horizons for 16 years in various capacities but my current role is organizing our training and care of staff in order to combat the common problem of ministry burnout. You see, in the world of missions over 7,000 missionaries will leave ministry this year.

Studies have found that 50% will leave for preventable reasons like burnout, family problems, team conflict or inadequate funding. These statistics are from a study of 78 mission organizations and they confirm why member care is so vital! Not only does this kind of attrition hurt the progress of sharing the gospel, but it also wastes money. Additionally, burnout hurts our brothers and sisters in Christ, the ones who are being sent.

Horizons is experiencing a historic moment of openness amongst Muslims, and I am working to promote the spiritual, emotional, and relational health of our indigenous missionaries and those sent from the U.S so they are resilient and resourced when facing the inherent challenges of ministry.

I’m grateful to Mars Hill for their financial partnership in my ministry with Horizons as we Proclaim Christ to Muslims and equip churches for the work of reaching and discipling them.

Ways to Pray:

Pray that the former Muslims who have come to Jesus will continue in discipleship and transformation into the mind of Christ.

Pray for wisdom for me as I support the spiritual, emotional and relational health of our missionaries.

To learn more about Horizons and how to get involved, visit Horizons International to learn about training and ministry opportunities with Horizons.

Ashley Dykstra

Ashley serves as Director of Member Care for Horizons International.