A Remarkable Intercultural Experience

A huge benefit for short-term teams who venture to our city is that they are immersed in multiple cultures in one week: Yemeni, Lebanese, Iraqi, Kurdish, Afghani, Bangladeshi. When you think about the depth of their intercultural experience, it really is remarkable. This particular short-term team, mostly composed of those who had never met a Muslim before, was truly immersed in multiple cultures.

Our missionary team put a lot of effort into scheduling and arranging time with the Muslim families we minister to. On a Friday night, we hosted a picnic, campfire, and corn hole at our home with Kurdish and Afghani families. We also showed our short-term team how to use Google Translate so they could communicate more easily with our Muslim guests.

The next afternoon, my wife organized a ladies’ day at her Bangladeshi friend Ruby’s* home. The girls tried on colorful saris, did their hair and makeup, and had henna applied to their hands and arms. While there, they shared Bible stories over cups of Bengali cha. They also visited multiple Afghani homes, sitting on the floor, enjoying snacks, and sharing Bible stories with the families.

The following Sunday night, Ruby* prepared a Bangladeshi feast of biryani, curries, and cha for a picnic with the team at a beautiful local park. Some people went with Ruby’s husband, Shawn*, to fish in the ponds. Others danced and played with Ruby’s children, while still others ventured out to share the gospel with the many Muslims enjoying the weekend at the park.

For four street days, our short-term team shared the gospel abundantly for the first time ever—in mosques, in homes, in parks, and on the Riverwalk. Many on this team were very young, fresh out of 8th grade, yet every student was able to share the gospel at least once. What a blessing it was to watch them grow in boldness, skill, and joy in proclaiming the good news!

Pray that this trip opened the eyes and hearts of those who attended to God’s call to the nations. Pray that we could mobilize more workers in our city for 2026!

*Names changed for security

If you’re encouraged by this story and feel led to support these Global Gates missionaries, we’d love to help you take the next step. Reach out to us at development@globalgates.info to learn how you can be part of what God is doing through them in their city.