Serving Churches. Reaching Nations.

Growing up in Ludington, Michigan, I spent most of my childhood and early adult years in a Converge church, Cornerstone Baptist Church (CBC). This is where my exposure to missions first started and played a critical role in God’s journey for me. In 2008 I had the opportunity to go on my first international mission trip with CBC to Argentina. Unknowingly, this trip would spark a passion in me that would later intensify and grow for missions.

In the years that followed, I attended Cornerstone University studying towards a B.S. in Intercultural Studies and later graduated from Denver Seminary with an M.A. in the Old Testament in 2018. During my college years, I had various professional opportunities as well as intercultural experiences that the Lord used to develop a skillset. This skillset complimented my passion for mission work, specifically short-term missions. With this passion and skillset, I wanted to serve the Church as it engaged in global missions—fulfilling the task of going into all the world and claiming the good news to all of creation (Mark 16:15).
 
During 2019 I had the opportunity to travel to Southeast Asia for 10 weeks. I served alongside Converge missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand and Battambang, Cambodia. This was a pivotal point in God’s preparation for me. I had wondered how the Lord would meet this desire He gave me for short-term missions in a tangible way. I took the advice of close missionary friends and reached out to Converge regarding their international involvement. Through threads of emails and many video chats with Converge International Ministries’ (IM) staff members, the Lord provided a wonderful opportunity to join their U.S. Engagement Team.
 
The vision of Converge IM that drives their global work is that God will start a gospel movement among every least-reached people group in our generation. In my role as a Church Mobilization Associate, I will serve U.S. churches as they seek to reach the lost people of this world. I will walk alongside churches, coaching them as they discover the specific ways God will use them throughout the world. Along with helping U.S. churches, I will be serving missionaries in the best ways possible as they continue to carry-out their individual ministries. Within my new role I will also create short-term mission trip content. Such content will allow Converge to serve churches as they organize, equip, and send short-term mission teams from their church.
 
Over the next several months I will be working to discover ministry partners to help me in this endeavor.  These ministry partners will help to support me financially, prayerfully, and as networks for engagement. I would love if you would consider meeting with me to hear more about my ministry opportunity and prayerfully consider your role in helping me mobilize churches to reach the least-reached. Please feel free to email me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Please pray for…

The least-reached people groups to receive and grow in the saving power of Jesus Christ

Churches as they engage and carry out the global work of God

Full funding for my specific ministry within Converge

Email: annab@converge.org

Hey Family and Friends!

We hope you are doing well and have been able to get out and enjoy your summer so far! While the past few months have posed a unique challenge for all of us, we are extremely thankful for how the Lord has shown His faithfulness to us and to you during this time. Thank you for loving and trusting Him. When we truly love and trust Him during times like these, not only does it uplift other believers in Christ but also those who don’t know Jesus yet get a chance to see what life in Him looks like through us! So we are thanking God for His faithfulness to us but also thanking God for your faithfulness to Him.

We have exciting news about Everlast Church! We will be starting our first Gospel Community gathering in our backyard on Wednesday July 1^st. We will continue to gather every Wednesday night from 6-8pm and pursue growth and additional types of gatherings (such as Sunday morning) as the Holy Spirit leads. For now, we are thrilled to tell you that three other young families in the Traverse City area have said they want to join us on Wednesday nights to follow/learn to follow Jesus together. I will provide an update again after we’ve had a chance to meet for a month or so. Thank you for your continued prayers for us and the three young families joining us as well as any others who say yes to our invitation!

Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to this next huge step in following Jesus with you as you partner in the work of the Gospel with us!

Until the Whole World Hears,

Scott, Kayleigh, Ahavah (3), and Avrianne (4 months)

Dear friends,

One of the books I read many years ago that left an indelible mark on my life is entitled, “Friend Raising: Building a missionary support team that lasts” by Betty Barnett.  Those principles helped me to shift my paradigm from simply raising dollars for the ministry to one of raising friends by developing & honoring everyone who gave their hard-earned money, prayers, encouragement or just wanted to know more about West Africa was like!  

During this deep reckoning in America and the world, we’re also having our watershed moment.  Deep in our hearts, we just can’t conceive of retiring on November 30 walking away, not being able to see our friends to let you know how grateful we are and what you mean to us!  We will see people around the throne of God because of what you did through the Masongezi Ministry, which is something to celebrate.  We don’t take this lightly, but by the same token we must respect the health precautions that are in place, so we don’t contribute to elevating COVID-19 cases.  Those of you who know Shirley, know that she loves the open road and loves to drive like her father did!  Also know that we’re trying to be as safe and stay as healthy as possible, however, Shirley is in the starting position in the blocks, waiting for the starting gun to sound so we can see you face to face!

Newsletter: Heart to Heart even if not Face to Face with You

This is our new theme that we’ll use from now until November; thereafter, we will retire from Converge Worldwide and move to another mission field where the Lord is calling us. Our desire was to visit with you face to face, but because of COVID-19 and protests, we need to connect with you heart to heart, which means it must be done virtually. We will be contacting you, our ministry partners, as to how we can send you our special messages through video, or WhatsApp, or YouTube channel, or meeting online with Missions Teams, or interviews online, or Zoom and other suggestions that you may have.

Please pray for Cameroon…especially for those new converts and the team we left behind. COVID-19 cases in Cameroon continue to rise. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are 5,904 confirmed cases and 191 deaths as of June 1, 2020. Although some restrictions have been lifted to alleviate economic hardships, the Cameroonian Ministry of Public Health reminded all residents on May 31, to redouble efforts to practice good hygiene, maintain physical distancing, only leave home when necessary, and always wear a mask in public. (By the U.S. Embassy Yaounde, Cameroon). In light of this, our 15 new converts need our prayers for spiritual growth as well as our small team on the ground in Bafoussam that meet with them weekly: Gerard, Marcel, & Pastor Emile.

Please pray for our financial situation. In April, we received our financial projection for the next fiscal year (from May 1 – April 30), but in our case, we only have 6 months remaining to serve before our retirement. We learned that we have a deficit of $500 per month that calculates to be $3,000. We covet your prayers so that we would end our missionary career with Converge in the black. Pray that God would raise up those who are touched by his Spirit to help meet our need. Our Converge webpage is below if you want to give. Please continue praying that we will be able to visit you before November!

Sincerely yours, Wilondja & Shirley