Missions Update: Andrew & Amie Reimer

Winnipeg, MB – One picture of the gospel that I often return to is Jesus' story of the lost sheep and the shepherd who goes out searching for this precious sheep until he finds it. This image is foundational for how I see my shepherding ministry and I have drawn inspiration from it often in the past months as I lean into my new focus on Community Discipleship. Many of the adults I am walking with are having beautiful moments of renewal and expressing a desire for more spiritual growth and change in their lives. Like most of us, they sometimes struggle to follow through on these intentions. My friends often miss coming to our follow-up connections, meetings for deeper healing work or to Bible study group. This means I need to be patient, persistent and tenacious in seeking them out, like the shepherd in the parable, not giving up if they don't show up or answer my messages. I regularly walk or drive around the neighbourhood seeking out my friends, praying as I knock on their doors, hoping today will be the day they are ready to meet up again.

One of the men I've been mentoring had recently shared honestly about some of the changes he wanted to make as a follower of Jesus, but I also knew that he was facing setbacks and struggles. I had been trying for over a month to meet with him, but he would either cancel on me or not answer my messages. I began regularly going out of my way to walk past his house and pray for him as I passed.

One evening, I showed up at his house again, and this time he was home and feeling up to meet. As we drove to A&W he started to open up about why he had been avoiding me and how felt he did not belong around Christians because of some of the things he was doing. He felt disqualified. We sorted through the difference between healthy conviction of sin that makes us want to run to Jesus, and unhealthy shame and condemnation that makes us avoid God and others. As we ate our Teen Burgers, we read from Luke 15, where Jesus is criticized because he is welcoming notorious sinners and eating with them. Jesus responds to this criticism by telling them the parable of the shepherd who goes searching for one of his sheep that ran away and is lost, finds it, and carries it home to celebrate. My friend could see himself in this story and felt very encouraged that Jesus, and I, are not rejecting him or giving up on him. He said, "me and my friends are like lost sheep that you are searching for!" Our conversation continued into other important aspects of walking with Jesus, and we had a good time of prayer before I dropped him off.

Since then, this friend and I have been in regular contact; he has been coming to our Bible study group and has been sensing and responding to God's call to trust and follow him more closely. This week he texted me to tell me about a sacrificial decision he had made to change something in his life, and we met to talk, pray and make plans for sustaining this change.

A while back I was very encouraged to see God's work in another young man who was feeling conviction to make changes in his life and follow Jesus in a deeper way. He reached out and we met to talk, pray and read Scripture. Later that week he came with me for three days in a row to an inner healing workshop led by Indigenous Christian leaders. This man also courageously made a post on Facebook letting his friends and family know about his commitment to Christ, the changes he wants to make, asking them to respect his choices. He is continuing to build on these decisive moments.

Please pray. We are seeing God at work in these and many other men I am mentoring and who are coming to our Bible study groups. Please pray for these men, for spiritual protection, for healing, for courage and for them to experience more of Jesus’ grace and transforming power. Pray for me for encouragement, perseverance, compassion, wisdom as I shepherd these precious members of Jesus’ flock.

______________________________________________

Andrew and Amie serve with Inner City Youth Alive in Community Discipleship.