Mission partner Tim Curtis has spent an entire generation – 44 years – in translation work among indigenous peoples in the Paraguayan Chaco region. As he retires, we take a look at how God made a way for his Word to come alive in the wilderness.

Many indigenous people groups in the wilderness Chaco region of South America have long been marginalised by the majority society who are of European descent (criollos). Deforestation has all but squeezed out Énxet speakers’ traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle and they often have limited access to healthcare and education.

There has been a Christian presence in the Chaco region for over 130 years, but even so, speakers of the Énxet languages haven’t always had access to God’s Word. But now that the Bible has been translated into their languages, they know that they are included in God’s plan.

Called back to Latin America

The son of missionaries, Tim was brought up in Chile and sensed God calling him back to Latin America after university in the UK. “A verse that came very clearly to me from Psalm 32 was, ‘I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you,’” he remembers. He also had a dream that confirmed that he would be working somewhere quite remote.

Tim first went to Paraguay in the early 1980s. In 1982, when visiting the La Herencia project in the Chaco, Tim recognised the place he’d seen in his dream. This project was the Anglican Church’s response to a plea for help from its indigenous members amongst the Énxet, Angaité and Sanapana peoples in the Chaco region who had lost their ancestral lands. (By 1985, nearly 45,000 hectares of land had been secured for them.) Tim joined the project and for the next few years, he served several indigenous and government schools, commuting between the more far-flung ones on horseback.

First steps towards Bible translation

Recognising Tim’s love for the local people and aptitude for languages, the project director invited him to prepare for work on the translation of the Southern Énxet New Testament.

Tim became a missionary with the South American Missionary Society (SAMS), which later merged with CMS. He trained as a Bible translator at SIL and prepared for mission at All Nations Christian College before returning to Paraguay to focus on the Southern Énxet language.

From a New Testament to a complete Bible

In the early 1990s, a team of three indigenous translators was ready to begin the translation of the New Testament in partnership with United Bible Societies and the Paraguayan Bible Society. Chaco churches waited eagerly to see God’s Word come alive in their own language.

At the end of 1997, the revised Southern Énxet New Testament was launched and began to be used in homes and churches. In 2003, a new team began work on the Southern Énxet Old Testament at a purpose-built office in Rio Verde (made possible by a donation from one of Tim’s link churches). Over the next 13 years, they meticulously drafted the Old Testament and further revised the New Testament.

The full Southern Énxet Bible was launched in 2016 with church leaders and visitors from all over the Chaco region and the UK attending a special dedication event.

From start to finish, it was remarkable how people from different organisations, churches and institutions came together for the translation – in Tim’s words, “It was like the Lord was arranging everything.”

Accessible Scriptures for the Southern Énxet

The goal of Bible translation for any language group has traditionally been to get printed Bibles into people’s hands. Today, for many people groups, audio Bibles can make a huge difference to how many speakers engage with God’s Word. In 2016, Tim and the team worked with 25 Southern Énxet readers and Bolivian technicians from Faith Comes by Hearing to record a dramatised version of the New Testament.

The audio New Testament was put on players called Proclaimers, which can be charged using electricity, solar panels or wound up manually. Proclaimers have proved particularly popular among people who don’t have the opportunity to meet with other Christians, or who don’t read.

In 2024, Jesus Film Project technicians from Peru came to help Tim and a group of 22 readers dub the Jesus Film into Southern Énxet at the CMS-supported Anglican Centre at Rio Verde – the two-hour dramatisation of Luke’s Gospel has led millions of people around the world to Jesus.

The technicians also invited a group to Lima to record the Old Testament with Davar Audio Bibles. The full audio Bible is still being finalised, but in the meantime, people are listening to the New Testament, and parts of the Old Testament are being passed around on pen drives – people are eager to engage with God’s Word!

Another Bible translation in the works

In 2018, Tim joined the Northern Enlhet Bible translation team part-time, as a consultant. Several years on, the team have finished drafts of the Old Testament and recently completed the gospels and Romans. They hope to celebrate a complete Bible in the late 2020s.

At the same time, Tim continued providing logistical support for Bible studies in Rio Verde and working with Southern Énxet and other indigenous pastors and church leaders. He is also a member of the CMS-supported indigenous synod which was set up after the indigenous Anglican Congress in Argentina in 2022.

A hunter-gatherer people on smartphones

The Énxet people are traditionally hunter-gatherers , but their culture is changing. These days, some work on remote cattle ranches and farms and others have jobs in the towns. Many Christians listen to the audio Bible on their smartphones, and use WhatsApp to share Bible verses or prayers, and often have two or three verses as their background screen. Having the Scriptures different formats helps them keep growing in their faith and connect with each other.

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There’s one obvious prayer we all want answered for the people and country of Ukraine. Peace. Lasting, trustworthy peace. But, four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war-weary country is still facing daily tragedies.

As a Christian, how do you hold on to the hope and promises of God when there’s devastation all around you? CMS mission partner Alison Giblett shares how answers to daily small prayers and witnessing incredible miracles keep her going as she chooses to keep serving God in Kyiv:

I felt very strongly at the beginning of the war that God was calling me to stay in Ukraine. Although it’s not easy, I do see purpose in me being here. God has given me peace, that if he’s called me to stay, he hasn’t called me to die.

God is strengthening my faith, growing my awareness of how much I need him and increasing my confidence in his ability to protect and provide. And he has given me much work to do!

Widows, orphans and grieving parents

I work closely with a couple who lead a chaplaincy ministry and a ministry to the bereaved women and children in their region. Their youngest son volunteered to fight at the start of the war and God miraculously protected him many times when he was sent on front line assignments. Yet, tragically he was killed in a car crash in Kyiv after returning home.

I’ve developed quite a friendship with them. Standing alongside them in their grief while they still help so many people around them. I love going to their farm to help and to visit the widows and orphans they care for in their local area.

We make regular visits to the villages taking food bags, and offering to pray for people, which is always an encouragement. Our team have built up a good relationship with the local authorities who link them up with the bereaved. I’m encouraged by their faithfulness in prayer and sacrifice, consistently being there for people. We’ve also helped to build bomb shelters and run camps for children who’ve been in occupied territories or who have lost parents.

I am continuing to invest time in learning about trauma recovery. I’ve completed courses focused on releasing people from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is wonderful to see how God’s Word is just as powerful today to set people free whatever the circumstances.

Many men are turning to alcohol and drugs to medicate their pain, to cope with memories and experiences and numb the constant fear of being on the front line or being called up. There is a growing pastoral need for rehabilitation help.

Hope amid heartbreak

God does not promise that life will be easy but he does promise that he will always be with us, especially when things we can’t bear happen. In times of trouble, he gives us the grace we need to keep going. That is very much our testimony.

None of us would have thought that we would be where we are, or that we would be able to cope as we are. We’re only coping because we press into God and receive his strength. God is our hope. On a very practical and physical level, there isn’t much to give us hope at the moment.

There’s a Bible passage in Ephesians 5:18–20 where Paul is encouraging Christians not to lose hope. He says to speak to each other with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. To sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.

The Psalms have been a tremendous encouragement to us. Psalm 91 assures of God’s protection; Psalm 46 is about God’s defence. Psalm 2 and 13 are so helpful in pouring out our woes. We find strength as we pray and worship. Together we look for the things to give thanks for.

I’m far more grateful for many things that I never even thought about before. I pray when I get in the lift in my building, that the power will stay on so I can get out again. I pray going to church in the evening that the metro will still be running so I can get back home. When I put my washing on, I pray that the power will stay on for it to finish.

It’s recognising the ways that God answers our prayers on a daily basis that enables us to keep doing all that we need to do. He enables us to remain positive, to bring hope, strength and encouragement to other people.

Glimpses of grace

A friend of mine’s son, a Christian, works in a power station. One day he had to call in sick. That day it was bombed. Sadly, his colleagues, and the whole power station, was destroyed.

A Christian soldier, a brother of one of our chaplains, was in the army. One day a series of illegal scatter bombs aimed at his group caused them to fall to the ground. He lay beside a large tree trunk; a bomb fell very close to him but on the other side of the trunk leaving him protected. However, his colleagues who were further away, were injured.

Another time, a pastor and his young family who had decided to stay in their town very near the front line were returning to their home. Many young families have understandably moved away from conflict areas. However, they felt that despite their own danger that God had called them to stay and pastor the growing church.

The father had peace that God would protect them, but the young mother couldn’t find that peace. While driving home they were attacked by a drone. It exploded above them causing a huge cloud of metal, dust and stones to envelop their vehicle. They drove through the cloud unharmed. When it was safe, they checked their car – there was not a scratch on it! After that they were both convinced of God’s hand of supernatural protection on them.

Yet another time, a drone attacked one of our chaplains. It literally landed at the front of their chaplaincy vehicle – which churches from England helped to raise money for. The front lights were damaged but they were completely fine. If the drone had been a second behind it would have hit the car and it’s unlikely they would have survived.

Unknowable future, known God

As the war continues, we’re seeing new problems arise. Soldiers returning from conflict are living with multiple injuries and concussions. We don’t know the long-term emotional and physical consequences of so much stress. There are higher numbers of cancer diagnoses, people with ulcers, digestive problems and suffering heart attacks.

We’re responding to needs as they develop in front of us. Next, I’m helping with a rehab conference in the summer and I expect to be doing a lot more with the chaplaincy ministry. There is a growing need for chaplaincy and veteran care to support soldiers’ physical, emotional and spiritual adjustment back to ‘normal life’.

I think so much of mission is about being where God wants us to be and being available while we’re there. I don’t think it always means doing amazing things, but it means being faithful in your situation. Staying sensitive to God’s heart and trusting his word.

We can look at the huge unanswered prayer of an end to this war and feel discouraged. Or, we can look around us at the many, many answers to prayer and choose to worship God through it all.

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People from Dinka Twic and Dinka Ngok tribes, which have been in conflict since 2017, now worship together in a church plant in Turalei, Warrap State, CMS-Africa reports.

Many had thought such a thing would never be possible. But now, the people groups are working together to build bridges across a longstanding divide.

Children from the two tribes now play together and adults are building community. In their own words, “God has done this.”

The conflict is related to a dispute over a piece of land which is being claimed by both communities. This led to the outbreak of violence. A particularly bad instance of this in 2022 led to the displacement of thousands of people and massive destruction of properties as well as the loss of several innocent lives.

Women take the lead for peace

CMS partners have been facilitating an ongoing peace process and in June 2025, women from these groups came together for a special event: the Twic and Ngok Joint Women Peace Dialogue Meeting.

The event brought together religious leaders, United Nations Mission in South Sudan, government officials, community representatives and more, and was facilitated by local partner Regina Lueth, who teaches theology at St John’s Theological College in Wau.

Women from both people groups committed to be ambassadors of peace in their homes and communities, to encourage forgiveness and respectful dialogue and to lead peacemaking efforts.

They made an impressive list of formal commitments to work for peace:

1. Act as peace ambassadors in our homes and communities by messages by sharing peace messages with husbands, sons, daughters, and neighbours.
2. Denounce hate speech and incitement, especially through cultural mediums such as music and storytelling.
3. Lead peace dissemination efforts through radio stations, churches, schools, health facilities, and local gatherings.
4. Engage in women-led exchange visits and trust-building dialogue between the Ngok and Twic communities.
5. Encourage forgiveness and respectful dialogue at the family and community levels. Engage youth to discourage violent practices such as cattle raiding and retaliation.
6. Counter misinformation and disinformation through verified messaging and strengthen the local peace network.

Pray together

Pray for the women in these communities to actively look for big and small opportunities to build bridges between the two groups, and encourage each other to keep working towards peace. Pray for their desire and drive for peace to spread to those around them.

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Try to imagine being a child in eastern DR Congo. Your whole life you’ve lived in the shadow of violence.

Think of the horrors you might have witnessed – armed robbery, murder, sexual assault.

And what if your parents had also never known an extended time of peace, so they had no words of comfort for you?

Who could you talk to? Who could your parents go to, to get help coping with their anxiety, grief or anger? Or would they just have to bottle it up inside?

A beacon of light for broken hearts

In 2013 The Guardian reported that DR Congo was undergoing a “mental health catastrophe” due to millions of people living with the stress of near-constant conflict for decades. Today, there are still only a few dozen trained neuro-psychiatrists in a population of over 65 million people.

In places like Goma, where CMS mission partner Martin Gordon serves as bishop, there are only a handful of mental health professionals for millions of people.

Suicide, addiction and domestic abuse are rampant in a population which has  known only violence for so long.

Enter the church.

Bishop Martin shares that local Christians are at the forefront of recognising the need for psychological and spiritual care if the cycle of violence is ever going to be broken in DRC. He also shares some glimmers of hope gleaned in the past year since the latest outbreak of violence.

On the ground in Goma

An update from Bishop Martin Gordon

The east of Congo has known conflict for nearly 35 years, and we’re still under occupation since the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group seized the city in January 2025. They had been taking over ever greater swathes of land around Goma for almost three years prior to the invasion.

The immediate aftermath of the occupation saw 8,500 deaths, a peak in sexual violence, arbitrary arrests, public beatings and executions, kidnappings and raids on hospitals. We count the number of internally displaced people and the number of children out of school in the hundreds of thousands.

Today, although the banks, the airport, the prison and the courts remain closed, there is now more of a sense of calm. But it is an uneasy calm. Violence can flare up at any moment.

Seeking solace in church

But for us as a diocese there has been some encouragement. The Church is still seen as the one remaining institution that can be trusted and in DRC there’s always a church at the heart of every village and community. 

After Goma fell to the rebels, we saw an increased attendance in several of our parishes. Those who don’t usually come to church came asking for prayer, and those on the fringes started coming more regularly. There is a spiritual hunger.

In the weeks following the fall of the city, through the generosity of Anglicans across the world, we were able to distribute emergency cash to 60 of our clergy, 50 diocesan staff and over 200 school teachers whose salaries were not able to be paid by the central government. And we were able to rebuild or repair eight out of our 109 schools ahead of the start of the academic year. So almost 3,000 pupils can study in better conditions than before.

Thousands turning to Jesus

And in the sadness, in the pain, in the suffering, there are some real signs of hope. Because most of the diocese is under M23 control, it means getting around is easier. We’ve been able to visit parishes that have been inaccessible for the last three years to see how they’re doing and to encourage them. Land purchase and construction are less heavily policed and in the last year we’ve been able to build 16 churches and have bought 22 plots of land for church planting.

In summer 2025, we were able to hold large scale evangelism campaigns in four of our secondary schools in the city, where over 6,000 children heard the gospel and a thousand came to faith and our school chaplains are now busy following them up.

We’re seeing particular fruit in Walikale which is our archdeaconry in the forest, two days away from Goma by motorbike. Here, God has given us an open door for the gospel. We’ve been busy training church leaders, buying land, building schools and a guest house, and planting churches.

Since 2024, the church in Walikale has gone from a handful of struggling groups of believers to 17 churches, each with their own land and church building. Nineteen leaders have already finished two or three years of theological training or are in the process of being trained.

We’ve heard some exciting stories of the power of God breaking into people’s lives through monthly evangelism campaigns in Walikale.

From hate to hope

The bigger picture for us as a diocese and part of our day-to-day calling as a church is to pursue peace and reconciliation in the midst of conflict. For four years, we’ve been working with all faith leaders across the city, issuing joint media statements to change the narrative of hate and suspicion, doing weekly radio broadcasts to millions of people, and organising inter-community cultural and sporting events.

At the heart of our peace work is training religious and community leaders in self transformation. Teaching them to find peace with God and with themselves and then being sent as peacemakers to bring peace and reconciliation to their families, churches, and communities.

Joining hands for peace

After one such peace training focusing on youth, leaders from four different ethnic groups, usually at each other’s throats, took to the stage, joined hands, and gave a public commitment that from now on they would work together to bring healing to the community.

Photo: schoolchildren form an enthusiastic crowd at an evangelism campaign

Mental health mission

Increasingly within this area of self-transformation, we’re focusing on trauma healing for pastors and for leaders. This latest conflict is just another layer on top of previous trauma. We believe that the pastors are much better able to help their own congregations if they themselves have experienced de-traumatisation or found some measure of healing from past trauma.

To date we have trained around 300 young people, women, pastors and evangelists to be able to offer support for others who are traumatised.

Adopted into the family!

I’ll end with a story of healing and reconciliation that has profoundly moved many of us.

Canon John, the Archdeacon of Goma, retired in 2025 after 49 years of ministry and 50 years of marriage.

The first 10 years of marriage were hard as his wife Providence fell ill and they couldn’t have children. Eventually, they did have two children, although they’d always wanted more.

Earlier this year, Canon John was with Mama Providence in a trauma healing seminar. There was another participant called Ansh who gave her testimony around the trauma of never knowing her father.

She was now in her 30s. She had six children, but she spoke of how she missed the father she’d never known. She also told of how her husband had abandoned her. Her tailoring business had been looted in the fighting.

Everyone sympathised with her situation. But Canon John did something different. Touched by her story, he had a whispered conversation with his wife. They approached Ansh to say that they’d always longed for more children and would love to adopt her as their own adult daughter. Ansh readily agreed and immediately took their family name and started calling them mom and dad. Their only son Samuel who was at seminar came forward publicly to embrace and welcome Ansh into the family.

You can imagine the reaction of the other participants. Canon John came to my office the following week to tell me that everyone in the community knew that they now had a new daughter and earlier this year she brought two of her children to the cathedral to be baptised.

Holding on to hope

I want to end simply by thanking you all for your prayers, your interest and your support. Times are still incredibly hard in Goma.

The recent invasion adds one more layer of trauma to more than 30 years of conflict.

And many still struggle to make ends meet.

But amid the suffering, we can testify daily to the faithfulness of God, and we continue to put our trust in him, knowing that he sees our suffering and is always at work.

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Born profoundly deaf and with spina bifida, Josephat’s early life in Tanzania was a struggle.

People with disabilities in Tanzania are often considered a mistake, a curse. So, finding employment as a disabled person in Tanzania is virtually impossible. Many are reduced to begging in the streets or are hidden away by embarrassed family members. 

After losing both parents during childhood, Josephat was grudgingly looked after by extended family who made him feel like a burden. Trapped by a lack of opportunity and the belief that he would never be able to support himself, Josephat faced a future of dependency and stigma.

Everything changed for Josephat in 2003 when he became one of the first three trainees at Neema Crafts, a project started by the Anglican Diocese of Ruaha in Iringa. Neema means “grace” in Kiswahili. With help and guidance from pioneering Church Mission Society (CMS) mission partner Susie Hart, the centre was established to provide dignity and employment for people with disabilities. Today Neema has trained and employed over 100 deaf and disabled people. 

From “Hunchback” to “He is Able”

Deaf people in Iringia often use descriptive “sign names”. For years, Josephat was known simply as “Hunchback” due to the severe curvature of his spine caused by spina bifida. However, as his skills flourished at the centre, his peers soon saw a profound transformation.

Josephat became particularly adept at creating the centre’s renowned elephant dung paper, a process that involves boiling and processing elephant waste into high-quality stationery. His expertise eventually led his fellow trainees to officially change his sign name to “He is Able” – a title that reflects his skill. His whole identity and understanding of his worth changed. 

From dependency to dignity

Today, Josephat is a leader. He takes great pride in his work, especially in teaching others papermaking. This professional success has allowed him to earn a stable wage and achieve independence.

Beyond economic empowerment, the community has offered Josephat spiritual and emotional healing. Through the centre’s weekly Bible studies and the support of the local chaplain, Josephat has replaced the cultural stigma of being “cursed” with the understanding that he is loved and valued by God. 

Now comprising a crafts centre, cafe, tourist accommodation and a variety of workshops for making everything from textiles to prosthetic limbs, Neema is a beacon of light, showing the local community how much disabled people can do. 

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Find out more about the stories mentioned in this month’s Hope from the Edges:

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO of CMS.

In the next few minutes, we’ll bring you inspiring news from three edges in our world – stories that you are making possible through your gifts and prayers.

First, we’ll go to Honduras and hear about a young woman who went from street life to full life. From there we’ll go to South Sudan where a former cattle rustler was steered towards a better path. Finally, we’ll turn the spotlight on a mission partner who has spent two decades in challenging work that has taken her across the globe.

But before we begin, I want to take some time to acknowledge an anniversary none of us would have wanted to commemorate.

By the time you receive this video, we will have crossed the four-year mark since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and I want to take a moment to ask for your prayers for our mission partner Alison Giblett, who has remained in Ukraine this whole time, faithfully sharing the light of Jesus – despite missile attacks, freezing winters and growing despair.

This is most definitely mission at the edges. Let’s go to God together and keep praying for peace to prevail.

And now, let’s hop over to Honduras for a story of hope nine years in the making.

The country of Honduras faces huge challenges including rampant gang warfare, poverty and corruption.

Many children in Honduras suffer from abuse or neglect and are drawn to life on the streets, which can be both cruel and dangerous.

In 2017, a young girl named Johanni was one of these at-risk children.

She recalls, “When I was eight years old, I spent most of my time out in the street. My parents didn’t send me to school. No one was looking out for me except myself.”

Johanni spent much of her time hanging out with other kids at a local park. She could see no real future for herself.

One day, she met some adults who were different – kind and interested. They listened to her struggles and told her Jesus loved her.

Over time, these people, CMS mission partners Lindsey and Steve Poulson, helped Johanni and 14 other children register for school. This was the beginning of a new life chapter for Johanni as well as the start of what would become a life-changing project for many children.

This group of 15 children were the beginning of Proyecto Alas, a programme that supports at-risk children to continue in education and make good choices for the future. A key part of this programme is that each child is assigned a mentor.

Johanni says, “My mentor listens to me, encourages me and helps me make positive decisions.”

Now 16 years old, Johanni is an aspiring nail artist. She says, “Most girls my age don’t make it to high school so I’m really proud of my achievement and growth.”

The Poulsons are grateful to have walked alongside Johanni these nine years and to have seen her and others reach their God-given potential.

We now journey to South Sudan.

In South Sudan livestock is highly prized. So, cattle raiding is big business.

In recent years, raids have become more intense, more violent and take place on a much larger scale. It’s a crime with a huge cost.

Makol was a cattle raider from Warrap State, South Sudan. He knew that stealing cattle was wrong and that people were getting hurt, but he was making too much money to stop. He also knew if he was caught, he could be executed.

One day Makol was caught in the act, arrested and put in a police car. He knew his fate was sealed.

What Makol didn’t know was this: that night a peace rally was scheduled to take place, led by Archbishop Moses Deng. Drawing on training he’d received from our colleagues in CMS-Africa, the Archbishop spoke to the community on the theme of love and forgiveness.

The governor of Warrap State, General Aleu Ayieny, attended this rally. Having heard about Makol’s crimes, he had planned for him to be publicly executed at the end of the peace rally.

Evening came and Makol found himself sitting in the back of the governor’s car, waiting for his punishment, while General Ayieny listened to Archbishop Moses’ message nearby.

When he had finished, the governor stood up and addressed him:

“Your Grace Moses, I have a living dead young man in the back of my car. I have brought him here to kill him in front of these crowds and multitudes by firing squad. We have spoken a lot against this practice of cattle raiding and today we could have been making an example out of this man…but because you have spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation command I have forgiven him.”

The governor went back to his car and instructed Makol to follow him. Makol followed slowly, walking to his death.

But standing there in front of his community, hanging his head, he heard the words, “You are forgiven.”

Makol was overwhelmed at this mercy and grace. It wasn’t long before he received Jesus and was baptised.

Four years later, his cattle raiding days are behind him. He and his family belong to a local church and Makol provides for his family by working as a prison warden.

Join us in giving thanks for this life that was changed and continue to pray for all CMS people in mission involved in making disciples in areas facing violent conflict.

Last but absolutely not least we want to congratulate a CMS mission partner who is marking 20 years since she first began responding to a huge call God placed on her life.

In 2005, while lamenting the suffering of millions of girls and women impacted by the practice of female genital mutilation (or FGM),

Ann-Marie Wilson asked God: “Who will help girls like this?” 

To her amazement, the answer came back as an audible voice: “You will.”

Two decades later, Ann-Marie is still answering that call. Through her international organisation, 28 Too Many, which merged with Orchid Project in 2022, she has gathered the stories of thousands of FGM survivors and built a global movement dedicated to ending FGM worldwide.

Ann-Marie and the Orchid Project team haven’t just changed individual lives; they’ve shifted global policy and fostered grassroots change across continents.

You can discover the remarkable story of Ann-Marie’s 20 years in this vital work by going to the Stories section of the CMS website.

Ann-Marie’s journey is a powerful testament to how a single person can spark profound global change.

And it all began with a simple, radical act of daring to ask, Who will help?

Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which makes them possible.

Please share this video with your church, small group or anyone you think could use some fuel for their faith.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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The post Hope from the edges March 2026 appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Tuesday 24 February 2026 marks four years since Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine. On this tragic anniversary, we share an update from Alison Giblett, CMS mission partner in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Alison has been living in Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv since 2004. When Russian forces entered Ukraine on 24 February 2022, she made the bold choice to stay in the country. For the past four years, she has offered practical, spiritual and emotional support to people whose lives have been torn apart by the war, in Kyiv and beyond.

Alison recently shared news from Ukraine. Her update paints a difficult picture of everyday life for war-weary people. But, it also shares hope, testimonies of God at work and answers to prayer. 

The mood is bleak in Kyiv, snow is a foot deep and power is only available 1.5-2 hours a day. Recruitment of people to join the war has gotten harsher, creating a lot of fear. The increase in attacks on the capital city has resulted in much destruction.

But Alison and her church continue to work. To encourage and strengthen people’s faith. 

Such as visiting soldiers with serious wounds. Talking and praying with hospital patients and supporting their families.

Alison is studying a course with Ellel Ministries focused on releasing people from trauma and PTSD. “It is wonderful to see how God’s Word is just as powerful today to set people free, whatever the circumstances.” 

Her training is equipping her with tools and understanding to minister to soldiers and their families. 

“Most of the men who have lost limbs in conflict continue to suffer from phantom pain (pain in the part of the body they no longer have). One of the Ellel trainers, who was praying for such a soldier, felt led to ask him if he had let go of his leg. The answer was no. So, with his agreement, she led him in prayer. They prayed to forgive those who had caused the loss, thanked God for the years that his leg had served him, and then released his leg – accepting that it could no longer support him. Choosing to trust that God would provide for him without it. After praying he testified that the pain had completely gone!”

Alison’s work with CMS continues to shift as the war has changed the landscape and needs of those around her. She dedicates much energy and time to learning more of the Ukrainian language and to developing trauma recovery skills. And she takes part in evangelism visits and volunteering as a chaplain to minister to veteran soldiers and families and widows of those who have been killed. 

Alison will share more stories of hope soon. 

Latest prayer needs from Ukraine 

• Pray for Alison’s safety and that she and so many others will somehow be able to cope with the cold and lack of power 
• Pray for veteran soldiers who have left the army at the end of duty or because of injury, as they adjust to civilian life. A number are on their own and don’t know where to turn. Others may have left the country or been forced to move to the west of Ukraine. Many veterans feel lost and turn to alcohol or drugs to cope with their stresses, the practical and emotional difficulties.  
• Pray for families who are separated with some members abroad and partners in Ukraine. Pray for people as they adjust to the consequences of this new reality. 
• Pray for peace. For lasting, safe, life-giving peace between Ukraine and Russia. This time next year, may the violence have long ceased. 

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In late January 2025, M23 rebels took over the city of Goma, bringing death, destruction and hardship. But amid the suffering, the church has brought healing and is growing.

On the first anniversary of the invasion by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels into Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC], Bishop Martin Gordon, the UK-born Anglican bishop of Goma, has spoken of the Christian awakening that has swept across his diocese, resulting in thousands of people putting their trust and hope in Jesus.

The invasion in late January 2025 left more than 3,000 people dead and another 700,000 displaced and also led to a spate of summary executions, a spike in sexual violence and kidnappings, and the closure of the banks, courts and airport. However, as Bishop Martin explains, God has been at work, often quietly but sometimes noisily, in and through the Church. He says, “There were parishes that we been unable to reach for three years, but this year we’ve been able to visit and encourage the people that they are not forgotten.”

He continued: “The suffering in Goma seems to have captured the attention of many in the Church globally, and we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of churches and individuals. As a result, when the situation was at its toughest, we were able to give a cash gift to each of our staff and clergy and even our teachers who hadn’t been paid for six months because of the closure of the banks. And again, at Christmas we blessed 200 families with a gift of a chicken and a sack of rice to celebrate.”

Bishop Martin went on to explain that not only were the churches a source of peace and practical succour but there was also a spiritual hunger emerging. He explained, “The Church is the one institution that is still trusted in DRC. It is at the heart of every village and community. When war came, people looked to the churches for every kind of help, as well as for hope. They were used as shelters, as distribution centres and we saw an increased attendance in many of our parishes that were not displaced. Those who didn’t usually attend started coming for prayer. Those who were more sporadic started attending more regularly.

“We’ve seen people hungrier than ever for the basic truths of the Christian faith and as I’ve been doing the rounds of the churches in the Archdeaconry of Goma, we are seeing a greater number of candidates for baptism and confirmation. And the church attendance figures show that the archdeaconry had doubled in size numerically in 2025, with 250 being confirmed in October and November. In our summer missions in secondary schools, over 6,000 children gathered to hear about Jesus and more than 1,000 put their trust in him.”

In Kibumba, a town in the territory of Nyiragongo just north of Goma, the diocese had long fostered plans to plant a church but were thwarted by the fact the town lay on the frontline between the M23 factions and government forces.

Bishop Martin explained what happened next: “We already had a school there, which struggled to function, but recent events have meant that getting around is actually easier. So, we bought a plot of land in October. Then in December, within the space of a 10 days we appointed an evangelist, built a 12m x 8m wooden church with the generosity of a UK parish, and held a two-day evangelism campaign which was attended by over four thousand people, with nearly 900 became Christians.

“Now there is the small matter of follow-up, but the following Sunday the church was full, and they had to borrow chairs from the neighbour to give everyone a seat. This is a Kinyarwanda speaking area and we have just finished translating the catechism into the local language which will help disciple these new believers.”

In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, Bishop Martin helped to launch the Goma Call for Peace, a nearly 500,000 strong global petition, supported by the Anglican Communion, that helped to raise the plight of the Congolese and call on the international community to intervene.

Bishop Martin concluded, “Times are incredibly hard in Goma right now. The 2025 invasion adds one more layer of trauma to more than 30 years of conflict. And many still struggle to make ends meet. But amidst the suffering, we testify daily to God’s faithfulness, and we continue to put our trust in him, as the one who will ultimately bring about peace.”

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Human suffering has a way of overwhelming us, often leaving us asking, “how can I make a difference?” But for some, unimaginable pain isn’t a barrier – it’s a call to action. 

In 2005, while lamenting the suffering of millions of women impacted by Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and forced marriages, CMS mission partner Ann-Marie Wilson asked God: “Who will help girls like this?” To her amazement, the answer came back as an audible voice: “You will.”

Two decades later, Ann-Marie is still answering that call. Through her international organisation, 28 Too Many, she has gathered the stories of over 3,000 FGM survivors and built a global movement dedicated to ending FGM worldwide and advocating for women’s reproductive health. 

We pause to celebrate her achievements and thank her for her long-term service as a CMS mission partner.

Here are some of the people and places that have shaped her world-wide fight.

The girls who launched a movement

Fatima: The catalyst

Ann-Marie’s fight began with an encounter that forced her face-to-face with unimaginable suffering. In 2005, she and her team found Fatima, a 10-year-old girl, alone and seven months pregnant following a rape by militia in the scrubland of West Darfur.

They rushed her to a clinic where a caesarean section saved her life. As Fatima recovered, Ann-Marie learned more about the devastating health complications that followed her FGM experience at age five. Fatima’s desperate circumstances echoed the biblical words, “for such a time as this,” from Esther 4:14. Her story was Ann-Marie’s Esther moment, serving as the launchpad for a mission to free girls from FGM and the forced marriages that often follow.

Hannah and Grace: changing a community’s mind

Just 10 and 12 years old, Hannah and Grace shifted an entire community’s view on FGM. 

When famine struck Kenya, their families relocated to a new settlement. The move allowed the girls to start attending school, where they learned about FGM practice’s illegality and severe health consequences.

The girls immediately planned to run away, seeking refuge with relatives. They bravely refused to return home until they were guaranteed safety from FGM. Their courage forced the community chiefs to meet, who guaranteed the girls would be heard. Hannah and Grace addressed the entire community, which, convinced by their testimony, decided then and there to never perform FGM again. No girl younger than them in their community has been cut since.

Mary: breaking the cycle

Mary’s life shows how devastating cycles of harmful practices can be stopped. As a teenager, her mother convinced her that FGM was a harmless procedure that would bring glory and respect. Mary eagerly awaited her turn to be cut, but her eagerness turned to terror. She spent a full month recovering.

Married at 19, Mary began to understand the full extent of the lies she’d been told when she required surgical intervention to safely deliver her first child. Eventually, her husband abandoned her and their three children. Through this ordeal, Mary came to understand that her value existed far beyond her relative worth to a man.

Now an anti-FGM activist, Mary helps run alternative rite of passage ceremonies, replacing the harmful practice with a celebration of womanhood.

Lydia: lasting educational impact

Anti-FGM efforts are often hindered by cultural taboos and a lack of open discussion about female sexuality. Recognising this knowledge gap, Lydia, a British teacher, volunteered her summer to help educate educators in Uganda.

While running safeguarding workshops in rural southwestern Uganda, Lydia made a startling discovery: only one in 20 teachers had any knowledge of FGM. Lydia trained them on how to recognise girls who had been subjected to the practice and prevent potential complications. A year later, she returned to find the teachers had successfully implemented improved school policies and safety measures. 

Her dedicated work was later scaled up into a nationwide programme promoting girls’ education and preventing female students from dropping out of school after puberty.

Global impact: from New York to Kenya 

Ann-Marie and the 28 Too Many team haven’t just changed individual lives; they’ve shifted global policy and fostered grassroots change across continents.

The UN: securing the Sustainable Development Goal

In 2012, Ann-Marie set her sights on a monumental task: ensuring FGM was included in the final document of a major gathering in New York at the full Commission on the Status of Women with over 10,000 attendees. Her team worked relentlessly: holding seminars, asking questions at key events, addressing world leaders and handing literature to dignitaries. After seven days of non-stop work, she got the result she wanted.

“Those three small letters FGM are now in the document, and therefore in the Sustainable Development Goals,” Ann-Marie says. “This is one of my greatest achievements.” 

Her work secured its place in Sustainable Development Goal 5.3: ‘Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.’

West Africa: outreach and media

In 2015, the 28 Too Many team traveled across West Africa, delivering critical reports and findings. In Senegal, Ann-Marie delivered four talks a day, including a training session to 30 women in a remote village, translated live. The rapid pace continued in Gambia, where they recorded an interview with a newspaper. The next day, the entire story, featuring their work, was printed word-for-word on pages 2 and 3 of the national newspaper. In Mali, they successfully met with UNICEF, who agreed to host the first NGO gathering in the region, providing a critical platform for stagnant anti-FGM efforts.

Kenya: teaching healthcare through cricket 

In a unique partnership opportunity, 28 Too Many collaborated with Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) in the Central Maasai area of Kenya. CWB uses cricket coaching to deliver vital health messages, and Ann-Marie was invited to deliver FGM training to both the CWB team and the local communities.

Upon arrival, seeking permission from the stern-looking Elders was the critical first step – a refusal meant being sent home. After explaining their mission, Ann-Marie paused and asked, “I don’t even know if I have permission to speak of FGM and sexual matters in public or in mixed company.”

The Chief immediately stomped his stick on the ground and declared with a single, powerful word: “You have permission!”

With clearance secured, they delivered FGM awareness sessions to over 3,000 people across schools and community forums. They trained 25 local adults – including teachers, youth workers, and health professionals – to become ongoing FGM and cricket coaches. 

The project culminated in a celebratory day led by the Maasai Cricket Warriors, where the community publicly committed to ending FGM and pledged to carry this anti-FGM message into neighbouring villages, ensuring the movement was self-sustaining.

Ann-Marie Wilson’s journey is a powerful testament to how a single person can spark profound global change. Her achievements, the lasting change she and her team have impacted across the world, didn’t come from a place of status, power or genius, just the simple, radical act of daring to ask, “Who will help?”

It shows that when you align yourself with God’s mission, anything is possible.

If you want to follow Ann-Marie’s work, you can sign up to her updates.

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In Juba, South Sudan, many more families are taking home healthy babies following changes at a local hospital over the past 18 months.

When mission partner Nicci Maxwell arrived in Juba in mid-2024, the mortality rate on the neonatal ward at Al Sabbah Children’s Hospital was at 15 per cent, meaning up to 35 families each month were grieving the loss of a newborn baby.

A paediatrician with a particular interest in newborns, Nicci was determined to change this, and senior management at the hospital was committed to supporting any progress that could be made.

Nicci has been grateful to work with a core group of nursing staff dedicated to the mothers and babies they care for.

Together, during the 18 months since Nicci arrived, staff at the hospital have improved overall cleanliness and facilities, even adding a high dependency unit to better support the sickest babies.

As a result of their hard work, the mortality rate on the neonatal ward at Al Sabbah hospital has dropped to just below five per cent at the time of writing.

Where 18 months ago, on average 35 families a month were grieving the loss of a child, that number has now dropped to 12. And in Nicci’s words, “There is so much more to do!” 

Nicci supports and trains local staff alongside caring for babies and children at Al Sabbah Children’s Hospital and in the local refugee community.

Wanting to improve paediatric care more widely as well as locally, together with colleagues from Al Sabbah and representatives of the WHO, Nicci is involved in the production of a Paediatric Pocketbook.

This will be an accessible guide to the important basics of paediatric and newborn care for health workers across the whole of South Sudan. This exciting development will hopefully benefit children all over the country.

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In the hours before a peace rally was held in Makol’s town, Makol was out stealing cattle. He was caught in the act. He knew his fate was sealed: he would be publicly executed.

Yet, a speech delivered by Archbishop Moses Deng at the peace rally about forgiveness and reconciliation changed everything. When the Archbishop trained with CMS-Africa in 2010, he never imagined that his words could save a man’s life more than a decade later….

Where livestock is everything

In South Sudan livestock represents wealth, social status, income, food and dowries. Cattle raiding is big business for the perpetrators and hugely damaging for the victims.

Makol was a cattle raider from Warrap State, South Sudan. He knew that stealing cattle was wrong and that people were getting hurt, but he was making too much money to stop. He also knew he couldn’t afford to get caught – if he was caught, he could be executed by firing squad in front of his community.

In parts of South Sudan, cattle raiding has been practised among pastoral communities for as long as anyone can remember. But in recent years, the traditional spears and bows and arrows have been replaced by guns and heavy weapons. Raids have become more intense, more violent and take place on a much larger scale.

In addition to cattle raiding, many tribes in South Sudan are fighting with each other over land disputes and other matters. Most people struggle to remember a time when they weren’t in conflict. Very sadly, conflict between tribes leads to more cattle raiding, which feeds more conflict, pushing communities across the country into a downward spiral of violence, costing many lives.

Discipleship with a difference

CMS-Africa is working with local churches in South Sudan to disciple Christians and raise up “Abunas”. Abunas are men and women who find their identity in faith rather than in a tribe. They are recognised for their good character and will actively work to transform families and communities.

CMS-Africa also offers trauma healing, builds relationships between church leaders from different tribes and works with congregations through individual churches’ groups and activities.

Peace comes to town

In the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan, an inter-church peace committee representing multiple denominations is also working to foster peace among warring communities. In early 2021, the committee organised a series of peace rallies and conferences in Makol’s home state, Warrap. Church leaders, senior government officials and Archbishop Moses Deng – Bishop of the Diocese of Wau – visited towns and villages, to speak to communities and traditional leaders about peace. Drawing on his training with CMS-Africa, Archbishop Moses Deng spoke to each community on the theme of love and forgiveness.

In the hours before a peace rally was held in Makol’s town, Makol was out stealing cattle. He was caught in the act, arrested and put in a police car. He knew his fate was sealed: he would be publicly executed.

The governor of Warrap State, General Aleu Ayieny, planned for Makol to be killed in front of the crowd at the end of the peace rally that same day. Evening came and Makol found himself sitting in the back of the governor’s car, waiting for his punishment, while General Ayieny listened to Archbishop Moses’ message nearby.

Expecting execution, receiving forgiveness

The Archbishop spoke about peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, repentance and peacebuilding – as he did in every community he visited. When he had finished, the governor stood up and addressed him: “Your Grace Moses, I have a living dead young man in the back of my car. I have brought him here to kill him in front of these crowds and multitudes by firing squad. We have spoken a lot against this practice of cattle raiding and today we could have been making an example out of this man…. But because you have spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation, I have forgiven him.”

The governor went back to his car and instructed Makol to follow him to the gathering. Makol followed slowly, walking to his death. But standing there in front of his community, hanging his head in shame, he heard the words, “You are forgiven.” Makol was overwhelmed. Could this really be true? A moment ago, he had been sentenced to death. Now he was being told he was forgiven, and the crowd who should have witnessed his execution were celebrating with him.

That day, Makol received Jesus and was baptised.

Four years later, his cattle raiding days are behind him. He and his family belong to a local church where they are being discipled and Makol provides for his family honestly by working as a prison warden.

One disciple at a time

Peace in South Sudan will not be achieved overnight, but CMS-Africa is committed to steady, long-term discipleship throughout the communities of Bahr el Ghazal in South Sudan.

As people are discipled and Abunas are raised up one at a time, CMS-Africa is seeing lives changed and in cases like Makol’s, even saved. Could these be the first green shoots of the peace God wants for this nation?

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO of CMS. In the next few minutes we’ll bring you inspiring news from three edges in our world, stories that you are making possible through your gifts and prayers. First we’ll go to Tanzania, where new opportunities are making all the difference to people with disabilities. From there we’ll go to North India to see how Christians are creatively responding to the challenge of persecution. And then finally we’ll meet a man in Reading here in the UK, who is doing something amazing for mission in honour of his parents.

[00:00:39] First let’s go to Usa River, near Arusha, Tanzania, and meet a man called Elinaja. Elinaja was an able-bodied man in his early thirties with a job, a wife and four children. One day as he was returning from work his motorbike was hit by a bus as it veered off the road. His right leg was severely injured. After six painful weeks without improvement the doctors advised amputation. Suddenly disabled, he was no longer able to find work. He could no longer provide for his family and despair crept in. Three years later a sponsor paid for Elinaja to get a prosthesis fitted, which allowed him to walk with a stick instead of heavy crutches. On the day he received his new leg he visited the SAFI office. SAFI stands for See Ability First International and was started by mission partners Ben and Katy Ray to provide training for people with disabilities so that they can earn a living. Elinaja was invited to join Sawawa, a micro enterprise group producing handcrafted wooden homewares. Elinaja seemed to have a natural talent for woodturning, but standing all day at a lathe on his prosthetic leg became too painful for him to continue. SAFI reached out to Tools for Solidarity, an organisation that supplies refurbished tools. By chance they had just received a compact tabletop lathe ideal for Elinaja to use. He completed his training. And now he’s producing his own range of wooden items. Bowls, pots, honey dippers and light fittings. Today Elinaja is part of a purposeful, friendly community at the SAFI centre, taking part in devotions, praying and singing along with other members of his community. And he can support his family once again. Ben and Katy have plans in place to start 12 micro enterprise groups like the one Elinaja joined. These will help dozens of people with disabilities like Elinaja find dignity and hope.

[00:02:32] Next let’s go to North India, to the foothills of the Himalayas. This area is home to a people group who were once considered unreached by the gospel. Where they live is also almost unreachable, geographically speaking, due to the mountainous terrain. Despite this, in recent years due to grassroots mission efforts, close to 5,000 members of this people group have decided to follow Jesus. Eddie, whose name has been changed, is one of them. He came to faith in Jesus 35 years ago at the age of 15. Over the years he became a pastor and has helped train 50 to 60 house church leaders for this area. Each leader looks after 5 to 10 house churches. Recently, the rising hostility and threats of violence from religious fundamentalists means these Christians can’t meet together in groups of more than a few. This has led Eddie to introduce a creative idea, what he calls Moving House Churches. Eddie, his colleague George and other house church leaders get together for fellowship, prayer and Bible study while hiking in the mountains for a few days or a week at a time. This is truly church on the move, and this remarkable story shows how resilience and creativity can overcome oppression in places where followers of Jesus are in a minority. You can read more about it on the CMS website under the Stories tab.

[00:03:52] Finally, speaking of resilience… Let’s meet someone embarking on a huge challenge to raise financial support for CMS. David Hubbard from Reading is preparing to cycle 5,000 kilometres around East Africa’s Lake Victoria at the beginning of 2026. David is doing this incredible sponsored challenge in memory of his parents, Laurence and Wendy Hubbard, who served with CMS in Africa from 1966 to 1973, and Laurence was also later the regional secretary for CMS. David’s cycle will take him through Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and he’ll get a chance to spend time in places where his parents lived and worked as well as visit current CMS mission partners and projects. We are so honoured to see David preparing for this inspiring fundraising endeavour, and we’ll be praying for him on his journey.

Do you have a fundraising idea, or would you like to borrow one of ours? Find out more at churchmissionsociety.org/fundraising.

[00:04:52] Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which of course makes them all possible. Please share this video with your church, small group or anyone you think of who could use some fuel for their faith.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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