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We’re thrilled you want to know more about serving on a multi-generational team with family, friends, a group or by yourself. The impact on those we go to serve is tremendous, in fact, eternal; yet the impact on those who go can’t be overstated either. Let’s journey together! Please contact us if we can assist you in any way.

The e3 Legacy expedition you’re considering is most likely a huge step of faith, resulting in lots of questions. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Who would be on my team?

How do I know if I am ready to take an international mission trip?

What does a typical week look like?

What kind of training will I receive?

Can one week in a foreign country really make a lasting impact?

Who will follow up with new followers of Jesus after we leave?

Is it really possible to raise the necessary funds to go on an expedition?

What are the additional costs beyond the trip fee?

How safe is an international mission trip?

What are the minimum accommodations?

How old do you need to be to go on a mission trip?

What is a child’s role on the mission trip?

Who would be on my team?

e3 Legacy’s multi-generational mission trips provide a dynamic opportunity to work alongside team members, both older and younger, either from one general area or spread throughout North America. These multi-generational trips often include single people, students, a parent and a youth, a husband and wife, or an entire family. In other words, everyone is invited!

How do I know if I am ready to take an international mission trip?

First, you don’t need to be a spiritual giant. Most people going on an e3 Legacy expedition have never led anyone to Jesus, let alone shared God’s love with someone, especially someone who has never heard the name of Jesus. Deep down, many people doubt that God can use them in such a significant way; yet, God is simply looking for people to say yes and GO. He takes care of filling in the gaps. No matter how inadequate you may feel, God can and will work wonders through you!

What does a typical week look like?

The weekend you arrive, the team gets acclimated, receives training from our team leaders and national director, and meets the translators they’ll be working alongside. Generally, Sunday is spent worshipping with the local churches we will be partnering with, strategizing, and making final preparations for the week. The team is then split into smaller groups and assigned a specific village or community to work in for the rest of the week. Each morning begins with a devotion, and ends with worshipping God for how He revealed Himself that day. In between, the teams will be working in their assigned community, building relationships, and sharing the love of God. Each afternoon, children from the village are gathered together for a VBS-type program that allows team members to spiritually connect with the children through stories, games, and activities.

Because team members are given their own translator, each person has the opportunity to share God’s story dozens of times in just one week! As God uses team members to draw people to Himself, they have the blessing of spiritually mentoring these new followers of Jesus and helping them to grow in their new-found faith. As the week progresses, the North Americans will be training their national–a local Christian, who will continue the work once the North American team leaves. By Friday, new believers are meeting daily to study God’s word and to fellowship with other believers. The team will wrap up the week with a day off to enjoy some of the sights before returning to America on Sunday. What a week!

What kind of training will I receive?

e3 Legacy trains its team members in at least five training sessions where team members get to know each other, practice sharing their story and God’s story using the EvangeCube or another gospeling tool, and learn the spiritual mentoring method that will be implemented in each country. Team members meet together for the sessions, and those out of the area participate by videoconference. Each team member receives an e3 Go Kit, consisting of a personal prayer journal, an EvangeCube, EvangeFolds, I Am Second bracelet, and e3 Guidebook. Your team leader also will provide one-on-one coaching through the support-raising and evangelism training processes. Once in-country, cultural training will be provided by the country’s national director.

Can one week in a foreign country really make a lasting impact?

Yes! On average, an e3 Legacy trip will establish 25 house churches in just one week! Everything we do is simple and transferable. As part of our training, the team will learn how to implement MAWL as part of the church planting strategy: Model, Assist, Watch, Launch. In country, you are responsible for modeling how to share God’s story and lead discipleship groups for your local Christian partner, referred to as your national (this is the most important step). Throughout the week, you will model and assist your national during meetings, eventually transitioning to the watch stage, where you encourage your national and the new follower of Jesus as they begin to make their own disciples.

Who will follow up with new followers of Jesus after we leave?

When we leave, the nationals will be equipped to continue the work through the Holy Spirit, making a lasting impact on the people and the new house churches. In addition to the newly trained nationals, we have an e3 Partner national director who oversees the on-going training and follow-up with these new house churches. Your trip costs also equip the local church with resources to support one year of follow up.

Is it really possible to raise the necessary funds to go on an expedition?

Some of the most impactful lessons learned on a mission trip have to do with God’s financial provision. He wants us to trust Him, so He provides opportunities for us to be stretched in the area of finances. The means of provision for each person rarely looks the same, probably because God is so creative! Most people, however, reach their support goals by asking family and friends in a letter to partner with them in the mission work. Others also will receive funds through unexpected bonuses, church dinners, community-sized garage sales, babysitting, and more!

While you need to put in the effort, your e3 Legacy team leaders will provide suggestions, encouragement, and sample letters. Additionally, you’ll receive an online fundraising account to share with family and friends. All financial gifts are tax-deductible. If you want to see God work in unimaginable ways in your life, take this step of faith!

What are the additional costs beyond the trip fee?

Team members are responsible for obtaining a passport (current fees: $110 for adults, $80 for minors), and their own immunizations (depending on the country is $100-$500 per person). If you raise more than the cost of the trip, the extra funds can be used to reimburse the cost of immunizations. You will be responsible for food on travel days to and from the country, but all other meals are covered.

How safe is an international mission trip?

Thinking about traveling internationally creates some degree of concern for most people. Be assured, your experienced team leaders take every precaution possible to protect all team members. With that in mind, e3 Legacy team members are back at the hotel before dark. Additionally, team leaders receive security alerts for all countries we serve in and team members are registered with the State Department. To protect the team from foreign bacteria, most meals are eaten in the hotel, except lunch, which is packed and eaten in the field (peanut butter and jelly sandwich, granola bar, and local peel able fruit). Team leaders carry a first aid/medical kit for basic situations, and all team members have emergency medical and evacuation insurance. Fortunately, no one on an e3 Legacy expedition has ever experienced a dangerous situation.

What are the minimum accommodations?

We stay in hotels with running water, flushing toilets and electricity. Team members will generally sleep two to a room.

How old do you need to be to go on a mission trip?

No minimum age exists for participating with e3 Legacy. Several factors, however, influence when a specific child is ready for an e3 Legacy expedition. Younger children are welcome to go if they can handle seven long days of in-country training and evangelism work alongside a parent, taking turns sharing the story of God’s love as the parent deems appropriate. Older youth work with their family in a specific community all week, but they go out each day on a team of three with their own translator and national church member. To date, the youngest child to share a translator with his parent was nine years old, and the youngest child having her own translator was twelve years old.

What is a child’s role on the mission trip?

Every person on an e3 Legacy expedition is considered part of the team, and like any team, each person’s role is crucial to its success. So whether a team member is 12 or 71, he has the same responsibilities as the rest of the team. The youth on a trip participate in the team trainings, pray, share their story and God’s story, and spiritually mentor new followers of Jesus at a level that they are capable of doing. Where they fall short, the Holy Spirit stands in the gap. Additionally, the youth on the team are generally responsible for leading the children’s program in the afternoons.

Words that Changed His Eternity (salvation)

Tatiana Walks (healing)

Eternal Redemption (healing)

The Holy Spirit is Our Teacher (salvation, discipleship)

Listening to God’s Voice (salvation, family)

Obedience to Share and to Go (salvation)

Fruits of Our Labor (salvation, discipleship)

An Overwhelming Peace (salvation)

Words that Changed His Eternity (salvation)

“This week, I left a part of my heart on the steps of the bright blue house…in the hands of Kashi Harayan Kukhiya, the retired 67-year-old professor who had lost both of his legs to cancer. After sharing the Creation to Christ story, Kashi and I talked for hours about his life, as well as the many different groups that had come to tell him many ‘good things’ about their gods. He told how his head is full of knowledge and how he has tried worshiping many idols and then asked me, ‘But why should I believe in your Jesus above all the other gods?’ I closed my eyes, and in that moment, the truth of the gospel became so real in my own life. I opened my eyes and released the stream of sweet tears that now streaked my cheeks. With eyes locked on Kashi’s, the rest of the world melted away and all I could muster was ‘because I know in my heart that Jesus loves me…’ When God had said everything He needed to say, Kashi scooted closer to me and took my hands into his, fresh tears glossing his own eyes as he whispered, ‘This is what all the others were missing…love.’ I was overwhelmed by the sweetness of the moment as he spoke the words that changed eternity forever, ‘I saw Jesus in your eyes today and you have shown me how bright my life can be. I, too, want to follow Jesus as the one true God of my life.'” Kendall (20 yrs)

Tatiana Walks (healing)

“Peru for me was very life changing. God showed up in so many places that I am still in shock of the amazing miracles that He performed. One of my favorite memories is when I met a little 9 year old girl named Tatianna. She was lame from birth and has never been able to stand or walk. When I met her she had such a sweet and sensitive smile that your heart just melted. We prayed over her that God would heal this little girl; everyone around us was saying, ‘It’s impossible; she will never be able to stand or walk.’ Well, God showed up and when I saw her again, we were all sitting around the table; we asked her how she felt and she just smiled, saying, ‘Very good.’ Out of nowhere, she exclaimed, ‘Grandma, look!’ and she stood up! I was in shock and couldn’t believe my eyes. We also got to help her practice standing and walking. I am so blessed to have met Tatianna and am so excited to meet with her again, in heaven!” – Taylor (16 yrs), Peru

Eternal Redemption (healing)

“A woman named Gregoria, a new believer who lived at the top of a steep hill, was paralyzed on half of her body and lived in constant pain for years. Joel and his 10 year old son prayed for her healing and her pain left. As they shared Jesus with her family, her son and two grandchildren accepted Christ into their hearts as well. As others in the village accepted Jesus, Gregoria opened her home for them to meet for Bible study. On the way to her house the next day, we saw Wilson, one of the nationals they were training to be the site overseer, leading a line of new believers to Gregoria’s house, up the steep hill like ducklings behind their mother. Wilson led the study and taught them how to grow in their relationship with Christ through prayer, Bible study, listening to the Holy Spirit, worship, serving, sharing their faith and discipleship of others. What a joy and blessing to see God work and to participate in His plan of eternal redemption.” –Peru

The Holy Spirit is Our Teacher (salvation, discipleship)

“This mission trip to Kenya was a life changing experience for me. The preparation alone was very beneficial. Many areas of my life will be impacted by what I saw and experienced. So many people came to know Jesus and were given the tools and support they needed to begin and sustain their Christian walk. Towards the end of the week, I had the privilege of conducting two discipleship meetings with new believers. I was amazed at the excitement and commitment expressed by these individuals. They were thrilled to go out and share the gospel with others, and yet they had only been saved for 24 hours. I was also encouraged to see that they could study the Bible with very little assistance from outside resources. Our team under the direction from the Holy Spirit was able to have a lasting impact on these people. What a blessing it is to have God’s expression of love flow through us to these people. I can honestly say that I have grown to love the Digo people we came in contact with. They are etched on my heart forever.” –Jacques (59 yrs.), Kenya

Listening to God’s Voice (salvation, family)

“I was sharing in the village alongside my translator, church partner and my dad, but I really wanted to go without my dad, but my mom wanted him with me. Finally, I got to go to some people and share the gospel without another American there. The first guy didn’t come to Christ, but the second and third did. During lunch, I went to an older lady’s home. Just going to houses with my translator and Cambodian Christian, but not my dad, was amazing. This lady received Christ. Then this guy who sells clothes rides up on his moped. I stared at him, and all of a sudden I heard a voice in my head that said, ‘Go!’ I rushed to get the Evangecube out of my backpack and then rushed over to him. I started talking to him and discovered he is from India. I shared the Gospel with him, but he didn’t receive Christ. That was fine. I just love having conversations with the people. It is an amazing experience!” Delaney (12 yrs.), Cambodia

Obedience to Share and to Go (salvation)

“God was testing my obedience to follow His voice. On Monday, we went down a long road that led us to a fish pond. We felt led to share with a man sitting under a covering near the pond. He was very welcoming as we shared the gospel, but when asked if he wanted to follow Jesus, he responded, ‘No, because I’m a Buddhist.’ But as we returned each day to visit, I could see God chasing away layers of hindrances. Sansong began to delight in the story of how Jesus called the fishermen to be His disciples. He finally shared His most pressing worry: “Is it a sin to catch fish?’ We explained it was not, but nonetheless, Jesus covers all sins. He beamed with joy at this news. He then shared that his daughter was a Christian and had shared God’s story with him several times, but he had not heard such relatable stories. He asked us to pray for his daughter to get a good job and that night his daughter received a well-paying job in Bangkok. Sansong began to see how Jesus is the living God. On the third day, I woke up and God revealed to me that I was to share the shepherd story with Sansong. I had no idea how a fish keeper would relate to a shepherd, but I was obedient, and we read the story together. Sansong began laughing with joy and stated he related most to this story because he was a shepherd of his fish and now understood God’s love. He then decided to become a follower of Jesus! Before we even got to train him on how to share his new faith with others, Sansong was sharing God’s story of forgiveness with other fishermen.” –Megan (23 yrs), Thailand

Fruits of Our Labor (salvation, discipleship)

Everyone serving in the field, even our translators, are impacted; we all grow as we serve God. Jeannette ministered to her translator all week and saw the fruit of her labor: “Jane, my translator, was a 19-year-old young lady, who lives near the village we worked in. She was really changed this week as God began to work on her heart. The training inspired her. She said she was my student this week and learned so much. On Wednesday, my Kenyan co-worker and Jane worked in the village without me, and God used them mightily to start several discipleship groups! That night, Jane went home and shared Christ with her neighbors for the first time and is in the process of starting her own discipleship group with them! She has committed to continue the work in our village for one year, returning weekly to disciple and encourage the new followers of Jesus. Yeah, God!” Jeannette (41 yrs), Kenya

An Overwhelming Peace (salvation)

“I went to this woman’s house with Genesis, my translator, and the pastor’s wife, who was my translator. The pastor’s wife told us that this woman sometimes helped out at the church, but had never accepted Jesus. She welcomed us inside and we sat down with her and her daughter. I introduced myself, told her why we had come to Venezuela, and then I shared the Evangecube with her. When I was done, I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus’s gift of salvation, and she said, ‘No.’ We asked her if there was a specific reason why she didn’t want to and after further inquiry, we found out it was because she believed that if she accepted Jesus she wouldn’t be able to do as many things or have as much fun. Then the Holy Spirit led me to share part of my testimony with her, so I told her that I used to do many things that I thought would make me happy, but they never satisfied me. I shared how God had sent me all the way to Venezuela to tell her how much He loved her and wanted to have a relationship with her. The pastor’s wife shared more with her, and then her and her daughter said they wanted to accept Christ. Genesis led them in a prayer and after praying, they both started crying. Genesis asked the woman how she felt and she said that there was a great peace that she felt inside. They were both so happy, and the woman then went with us to the next person’s house. She said she felt like she was our sister.” – Audrey (18 yrs), Venezuela

Andreas and Terri Mehrguth

Directors

Andreas and Terri are passionate about the generations experiencing God in fresh ways and helping people recognize and walk in God’s love and pleasure in them. They enjoy assisting people in identifying and breaking off barriers that hold them back from running with God in all the potential He sees in them. Additionally, they are focused on assisting nationals in training and implementing strategies to reach the unreached and unengaged people groups in their countries. They live in Southern California and have two adult children in their 20s, Garrett and Jordan, who have ministered in over 20 countries on four continents with them since they were children. When the Mehrguth’s first son passed away as a baby, God gave them an eternal perspective on life and a heart for heaven. As business owners, they took their family on international short-term mission trips for two consecutive years, after which God called them to full-time mission work. After serving with Jesus Film Project, they joined e3 Partners in 2007 to start e3 Legacy.

“No matter where you are in your walk with God, we want to help you move forward. Five team trainings with lots of modeling and individual conversations along with 12 days serving together internationally in a highly intentional way will greatly propel you forward. You will experience God’s intimacy as He uses you to grow His Kingdom for His glory and your good.” –Terri Mehrguth

Email Andreas & Terri

 

 e3 Trip Guidebook (download)

The Expedition Guidebook provides all the information you need to prepare for your upcoming trip, from how to pack to vital mission details.

e3 Prayer Journal (download)

This invaluable resources can help you sharpen your ability to hear from God and apply what you hear. This journaling method is effective and efficient.

Andreas Mehrguth
e3 Legacy Director
Terri Mehrguth
e3 Legacy Associate Director
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Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our aith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2

Is there such a thing as a senior missionary? We reckon it’s so as we’ve reached an age - when, how we’ve been able to strive, and where we’ve been able to thrive in the past has become increasingly problematic - though our passion and desire to trust and obey all Jesus commanded remains! 

As God’s adopted children, we love God, we love God’s family, and we love the whosoever’s He is calling to Himself. And as missionaries with e3 Partners Ministry since the late 1990's, we love serving Christ’s church, albeit, in deeply varied ways.

Initially, late 1990’s onwards, for almost ten (10) years our primary church planting ministry focus was both in South America (mainly Costa Rica) and in Russia. Later, as focus within the e3 Partners ministry began to change and evolve, e3 church planting missionaries (like ourselves) were encouraged to both facilitate “kingdom growth” beyond our taking short-term mission teams internationally and simple church planting (addition methodology). E3 Partners’ leadership began exhorting us to seek “in country” partnerships with our training and short-term teams modeling what Jesus modeled when on earth (MAWL) towards the hope that GOD-sized church planting movements begin indigenously (multiplicative methodology).

Look to Jesus! Follow Jesus! Rely upon the Holy Spirit! Go to where “God’s kingdom is not”, training and teaching those mission teams we lead to also train and teach by modeling, assisting, watching, lettering back (MAWL) what we’ve seen Jesus teach and model! In our souls we now deemed it most important to do the needful in reaching the hard to reach, the unengaged, the unreconciled, the troubled … peoples and tribes of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this, God now led us to primarily focus exclusively upon two (2) areas of the world: the "Horn of Africa" and the Asian sub-continent called “India".

The Horn of Africa, for us, meant focusing our church planting efforts in troubled Rwanda, a country torn apart by tribal genocide. Oh, how GOD worked in Rwanda! He invited us to join Him as He then favored our ministry there - 2005 to 2016 - as we saw 100’s, even 10’s of 100’s, of new churches planted … with Rwandans from every tribe making professions of faith before we sensed our church planting ministry there was completed; in that by 2016, God had raised up both incredibly gifted Rwandan Christian leaders and an impassioned e3 Community Transformation leadership team to carry on in Rwanda. 

India's mission went differently for us.  We heard and considered an e3 India Strategy Leader’s invitation to minister there beginning in 2004-2005. As we prayed, we learned India had over 5000 people groups or tribes, unreached and/or unengaged - almost one (1) billion people - a billion men, women, and children who’d never heard the name of Jesus!  Now traveling to India and experiencing this unimaginable lostness ... chaos seemingly everywhere ... we heard from the Lord to begin working there with the Banjara church (located in south central India) in hopes of reaching an unreached tribal group of 40 million people called the Banjara Gypsy. The next few years, while splitting our efforts between Rwanda, Africa and India, ministry to the Banjara tribal group led to a series of “run, stop, run, step back, walk, caution, …” all glory to God yet “traction” never quite realized.  

In 2011 God redirected (?!?) and ministry plans changed! A series of events led to our first assisting another e3 expedition team who’d canceled their plans to travel in another country now considered “too dangerous”. Needing a new location, they asked us if anyone could help them which led to our offering them a location we’d already prepared to receive our own e3 team … but later in the year. Now scrambling to find a site for our own team (expedition), we were offered a new ministry location which we subsequently accepted in the India state of Maharashtra with entirely different unreached people groups and an entirely different network of churches.

God, ever faithful, now orchestrated we now be introduced to a small church network of 14 churches comprised of about 1500 men and women who dreamed of reaching their surrounding villages and beyond with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Fervent prayer warriors, blessed with biblical vision and faithfulness, these men and women were open to receiving, what was for them, new methodologies and trainings on how they might expand God’s kingdom. Together, we evangelized and discipled new believers according to what the Bible commanded and an e3 Partners' India strategy of multiplying churches through building coalitions. Over the next few years, it was evident that our LORD God had birthed a God-sized, church planting movement - to God be all the glory!

And the fruitful work in this part of India (now called the MSR) continues today but in 9 states rather than one. The strategy remains very much the same although e3 USA strategy leadership has changed so let’s update what’s gone on since late 2020 … what mission’s ministry looks like for Mary and I in 2023 … 

Since late 2020, I’ve (Mike) stepped away from fulltime MSR strategy and trip leadership; albeit, continuing to serve the MSR church planting movement in a number of small ways. Additionally, I have served as an occasional participant/trainer on 2021-23 virtual mission trips and am currently signed up to travel and participate on two (2) trips to India this November. Moreover, in 2020 I became actively involved with another e3 Partners Ministry (briefly mentioned earlier) mission called I Am Second (IAS).

Working a reduced work schedule, I minister as a voluntary coach for IAS as a responder, a discipleship facilitator, and as an IAS New Testament distributor. As a responder, this consists of my being asked to respond to those who request (through the I Am Second website) someone to talk to regarding their relationship (or lack of relationship) with Jesus Christ, their lack of discipleship, their lack of someone to talk to about Jesus, and/or their desire for fellowship with other Christians. This role often leads one to form and facilitate new I Am Second bible fellowships (or add inquirers to existing zoom and live fellowships) using discipleship methods used while on the field in discipleship themes such as Stories of Hope, Commands of Christ, studying through a gospel together, etc. Finally, as a distributor, I’ve been tasked to emphasize the “IAS discipleship opportunity” via the distribution of free IAS NTs (QR tagged) by installing and replenishing IAS New Testaments displays at varying distribution points in North Alabama.

During this period, Mary has actually increased her e3 mission activities! With the MSR strategy remaining very much the same, the e3 USA strategy leadership has changed. Today Mary Wagner oversees the North American e3 work in the MSR as one of two MSR e3 Strategy Coordinators working alongside our Indian partners to reach their population of over 500 million men, women, and children of 1000+ unreached and unengaged people groups. This she does while doing all she has always done!!! And in addition to her e3 MSR activities, Mary also serves as an IAS Second coach fielding I Am Second (IAS) gender specific requests for discipleship.

Thank you for the countless ways you have come alongside us for so many years! We move forward in faith, trusting the Lord to sustain us until we are called home!

 Mike and Mary

  • An Updated Past and Present Review of M&M's e3 Ministry!

    Posted a week ago

    Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2

    Is there such a thing as a senior missionary? We reckon it’s so as we’ve reached an age - when, how we’ve been able to strive, and where we’ve been able to thrive in the past has become increasingly problematic - though our passion and desire to trust and obey all Jesus commanded remains! 

    As God’s adopted children, we love God, we love God’s family, and we love the whosoever’s He is calling to Himself. And as missionaries with e3 Partners Ministry since the late 1990's, we love serving Christ’s church, albeit, in deeply varied ways.

    Initially, late 1990’s onwards, for almost ten (10) years our primary church planting ministry focus was both in South America (mainly Costa Rica) and in Russia. Later, as focus within the e3 Partners ministry began to change and evolve, e3 church planting missionaries (like ourselves) were encouraged to both facilitate “kingdom growth” beyond our taking short-term mission teams internationally and simple church planting (addition methodology). E3 Partners’ leadership began exhorting us to seek “in country” partnerships with our training and short-term teams modeling what Jesus modeled when on earth (MAWL) towards the hope that GOD-sized church planting movements begin indigenously (multiplicative methodology).

    Look to Jesus! Follow Jesus! Rely upon the Holy Spirit! Go to where “God’s kingdom is not”, training and teaching those mission teams we lead to also train and teach by modeling, assisting, watching, lettering back (MAWL) what we’ve seen Jesus teach and model! In our souls we now deemed it most important to do the needful in reaching the hard to reach, the unengaged, the unreconciled, the troubled … peoples and tribes of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this, God now led us to primarily focus exclusively upon two (2) areas of the world: the "Horn of Africa" and the Asian sub-continent called “India".

    The Horn of Africa, for us, meant focusing our church planting efforts in troubled Rwanda, a country torn apart by tribal genocide. Oh, how GOD worked in Rwanda! He invited us to join Him as He then favored our ministry there - 2005 to 2016 - as we saw 100’s, even 10’s of 100’s, of new churches planted … with Rwandans from every tribe making professions of faith before we sensed our church planting ministry there was completed; in that by 2016, God had raised up both incredibly gifted Rwandan Christian leaders and an impassioned e3 Community Transformation leadership team to carry on in Rwanda.

    India's mission went differently for us.  We heard and considered an e3 India Strategy Leader’s invitation to minister there beginning in 2004-2005. As we prayed, we learned India had over 5000 people groups or tribes, unreached and/or unengaged - almost one (1) billion people - a billion men, women, and children who’d never heard the name of Jesus!  Now traveling to India and experiencing this unimaginable lostness ... chaos seemingly everywhere ... we heard from the Lord to begin working there with the Banjara church (located in south central India) in hopes of reaching an unreached tribal group of 40 million people called the Banjara Gypsy. The next few years, while splitting our efforts between Rwanda, Africa and India, ministry to the Banjara tribal group led to a series of “run, stop, run, step back, walk, caution, …” all glory to God yet “traction” never quite realized.  

    In 2011 God redirected (?!?) and ministry plans changed! A series of events led to our first assisting another e3 expedition team who’d canceled their plans to travel in another country now considered “too dangerous”. Needing a new location, they asked us if anyone could help them which led to our offering them a location we’d already prepared to receive our own e3 team … but later in the year. Now scrambling to find a site for our own team (expedition), we were offered a new ministry location which we subsequently accepted in the India state of Maharashtra with entirely different unreached people groups and an entirely different network of churches.

    God, ever faithful, now orchestrated we now be introduced to a small church network of 14 churches comprised of about 1500 men and women who dreamed of reaching their surrounding villages and beyond with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Fervent prayer warriors, blessed with biblical vision and faithfulness, these men and women were open to receiving, what was for them, new methodologies and trainings on how they might expand God’s kingdom. Together, we evangelized and discipled new believers according to what the Bible commanded and an e3 Partners' India strategy of multiplying churches through building coalitions. Over the next few years, it was evident that our LORD God had birthed a God-sized, church planting movement - to God be all the glory!

    And the fruitful work in this part of India (now called the MSR) continues today but in 9 states rather than one. The strategy remains very much the same although e3 USA strategy leadership has changed so let’s update what’s gone on since late 2020 … what mission’s ministry looks like for Mary and I in 2023 …

    Since late 2020, I’ve (Mike) stepped away from fulltime MSR strategy and trip leadership; albeit, continuing to serve the MSR church planting movement in a number of small ways. Additionally, I have served as an occasional participant/trainer on 2021-23 virtual mission trips and am currently signed up to travel and participate on two (2) trips to India this November. Moreover, in 2020 I became actively involved with another e3 Partners Ministry (briefly mentioned earlier) mission called I Am Second (IAS).

    Working a reduced work schedule, I minister as a voluntary coach for IAS as a responder, a discipleship facilitator, and as an IAS New Testament distributor. As a responder, this consists of my being asked to respond to those who request (through the I Am Second website) someone to talk to regarding their relationship (or lack of relationship) with Jesus Christ, their lack of discipleship, their lack of someone to talk to about Jesus, and/or their desire for fellowship with other Christians. This role often leads one to form and facilitate new I Am Second bible fellowships (or add inquirers to existing zoom and live fellowships) using discipleship methods used while on the field in discipleship themes such as Stories of Hope, Commands of Christ, studying through a gospel together, etc. Finally, as a distributor, I’ve been tasked to emphasize the “IAS discipleship opportunity” via the distribution of free IAS NTs (QR tagged) by installing and replenishing IAS New Testaments displays at varying distribution points in North Alabama.

    During this period, Mary has actually increased her e3 mission activities! With the MSR strategy remaining very much the same, the e3 USA strategy leadership has changed. Today Mary Wagner oversees the North American e3 work in the MSR as one of two MSR e3 Strategy Coordinators working alongside our Indian partners to reach their population of over 500 million men, women, and children of 1000+ unreached and unengaged people groups. This she does while doing all she has always done!!! And in addition to her e3 MSR activities, Mary also serves as an IAS Second coach fielding I Am Second (IAS) gender specific requests for discipleship.

    Thank you for the countless ways you have come alongside us for so many years! We move forward in faith, trusting the Lord to sustain us until we are called home!

    Mike and Mary


    Posted by:
    Mary Wagner

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  • Happy New Year!

    Posted a week ago

    Happy New Year!

    2021 is coming to a close and we want to say thank you for partnering with us! God is at work, despite the difficult times we live in. 

    2022 is full of plans to go virtually and in person to India. Thank you for praying with us as we move forward in faith. trusting God in everything!

    May we commit our plans to the LORD; trust in Him, and trust that He will do it. (Psalm 37:5)

    Please let us know how we can pray specifically for you in 2022.

    Blessings and love from Mike and Mary!

    Posted by:
    Mary Wagner

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  • Quick Update!

    Posted a week ago

    Greetings!

    We have finally updated this page and wanted to share it with you!

    As you know, it's the aim of the Indian government to eliminate Christians and make it a Hindu nation. With the re-election of Prime Minister Modi, the intensity to achieve that goal has escalated.

    Because our goal is to advance GOD'S kingdom, we know the teams that "go" are a threat to the enemy and he will send out his demonic assassins to destroy us, sometimes silently without even realizing what is happening until it’s too late, if God does not intervene. We are thankful that God was with our team and He answered our prayers. Even if the outcome had been different, we know that He was with us and we are forever grateful!

    Due to the quick exit in July, we had to postpone the Women's Conference and cancel the third summer expedition team. It was disappointing for everyone, but we know God's ways are MUCH higher than our ways!

    God has worked it out for a team of three women to travel back to India on September 21st for the Women's Conference.  Please pray for the women that had to reschedule. It's not an easy task in India to arrange childcare, meals and transportation to a conference. Our prayer is that every woman scheduled to attend in July will be there in September! We will be sending a prayer calendar through the MSR prayer team soon. If you are not receiving the updates, please CLICK HERE to sign up.

    We are grateful for you ... our supporters and prayer warriors. Thank you for all you do to help advance God's Kingdom!

    Mike and Mary

    Posted by:
    Mary Wagner

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  • God's Grace and Marcy!

    Posted a week ago

    Beloved!

    With everything that is happening here and around the world, our mission is now more critical than ever! There is only one solution ... Jesus Christ!

    God always gives us reason to celebrate! We want to share some recent events in our lives that we are CELEBRATING God’s grace and mercy!

    God’s grace and mercy ... we bought a house! We have been renting a two-story townhouse from Mike’s brother for 13 years. We had a moving deadline of December, 2017 and God quickly provided us a one story home that wasn’t even for sale! Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” That about sums it up!

    How were we able to buy a house? We tried for years to purchase term (new) life insurance in order to be able to cancel old policies that had built up cash value. But life insurance companies rated us “poor risks” because of our life’s ministry and because of the dangerous places we travel to … Yet in God’s perfect timing, when Mike and I decided to both apply again for term life insurance, we found open doors! We were both not only approved but at extremely reasonable rates! With the freed up insurance cash and with a gift from Mike’s mother and the insurance cash, we were able to make a solid down payment on the house that enabled our purchasing the house with payments being even lower than our years of rent payments! Many of you have faithfully supported us financially and we thank you for your part in our being able to purchase a single story home! Thank you!

    We look forward to the new ministry God has in store for us in our new neighborhood. Our new address is 103 Crystal Pond Ct. / Madison, AL 35757

    God’s grace and mercy ... I (Mary) was traveling 65 miles per hour during rush hour on I-565 when a car entering the highway decided to move directly into the lane I occupied. The impact caused my car to “totter” and pushed me into the next lane. I remember looking in my rear view mirror and seeing a multitude of cars behind me as I tried to gain control and not flip over! I ended up about a quarter of a mile down the highway from the initial impact. I ran to the car that hit me and found a woman with THREE BABIES IN THE BACK SEAT. I immediately praised the Lord and gave the woman a hug. I have never been an amusement park kind of girl ... my experience was not exhilarating, but an opportunity to thank Him for everyone’s safety and a reminder to thank God for His grace and mercy! My car is totaled, but God has already promised us a “new” car!

    We are in the process of training 4 teams for India. Our trips are in November, December, January and February. We are thankful for each team member as we focus on spiritual preparation and spiritual warfare!

    Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. This has been a difficult year with many changes, but we know that God is in control!!!

    Blessings!

    Mike and Mary


    Posted by:
    Mary Wagner

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