In our journey of discipleship, sometimes God gives us dreams while we sleep at night or ones that slowly build over time while we wait on him and pray. And sometimes those dreams inspire and shape our vision for mission.
When I was in Africa recently at the gathering of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB), I met a woman from Burundi named Passie who had a dream that included both components.
Ten years ago, as she slept, she saw a line of strange men, all with shaved heads and dressed in red robes. “I had never seen such people before,” she said to me. “Their faces looked Asian.”
Passie told me about how she and her husband, Hermes, shared a strong sense of calling into mission work. They had met at university, where they both studied linguistics and language teaching in preparation to serve wherever God would lead them. Yet, as they sought God for guidance together, it seemed presumptuous to imagine that their small church in Burundi would alone be able to mobilize them as missionaries.
It was during this time of preparation that God gave Passie the dream of the red-robed strangers. She and her husband took the dream seriously, but they did not know what it meant. Where was God calling them to go? They simply brought the dream before God, waited, and prayed.
As they waited, the couple continued to prepare. They founded the Rundi Language Hub, a translation service that would provide a small but steady income. Yet Passie was still thinking about the people in her dream. Who were they? Where were they?
Puzzled, Passie asked friends and colleagues about what she had dreamed, but no one was able to answer her questions. “We had no way forward,” she said. “So, we continued to wait and pray.” The couple waited and prayed for ten years.
Over that time, three beautiful children were born to Passie and Hermes and they began to feel settled in their family life and professional life. Until one day, a missionary friend of theirs shared a photograph with them of a line of strange men, all with shaved heads and dressed in red robes!
"Who are these people?" Passie asked excitedly.
"These are Buddhist monks," her friend replied.
"What’s a monk?” Passie asked, to which her friend explained Buddhism in Asia and described these particular religious devotees.
Passie and Hermes were thrilled, and they began to pray more earnestly to God for further guidance, asking to connect them with those who could help them with next steps. The dream that God laid on their hearts began to build again.
Soon after, they were invited to provide translation services at the ICOMB gathering in Malawi where I met them and where they also met members of our Multiply team from Thailand who listened to Passie’s dream in amazement. Together, they prayed and began to discuss the idea of her and her husband visiting Thailand to explore possible ministry there.
“We could hardly believe it!” Passie told me. “After so long, we could finally take the next step, and see where this dream would lead.”
Passie and Hermes know that nothing is certain, but they are resolved to do their part and walk in faith. “We will continue to wait,” she affirmed, “and we will pray.”
Pray
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Has God given you a dream that is shaping your vision for mission? Do you need to pray and discern with others how to take the next step?
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Pray for Passie and Hermes and the Multiply team in Thailand as they explore mission partnerships and opportunities.
