Team Report – #607S
| Location: | Urban Minneapolis |
| Date: | Feb 29-Mar 6 2008 |
| Sending Partner: | STEM Share (Mixed Ages) |
A beautiful unreached people group in our own backyard …
50,000 Somali refugees live in Urban Minneapolis. This Muslim people group is growing exponentially. In 1990 there were 3 Islamic mosques in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St.Paul metro area); today, there are at least 49 and only a handful of Somali believers in Our Savior and Lord, Jesus. Our team of 5 partnered with a local church where we were able to develop one-on-one friendships after four mornings of teaching English. The following week, which was Easter, the students each received the “Jesus Film;” some viewed the Film on-site. The students’ attitude toward the presentation was overwhelmingly open in contrast to the reaction to the movie and Gospel presentations in years past according to the ministry leaders. Also, one of our team members was able to visit in the home of her student and continues a friendship with her. We will continue to pray that decisions for the New Life in Jesus will occur by the hundreds.
Some of the other highlights for this team included prayer walking and visits with Somali people in the Somali Mall, partnering with an international student ministry on the University Of Minnesota campus by handing out flyers; prayer walking at the University of Minnesota; partaking in a multi-cultural meal with International Students at the U of M, worshipping with an Ethiopian church and visiting with missionaries working specifically to reach Somali Muslims in Minneapolis; and finally, painting and remodeling at a local outreach site reaching out to Somali Muslims. We were housed by Urban Ventures ministry and while there, we saw first-hand the needs of the inner-city youth and families.
