The video discusses the concept of God's grace and its infinite variations. The speaker encourages viewers to share their stories of experiencing God's grace and offers to compile them into a book to celebrate the 40 years of existence. The video also mentions various campaigns and initiatives that viewers can participate in, such as Easter campaigns and Love Europe. Additionally, the speaker mentions that resources and support are available for those in need, including addresses of associations and agencies specializing in ministering to specific groups of people.

I don't feel so ashamed of me sitting on my nice air cushion and you having to sit on a hard bench. We've provided comfortable seats for you. They came with the tent, so we're very happy about that. All right, I'm going to pray, and we're going to begin. I hope to do it in about a half hour, an introduction, and then Joop has one little announcement, and then we will divide in our national groups. Now, there are four main national groups, so I would suggest that the Dutch, everybody living in the Netherlands, you meet over in that corner. Everybody living in Germany, you meet in that corner. Everybody living in the UK, if you meet at the back on my left, and at least start as UK, but I'm going to suggest that at least those living in Ireland and Northern Ireland, after you've at least met Dave Thomas, then for your discussion, is go through things separately. And then we have Switzerland, and so I would say that the Swiss group, people living in Switzerland, meet up here on my left at the front. Then the small groups, like Austria, France, Bongo Bongo Land, if it exists, actually we have someone. Any country where there's no OM office, we have someone for you also, and that's Mr. David Short. So don't feel neglected. Everybody, everybody we try to look after in OM, or that have left OM. We haven't got to it yet, but we're aiming that way. Okay, that's the plan of attack. Let's pray together, and then we'll begin. Father, we thank you for the joy of meeting together. For some of us, it's been a long time, and we rejoiced in that opportunity. For some, perhaps, we've seen each other frequently, but that also is a joy. We thank you, Lord, that we are partners together. First of all, with you, and then with each other. We thank you for that privilege, and that responsibility. We commit this session to you now, that it would be profitable, not just now, but also for us and for many other former OMers in the days to come, as we return to our various homes and ministries. In Jesus' name, amen. OM World Partners, a fellowship of former OMers. OM has been very good at recruiting people over the years. George says at least 90,000 people have worked with OM. I don't know if all of them have worked on the year program. I have my doubts, but I hope by the end of these next few months, we will know not just the number of names, but the actual number of individuals that have worked with OM for at least one year. That's one of our goals. We also have been increasing, through the strategic plan that Peter Maiden mentioned to you, the goal to minister to those who are with OM, caring for them, helping them progress and grow, not only their time in OM, but afterwards, what ministry, how should they continue on. But the area that we've been weak in, in OM, not 100%, but as something systematic, we have been weak in ministering to those that have left OM. And that is, of course, what OM World Partners is all about. Now, the name is OM World Partners. Always use OM World Partners, because at least two other mission groups use the term World Partners. So as not to cause any conflict or problems with some legal registered name, make certain you say OM World Partners. And this is a fellowship of former OMers, primarily those who have worked at least a year on OM. There are some, of course, who have worked a year, but in about 12 different segments with many, many Easter campaigns, summer campaigns, Love Europe, etc., etc. You qualify. There may be some and they only worked 8 1⁄2 months or 10 1⁄2 months, but they feel it was like a year, you qualify also. So, we are very welcoming to those who have worked with OM. Now, what is the purpose of OM World Partners? Let me read a few verses from Romans chapter 1. And I would like to read verses 9 to 12. When Paul wrote the Roman believers, many of whom he had never met as far as I understand, I think he expresses it well, the goal, the purpose of OM World Partners. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his son, is my witness. How constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times. And I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong. That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. I think that expresses well our desire for OM World Partners that you and I, you plural and us still in OM, may mutually, that means both ways, encourage and contribute to one another. So you might say that it's a ministry of mutual encouragement, mutual contribution. What are some of the hopes and the benefits, both for you as former OMers and for us who are still in OM? I just made a list of a few. The joy in sharing and praying together, particularly when we can visit one another. About 13 months ago I visited a couple in Northern Italy. At that point they were both working in a restaurant in order to make ends meet. She had been on OM several years. Some of you might remember Pina Botto, now married to Mauro. In the town they live, they're the only believers, evangelical believers. In the whole province they live, there was only one small Bible study fellowship. There were two Protestant churches, one liberal and the other very extreme. And that's it in their province. And that's in so-called Christian secular Europe. Maybe we should call it Christo-pagan Europe, which is a more accurate term. But the joy, even though it was mainly a late night and then breakfast fellowship, and we continued, but the joy for them and for me and the fellow traveling with me, tremendous. And I think that's one of the benefits, to be able to meet one another and share and pray and mutually encourage each other. There's also mutual help. Last December we had a little meeting of some former OMers in the state of Minnesota, near Minneapolis. And as we were sharing together, one of the fellows from Argentina, now married to an American, he expressed that when he got married, it was his second marriage, I think, but his wife had several older children. And he said one of their sons was in drugs, bothered by friends who were Satanists and all the rest. And as we prayed for him, I would say in the group there, at least three or four addresses of associations and agencies that specialize in ministering to those kind of people were actually given to this brother to look for more help, even for his son. When we meet together, who knows what help we can start giving each other. There's still the opportunity to serve on OM. Two names just come to mind that I just talked with here at this conference. One is Bob Skelly, who's a former OMer and he's a teacher in Britain. And he tells me that he still comes over frequently and helps with the Love Europe campaigns in France. Even though the year he was with OM was way back somewhere, when his hair and my hair was not so white. But he can still serve in this way. And then yesterday I was talking with Lyndal Rook, who's from Britain. She spent a year in France, now she's studying in Britain, and she's back here at this conference helping as an interpreter from English to French. You may have seen our sister, she's blind, but this is one way she can serve Jesus Christ at this conference, interpreting into French for some of the new recruits that need it. Tremendous way to serve. Still, there's the Ministry of Prayer, and I think we were reminded of that from our Dutch sister this morning at the close of that meeting when she talked about, she felt she could be another Mrs. Clap in her latter years of life in praying and interceding for OM and, of course, other ministries. As we pray more for former OMers, and I talked with someone from Northern Ireland just this afternoon. Actually, it was very providential. I needed help to get up a hill, and he pushed me up and reminded me that I'd lived in his home in Northern Ireland at one time overnight, which I'd forgotten, but I've forgotten every home I've been in. But he mentioned to me that when he was on Doulos, there were eight people from Northern Ireland. Of those eight people, he knows at least two of them are totally away from the Lord, have totally rejected the faith. I don't know if it's the same two or two others have been divorced and remarried. That's one group of former OMers from one country. But this brother said, the fact that we have started OM World Partners, that's why he's here. Not in this tract, but in the sender's tract. Praise the Lord. But, you know, a few weeks ago I got a letter. Well, it was written to several of us in Zaventem. In a Canadian fellow who had worked two years in Zaventem garage, then two or three years out in India, had plenty of ups and downs, went back to Canada, and he was so tired of his ups and downs in his spiritual life, he totally went away from the Lord. And as far as I understand from his letter, he did everything from drugs to prostitution to who knows what. Twenty years he was wandering. This summer. He says God really spoke to him in a dream at night to come back to him. And he said, I didn't make a decision then because I didn't want to go up and down. I waited 24 hours to make certain that this wasn't emotional. And then I gave my life back to the Lord and have sought out a church and fellowship. And he wrote us. Now, why has he come back? As far as I know, nobody from whom contacted him, but maybe the increased prayer for former OMers, God is using to touch some hearts and start pulling them back. Fantastic. For everyone that comes back, let's rejoice. That's another benefit. There's a whole benefit of recruiting and sending. And when people do get back home, it may not be an easy re entry experience. We heard one sister already at this conference say that after two months, it's not so easy. This brother from Northern Ireland said I was told it was difficult and it was who could best help new young people coming back from one, two, five, ten, twenty years on OM. People that have gone through it. You. And wouldn't it be great if every OMer returning home knows there's one, two, three, four people that are going to phone them or visit them and say, look, if we can be of any help, we're here. Talk to us. We went through it. We want to encourage you in that whole re entry process. Incidentally, in the last copy of linking together and there are samples over there. If you want to pick up one, you can. There's a couple of testimonies. Lillian Froud, who worked with GE for seven years. And when she got home, she did nothing for seven months and realized that was her sabbatical. And then Arnaud who worked with OM and then with Agapi in Africa. They tell about their experience coming back to the Netherlands. Reentry. There's a tremendous book, which we asked to be on the book table and never got there, called Reentry. But we can help new people in that reentry process. There's a reconnection. I think that's a benefit. And I was just delighted this morning because I'd totally forgotten about that one sister here had worked with GE about 25 years ago and I forgot all about that. So I connected her up with Robert Suenen, who is the present GE leader. What a tremendous blessing, because next Easter Greater Europe, the whole ministry in Eastern Europe is celebrating 30 years. From when Deo Roton first got something started in Eastern Europe. Now George did it first, but his was very short term. So Deo started something more long term. 30 years now. And they're going to have a very special reunion in Vienna next Easter time. Reconnection. I think another benefit might be this. The publicizing of your ministry, whether it's a small local ministry or a large, more global ministry. Because if through OM World Partners it can be publicized, maybe you will have 5, 10, 20 new prayer supporters. Maybe financial support. Fantastic. Because I don't think OM World Partners is just that people would help give to OM. That might be. But your ministries might be helped as there is fellowship and communication partnership together. There is the ministry of giving. George mentioned, well maybe some only give a little bit. There's a brother who was on OM in Zaventem in Austria back in the 60s. His job is a postman. He delivers posts. He has to work hard. He had to work Christmas Eve, in fact all night. Because that was a busy season. Some people don't just have that nice Christmas with their family. And he and his wife have 5 children. And I visited him about 3 years ago with my wife. And there were a lot of improvements that could have been made to his house. He said, yeah, we could do it and maybe get around to it. But if we spent too much time and money just making all the improvements I wouldn't be able to help support some of the missionaries. So I decided we want to keep supporting some of those missionaries. Ministry of giving. Another benefit is the welcome to OM conferences. You're very welcome here. And the good news is that next year at the Eurostaff conference and then the Global Action conference for the new recruits you're also welcome. Because at all our international conferences we want to always have a special section of it for former OMers. And next year, it hasn't been announced, but I'm going to announce it anyway because it's confirmed, the speaker at the OM staff conference and probably the first night of the Global Action conference next year, God willing, will be Johnny Erickson Tata. So you might just jot that down and plan to be with us next year back here in DuBron, roughly around the same date. I think there is the benefit of different reunions. You see, the benefit is internationally and that's what some of you like the most. The more international, the better. But the contact also with people of your field like the GE reunion, that also is going to be a very, very special time. And of course when the two ships were together in Toulon, France two years ago, a very special time. A little over two years ago that same year we had a 30-year anniversary in Belgium in Zaventem. It was fantastic. We had at least 100 or more former OMers who had worked in Zaventem or in Belgium or in Belgium before either one existed. Because we did have a team in Zaventem before we had the Zaventem base. But you know, local reunions also can be a great blessing. Because you can't always travel halfway around the world to go to some reunion. And you may say, oh yeah, I don't want to just meet with some Germans. Not just a bunch of Dutch. Let's get something else too. But who knows, it is very international. You may all be Dutch, but you've probably worked in a lot of different places. And the benefit of sharing, pray, can be enormous. The sharing of experiences, not only in person, but also in print. One of the Danish participants promised me a story from her time on OM. Now she only finished three weeks ago, so probably it's easier for her to tell the story because she remembers it. But you know, the more stories and experiences you can write for us, the more blessing this might bring to new OMers, prayer partners, and yourselves. Hearing how God has worked. And I can't remember who said it first at this conference, but I heard it from somebody. But God's grace is incredibly, infinitely varied. And some of our stories will just illustrate a little bit of it. And that can be a tremendous experience. Greg Kernighan, the editor of Relay, has said, you send me the stories, I'll put it together, make certain it gets produced, we'll even do a 50-60 page book of it within the next couple of years, kind of to help celebrate the 40 years of existence. So, send in your story. That's another benefit. Now, you will have noticed, if you've seen the little international newsletter linking together, that we've started a series of articles called My Pilgrimage in OM. And the first one was by Steve Hart, the second one was by Kamal Thami, and that's in the present edition. The next one, we already have the articles in hand, one by Rodney Hui from Singapore, the other by Mei Hui, who's actually in the book table here, and she's from Malaysia. Now, besides articles by people who've been in OM a long time, called My Pilgrimage in OM, we would also like articles from people that were in OM for some time, and now they've been out of it for quite a long time. And we would be very interested in getting your article, one page, not long, My Pilgrimage Since OM. I have no idea what it may turn out to be like, but I'm still interested. So, if you want to write a little pilgrimage story since you left OM, fantastic, send it in, and ultimately we'll get it published, at least in our newsletter. I won't promise to publish it in a book, but in the newsletter anyway. Now, those are some of the benefits, some of the hopes. How do we go about it? Well, there's communication through prayer, first of all. But then there's the communication through personal visits, telephone calls, letters, actually personally. George does a lot of this, and he just promised you this morning that he would telephone anyone you like, anywhere on the face of the globe, if you give the phone number and it's accurate. You might as well take him up on it. But then you might want to pray that God will supply the funds to pay his phone bill too. But I will say, his telephone call and his personal letters have strengthened and encouraged an enormous, enormous number of people on the face of this planet. You may not be able to do that many, but you know, even us as four more Emers can make a phone call or a letter or a visit, and it can encourage somebody else in their walk with the Lord and in their ministry for the Lord. Now there's also communication through certain letters, printed letters. George mentioned his International Update this morning. That's a monthly communication that he writes. You have to request it. It's called the International Update. Then, for former OMers, and not for OMers, we do not distribute this to OMers. We send an original copy to the office, they have to make copies and they send it out to former OMers. We call it linking together. You're not supposed to receive this all by itself. You're supposed to receive it with national news from the country you're living in. So if the Quinta in the UK sends this out to you, there ought to be some news from the UK in there, even if it's one paragraph, because some of the offices have a hard time writing, so I'm encouraging them to at least write a paragraph to at least say, we live, we exist, and to send it out with the linking together. Now, you can also receive, along with the linking together, the latest issue of Relay. Relay used to be called Roots and Branches, and it included different things. Well, Roots and Branches grew, and we made a new magazine a couple years ago, and so it gives news for OM, what's happening in OM, it's for the long-termers in OM, but it's also for any former OMers or prayer partners that want to get it. Now, to send Relay and linking together to every former OMer three or four times a year does cost something. So the first one or two times, we'll send it out, encouraging people to respond. If you respond, which of course you have because that's why you're here, then you're an OM World partner. If you don't respond, you're still a former OMer, and if we don't hear anything, then what we will try and do is about every two years send you a reminder, another copy of Relay linking together, we still love you, we haven't forgotten you, but we really would like to hear from you. We're willing to send you something three or four times a year if you want it, but we've got to hear from you. But there's also a third category. So there's the OM World partners, they're the people that have said, I'm alive, yes, I want to stay in touch. Then there's the former OMer that maybe wants to stay in touch but never gets around to telling us. So we pray that they'll start to encourage, and of course you might encourage them if you're in contact with any. There's a third group and they're the ones that have disappeared as far as we know. We don't know their address, we don't know where they are, and I hope within the next few months that in the different countries we can start circulating lists of people that we have no idea where they are. We have no idea whether they've changed their name, and some people do. But any of those people, if you know them, if you have any idea where they are, help us. Because we want to try and reach out to even those. Maybe they worked on them 30 years ago and we haven't heard anything from them for that time. But if they're still alive anywhere on the face of the earth, if somehow in God's grace and mercy we can find out about them, fantastic. We want to try and renew the contact. So you can help us that way. And then of course if you have email, electronic mail, what a tremendous way to communicate with each other, even right across the globe. Because with electronic mail today, you don't need an envelope, you don't need a postage stamp, but I tell you, you can communicate quickly. Someone living in Taiwan, Singaporeans, are serving the Lord with OMF in Taiwan. And they asked for information about OM World Partners, but I never got it. So they contacted the ship's office, and I happened to be in the United States at that time, and I was with my sister and brother-in-law in California. So they emailed the information to me, and I said, I better get in contact with this guy and tell him, yes, we're alive, yeah, we're interested. So my brother-in-law helped me on his computer, and boom, we sent the message by email to this brother in Taiwan. Later that evening we had a reply back, got your message, I'll give you more information tomorrow. And with my brother-in-law we checked, and we figured, we sent the message, and the reply came back two minutes later from Taiwan to California. That's how fast it can go with email. And we want to see on the World Wide Web an increasing number of former OMers, yeah, contacting each other, as well as the contact with OM. Who knows what all will come out of that. We are making progress, slowly. I'd like it to go faster. In each country where we have an OM office, we want to have an OM World Partners representative to at least, well, actually, all you have to do in the last issue of Relay, and I think we have a box now, there's extra copies here, so make certain you get one before they all go to the new recruits, we don't need it so badly, but you do. But in the page of OM World Partners and keeping in touch, incidentally, there's always the coupon that you got, and some of you didn't get a copy of it, there's always a coupon in this magazine. So if you didn't get the big one that we photocopied, take the small one and use it. But on this page, there is a description of the responsibilities of an OM World Partner representative. What we want to see them do in their office. And, of course, how some of you as former OMers can help them and encourage them in that task. I want some of them to come up here to the front so you can at least meet them. Now, some of them represent a country, and there's nobody from the country here, a former OMer, but I still want you to see them so you can pray for them. So, all OM World Partner representatives, come on up to the front immediately. Quickly, because I've already gone about 10 minutes over time. Okay, I'll introduce them as they come up. This is Anna Gastaldo Brach, and she's the representative for OM Italy. How many times have you sent out information to former OMers? Yeah. Four times they've sent information out. To how many? About 60 people in Italy that used to work with OM. Filomena from Portugal. Just come over here, each person. So, how many people in Portugal, around 20 to 25, you say, whoa, she's got an easy job. Ah, but remember, none of these people are full-time for OM World Partners. That's one of their two, three, four, five, six responsibilities. Michel Kraus-Wilkerson. A few hundred. And which country are you the rep for? Switzerland. Ah, yes, and those of you from Switzerland, you'll meet with her in just a little bit. So, okay, Rosie Lee Wilson, married to a Canadian, and she was the rep in Malaysia. And how many former OMers from Malaysia? About 300. Did you know there's been 300 Malaysians on the year program? The problem is they're not in Malaysia now, so we need a new rep. Prayer request. Bernd, Bernard. Representing Mark Fretzmaier for OM USA. I'm sure we have a number. Yes, make it one or two thousand at least. Maybe five. And who's the full-time representative? We're praying for a full-time representative. We're trying to recruit somebody that can full-time. There's an enormous amount of ex-OMers in the states that we just want to get connected, but we need somebody. So, it's a big problem. He mentioned Mark Fretzmaier. Well, Mark Fretzmaier is actually the associate director for USA. He's the vice president of, what's his title? Member Care. But he does need a bit of help to care for all the former members of OM. So that is a huge need. Thank you, Bernard. David Short is actually a member of the International Council, too, as well as representing all the former OMers who live in some country where there's no OM office. How many are you in touch with? About 40. Do you think that's all of them? So, it's where they live, they work in other countries, but this includes a variety of nationalities. But what a tremendous opportunity to minister to them. Thank you, David. Asko Alajoki is the field leader in Finland. So, on top of that, he has all the former OMers. That's the other problem. People keep changing. How many would you estimate in Finland? We have been a little bit liberated. We have been including more than only the one-year people. We are having hundreds now, scaling it up for the former OMers. That's quite well done. Okay. But there's more former OMers than that. Yeah, well, we have always helped everybody who has been in OM. There are over 2,000, I think. About 10 present have been maybe one year or so. Okay, thank you. So, this is one of the newest representatives, actually starting in December. But Mariangelis Belmonte from Spain, who's actually not full-time in OM even. She's studying, working, and has been representing OM World Partners. But Angel is going to be taking it over. He's in the OM office. So, how many in Spain do you think there are former OMers? I don't know. We just started in December. I think 50 or 70. I don't know. Now, in Spain, you have the Spanish people who worked with OM. Yeah, but never for the year. Well, all my visits, maybe it's a year by now. But you also have those who work as missionaries in Spain who worked with OM in the past. And there are tens and twenties of them in Spain. Pedro, who is the leader there, just told me yesterday or the day before yesterday, almost every time he goes to take a meeting, he keeps running into people who say, Ah, yes, so many years ago, I worked with OM for a while. I didn't even know what he said. So, we're discovering as we go along. Gracias. Elke from Deutschland. I'm representing Fritz Kuller, who's responsible for World Partners. I can't tell you that now, but Kuller is now responsible for the World Partners in Germany. Fritz? On top of everything else. And who else? Does he have any help? And they just did a mailing to 850 people, yeah? Less. 650, with a questionnaire. So, how many questionnaires have come back? So, who has time to read those questionnaires? I have. And you start your studies in January? So, pray for her, Autumn, that she will concentrate on OM World Partners. But that is a need. You can tell, in every country, it's a need to have somebody who can really give themselves to the task. Yes, welcome. So, you're on the board, and you're a former OMer. And you head up a little national committee, of former OMers here? Are you in that committee? So, Netherlands is one of the few countries that actually have a little national committee for OM World Partners. So, that's one thing that former OMers can do. Help with a little national committee, and telephone, to encourage other former OMers. Alright. Kathy Pilgrim was here, but she had to leave this morning. She was supposed to leave yesterday, but she got delayed until this morning. I asked her if I should pray she'd get delayed some more, but she said no. She was going to leave in December, but now she's going to stay until March. But in the United Kingdom, there are also a few thousand former OMers. So, what's the prayer request for the UK? Help. Well, you can explain more to the group in just a couple minutes when you meet together. Okay, that's not all of them. There is India, and I understand there's 7,000 Indians that have been through the one-year program, or longer, in India. They have no full-time person for OM World Partners in India yet. Then there's a few other countries, too, around the world. So, I think that helps you understand how to pray that God will give help. If you have any suggestions and advice, tell us, write us, contact us. We really can use help, because we want this fellowship of former OMers not to be a burden to an OM office, but we would like you to be part of it, so that you can multiply some feeble OM offices in maintaining and strengthening the contact with former OMers. So, just the last thing I would say, there is a little leaflet on the free literature table. It's called Forgotten Jewels. It's actually about retired missionaries. But a lot of what the editor of the Evangelical Missions Quarterly writes in here is very applicable to former OMers. They were with us, they served some of the many years, some one or two years. What happens when they get home? Sometimes they are forgotten by their local church, by OM, not by the Lord. But if the Lord remembers and his people don't, then something is dreadfully wrong. So, the last thing I want to say again is, for OM World Partners, our number one burden is to make certain that all former OMers realize they are not forgotten. Joop, one announcement, and then Netherlands, Deutschland, United Kingdom, their Schweiz, and all the rest of us in the middle, and we'll sort ourselves out. Thank you very much. Okay, Joop, now.