This week, a small band of enlistees finished their training at AFM’s Summer Institute of Frontier Missions. As soon as their fundraising and other preparations are complete, they will launch in faith to their respective unreached people groups, the Sinim, Irish, Ama and Palawano.

“Faith” is a meaningful word at AFM. Like many other organizations, we call ourselves a faith-based ministry. But what does that actually mean? I can’t speak for others, but for AFM it means that there are some things we know, and some things we don’t.

For example, here are some things we don’t know: How, exactly, will the Joy family and Angeline Nguyen reach out to more than 90 million Sinim* people living under a restrictive Communist regime in Southeast Asia? What will the Murphy family do to bring the healing gospel to more than 5 million people in Ireland who need it? How will the Lawrences reach thousands of gospel-hungry people in the Ama region of the upper Sepik River in Papua New Guinea, one of the least accessible areas on earth? Which approach, cultivated through months of training, will enable the Millers to best connect with the Palawano people dispersed through the rugged mountain jungles of Palawan, or will a new method be necessary?

Though these unknowns would appear extremely daunting, they don’t cause us to lose any sleep. Why? Because of what we do know as a faith-based ministry: This is not our work, it is God’s. He holds every missionary, every unreached heart and every outcome in His hand. Called by His spirit and holding onto His unlimited power, we cannot fail. 

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