Ask A Missionary

Allen and Marilynn moved to Australia in 2020 on the very last flight before borders were closed. Since then, they've followed God's leading to minister to their neighbors and community throughout the changes of the pandemic.

Q: What new opportunities have happened as a result of the pandemic?

A: We are getting to know our neighbors from places like Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Since Allen and I are considered “Pastors,” we had a little more freedom to do “compassion visits.” I formed a close bond with a young Afghani woman at a local Refugee Center who was pregnant at the same time as our daughter back in the States. She was a first time Mom and I asked her if I could be her Mom here in Australia. I began visiting her at home. Her husband was becoming increasingly controlling yet he allowed me to visit her. During a pandemic lockdown, I felt God urging me to check on her, so I slipped over through her back door. A few weeks after that visit, she called me sobbing. Her husband had beaten her and she feared for her life. She and her daughter were able to move to our home temporarily for a few months. We were able to love her and offer daily love and support and walk through this tough journey with her.

Q. What is a challenge or obstacle you have had to work through and what lessons did you learn from it?

A: I (Allen) struggle with communicating with the younger generation who are more sensitive or more easily offended by some of the things that I felt were solid gospel presentations. I had to humble myself to listen and try to understand where they are coming from so that I can better communicate the good news of Jesus.

Read more about challenges on the field, what they've learned, and how their ministry has shifted in the full 2021 Annual Report.