Recognizing the need for deeper global impact, ReFrame’s leadership moved its major language programs from North America directly into the regional fields we serve. The goal was simple yet important: to shift ReFrame’s messaging away from a Western perspective and place it into the hands of local leaders who intimately understand the culture. By cultivating indigenous ministry teams, we are able to deeply disciple believers and effectively reach seekers who have not yet heard the gospel.
This localized approach allows ReFrame to meet people exactly where they are—speaking their heart language and tending to the specific spiritual, emotional, and cultural “soil” of every unique region.
Today those regional fields span the globe, representing vastly different terrain. Altogether, ReFrame operates or partners with nine distinct language ministries including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. In every one of these ministries teams are working diligently behind the scenes, creating contextualized media to grow a greater understanding of Christ’s love across the world.
Some of these spiritual soils are currently hardened by social unrest; others are weary from exhaustion. Yet as we look more closely at just four of these ministries, we can see the value of faithful labor in the fields.
Hindi Ministry: India
When we look at the fields today, much of the world's spiritual soil is being tested by severe societal distress. In India, ReFrame's Hindi ministry leader (whose name is withheld for his safety) reports on a landscape rife with uncertainty and institutional breakdown.
“We are living in a time of moral crisis," he shares. “There is a lack of trust and goodwill all around. Many have lost their trust in the system and the institutions that are comprised of people in high places.”
This systemic breakdown has blurred the lines between truth and falsehood, the civilized and uncivilized, and religion and politics. The resulting cultural climate is dry and cynical. “Both young and old have become pessimistic in their expectations,” notes the ministry leader. “Their future is filled with fear and confusion.”
Yet it is precisely in this hard, cracked soil that the seed of the gospel finds an opening. This ministry leader observes that beneath the pessimism, “most people have become desperate for a divine intervention.” By offering a steady, trustworthy presence in the local communities, the Hindi ministry acts as a faithful tiller, bringing the grounding truth of Christ to a culture starved for authenticity.
Spanish Ministry: Mexico
The work of sowing requires immense endurance, especially when the harvest is slow to appear. ReFrame's Spanish-language devotional, Cada Día, recently reflected on this exact reality through the lens of Psalm 126:5: “Those who sow with tears will reap with joy.”
“Restoration is beautiful, but it's not easy,” Rev. Huascar de la Cruz shared in the devotional. “The farmer knows that there is no harvest without sowing. But he also knows that sowing isn't always pleasant. There are days of fatigue and uncertainty. Sometimes the earth is hard, the tools are few, and the heart gets tired.”
This agricultural truth mirrors the spiritual life. Much of the vital work done for God around the world is done through seasons of exhaustion or discouragement. However, the promise of the harvest remains true.
Our lives and our ministries are fields that must be sown every single day—when we serve, when we love, and when we share God’s Word. ReFrame's Spanish ministry meets believers in these exact moments of fatigue, offering daily devotions that remind them that no seed sown for God is ever in vain. God faithfully promises that the tears of the sower will eventually turn into the joy of the reaper.
Chinese Ministry: China
To maximize ReFrame’s kingdom impact while protecting operational security, the Chinese language ministry is based in North America. This positioning allows the ministry to pivot quickly when the landscape changes, such as when government crackdowns removed its entire social media following overnight. Rather than abandoning the field, the team shifted, pivoting heavily into print and digital theological books to ensure the Word could still be distributed.
Today, the dangers facing believers on the ground are not theoretical; at the time this article is being written, nine underground leaders from one church have been detained by authorities for over eight months—including a prominent author of several of those very books published by ReFrame’s Chinese-language ministry. All have been charged with “illegal use of information networks.”
Yet by operating from the safety of North America, ReFrame can maintain a resilient, uninterrupted lifeline for our community members in China. “In times of trial, our focus must remain on providing a clear pathway to hope and spiritual guidance,” Pastor Jerry An notes. A recent prayer distributed to thousands of believers encapsulates this gentle, root-strengthening work: "Lord Jesus, our faithful good shepherd, nourish and guide us in your ongoing care. Help us when we are weak; comfort us when we are hurt; and lead us with your gentle strength."
French Ministry: West Africa
The vital work of nurturing the next generation and sustaining leaders is evident in West Africa. ReFrame’s French-language ministry recognizes that younger generations are wrestling with modern weeds—specifically, the gripping reality of mental illness. To address this, their Voice of Youth team recently produced a specialized video series that tackles the heavy topic of depression and offers biblical comfort to young people navigating dark valleys.
At the same time, Rev. Marc Nabie, the French ministry leader, keeps an eye on leaders working the fields. They recently held a strategic ministry retreat in Burkina Faso, gathering evangelists and representatives from various towns to share their experiences in ministry, study Scripture, and pray together.
“Sustaining the local worker is just as critical as planting the seed," Rev. Nabie said. “When we gather our evangelists to pray and study together, we are making sure they don't have to face the hardships of the field alone.” By feeding the spiritual roots of these local leaders, the ministry ensures they have the strength to keep working the local soil.
From the cynical urban centers of India to the quiet spaces of West Africa, God’s field is vast, and the soils are incredibly diverse. By reframing our perspective away from a one-size-fits-all model and trusting local, indigenous leaders to plant the seeds, we continue to see lives renewed in every corner of the world.
The road is often difficult, the labor is heavy, and the sowing is sometimes done in tears. But as the crops rise in fields across the globe, we are reminded that the Lord of the harvest is always faithful.
About the Author
Tiffany Kraker, ReFrame Ministries