Steve & Myra Neufeld

Mobile: 587-377-5013
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iemission.com

Latest Update
Pray for the preparation for the team leaving on Feb 13.  We are trying to coordinate all the details to do seminars across the country.  Food, logistics, supplies etc.  A big undertaking.


About Us
Steve was born to a missionary couple working in Northern Canada. At a summer Bible Camp as a boy he chose to accept the gift of salvation. Myra was raised in a pastor’s home and received Christ as her Saviour at a Lindquist Brothers Crusade when she was a young girl.

Steve and Myra were high school sweethearts in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. They have three adult children, and 8 grandchildren.

The Neufelds have completed their 35 th year in international, transcultural global missions. They left for their first term on January 1, 1989. After language school they served in Lima, Peru until February 1992.

In 1993 they began the EFCCM work in Mexico. Church planting and evangelism was their focus resulting in the beginning of the Agua Viva EFC (now Árbol de Vida EFC) in Hermosillo, Mexico.

In May of 1998 Steve began as Latin America Area Director. He carried this role through to the end of 2020. The focus was to do all he could to facilitate success in ministry through giving visionary leadership in the management and expansion of EFCCM ministry in South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico.

My Current Role in IEM Mission
Steve serves as missionary leading ministries in Cuba and Mexico for The International Evangelical Ministries of Red Deer (IEM Mission). The IEM does not have resident missionaries in Cuba and so Steve is the lead missionary as we solidify and expand our partnership ministries within Cuba. Teams go to Cuba at least twice a year as we serve together with three evangelical denominations in church planting, evangelism, teaching, acquiring house churches and fixing ones they own, finding resources for ministry, sponsoring summer camp, sourcing transportation for pastors and a multitude of other activities all designed to speed along the vision and dedication of our partners in the church in Cuba. A major component of these ministry projects involves facilitating the involvement of individuals and churches. People from Canada, Mexico and Spain working in partnership with each other in any of the countries represented. Mentoring and training present involvement and the next generation.

About IEM Mission
IEM Mission has taken over responsibility for the Encourage Cuba Ministry and the Hermosillo, Mexico ministry from the EFCC. The IEM is committed to making biblical followers of Jesus Christ here and to the ends of the earth. We are focused on pastoral care to Christian leaders, evangelism by all methods, church planting new communities of faith and demonstrating through holistic, compassionate ministry the Gospel to those who are hurting spiritually and physically. We intend to serve globally with boldness, creativity and excellence!

Shirley Unger

Address: 304-25 Ivybridge Gate, Winnipeg, MB, R3W 0L5 Canada
Email: [email protected] or [email protected].
Website: https://gemission.org/

I became a Christian when I was a child. I grew up in a Christian home, learning about Christ at church and in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. I was asked by a friend at a birthday party if I had a personal relationship with Christ. I went to my room, took out my little Bible that my parents had given me for Christmas and invited the Lord into my heart.

I had never considered going overseas to serve as a missionary in my earlier years. I went to Bible College and then got my teacher's degree at Brandon University. My goal was to teach elementary age children, but the thought of doing it outside of Manitoba didn't cross my mind.

After teaching on First Nations schools for four years, which was kind of a mission field of its own, a Greater Europe Mission (GEM) rep was at my parents' home for lunch and asked me to consider serving. That led to going to Spain on a summer mission trip. During the wrap-up time in Germany, opportunities to teach at Christian schools in Europe were mentioned. I applied, looking to serve for a year or two and the Lord expanded it to become a long term ministry, eventually with more than just teaching.

My Current Role at GEM
My current ministry is as an administrative assistant to both GEM Canada and to GEM Teams, where I served in person for over 16 years. My role with GEM Teams is to interact with teams and individuals who are wanting to serve on a short term team (1-3 weeks) and walk them through the GEM application process. I also read through their evaluations after a project and make our mobilization department aware of those who may want to return or consider longer term ministry. I meet with GEM Canada staff virtually once a week and with my supervisor also weekly. I meet with GEM Teams staff once a month and with that supervisor about once a month. I travel to Germany to be with the team in person once a year.

About GEM
Greater Europe Mission (GEM) began in 1952 because of a desire by Bob Evans to train leaders in the Bible. 22 Bible schools were established in the first 30 years, many that continue on. The ministry spread to include church planting. Today the mission has a wide variety of ministries, including Creative Arts, Business as a mission, sports, camps, children/youth education, justice, refugees, church planting, disciple making and so much more. GEM has over 700 missionaries from North America, Europe and beyond.

GEM's mission is to reach Europe by multiplying disciples and growing Christ's Church.

Oliver and Deborah Mayer

Oliver - After attending a youth retreat when I was 16 years old, a youth group started in my small town. What impressed me about the couple that led the youth group was that they practiced what they preached. This in turn made me want to find out more about Jesus and the Bible. During this first year of the youth group, I opened my heart to Christ. During the youth retreat we had studied the story of Joseph from the Old Testament and looking back I find it really helpful and encouraging to have learned from the beginning that “others might mean it for evil but God has a good plan (Genesis 50:20 NIV 20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”)

My call to Thailand came when a missionary visited us at the beginning of 2010 while we were serving at Holsby Bible School, the Torchbearer Bible School in Sweden. He shared with a number of students about his work in Northern Thailand and Deborah and I were really impressed. At his recommendation we got in touch with OMF. Three years later (February 2013) we were sent out by OMF Canada to work in Northern Thailand with Mekong Minorities. We have now been with the Mekong field for over 11 years.

Deborah - I grew up in a Christian family. My parents were involved in ministry and I had a lot of exposure to Christianity, but it was when I was 7 years old that God convicted me of my sin and my personal need for Him, which led me to accept Jesus as my personal saviour. Ever since, He has been so faithful to teach me and guide me in the truth. Around the age of 14, I knew that God was calling me into missions. Though I was a little resistant at first, God began growing a desire in me to learn more, which I did by reading many missionary biographies, watching mission films, and learning whatever I could about other cultures. I got involved in an international student ministry in Calgary, and I also went on two short-term mission trips to Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. God used those experiences to cement that ever-growing desire to be involved in what He is doing overseas.

My Current role in OMF

We are involved in church planting and discipleship among the Karen minority group in Northern Thailand, with a special desire to see Karen believers equipped to share the Gospel with unreached Karen villages, near-culture people groups, and beyond.

We want to challenge the Karen to be rooted in Christ and His Word. Out of a close and vibrant relationship with Him the individual Karen will bear fruit (see John 15:1-5, especially 'If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit'). This will have an affect on other locals (believers and unbelievers), other churches, other villages and beyond.

As we are now based in the city of Chiang Mai, Deborah has been able to get involved in some ministry in the city as well. She is part of a Christian team of language consultants, offering English language services to medical students and faculty at the local university. This has opened many doors for sharing the gospel with students and mentees.

About OMF
OMF is a global fellowship of Christians with a heart for East Asia. We share the good news of Jesus Christ in all its fullness with East Asia’s peoples to the glory of God. We are passionate to demonstrate and proclaim the good news to East Asia’s billions, many of whom have never seen or heard it.

In places where there are no churches or limited resources, we humbly and prayerfully engage in church planting. In places where the church already exists, we serve alongside it to strengthen and extend it.


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