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Stepping into the Unknown
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- OMF Australia
Johan and Debbie Linder reflect on over 30 years of service with OMF—from church planting, leadership and training roles in Thailand to leadership of home offices in Australia and New Zealand, their journey has been one of flourishing churches, cultural clashes and serving in multicultural teams. Here’s the story of their journey so far—and top tips for those exploring a life of mission.
We are Johan and Debbie, and we’ve been serving with OMF for over 30 years. We worked in church planting, leadership and training roles in Thailand between 1993 and 2007. Then God took us back to Australia in where we worked with Thai people in Sydney, and later took on leadership of OMF Australia. For the last two years, we have been leading the OMF New Zealand team.
We’ve had our ups and downs—from the joy of seeing new churches flourish to the challenges of cultural clashes and misunderstandings. God has been faithful to us, caring for us and our family over all these years.
How it all began…
So, how did our journey in missions begin? I (Johan) am from a non-Christian migrant background. I moved from Sweden to Australia at the age of nine. I faced a tough time in school and university, and had to move out of home to care for my siblings for a while.
It was during this hardship that I found deeper meaning in life as I turned to Christ in faith. As part of that, I was challenged to join a Scripture Union beach mission team. Debbie, too, faced challenges in her early twenties—and we ended up on the same beach mission team.
Together, Debbie and I learnt about sharing Jesus’ love with others, and it encouraged us to pursue missions overseas. Debbie had a short-term mission experience with Operation Mobilisation in a small Austrian village; mine was among the high rise buildings of Hong Kong and jungles of Papua New Guinea. These trips taught us a lot about ourselves and helped us to make decisions about where we didn’t want to work!
The search for a right fit
Fast forward to Bible college and marriage, Debbie and I found ourselves searching for the right mission organization. OMF’s values, particularly those relating to prayer and dependence on God, resonated with us deeply. As we explored options, we felt called to serve in Thailand, a country where many millions have not yet heard the Gospel. Neither of us were experts in Asian culture, so OMF wisely had us spend a year serving as an English pastor in a Chinese church. It was an eye-opener! We learned valuable—sometimes painful—lessons about cultural differences and Asian cultural values that would prove crucial in our journey.
Learning language and culture
In October 1993, we left for Thailand. It was overwhelming—the language, the heat and humidity, spicy food and an active rodent population around our first house. We muddled on under the care of our language and training supervisors trying to learn to speak Thai and navigate a new culture. It wasn’t easy making friends, but over time we settled. We enjoyed learning with fellow students from the UK, Sweden, Germany, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
After intensive language study, we were ready to help start a new church in a central Thailand city.
Church planting in Thailand: Surprises and God’s grace
We began working with other missionaries and the pastor of an existing church. It wasn’t smooth sailing. There were conflicts and things got messy, but amidst the challenges we saw God’s faithfulness and lives were transformed by God’s grace. Just a few months ago, I visited the church and was encouraged to see that it’s still thriving under the same pastor and his wife who we worked with a couple of decades ago!
Then, to our surprise, we were asked to move to Bangkok to manage OMF Thailand’s finances and oversee the office. We committed to this role for 2 years until we left for home assignment, then returned to lead the church planting team in Bangkok—of about 12 different nationalities as well as with Thai Christians and pastors.
We saw the beauty of unity in diversity of the many different cultural backgrounds as we collaborated to plant churches across Bangkok. During one team meeting, we realized that every member was reading the Bible passage in a different language!
It was a time of learning and some difficult challenges that took a toll on us personally, but also prepared us for the ministry that lay ahead.
Mobilizing the church for mission
After 14 years in Thailand, health concerns called us back to Australia, where thankfully, we could continue ministering to the Thai community in Sydney. After four years, I was asked to lead the OMF team in Australia, and now we are doing the same role with OMF in New Zealand!
Our current roles involve speaking in churches, networking with pastors and mission leaders, giving direction to our team and mobilizing and training others to share Christ’s love across cultures. Debbie’s passion lies in encouraging young adults to think about missions and mentoring those who are preparing to serve. We have been able to draw on our own cross-cultural experiences and help others prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
God’s enduring faithfulness
Looking back, we are thankful that God has provided for us in miraculous ways—from unexpected blessings in our children’s lives to the strength we needed during challenging times. We’ve seen lives transformed by the gospel and experienced the joy of witnessing new communities built around faith in Jesus. We’ve faced difficulties, disappointments and moments of doubt.
Through it all, God has remained faithful, reminding us that He is always present, guiding our steps and providing for our needs.
Pray for Johan, Debbie and New Zealand
As Johan and Debbie continue to lead the OMF team in New Zealand, connecting people with opportunities to serve in East Asia, pray for:
- Johan and Debbie’s lives to reflect Christ’s love and that they can effectively guide the team in this new chapter
- Continued sensitivity and unity as they work together as a team
- God’s sustaining as they live away from family and close friends
3 lessons we’ve learned the hard way
- We are fallible so we need to have faithful friends praying for us. Sometimes our own plans, expectations or limitations can cloud God’s voice. We have had to learn to surrender our thoughts over and over and have valued the insight of prayerful friends and leaders who have helped keep us accountable
- Embrace the culture: Learning language and understanding cultural nuances is crucial for effective ministry. Building genuine relationships requires respect, sensitivity and understanding of what others value.
- Be patient: Change takes time, especially when dealing with different cultural contexts. We need to trust in God’s timing and learn to wait patiently for His work to unfold.
