Impact Updates from Around the World - April
Take a quick trip around the world with us and catch a glimpse of what God is doing through One Collective communities.
Bringing Light to Refugees in Southeast Asia
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105
The plight of refugees in Southeast Asia includes people groups who are among the most persecuted and marginalized in the world. Some, with no national status and no recognized home country, have fled across borders in search of safety. Life as a refugee is incredibly difficult. Movement is restricted, and access to education and employment is often out of reach. Their story is marked by profound hardship, including displacement, exploitation, and deep trauma. On paper, they may be overlooked—but they are fully seen and deeply loved by Jesus.
Because of your generosity, a new Catalyst in Southeast Asia is already beginning to come alongside these refugees through a local church near the border. One of their first initiatives was simple but powerful: providing Bibles in the local language. An initial request for 50 Bibles was met with such an outpouring of support that 100 were fully funded. Thank you for being part of that.
This team is in the early evaluation stage, taking time to learn the language, build trust, and understand the strengths and needs within the community. In the months ahead, they will continue listening and discerning where God is already at work. Their efforts will begin with community health evangelism, including an upcoming training in May focused on trauma care and healing for refugees.
Your partnership is helping bring light into places that have long felt unseen.
Illinois Human Trafficking Summit
One of the core values at One Collective is collaboration. We bring people together. That was clearly seen at the 4th annual Anti-Trafficking Summit hosted by our Elgin, Illinois team.
Attendees included service providers, attorneys, social workers, business owners, church and community members, each coming with different levels of awareness. Through breakout sessions, they engaged topics like online exploitation among minors, prevention strategies, support for immigrant survivors, and the overlooked vulnerabilities of men and boys. The space allowed for honest conversation and deeper understanding of the realities of trafficking.
This was our largest turnout to date. Many left both sobered by what they learned and encouraged to respond. New connections were formed, and there is growing momentum among local organizations to work together so that those impacted by trafficking are not left without support. Because of this, the team is planning ongoing workshops to continue equipping the community.
At the heart of the summit was a shared belief that every person is created in the image of God and deserves dignity. As people gathered from both faith-based and community organizations, it created space not only to address trafficking, but also to reflect the love of Christ in practical ways.
We are already seeing the impact. One woman who first connected through local outreach has grown increasingly involved. Though she did not come from a faith background, her experiences with this community have opened the door to conversations about Jesus. Her compassion for others is growing, and so is her curiosity about faith.
This is the kind of transformation your partnership helps make possible. Together, we are helping communities respond to exploitation with compassion, pursue prevention, and reflect the love of Christ to those who need it most.
Zambia — A Story of God’s Redeeming Grace
Every once in a while, a story reminds us why this work matters. This winter, our leaders serving the Chibolya community in Zambia received a message from Gabriel, a young man whose journey from hopelessness to purpose reflects the transforming grace of God. His words speak not only of gratitude, but of deep spiritual renewal. They are a powerful picture of what can happen when lives and communities are restored through Christ.
In When Helping Hurts, poverty is described as more than a lack of material resources. It is the brokenness of our relationships with God, self, others, and creation. Gabriel’s story offers a glimpse of what it looks like when those relationships begin to be restored.
Here is Gabriel’s note exactly as written:
“I was just reflecting on how my life has been to where I am right now. You and everyone have been a blessing from the time I met you till date. You taught me what Christianity is all about and everything you taught me in relation to JESUS has helped me navigate through the nicest and worst of times, and as though the Gospel and moral teachings were not enough you helped me move from my secondary school at Luangwa Secondary School to the beginning and the end of my Tertiary education at Defence School of Health Sciences. I am a graduate now thanks to you and everyone who saw the good in me that even I could not see in me and helped me be what I am today (I was always resentful of my existence I remember going round Chibolya in headsets speaking bad of myself) thank you for showing me that even if you hurt you should not only focus on the pain cause once you do you will miss the joyful moments. You didn't only help me and my family you stood for the lowest community in Chongwe town and spoke the word to the youths, the women and men and helped the youths understand what life is about outside the negative.
I know you will say its only by His GRACE that you helped us, TRUE and I acknowledge that all is done through the Lord's LOVE, WILL and POWER, but I also acknowledge that Man was granted FREE WILL of choice and yet You (Ben Choitz) Kristin Choitz and the One Collective Organisation chose to help a community that has not physical or earthly ties with aside for the LOVE of CHRIST, with that said I will say it again THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME (Gabriel Munanjala), my family and the Chibolya community thank you so very much.”
These are just a few snapshots of what God is doing across the globe. Thanks so much for reading!
Lindsey Vanzant
Global Giving Advisor
Lindsey serves as the Global Giving Advisor for One Collective, where her primary focus is to coach financial supporters by connecting their goals, experiences and passions to the work God is doing on the front lines in communities where One Collective serves around the world.
Prior to joining One Collective, Lindsey spent 15 years in various business development and account management roles with Rubbermaid Commercial Products where she most recently led the healthcare division. For the past 11 years, Lindsey has led a local ministry support group for young moms with unplanned pregnancies alongside her local church.
Lindsey lives in Indiana with her husband and four children and loves to travel, explore new places, meet new people, cheer on Hoosier basketball, grow flowers, and spend time with family and friends.
