Impact Updates from Around the World - May
Take a quick trip around the world with us and catch a glimpse of what God is doing through One Collective communities.
Afghans Encountering Christ in the US
When we think about the Kingdom of God, we think about God’s shalom entering in and restoring every area of a person’s life. In the Midwest, the One Collective team walks alongside Afghan refugees, praying that the Lord would bring physical, emotional, and spiritual healing and wholeness to the people they serve.
In Mark 5, when Jesus restored the demon-possessed man, the transformation touched every part of his life. He was no longer harming himself. He was brought out of isolation and back into community. He moved from the tombs into relationship and into the knowledge of Christ. The team’s hope for the Afghan families they serve is the same: that they would experience the beauty of Jesus and walk in freedom, health, and shalom.
Practically, this happens through everyday acts of presence and care.
One example is an Afghan woman who owns a small neighborhood store that sells dried fruits, rice, and other imported goods. The team often purchases from her store to provide rice and oil to struggling Afghan families. Beyond being a business, her shop has become an important gathering place for women in the community. In the back of the store, Afghan women gather to sip tea, share stories, and build friendships. In a place where there are few welcoming spaces for Afghan women, the store has become much more than a marketplace.
Unfortunately, due to logistical issues outside of her control, she lost her license to operate the store. Because of the generosity of faithful partners, the team had the time and capacity to walk alongside her through the long process of restoring it. They translated at municipal offices, helped complete paperwork, and advocated through countless emails and appointments. She proved to be incredibly intelligent and resourceful, working tirelessly to navigate the process herself. After months of persistence, her license was finally approved, and together they celebrated the victory.
She later sent a message expressing deep gratitude, saying she could not have done it without their help. While the team knows her perseverance played the biggest role, they were grateful for the opportunity to stand beside her as advocates and friends.
And as they labored together over those months, a deeper relationship formed. This kind of slow, relational ministry is only possible because of supporters who make space for teams to be consistently present in the lives of refugee families. She began sharing parts of her story and past trauma, and trust continued to grow. Just two months ago, after the birth of her son, members of the team were able to bring meals to her family. During Ramadan, ministry partners shared meals with her as they broke the fast together, creating opportunities for meaningful spiritual conversations.
Which brings us back to the story in Mark 5.
The team longs to see this woman and her family experience full shalom, thriving financially through her store, flourishing as a mother and family, walking in health, and ultimately discovering the freedom and hope found in Christ. While she is not yet a believer, seeds continue to be sown faithfully. Team members have read Scripture with her, and she has expressed openness and curiosity about spiritual things, even while wrestling through questions about God and Islam.
Please pray that the Lord would continue opening doors for deeper conversations and that He would give her a hunger to know Him more.
Below are just a few practical ways your generosity has impacted Afghan refugees in the U.S. this year:
Groceries for Afghan families, especially rice and oil after food benefits were reduced
Income support for the team’s Dari teacher
Gifts for refugee children
Court fees for an Afghan woman navigating a legal case
Meals for Afghan families
Rental assistance for an Afghan woman who became blind
Afghan language Bibles
Utility bill assistance for refugee families
Employment opportunities for Afghan women preparing meals for community events
…and much more. Thank you!
A Night to Shine for Families with Special Needs
One of the most joyful expressions of God’s love this year took place through Night to Shine events hosted by One Collective teams around the world.
Night to Shine is an annual worldwide prom-style event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation for individuals with special needs. Local churches and volunteers come together to create a free evening filled with dancing, celebration, food, music, and honor. Every guest is crowned as a king or queen, reminding them that they are deeply valued and created in the image of God. Parents and caretakers are also invited to rest and connect in designated respite spaces throughout the evening.
This year, One Collective teams participated in Night to Shine celebrations in Albania, Honduras, Southeast Asia, and Iowa.
In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, this marked the third year One Collective Catalyst Michelle has hosted the event. Nearly 350 people attended, including more than 80 guests with special needs, companions for each guest, and over 150 volunteers. Through years of hosting camps and community events, Michelle and her team have developed strong systems and experience that continue to make the event more impactful each year.
Michelle shared,
“It has been a joy to see how God uses Night to Shine in the lives of our guests and their families. After the event, we received many messages from parents sharing how deeply it touched their child’s heart.”
In Albania, the evening was filled with celebration, dignity, and belonging. Volunteers served abundant food and transformed a beautiful venue into a place of joy for individuals who are often overlooked or marginalized by society. Yet through God’s eyes, they are never forgotten.
One particularly meaningful moment involved two brothers with special needs who live with their father. Before the dance, volunteers took the boys to get fresh haircuts and new clothes. They smiled the entire time, and their father was deeply moved by the kindness shown to his sons.
The impact of the evening continued long after the event ended.
During church the following Sunday, the Night to Shine video was shared with the congregation. Two young girls excitedly pointed to themselves on the screen, laughing and smiling throughout the video. Another touching moment came as a grandfather, who has recently begun attending church on his own, watched proudly from his seat. Surrounded by stoic older men, he smiled from ear to ear and enthusiastically pointed every time he saw either his grandson or himself appear on the screen.
Across every location, Night to Shine became much more than a one-night event. It created opportunities for families to experience joy, dignity, community, and the love of Christ in tangible ways.
Thank you for making moments like these possible through your generosity and prayers. Your partnership helps create spaces where people who are often unseen are celebrated, honored, and reminded that they are deeply loved by God.
Testimonies of Transformation in Central Asia
In Central Asia, a One Collective team is serving in the heart of an unreached people group. The Catalyst and his family are two of only seven known followers of Christ within roughly a six-hour radius.
Even in a place where believers are few, the team is seeing God create meaningful opportunities to build relationships and share the hope found in Jesus.
Recently, the Catalyst led a training with the other local believers focused on how to share their personal testimonies. Each person came with a unique story. Two of the participants are recovering from drug addiction and have experienced profound transformation through Christ.
Together, they learned how to communicate their testimony in different ways: a 20-second version, a two-minute version, and a longer conversation format. Using a simple framework, they reflected on who they were before meeting Christ, how they encountered Jesus, and how He continues to transform their lives today.
For many of them, this was the first time they had considered that their own story could be a powerful tool to encourage others and point people toward Christ. As they reflected and processed together, excitement grew. They began to recognize that God could use their personal experiences, struggles, and redemption stories to connect with others in authentic ways.
Please pray for these new believers as they continue growing in their faith and boldly sharing the hope of Jesus within their communities. In a region where so few know Christ, every conversation matters.
More Than a Skate Park
At One Collective’s La Roca Skate Ministry, young people gather to skateboard, build friendships, eat meals together, and experience a sense of belonging that many have never known before. For many students, La Roca skate park has become a safe place in the middle of difficult circumstances at home, poverty, violence, addiction, or isolation.
What makes the ministry so powerful is not simply the skateboarding itself. It is the consistency of relationships.
Week after week, local leaders show up. They skate together, listen to stories, encourage students, pray with them, and walk alongside them through real life challenges. Over time, trust is built naturally. Conversations about faith emerge organically through shared experiences and authentic community.
One of the beautiful things about La Roca is how accessible it is. Teenagers who may never walk into a church often feel comfortable showing up at a skate park. What begins as a place to practice tricks slowly becomes a place where students encounter dignity, encouragement, and the hope of Jesus.
The impact continues to ripple outward into families and the broader community. As young people grow in confidence, responsibility, and faith, many begin mentoring younger students themselves. The skate park becomes more than recreation. It becomes a place where leadership, discipleship, and transformation take root.
Your generosity helps create spaces like La Roca where young people are known, valued, and loved. Through faithful presence and long term relationships, lives in Quito are being changed one conversation, one friendship, and one skateboard at a time. View the recent La Roca update video here
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.