How We Work

We believe kids themselves are a big part of the solution.
They are transformed as they work to help their own communities.

Emerge works with national leaders in SE Asia to develop innovative ways to help kids and young people find freedom through Christ.

Together we help young people break free from:

  • Generational poverty oppressing their families

  • Exploitation of their bodies for sex or bonded labor

  • Spiritual darkness

  • Anxiety & Depression

How we’re different: Our founders have been living full-time in Asia since 1990. This has allowed Emerge to develop a broad network of vetted national leaders. These leaders develop bold, lean approaches to intervention. Building Big People is at the heart of all we initiate and help sponsor.

The future of missions is empowering local heroes to rise up in their own communities. Emerge acts as the bridge between western world partners and rising heroes of the unreached nations so all can hear of Jesus and find the freedom he brings.

We believe that there are three keys to achieving breakthrough in these young lives:

  1. Spiritual transformation through Jesus. Following Jesus changed all of us and we know it’s the door to freedom for these kids too.

  2. Creation of a freedom mindset: “I am a child of promise empowered to help others.” Then they begin to live accordingly.

  3. Ongoing personal and professional development ending in a university degree, a career, and a permanent place on the outreach volunteer team so they can help the next generations of barrio kids.

REACH

We go to them in the streets and on campuses in Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines. Initiating action is the crucial first step. Everything begins here.

NURTURE

At every age Emerge kids enter into discipleship, then leadership. They grow as believers in Jesus and believers in themselves. Skill-building programs make them valuable in the marketplace.

SEND

Kids rising up to help other kids find freedom is the key to their own transformation. It causes them to live as an example. They take authority over their lives, work for opportunities, and they soar.

 

Level 1: Kids Clubs

Millions of children grow up along railroad tracks and canals in Metro Manila. The process of transformation begins on the first day a child attends the noisy Sidewalk kids club in their barrio. They get food, hugs, friends and caring young adults who were sidewalk kids just like them. They meet Jesus and get a new mindset about who they are and come to believe in God’s big plans for their lives as His children of promise in the barrio.

Level 2: University Mental Health Events

Universities are concerned about the rise in depression, anxiety, and suicide on campus. “Lift, a Celebration of Joy!” is a two-hour workshop that focuses on developing healthy habits of play, gratitude, a supportive friendship network, and prayer as means of improving mental resilience in a world of anxiety. It’s called “Lift” because that’s what it does. In just two hours students report a marked change in their level of anxiety.

Through this event, we are able to share what Jesus, the Lord of the sound mind, has done for us and we invite them to talk with him by writing their first prayer on a balloon. The workshop ends outside as we launch our prayers together. All Lift graduates are gathered into an online community and invited to attend a weekly discipleship event to continue on their journey to gaining a sound mind.

Level 3: Action-based Discipleship

Jesus never used books or classroom study as a method of discipleship. We’re developing the Jesus Quest to return to the action-discipleship method used by Jesus. Those who want to follow Jesus join Quest groups to actually do the seven ancient practices of Jesus in their daily lives. According to Jesus, disciples are those who do, not those who study. The JesusQuest works and this year we want to open it up to the world! Our first goal is to translate and reshoot the JesusQuest in five languages and open physical training centers in five nations to roll it out in churches nationwide.

Level 4: Sexual Exploitation Rescue and Prevention

For the past 10 years Project Justice has been building a quietly powerful Golden Triangle network to prevent and rescue children from exploitation and sexual slavery. The network begins in the mountains of northern Thailand where children are often “sourced” and stretches across the borders into Laos and Myanmar where some of the most horrible systemic abuse occurs. The nature of this work requires prevention programs, safe houses, vetted caregivers, counselors, and vocational trainers. It takes a long-term commitment to deliver children out of the personal hell they’ve fallen into. They cling to the chance for escape and pursue their education from the safe houses with inspiring diligence, ever grateful to the ones who sponsored their rescue.

Level 5: Leadership Development

In the end, we have to see a new generation of leaders rise up around the world. Medialight develops leaders from 40 nations with spiritual depth and leadership ability to serve as God’s new messengers in their nation. Leaders in today’s media era must have strong communication skills so they can take advantage of the amazing opportunities of the media age.

Make a donation.

What can happen for a dozen kids, can happen for hundreds with your help. We need partners to scale things up. The systems are working and in place. We just need help to scale to the next level of capacity.

You can literally rewrite a life story by donating to Emerge Missions, Inc. Please join us. Our joint efforts are making a difference here … and it feels good! That’s an added blessing.

A gift to the Golden Triangle Initiative supports all the ministries mentioned on this page.

PARTNERSHIPS IN ASIA