John & Debbie Harper
I'm John Harper, and my wife Debbie and I have been married for 44 years. We are both originally from Ohio and now live in Anthem, Arizona, where we are connected to Christ Church of the Valley (CCV). We are blessed to have 5 children, 13 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren scattered from New York to California. I went on my first "foreign" mission trip in the early 1990s to Mexico City where the team helped with the renovation of a church building and visited brothers and sisters in the area. Prior to that, I served on the board of the American Indian Christian Mission (AICM) in Show Low AZ. I served on the mission team at my church in Ohio, when I attended my first International Conference on Missions (ICOM) in 2014. It was there that I was struck by how few European missions were in attendance and how few Bible-believing people there are in Europe, less than 2%, and fewer in Eastern Europe.
Ambassador for Eastern Europe
In 2015, I took my first 10-day trip with Kontaktmission to Albania, Romania, Moldova, and Transnistria, reporting back to my church mission team what I learned. It was that trip that opened my eyes and my heart to the wonderful people of Eastern Europe. In March of 2016, I volunteered with KM USA to be their "Ambassador for Eastern Europe." Since that time, I've worked with national missionaries in Albania, Romania, Greece, Moldova, Germany, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Transnistria and Ukraine to encourage, equip and help fund their work. I've also been blessed to network with other mission organizations to partner with Eastern European nationals to spread the gospel; e.g., Disciple Makers sent two missionary interns to Iasi, Romania, from Honduras and Mexico the summer of 2022, and Eastern European Missions has partnered to send bibles free of charge and in any quantity to locations where we serve. Most of these countries were communist for over 70 years and taught that God does not exist. The people and especially young people are now searching for hope that can only be found in Jesus. My passion is to take others to see what I saw and connect them with the work being done in Eastern European countries. I would love to speak with you, your small group, and/or your church about opportunities/trips to Eastern Europe. Just send me an email.
eSIM (engaging Seniors In Missions)
In late 2024, I was struck by the absurdity of retirement as currently practiced. People struggle to find purpose when they leave the workforce. Many churches fail to challenge their seniors to continue serving the Lord in meaningful ways. At the same time, I read some sobering statistics that show the average time for a missionary family on the field is about 3.5 years. After spending 2 years (or more) in preparation and raising tens of thousands of dollars to go, too many return before really getting started. The primary reasons for their early return are isolation, loneliness and discouragement. I believe the answer to senior purpose and missionary discouragement is to connect the two. Seniors can become the “encouragement arm” of the mission team, regardless of health, wealth or education.
I have developed a 4-hour workshop, customizable to your church’s mission strategy. It speaks to specific ways your church’s seniors can engage with your church’s missionaries without necessarily leaving their homes. It works individually or in a small group setting and provides encouragement in both directions. For further information, please contact me.
Support our ministry
It is no secret that from the very beginning of the church, Christians have taken an active role in being missionaries and sending missionaries. Yet not all are called to be missionaries. We are called to make disciples though.
Being a missionary is a calling, but have you ever considered that sending and encouraging missionaries is also a calling. So, what is your calling? Are you the missionary, a missionary sender, or a missionary encourager?
All Kontaktmission staff live on support, meaning we believe that God will provide for His mission, through His church.
Please consider joining our sending team by partnering with us in prayer and partnering with us financially.
Prayer Needs
- God will open your heart to a trip to experience the life of brothers/sisters in Eastern Europe.
- God will encourage His people to share their hope in Christ with their searching neighbors.
- National missionaries/pastors/believers would be encouraged and strengthened by their American brothers/sisters.
- Biblical message of James would be followed by believers here, so brothers and sisters there will not have too little.
- God's kingdom would be experienced by all believers around the world.
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Humboldt, TN 38343-0825
Email: office@gokmusa.org
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