Sowing One Seed at a Time

Chloe Sneed

*Note: Some words have been intentionally censored for security purposes.

The first time I heard the phrase, “the nations are in your backyard”, was at a missions conference in 2019. The impact of this concept has radically shifted Josh and I's life trajectory. We have always been passionate about engaging in missions, both abroad and locally; however, serving refugees from Afghanistan over the last two years prompted us to make a pivotal decision. Would we move abroad to serve the Muslim world? Or, would we stay in Indianapolis and develop a nonprofit organization to serve, empower, evangelize, and disciple the vast population of immigrants, international students, and refugees that have sought asylum in “our backyard”?

Josh and I researched and sought counsel for months. Abroad, we led a missions trip to Jordan, and stateside, we continued serving Afghan refugees in our community through English classes, home visits to build relationships, and multiple poverty relief projects. We were also building intentional relationships with international students on a few nearby campuses. Ultimately, we concluded that God was leading us to create a nonprofit organization to serve the international population in Indianapolis. Initiating a nonprofit organization, we learned, is no easy feat. Administratively, we completed the work required with lawyers, accountants, and other professionals, and established a board. One Seed Incorporated was born with the ultimate goal that we go full-time in ministry in the future.

The face of missions has changed in the United States. The latest statistics on the number of immigrants and refugees in the United States reveal that over 50 million immigrants currently live in the United States and that over 100,000 refugees have fled to the United States since 2022. Additionally, the number of immigrants and refugees living in Indianapolis is approximately 150,000 individuals; moreover, the number of current international students in Indianapolis is approximately 2,000 individuals. We are excited by these numbers! God has sovereignly brought each of these individuals and families to our home country. For many of the countries represented in these statistics, it is unlikely and/or extremely difficult for mission_ries to enter and engage in ministry. Now, we have an opportunity to reach the nations here, in the United States!

When mission_ries move abroad, there are a myriad of hurdles they must jump. Here are just a few hurdles, though not an exhaustive list: the assimilation into a new culture, a new language, a new governmental system and societal rules, new school systems, documentation logistics, housing logistics, a new healthcare system, inconsistent internet/electricity stability, isolation, and for many nations, the risk of arrest. To be very clear, this list is not one by which I am arguing for mission_ries to not go abroad; I believe this work is vital, and we almost committed to that lifestyle ourselves. However, I wish to expound on the reality that the list of hurdles for mission_ries in the United States, though incredibly challenging and exhausting, is smaller in number.

I am in language classes to learn the language Dari – likely not a language you have heard of, nor would expect your typical North American to learn. We also have had to assimilate into a new culture, to a degree. The clothes that we wear, some social rules we adhere to, our communication styles, and the strategy with which we share God’s word are a few examples of how we have adapted while actively engaging. This list is not exhaustive, and undoubtedly, more hurdles will appear in the future. However, we are blessed to not have to figure out housing logistics. We do not have to integrate into a new healthcare or government system. Additionally, while we are learning their language, they are also learning English. While we are learning their culture, they are also learning ours. Cross-cultural work requires intentionality and humility. Simultaneously, being in our home country and culture makes a few things easier in comparison to mission_ries abroad.

One Seed Incorporated is devoted to serving refugees, immigrants, and international students in developing skills in order to thrive in the Indianapolis area. Ultimately, this flows from a demonstration of God’s love. We want to see the nations reached! In places where the g_spel does not go forth easily, we have the opportunity to engage with individuals in a location where we can freely connect.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” - Revelation 7:9-10

Contact us for more information: ​oneseedincorporated.com

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