Articles
Providence in changed plans.
Jan 31 2025

Introduction
This is The Thread: AIRO’s monthly missions-focused newsletter.
Between 10 missionary partners hitting the field, preparing to approve 25 more, a church hosting The Missions Course, and attending CROSSCon 2025, we hit the ground running this year.
Here’s what you’ll find in this edition of The Thread:
📖 Providence in changed plans
🎒 CROSSCon 2025
📅 Happenings at AIRO.
Providence in changed plans

Collin and Ella Mitchell are missionary partners working toward a church plant in Southeast Asia, sharing the gospel with unreached people as much as opportunity allows. That door was opened for Collin last month when God turned ordinary lunch plans into an impromptu gospel opportunity!
Collin had asked a local friend out to lunch so he could practice his gospel presentation in the local language (we’ll call this friend Herman for the sake of the story.) Their plan was simple: to get food close to home and practice sharing the good news. Nothing complicated.
Long story short, what unfolded that afternoon was nothing short of complicated.
Finding a lunch spot should have been simple, but after driving in the opposite direction they’d planned on, Collin and Herman found themselves in an unfamiliar part of the city. As they searched for a new restaurant, they were oddly met with a “closed” or “shut down” sign on every restaurant window they passed.
In a last-ditch effort, Herman recalled one more spot they could try. He’d eaten there years ago and remembered discussing faith with an unbelieving shopkeeper down the street. Maybe he could guide them?
You’ll never guess who they found there.
The shopkeeper from years ago was standing outside and immediately recognized Herman! Upon hearing how far they’d come for a meal, he invited them to his home for lunch. They all shared a meal and – once again – openly discussed faith.
It was clear by now that God had redirected Collin’s lunch plans for a purpose. After all, he’d wanted to practice his gospel presentation; what better time than now?
Collin shared the gospel with the shopkeeper and spent the next five hours answering his questions.
The two returned home feeling thankful for God’s providence and hopeful for this shopkeeper’s salvation. It was hardly what Collin had planned for his day, but God isn’t wasteful. Even something as small as changed lunch plans can put His providence on full display.
Collin left one final piece of encouragement for you, %firstName%.
I encourage you to ask the Lord, “Who are You leading me to today?” And when He shows you, may you have the boldness to share the Good News with them.
– Collin Mitchell
Your partnership with AIRO is helping missionary partners like the Mitchells get on the field. It’s gospel conversations like this that make a difference for eternity, and for that, we want to say thank you!
CROSSCon 2025

CROSSCon is easily the largest conference we attend (and one of our favorites!) This year, 15,000 students and church leaders gathered making it the largest year ever! You can feel the energy in the room as thousands of believers worship Jesus together. The result is thousands of new senders and goers mobilized and ready to make their lives count for eternity.
CROSSCon also brought two of our missionary partners and their Ropeholders under the same roof! We hosted a Ropeholder Meetup to bring them together. Both senders and goers shared the joy of their roles over coffee and donuts, all while painting a perfect picture of how important each is to the Great Commission! (Our Ropeholders also picked up their new Ropeholder Shirts! More on that coming soon…)

If you stopped by our booth at CROSSCon this year, thank you! And to our new Ropeholders, we are so excited to have you on board!
If you’ve been considering joining the Ropeholder Community, we want to invite you to join them! There’s never been a better time to join them as a sender. We’re planning to approve 25 more missionary partners this year, a goal only possible because of our faithful Ropeholders! Join them today and eliminate barriers to advance the gospel to the unreached!
Happenings at AIRO.
🔑 3 Keys to Being a Joyful Sender
If you’ve ever wondered what the steps to becoming a joyful sender are, look no further. Luke Womack, AIRO’s founder, had the opportunity to share his story and practical steps you can take today. Give it a listen!
🗓️ Purposeful Generosity Workshop
Join us on March 4th at 4PM (PT) for a Purposeful Generosity Workshop with our Board Member and Financial Advisor, David Krake. He brings years of experience in both strategic giving and Christian generosity, so you can be purposeful today and in your legacy. If you’re interested in attending, reach out to Matthew Nolen below! (He’ll be in touch with more details.)