In one of our MyFriends training groups, Liz asked people to draw a simple Daisy.

The idea was to write their name in the centre, then add the different social circles they were already part of: family, neighbours, work, school, church, hobbies, and community connections.

Then came the next question:

“Who in those circles does not yet know Jesus?”

One woman looked at her Daisy and said something many Christians quietly feel.

“I do not have anyone in my life who is not a believer.”

But as the group gently talked it through, she began to realise that was not actually true.

Her sister was not a believer.

Her brother-in-law was not a believer.

Then she began to think of other family members, neighbours, and people already connected to her life.

The people were already there. She just had not seen them that way before.

That night, without her trying to force anything, some of those family members contacted her. Over time, more conversations opened. Later, when she travelled overseas because her grandmother was dying, she suddenly found herself living out what she had been learning among her wider family.

I love that story because it shows something very important.

Sometimes God does not begin by asking us to find strangers.

Sometimes He begins by helping us notice the people He has already placed around us.

In the MyFriends Lifestyle, we call this Release.

Release means helping people share what they have heard, seen, or experienced with the people around them.

It may happen after a simple conversation about Jesus. It may happen after prayer. It may happen after reading a Bible story. It may happen after someone hears the Gospel clearly. It may happen after baptism. And sometimes it happens years later, when a church member begins to see their family and friends with fresh eyes.

Release is not pressure.

It is not asking someone to explain everything.

It is simply asking, “Who else could hear this from you?”

Jesus did something like this in Mark 5. After He changed the life of a man who had been deeply broken, the man wanted to go with Him. But Jesus sent him home instead. He told him to go back to his own people and tell them what the Lord had done for him.

That man already had relationships. He already had a community. Now he had a story.

That is why Release matters.

Our friends have relationships we may never have. They have family members, neighbours, workmates, language groups, and community connections. Some of those people may never listen to us, but they may listen to them.

This week’s short video explores this idea of Release and how we can help the good news of Jesus move naturally through the relationships God has already given.

You can watch it here:  https://vimeo.com/1196510353

As you watch, you might ask yourself one simple question:

Who has God already placed around me?

Have a great week talking about Jesus.

P.S. Who do you think would be encouraged by this email? Forward it to them and let them know they can walk alongside experienced cross-cultural evangelists by visiting: https://hereslife.com/encouragement