By Elvira Hattingh
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25) came into sharp focus for Adele Heyns in Kenya in 2015, when missionaries were sent to countries such as southern Somalia, knowing they might never return alive.
“There was a heart-wrenching day when I literally said to God: ‘I don’t know if I can share a message that could cost them their lives.’ I had a big inner struggle. At that time, we realised that many people He sends us to may pay with their lives if they accept Jesus.”
Adele Heyns serves alongside her husband, Michael, within the All Nations Deutschland Christian mission. They work among unreached and neglected people, often with a Muslim background, as well as refugees and people from war-affected areas.
Her and Michael’s journey began in Cape Town in 2013, where they started running Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) in a shopping mall among African refugees.
Two years later, in Kenya, they trained and sent out missionaries with a focus on disciple-making. This proved to be an intensely emotional experience, as many of those being sent were heading into extremely dangerous contexts, including southern Somalia. “We were there to send them off,” Adele says. “It was a very emotional moment, because many of them knew that the chances of them returning were very slim.”
However, she believes that God used this to prepare them for future challenges, as they saw how many African believers, especially from Muslim backgrounds, developed a burning passion to reach Arabs, Muslims, and even Europeans.
A lifetime of preparation
Adele has been involved in outreach work since the age of sixteen. After marrying Michael and starting a family, they have done mission work together for nearly twenty years. In 2008, they began working more closely with All Nations, recognising the need for equipping themselves better in discipleship and disciple-making. “It became our focus and remains so today,” Adele says, “to encourage people to invest in those God has already placed in their lives.”
In 2014, they received training on cross-cultural church planting among Muslim-background communities.
In 2016, Michael served Syrian refugees in Lebanon, separated from the family due to visa issues. Adele says it was a difficult time, yet one in which God did “wonderful things,” and the family was eventually reunited.
During this period, she completed training in trauma counselling for children, while Michael’s time in Lebanon built credibility with Arab friends. “It showed that we are serious about going to them,” Adele explains.
Growing like a tree
Adele describes their organisation’s journey in Germany like a tree that God grows, placing people as its branches. When they arrived in Germany in 2017, the small team initially had just two couples – German and American, as well as one Zambian team member. Since then, it grew to 15 intercultural members, with others from America, Taiwan, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
“With the 2015 refugee influx, their focus was on Muslim-background refugees, primarily from the Middle East. But when the Ukraine war started in 2022, we had an emergency meeting to decide urgently what to do with the war refugees who were streaming into their stations. We opened one of their buildings as a welcoming lounge with meals, areas where people could rest, charge their phones and receive help on where to go next. This was the birth of the ‘Willkommenscafé’.”
The team then engaged in prayer walks in migrant shop areas and outreaches near first intake camps. That led to culturally specific cafés for Iranian, Afghan, Kurdish, and Arab communities. She and Michael were involved in the Ukrainian Café for a year and a half, whereafter a South African teammate and then a pastor took over, doing significant work, including setting up Bible study groups.
Significant milestones
Since then, their mission has seen significant growth, especially within the Persians groups. Over the last two years, over 40 baptisms were conducted, mainly among Kurds, Afghans and Iranians. A new small house church and seeker group were established, and various Jesus film events were held with more than 150 attendees.
“From a disciple-making perspective, the café was always intended to identify the ‘person of peace’ – those who want to know more about what we are sharing, while others would simply come and go.”
“When working with Arab communities, this approach requires particular sensitivity, as it is easy to discourage people if one moves too quickly. Our method is intentionally relational and unhurried, centred on building trust through everyday life: eating together, avoiding debate, starting from shared foundations such as Abraham and Moses, addressing people’s needs, and presenting Jesus as the Shepherd,” Adele says.
However, several powerful stories emerged showing that God is at work. One involved a Syrian man who searched for Jesus for four years before accepting Him after watching the Jesus film and being baptised.
In another instance, a young man accepted Jesus and was baptised on Michael’s birthday in a bathtub. He later baptised a friend whom he led to Jesus. Adele said these moments were deeply emotional, with the young men referring to one another as “brother”.
“We always emphasise that disciples can baptise disciples. It is important for people to understand that it does not have to be a pastor or a special person; otherwise, it cannot multiply. We want it to be in their hands. What you have, take it and pass it on to others,” Adele said.
Practical Approach
The mission supports refugees with everyday needs. “We eat together and share ordinary life. I help them navigate schools, hospitals, and forms, as they are incredibly vulnerable in a foreign country.
“They receive piles of letters from institutions such as the job centre and feel overwhelmed. Many cannot work yet. They have children, fall ill, and often do not know who to contact. Sometimes they call us, and for me, that is the open door the Lord gives — to serve them in love. That is my calling.”
She added that this practical care builds trust, one of the greatest challenges. Some also come with trauma, and they now also offer a trauma course.
Recently, a young German rapper came to faith and brought his friends along. “Our Friday evenings are open pizza nights — students, refugees, and young adults in their twenties and thirties from all over the world. There is no programme, just come-and-go evenings,” she says.
Challenges and Hope
Many Syrian refugees cannot safely return home due to instability and lack of work.“Some continue supporting their families from afar, while others struggle with the futility of returning too soon.
“Faith journeys are complex. Many of our young people are still Muslim, but they believe much of what we share. They are not yet ready to accept Jesus — it is a process. Some who visited family after accepting Jesus reverted to Islam under pressure, while others maintain their faith, speak with relatives, and even influence them.”
Adele emphasised that time is essential and new believers need to be among Christians long enough for their roots to grow deep.
“All the good work we do – it is all just Him. God literally keeps us going day by day. That is how He works: He uses testimonies to tell us, don’t give up; the harvest is great.”
Please join us in prayer:
- Pray for courage and protection for believers who risk their lives to follow Jesus.
2. Pray for lasting fruit and deep roots among refugees and new believers.
3. Pray for wisdom, strength, and provision for missionary teams.
