The story David Shenk either begins in Shirati Village in Tanganyika, East Africa, or we might decide it begins among the orchards of Lancaster County, Pa., where farmers with their horses line up a mile for water as they rearrange their loads for their trek home on market day. In either reading, this is a story of mission—a story of people chattering along a roadside spring on the way to and from market. At age six, Shenk asked his parents, “What difference does Jesus make?” The answer to that question is the reason he became a Christian. Day by day, as he travels in the way of Jesus—living, serving, and ministering around the world—Shenk continues to unpack what difference Jesus makes. This is the story not just of Shenk and his remarkable work in Christian missions. It’s the stories that David has heard within societies, cultures, and religions when he asks the question: What difference does Jesus make?
