Dear Partners
To 2021 and beyond!
Remember the famous rally cry of Buzz Lightyear, "To infinity and beyond!", in the movie Toy Story? It represents such limitless possibilities. It reminds us of Ephesians 3:20, Now to Him who is able to do so much more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. For most of us the year 2020 will probably not be on our list of 'The 10 Best Years of my Life'. And sadly, we are mourning with you who lost loved ones. Still, for many God came through in amazing ways in the midst of Covid lock downs, masks and restricted travel.
In Didasko's case, God used the lock downs to motivate people to study and we saw huge growth in student numbers and activity on the Web. All honour to God!
In addition, our Facilitator's course was born. This course helps people to learn how to use Didasko courses to mobilize people for missions. Facilitators use a combination of our online course, Zoom and other social media platforms. We are so grateful to our Facilitator Champion, Ivan V, who guides and mentors new facilitators. If you have a heart for ministry you can use Didasko courses in this way. Please contact us if you are interested.
Collaboration and Interview with FieldPartner
Ross and Christine Paterson have been missionaries to the Chinese world for over 40 years. They also offer online training, mainly for Chinese people, called FieldPartner. We are very happy to report that we have started collaborating with them. Towards the end of last year, they wanted to interview us for their Video Blog (VLOG). If you'd like to see the interview, go to youtu.be/V64YWGapW-o.
Bible teachings from a Middle Eastern perspective
While the lock downs forced us to be at home more than usual, we have come across the teachings of Dr. Kenneth Bailey, a New Testament scholar who lived in the Middle East for 40 years. His teachings are focussed on explaining parables and Bible stories from a Middle Eastern perspective. We highly recommend him, because the result of his teachings is not just gaining knowledge, but falling in love with Jesus all over again. If you are interested, here is the link to the first of four videos in a series on the parable of the prodigal son: youtu.be/5d8hF84qMPg
Blessings
For 2021 and beyond: May the Lord restore to all of us the joy of His salvation (Psalm 52:12). In response to His unfailing love, let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, with encouragement, as we see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25).
In His service together,
Hendrik and Betsy