Contents

Our reflections on the past year, our faith expectancy for the next year, student testimonies, Betsy's health challenges.

Reflections and thanks to God for ...

As we approach the end of the year we reflect on the old and dream of the new!

• His goodness that has carried us through Betsy's serious health issues
• the power of the prayers of the saints (you!) that went up to His throne
• Didasko's two online mini-conferences that were a great test-drive for the future
• that for the first time we have stable and sustainable software on our course and email servers
• the launch of the School of Leadership course
• the Chinese version of our Personal Fundraising for Missionaries course on a partner website. Click here to see it
• the development of our guideline documents for course developers.

As we expectantly dream by faith, we hope to ...

• live a life deeper in God's presence
• see people envisioned and inspired by our courses
• complete the Fruitful Practices course in partnership with Vision 5:9
• see more course developers partnering with us
• complete our new course called Understanding Culture - for the sake of the Gospel
• see collaboration with more course developers
• complete the translation of the Vietnamese subtitles for The Bible and Missions

Please pray with us that God will bring these things to pass:

Student Testimonies

We've now had graduates from 36 countries around the world. We love it when students spontaneously thank us:

• "Thank you for immensely contributed to my personal life and mission work."
• It is my prayer that the Lord will help me to really become part of this commanded to 'GO' and thus become part in helping to hasten His coming.
• I have been blessed with the training, this made the second course I have completed and they have been blessings to me and my ministry/calling.
• The instructor has been wonderful and excellent.
• I want to be more effective ... fruitful ... to reach more generation for Christ ... worldwide ... and I want to thank Didasko for giving me this life time chance.

Betsy's health challenges

For those of you do not yet know what happened with Betsy, here is a summary. Three months ago she suddenly became ill with a bladder infection. After the medication didn't fix it, in fact she became worse, the radiologist discovered an abnormal growth in her uterus as well as a 5cm cyst on her right ovary. In a first operation, her uterus growth was removed and praise the Lord is was not cancer. After the operation she became ill again with an unrelated ailment. The doctor wanted to admit her to hospital for tests. As we were waiting for medical insurance approval, Hendrik sent out an urgent prayer request. Miraculously she became better, for which we thank God.

After a few weeks she went in for the removal of the cyst. The doctor had to take out both ovaries because of the way the cyst was grown onto the ovary. Again thankfully, the cyst was not cancerous. She was quickly back on her feet.

Soon, however, she started having pain in her calf, upon which the radiologist detected that she had developed Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) because of the operation, a dangerous condition. She had a 7.4cm (2.9") clot in her right calf. Hendrik again rushed her to ER where she was immediately started on blood thinning injections. The vascular surgeon was satisfied that it was under control and sent her home. That night, she developed severe pain in her shoulder and neck, with painful breathing. Around 1 am Hendrik rushed her off to the ER again. She was admitted, and in a CAT scan they found that she had had a pulmonary embolism (kind of like a lung stroke). She stayed in hospital for a few days.

A week after going home to recuperate, she was walking in the living room when she tripped over her own feet, because of weakness in her legs. It was a bad fall. Again Hendrik rushed her to the hospital, where X-rays showed that she had a badly sprained right wrist, and a fractured left elbow. She had a huge bump on her forehead and two bruised knees. She was in much pain and couldn't use her arms - she could not even eat by herself.

It's been almost 3 weeks since the fall. She is getting stronger, and physiotherapy is helping her to get more mobility and strength in her arms. We praise God for every improvement and small milestone - like being able to hold a cup of coffee.

Please pray that her recovery will be quick and complete, and that the clots will dissolve. Most of all, pray for us that we will fix our eyes on Jesus, like Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (BSB)

With much love,

Hendrik & Betsy