DS DISPATCH

2021 started out with a covid lock-down here in Manitoba. Things eventually opened up and in the summer we even had a few weeks of optional masking instead of required. Unfortunately, Covid did it’s thing and now we are waiting to find out what type of restrictions we will be enduring as Omicron cases spread through the province.

Ministry

From the ministry side, this year has seen growth in some of our partnerships and the Digital Strategies team continues to grow. It is so exciting to see other ministries as well as church denominations grasp what we have been working on for years. One key area we will be focusing on in 2022 is a church planting strategy in South Asia with the Canadian Missionary Alliance and their church planting partner. Our desire is to make disciples and to integrate them into a local church. Another large Digital ministry once told me they had given up on that. I’m not willing to give up and the CMA isn’t either.

We’ve been expanding our Persian ministry and have launched Issues I Face in Chinese and are expanding the languages we work in within India as well. A few languages in Africa have also come on board as we work with our Global Digital Strategies national teams. If you haven’t had a chance to watch this amazing video that our Creative Director put together, please watch it. With a day to go in 2021, our team of 828 active mentors has mentored 79,483 people. Over 2200 people have indicated decisions for Christ. Our websites have been visited by 3.35 million people from almost every country on the planet.*

*Numbers are still in the verification phase.

We are so thankful for those of you that support our ministry through your prayers and finances. If you are interested in making a gift for the end of the year, you can give on this page and get a tax receipt for the 2021 tax year if you give before midnight on December 31.  

Family

On the personal side, Covid impacted our extended family with my father and my in-laws both experiencing pretty harsh symptoms. My dad was hospitalized for much of the fall but thankfully he is back at home and has improved back to even better than he was doing in the summer.

Julie is still at the Crisis Unit here in Steinbach and works nights. The physical stress is awful but the mental stress is much less than she endured when working in the psych unit in the hospital in Abbotsford so we’re relatively happy.

Kristin is in Grade 12 and has already been accepted to Youth With A Mission in Kona, Hawaii beginning in the fall. She’s working at Carters/Osh Kosh at the mall here and has already paid off half of her car loan! We were able to get a great car for her from our friends at Fairway Ford.

Ava is in Grade 11 and made the varsity basketball team. She’s also working at Carters after doing a six month tour at McDonalds.

Jamie played school volleyball in Grade 8 and just made the Providence Jr. Pilots 14U Volleyball team. We are hopeful that they will be able to play in tournaments in the spring but for now it looks like they’ll be at least able to practice.

I am very much looking forward to 2022. I pray that God would bless you and your family as he has ours.