However, that’s not what happened. In fact, MAF’s department manager of mobilization Crissie Rask says, “We had almost twice as many people that interviewed and did technical evaluations last year as the previous year. And only God could have done that to move in people’s hearts during an uncertain time to take a step forward even when there were so many restrictions.

“There’s a seriousness about people about what life is about and a focus on the intentionality of engaging in what God has for them and stepping forward in faith during this time.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

It’s a good thing too because MAF’s aviation services to remote areas are needed now more than ever.

“If you can imagine, people in more isolated circumstances have even more drastic needs — and the needs that they had or the reasons that we were there to serve them have not gone away,” Rask says.

“We have been very involved in flying supplies for testing and coronavirus-related medical situations. But of course, there still remain the basic things that we fly for in flying for churches, flying for missionaries and pastors and school children and normal everyday things of life that are unobtainable in many places without the services of MAF.”

MAF is still looking to fill various positions both on and off the mission field this year.

Rask explains, “We hope to recruit six more field support specialists and they would be in the role of a bit broader, but an IT help desk type of person that could operate overseas and even help with hardware things.

“And the other is teachers. Our staff families live, I like to say, on the edge of isolation. We may be in a city or a town but often there are not adequate educational opportunities for their children. And we live as families in those communities. But not every family, especially living in a place that doesn’t have sports teams and libraries and English, wants to homeschool.

(Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

“So to bring a skilled teacher that will love children and be another influence in their life as well as teach academically and prepare them for their lives going forward, it’s a huge part of our teams overseas. So we’re looking for a couple more teachers…that would have some maturity and experience and be able to go to some places that people might consider difficult.”

Other roles include pilots, mechanics, and more. Click here to see the full list of ways to serve with MAF!

Finally, please pray for MAF teams this year. Everything they do is to ultimately proclaim God’s name in remote and hard-to-reach areas of the world.

Ask God to bring the right people to join MAF this year. Pray for the communities they serve to know the truth and love of Christ.

Header photo depicts a view of Papua, Indonesia from the window of an MAF plane. (Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

“Instead of slowing down because of COVID-19, for some national Bible translators, translation has actually accelerated,” says Tim Neu, Interim President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates.

New Testament translations were completed in 141 languages, and 8 languages now have completed translations of the Old Testament.

“I’ve been humbled to see how believers in difficult areas, some in places of intense persecution and real danger, have been absolutely unwavering in their dedication to the cause,” says Neu.

(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates)

The organization facilitates new translation start-ups through workshops that teach mother-tongue translators Bible translation methodology for accelerated Bible translation. The process trains mother-tongue Bible translators to work collaboratively to translate the Scriptures for their language communities.

Last year in response to the COVID pandemic, Wycliffe Associates launched a web-based approach that enables mother-tongue translators to participate remotely in a virtual Bible translation event and collaborate throughout the translation and checking process.

“COVID lockdowns kept Bible translators home,” says Neu, “but our online Bible translation system enabled many to continue their work together.”

It takes $19,500 to launch a Bible translation in a new language. Currently, Wycliffe Associates has 773 Bible translations in progress and has received requests from 273 language groups seeking help with launching Bible translations in 2021.

Click here to support Bible translation through Wycliffe Associates.

Header photo courtesy of Kiwihug via Unsplash.

Foley says North Korean Christians asked for more Bibles this year than any year since VOM Korea started 20 years ago. Though the South Korean government stopped all balloon launches into North Korea, including Bibles, VOM Korea was able to distribute the scriptures in other ways.

For instance, hand-to-hand distribution doubled in 2020. Foley says, “God isn’t tied to only one particular distribution method. And certainly, the demand for Bibles is never restricted by what governments do or don’t do.”Read more about the balloon launching situation here and here.

Children line up in front of a propaganda mural in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo by Thomas Evans on Unsplash)

VOM Korea consists of an underground network of Christians in North Korea and surrounding countries. It’s a complex system and it takes a while, but it’s effective. Foley says, “When you’re patient, and you take a multi-year approach, there are many different ways that you can move Bibles in an underground network. So we’re planning now not just for what we’re doing this year, but (should the Lord tarry in His return) we’re really looking ahead to the next five to ten years.”

Still launching

Currently, Foley faces charges for launching Bibles into North Korea via balloon. Despite the success of hand-to-hand transportation, VOM Korea continues to launch balloons during seasons of favorable wind.

Foley explains the continued need for balloons. “Balloon launching is still the most cost-effective way to get large numbers of Bibles into the southern portion of North Korea, which is where the greatest concentration of population is. And also, it is where the more affluent, higher-level people in the political environment are.”

Pray these smuggled Bibles will get into the hands of North Korean Christians. And pray Jesus will bless and strengthen His North Korean people.

The header photo shows Pyongyang, North Korea from above. (Photo by Thomas Evans on Unsplash)

In November 2020, the United Nations World Food Programme estimated by the end of the year an additional 137 million people could face “acute food insecurity” – meaning their lives or livelihoods are in immediate danger.

That’s 82 percent more than pre-COVID. And families with kids are especially at risk.

(Photo courtesy of AMG International)

Brian Dennett with AMG International has witnessed this tragedy first-hand. “I spent the last 12 years working in Guatemala. We’ve seen hunger in countries like Guatemala and Haiti and others double over this last year. You have millions of families impacted and really in a food crisis.”

AMG serves in over 35 countries providing Gospel hope and several community transformation initiatives.

“We’ve done that for the last 80 years, while at the same time, meeting the deepest needs of people — both spiritual and physical. We have education programs and health care programs and lots of different endeavors,” Dennett says.

“But this past year, we’ve had to shift a lot of our attention to just meeting the basic needs of people. And doing that in a way that doesn’t further impact local economies. So we’ve been buying locally around the world and we’ve been distributing food and basic medical care and hygiene kits to thousands of families in all of the countries we serve.”

(Photo courtesy of AMG International)

AMG wants to feed 100,000 children and adults this year. Just $43 feeds a family of four for a week in Jesus’s name. Each relief box includes dry food, oil, butter, a nutrition concentrate drink, masks, and soap.

“Our hearts just go out for these families,” Dennett says. “I personally don’t know what it’s like to be desperately hungry. I don’t know what it’s like to not know how I’m going to be able to provide for my children and my family today or tomorrow.”

Every donation truly goes a long way. Click here to support AMG’s COVID-19 Relief.

Please pray for local churches to rally around vulnerable families in their communities. Pray for the people AMG serves to know they are loved and cared for by God.

Header photo courtesy of Jordan Rowland via Unsplash.

(Photo courtesy of Joey Pilgrim via Unsplash)

FARMS’ interest-free loans create a dependency-free way for families to establish agriculture and small businesses, breaking the cycle of poverty. The pandemic was especially hard on impoverished people and day laborers around the world, making these programs more important than ever. Through the difficulty, Scott Clifton says the churches FARMS partners with have stepped up.

“Churches have really come together. People have given their own resources to help their neighbors. Churches have coordinated with other churches to band together and help in light of natural disasters. In the Philippines, there was a big typhoon, and one person used a T-shirt print shop and sold T-shirts as a fundraiser to raise money [for] typhoon victims,” he says.

“A farmer gave milk from his cows to his neighbors so they would have some food and his church that put together relief packets for people. These are just a few examples, but we’re hoping many people would come to know the Lord through [all of] this.”

Another blessing amid the hardship of 2020 is how FARMS’ model meant the ministry could continue operating even without travel.

“The pandemic has really reinforced some of our principles. One of those principles is every program is overseen by a local committee. This local committee is comprised of volunteers who give their time to review business plans, to check in on people who have received loans for their business or for agriculture, and so on. They oversee the day to day operations of the program,” Clifton explains.

“We train that committee, and we provide funding to that committee. Although it’s very useful for us to travel, the program still goes on without us being there.”

Helping the Hurting

With these blessings in mind, Clifton hopes the pandemic will improve throughout the year, allowing farms to move forward with plans they have for growth in 2021. FARMS currently has 17 programs in nine countries, and they hope to add four more programs this year.

“These programs represent growth in that they’re another program, but they’re also programs that could potentially grow a lot within themselves. There’s a lot of excitement over partnering with the church this way because the pandemic has had such an impact and increasing poverty. There really is more opportunity to come alongside the church to help people to create a sustainable income source,” Clifton says.

As FARMS begins pursuing these programs, Clifton asks for prayer.

(Photo courtesy of Adrien Taylor via Unsplash)

“We want God’s wisdom. We don’t believe that growth for the sake of growth is a good thing. We believe that’s where God is pointing us, so [please pray] God gives us wisdom and everything that we pursue.”

To learn more about FARMS and how you can support their ministry, visit their website here.

Header image courtesy of Heather Suggitt via Unsplash

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Mission India has much to praise God for this past year. This list is just the beginning!

1. Mission India and their ministry partners provided 106,515 families with Relief Kits during the pandemic!
2. God opened doors for Mission India’s national partners to share the Gospel during COVID-19 with people they’ve never had access to reach before.
3. 1,110 new prayer partners became India Intercessors — friends committed to praying daily for India!
4. Through Mission India’s spring 10-Day Bible Club matching challenge, their supporters gave enough matched gifts to reach 800,000 children in India with the love of Jesus!
5. The ministry’s annual Banquet of Praise, which is normally held in-person near their headquarters in Michigan, went virtual for the first time ever—allowing people all over the US to join.
6. Many children in Mission India’s Year-Long Children’s Bible Clubs committed to praying daily over COVID-19.
7. New ministry partners were trained virtually so that a new year of programs could launch as planned, in areas where it was safe to do so.
8. Putting skills into practice that they gained through special trainings, Adult Literacy students made hand sanitizer and other health essentials when they were needed most.
9. 1,400 new financial partners joined the Mission India team, giving gifts toward relief efforts and ministry programs!
10. Ministry partners in India found ways to be creative and flexible, continuing to minister to families while on lockdown through virtual platforms.

Bartholomew* with Mission India says he was especially moved by the Relief Kit distributions they were able to do last year. Each Relief Kit fed a family of four for four weeks along with masks and hygiene items.

A family in India with their Relief Kit. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“It was locally sourced in India, and our partners created and distributed them,” Bartholomew says. “I get a little emotional in the sense of that work because that’s [over] 106,000 families that needed help. Not only were they provided substantial help that was concrete in food and hygiene items, but they got to experience the love of Jesus in some way through our partners.

“I’m just so thrilled that so many people in the US and in Europe came together and supported us in this effort to enable our partners to distribute those relief kits.”

As we go into 2021, join Mission India in praying from Colossians 4:4, “Pray that I may proclaim it clearly”! God has opened doors for the Gospel to spread in India in ways never experienced before. It’s time to walk through those doors clearly proclaiming the Good News of Christ so that many may be led to Him!

Header image courtesy of Mission India.

*Names changed for security purposes.

Rob Myers with DOOR International says that while 2020 was a challenging year, many organizations have seen Gospel opportunities spring forward.

Underemployed: Hit Hard by COVID-19.

Workers with DOOR experienced occasions to share truth as they ministered among an increasingly isolated and hurting Deaf population.

(Image courtesy of DOOR International)

Myers says, “Many people may not be aware that people in Deaf communities tend to be either unemployed or underemployed. I believe that the statistics here in the US are that about 75% of Deaf people are either unemployed or underemployed. They’re not employed to the full aspect of the education that they’ve received.”

Globally, underemployed Deaf people often will have manual or day labor jobs because – especially in developing countries – they receive little to no government support.

When COVID-19 restrictions ramped up, these types of professions were the first ones to be hit. Deaf families around the world suddenly didn’t have income.

Indigenous Deaf Leaders Lead the Way.

Yet, God was at work through the Church. Two-by-two teams with DOOR began to plan how they could reach their Deaf neighbors.

“We have a number of different stories about how Deaf leaders have purchased groceries, purchased water or other things for Deaf families [and] brought those supplies to those families,” Myers says.

“And then that may have been the first time that they [Deaf people] actually had the opportunity to hear the Gospel. And because they were in such a desperate place, and in need of hope, the hope of the nation’s – Jesus Christ – was a welcome message for them.”

30 for 30

Inspired by the local Church and workers, DOOR started the 30 for 30 campaign. This campaign raised awareness of the increased plight for Deaf due to the pandemic. People were given the opportunity to donate $30 to help feed a Deaf family for 30 days. Families were provided basic supplies like rice, flour and milk as well as given a Gospel presentation.

(Image courtesy of DOOR International)

The program served over 500 families in several countries. Many of those reached had never heard the Gospel before.

Looking Forward to 2021.

Another unexpected result of the pandemic was that online Deaf fellowships began to gather. Myers says they saw new Deaf believers’ fellowships sprouting up with attendance in the 20s and 30s. “[They] were meeting regularly, meeting every week and allowed those evangelists and teachers to not have to travel so much. They could simply go online and then be able to mentor and encourage these new Deaf believers.”

As they look forward to the rest of 2021 Myers says that DOOR is focusing on two primary areas of work: Bible translation and training indigenous Deaf leaders. Several translation projects are ending which means more room is opening up for new ones.

Even more broadly Myers says that they are excited about additional areas to multiply ministry through new church plants and training on the ground.

Pray that DOOR leadership would use resources wisely as they seek to spread God’s Word in Deaf communities. Please also consider joining the 30 for 30 program to support Deaf families impacted by the pandemic.

Header Image Courtesy of DOOR International

But that doesn’t mean the challenges and lessons of 2020 get thrown by the wayside. Our problems didn’t vanish at midnight like a magical reset button. Even with the recent deployment of COVID-19 vaccines across the globe, we’re not out of the pandemic woods yet.

One of the biggest things 2020 taught us is that stuff and status don’t last. The old adage “you can’t take it with you” rings especially true after this past year.

(Photo courtesy of Tim Marshall via Unsplash)

When there were no parties to attend, no peers to impress, and no assurances for our future or finances or health, worldly pursuits lost their luster.

Andrew Scott, President and CEO of Operation Mobilization, says now more than ever, the world needs the Church to be the Church. True hope is found in Jesus, and there are still people who don’t know Him.

Scott says, “As we think of a new year and we think of the reality that the number of unreached in the world is growing by 60,000 every day, I have felt for some time that major change needs to happen in how we do what we do. I think COVID[-19] has accelerated those changes. It didn’t bring new weaknesses or create new weaknesses. It exposed old weaknesses.

“We need to be focusing as we step into 2021 on what God is doing in the world in the midst of this incredible suffering. What is He doing? What has He been doing that we haven’t been paying attention to?”

Instead of declaring 2021 as “your year,” we should instead dedicate this year — and every year — as God’s year.

Maybe this is the year you regularly ask your neighbors how you can pray for them…

Or mentor a struggling teen in your church…

Or show God’s tangible love to a single mom who’s worried about groceries.

Maybe this is the year you help your church start a food pantry…

Or give generously to Gospel missions reaching the unreached…

Or launch a new ministry!

(Photo courtesy of Danielle MacInnes via Unsplash)

Scott encourages believers in 2021 to “put everything on the table and say, ‘God, we are willing to change structures, we are willing to change models, methods, systems, whatever it is. We are willing to change it if it will see a greater movement of Jesus followers to these places, resulting in a greater number of people hearing and seeing the Gospel lived out.’”

What is God calling you to do this year for His Kingdom?

Header photo courtesy of Jude Beck via Unsplash.

This incident visibly demonstrated a growing trend: far-right terrorism in Western countries. These numbers include neo-Nazis, ultra-nationalists, and white supremacist groups. According to the 2020 Global Terrorism Index, far-right terrorist violence has increased by 250% over the past 5 years. Read the full report here.

Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan. (Photo by Julia Pickett, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org /licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

How can Christians respond to this trend?

Bruce Allen of FMI says, “We need to pray for clear vision, as we examine our own hearts. Do we hold on to values that are antithetical to true gospel ministry? Are we people who bully other people and say, ‘My way or the highway?’ Are we people who thrive on division rather than unity?”

Jesus said those outside the Church would recognize Christians because of their love for each other. Allen points out that in divisive political times, Christians have a chance to show what love between people with different political leanings looks like. “Do we know how to operate in harmony with each other, and, and rely on each other’s strengths, and then also share our strengths with them?”

2020

In the United States, 2020 has been filled with pain and divisiveness. This year has seen the spread of COVID-19, lockdown controversies, and a bitter presidential election.

This tension has strained many relationships even within Christian communities. Allen says, “There might be some reconciliation we need to do with other members of the body of Christ, in order to show compassion to one another. And we can model that for our children, and for our communities. We can hold up the stories of hope, of reconciliation, as models for our community.”

Allen encourages Christians to pray this way: may the Church share God’s compassion and love for the multitudes of people outside it. And may the Church astound the world with the love of Jesus.

The header photo shows a neo-Nazi rally in Washington D.C. from 2008. (Photo by Utilisateur bootbeardbc de flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/), CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Ron Hutchcraft with Ron Hutchcraft Ministries says that global circumstances right now give Christians a unique perspective and opportunity. “It’s the COVID Christmas. It’s the pandemic Christmas because it’s the 2020 Christmas. I think we have an uncommon opportunity to really share our Jesus with people. They are hope starved. They really are hope starved and Jesus is all about hope.”

A Year of Loss

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought increased rates of depression and other adverse mental health situations in the United States. Isolation has increased these struggles. To those without the hope of Christ, the losses of the year can feel unbearable.

(Image courtesy of Sander =van der Wel on Flickr https://bit.ly/3heOwWM)

Hutchraft reminds Christians that even when it feels like important things are being taken away, Christ brought us a salvation that is unlosable. “The key word here is unlosable. In a year of loss, what do we have because of Jesus that’s unlosable? It’s unlosable love. Nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord – Romans 8:39. There is one love that is disease proof. It is desertion proof. It is death proof.”

What a comfort in a broken year of loss and disappointment! However, that love comes with the command to share it. Christ did not save his Church to sit on the good news they’ve been given. He commands His people to go out into the world and share hope with those who are headed for despair without Christ.

Sharing the Truth in Love

Hutchchraft says that Christmas 2020 is an amazing time to share the good news of Gospel because people are seeking hope and coming up empty in circumstances that feel foreign. He encourages Christians to share why a relationship with Jesus matters. “All the eruption of things day after day, all of the torrent of news coming at you. What’s the difference Jesus makes? Share it.”

For many Christians sharing Jesus with family or friends can feel intimidating or awkward. Hutchcraft says that one key to sharing your faith is authenticity. Talk about your struggles and how the year has been difficult for you. But don’t stop there. How has your relationship with Christ impacted those difficult times?

Being honest about your relationship with Christ without arguing about the other person’s faults opens the door for dialogue. Sharing your experience helps keep conversations open and leaves room for questions.

“Share it in a story, your story,” Hutcraft says. “That doesn’t threaten them. They don’t have to get defensive that you’re talking about ME being a sinner. You’re talking about YOU being a sinner. You’re talking about you being separated from God and the difference it’s made, since Jesus took that wall down.”

A Call to Reconciliation and Hope

The truth is that the Gospel isn’t just a feel good story. The love of God infiltrating day to day life makes a difference on Earth and for eternity. A person’s relationship with God is totally changed when they accept Christ as Savior.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” – Romans 5:10.

People need to hear the truth of the Gospel and be reconciled to Christ.

(Image Courtesy of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries)

“I’ll just summarize it this way,” Hutchcraft says. “When that first 90 something year old lady got the first injection of COVID vaccine in England, there the newspaper headline was two words, injecting hope. That’s what we have the opportunity to do this Christmas, is be the ones who inject hope into people we care about. Don’t miss this moment.”

Pray and look for opportunities to share the unbelievable hope of the Gospel with someone this Christmas.

To read more from Ron Hutchcraft about Christmas 2020, click here. To learn more about Ron Hutchraft Ministries click here.

Header Image Courtesy of Navy Medicine on Flickr https://bit.ly/3p91rMD