COVID cases were on the rise in Europe the weeks before the scheduled courses. After initial hesitations and concerns by many, it was decided to go ahead with the two courses.

It had been a long 18 months since the last class room course. Both teachers and students were excited to be face to face again.

This was the first ever GOEquipped Tentmaking course held in the spectacularly beautiful countryside near Bratislava, Slovakia. We felt the presence of the Lord through these intense long days as eager professionals wanted to learn more about using their skills in missions. 

We were so impressed by the Berea facility and staff that we have decided to promote it widely for other agencies to consider. It truly is a hidden gem to bring your teams for retreats and training. There are many forest trails for hiking and exploring. 

We had the pleasure to visit HeliMission in Switzerland and hear the amazing story by its founder, Ernie Tanner.

At the age of 43 he learned to fly, and with only 37 hours of solo flying experience, he was the first person to cross the Sahara in a piston helicopter when he flew for the first time to a mission in Cameroon. In 1971 he founded the Helimission Foundation and since then he has flown for many missionary projects and relief operations. Helimission is much like MAF (Mission Aviation F ellowship) except they only use helicopters. Today, the foundation operates 6 helicopters on several bases in various countries. 

Thank you Ernie and Heidi and team for an encouraging afternoon.