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.
DMG – Sinsheim Germany
Teachers were warmly welcomed by the people at DMG (Damit Menschen Gott Begegnen) and into their beautiful missions center. The classroom, housing and meals were all in one building which facilitated relationship building. I may not be the youngest teacher in our team, but that did not stop me from hanging out with young men past midnight listening to their hearts and earning the right to speak into their lives.
This was the first course ever that had only men! There was a time when most missionaries were women with many asking why there were so few men. The classroom dynamics with this all male group was very different. Teachers enjoyed both the heightened interaction and challenges being thrown at them.
DMG has over 400 missionaries in 70 countries. Hans Günther Beck, the director, was not only an inspiration to us but he also attended every session of this intensive course. We appreciated his input and his well-timed humour.
We will be continuing this relationship with DMG as the next course has already been scheduled for November 2022. Note that these courses are open for everyone. Watch for announcements. To learn more about DMG check their webpage Home – DMG (dmgint.de).
Next Stop Slovakia
Bratislava Slovakia
This was a bilingual course that was simultaneously translated to classroom and online students. It was also our first hybrid course where half the students joined us through the internet. They were able to ask questions at the end of each session. Everyone was able to see them clearly on the projector screen. We will be aiming to make hybrid courses the new normal as it allows for a greater number of students to join live classroom courses.
This course had a very high percentage of students who are well on their way to going wherever God is calling them.
Due to travel restrictions some people could not make it across the border and had to return home. God was able to turn this disappointment into something beautiful, as we are now planning two new courses for 2022, one in Ukraine and the other in Poland. Stay tuned for dates.
By Ari Rocklin