Looking Back on 2018

A Year of New Beginnings

We started off the year with a wedding, the promise of something new, a lifelong commitment, the start of a new adventure, and what an adventure this year has been! Last year, God started speaking to me (Cassandra) through Isaiah 43:18-19:

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (ESV)

These last 2 years have brought forth more "new things" than I ever expected! Not only did we get married and start a new life together, but we pioneered the first TESOL school here, I started teaching English for the first time, Daniel is about to print another book he translated and we're helping to prepare for the first International DTS in YWAM Ho Chi Minh City.

We want to thank you all for praying for Daniel's health. We were so touched by many of you who wrote us and encouraged us in that time. Daniel is doing much better now and is even healthier than he was before! He and his book publishing team are in the final stages of preparing to print their next book, Bring Your Eyes and See, by Steve Goode, and they are securing some new book contracts for the coming year! Last month, Daniel raised close to $1000 to donate 400 books to 2 local Christian drug rehab centers and one underground church.  He also continues to serve faithfully as a member of the leadership team for the base here.

As for me, after TESOL ended, I was offered a position teaching conversational English to kids ages 6-14 at the Life Skills Center that our church runs. For the past 2 months, I have been teaching around 50 kids every Friday night and Saturday morning. For Christmas, the kids performed a small musical about the birth of Jesus and I was in charge of the choir.  Only 2 of the kids in the program are Christian and most come from Buddhist families, so it was a real privilege to get to share with them about the real Christmas story. I also serve as a member of the team who organizes our YWAM weekly gatherings, continue to lead worship both in YWAM and at church, and have been volunteering at a baking club focused on training girls from low-income families.

As you may remember, because of Daniel's health, we had to cancel the International DTS that we were going to lead on January, but it seems that God had other plans! Another YWAM staff here, and close friend of ours, Alex, prayed and felt like he should take on the leadership of the school and moved back the starting date to March 7, 2019. We then prayed and felt that God still wanted us to be a part of pioneering this school and training young people from Vietnam and the nations. So far, we have 5 staff and 5 students but we expect to have many more!

Thank you once again to everyone who has supported us through this past season of our lives - through prayer, encouragement, finances or other things. We are so blessed by all of you!! 
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Blessings,
Daniel and Cassandra