Brigada Today 2018/01/07
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Compiled/Edited by Doug Lucas and Tina McCormick, Team Expansion
Brigada online has more graphics and links at http://www.brigada.org

In this issue…
Jump to…1) Save the Date if You’re Interested in Finishing the Task in Laos
Jump to…2) Try YWAM’s Personal Prayer Diary
Jump to…3) Connect with African Leaders Striving to Serve the Church
Jump to…4) How to Use New Media to Engage the Unreached
Jump to…5) Training for Pre-Field or Re-entry? Either Way, Check Out TRAIN
Jump to…6) Print-On-Demand Bibles Available in Minority Languages
Jump to…7) In Search of a Great Image Viewer/Editor: Could It Be XnView?
Jump to…8) Download a Prayer Guide for Somalis; Lift Them Up Starting Today
Jump to…9) Looking to Make a Gift to a Ministry Related to the UK?
Jump to…10) “Living Water” Would Make for a Great Start for Your New Year
Jump to…11) Save 25% at PrayerShop Throughout the Rest of January
Jump to…12) Coming to the USA on Home Service? Check OpenSignal First
Jump to…13) We’re Grateful to…
Jump to…14) Reflecting on 23 Years of Weekly Editions of Brigada Today
Jump to…15) Closing Stuff


1) Save the Date if You’re Interested in Finishing the Task in Laos

We’re hearing rumblings of a focused event aimed at completely finishing the task of engaging every last unengaged unreached people group in Laos. Word on the street is that the event will happen in Louisville Feb. 26-27. A registration page will be available within the coming week, apparently. Main speakers will not only include in-country workers and a strategy coordinator, but also native Lao AND well-known author and speaker, Caleb Bislow (author of “Dangerous”). Please save the date if you care about the final frontier in Laos!

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2) Try YWAM’s Personal Prayer Diary

 

Are you committed to praying more in the new year? If you’ve never utilized YWAM’s Personal Prayer Diary before, you’re missing out. It’s just the right size — thin enough to slip into your laptop case but spacious enough to make a difference in your prayer life. See the options at…

https://www.worldchristian.com/searchproducts.php?keyword=2018%20prayer%20diary

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3) Connect with African Leaders Striving to Serve the Church

Do you wish you had a better understanding of the issues and questions African Christians face as they seek to live out their faith? Do you wonder how Africans themselves frame these questions and their answers? A new book, African Christian Leadership, offers insights on how African leaders are responding to challenges and opportunities on the continent. Featuring input from over 8,000 African survey participants and dozens of in-depth interviews, it provides invaluable insight and concise analysis of the dynamics of the development of African Christian leaders today. To learn more, visit…

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4) How to Use New Media to Engage the Unreached

Mission Media U (MMU) is an online learning platform designed to train Christians to be more effective in making disciples and establishing churches. Their course, “Foundations of Media Strategy,” is starting Feb. 15 and running through March 15. Each week in the 5-week course requires 3 hours of work per week including a one-hour live instruction session. For more information, go to:

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5) Training for Pre-Field or Re-entry? Either Way, Check Out TRAIN

Whether you’re gearing up to go or prepping to return from the field, TRAIN International’s upcoming trainings can help! Their ABIDE re-entry debriefing happens four times a year and is coming up February 18-23. ABIDE provides 5 days for participants to process their cross-cultural experiences in both group and individual debriefing and is for the whole family.

Also, their ORIENT pre-field cultural adaptation training happens twice a year and is coming up April 23-May 6. ORIENT is also for the whole family, with children and youth having their own training sessions. You can find out more, ask questions or register at:

http://www.traininternational.org

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6) Print-On-Demand Bibles Available in Minority Languages

The Digital Bible Society has made 500+ print Bibles available in just as many languages. Because out-of-print Bibles are rare and expensive, many believers have given up hope of finding a Bible in their mother tongue. Now, minority language speakers can get Bibles cheaply on amazon.com. DBS is providing these print-on-demand offerings at cost in order to alleviating the dearth of scripture worldwide. Find these scriptures at…

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7) In Search of a Great Image Viewer/Editor: Could It Be XnView?

We’re always on the hunt for great image viewing and organization apps, especially if they allow us to view AND edit. We’re currently trying out XnView for Windows. The great thing about XnView is that it is immediately intuitive. There’s no learning curve: Zero difficulty. What’s more, it’s quick and effective. A final bonus is that they’re working on a multi-platform solution, XnViewMP. (This would help all our iOS friends who can’t use certain other solutions like Gimp.) Learn more at…

https://www.xnview.com/en/

Learn about the development of the new multiplatform solution, including Mac OS X and Linux, at…

https://www.xnview.com/en/xnviewmp/

This latter solution will be compatible with over 500 image formats and will allow batch operations for a worldwide audience.

XnView is free for personal use. Companies using the product corporately pitch in a small nominal fee.

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8) Download a Prayer Guide for Somalis; Lift Them Up Starting Today

Isn’t it about time we take a stand for the sake of the longest failed political state in modern history? Learn about the plight and possibilities for Somalis by downloading Team Expansion’s new Somali Prayer Guide at…

http://www.brigada.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Somali-Prayer-Guide.pdf

This prayer guide was inspired by a local church which has made it a top priority to walk in step with God in reaching Somalis beginning in 2018. Please join them in praying that the Good News of Christ can heal hearts and offer hope in the future for Somalis in East Africa. (Thanks for your work on this, Linda!)

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9) Looking to Make a Gift to a Ministry Related to the UK?

Mike and four other Brigada participants recommended you visit…

https://www.stewardship.org.uk/

They provide giving solutions in the UK for zillions of non-profits. They help you give AND they help strengthen the causes close to your heart. (Thanks Mike!)

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10) “Living Water” Would Make for a Great Start for Your New Year

Brother Yun is MOST well known for his book, “The Heavenly Man.” It has inspired TONS of people to strike out and pick up for Jesus. But sometimes we overlook, “Living Water: Powerful Teachings from the International Bestselling Author of The Heavenly Man.” His section on Jonah, in and of itself, is worth the price of admission. Learn more at…

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11) Save 25% at PrayerShop Throughout the Rest of January

PrayerShop is a ministry of Harvest Prayer Ministries, “Equipping the church to become a house of prayer for all nations.” During the rest of January, they’re equipping for 25% less. Take 1/4 off nearly any title you find by typing in the code, “AchingBack” at checkout. (Maybe Jon is the manager — and maybe he’s tired of lifting boxes of books! : ) ) You’ll find virtually any book on prayer — and code works for nearly any book there. Check it out at…

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12) Coming to the USA on Home Service? Check OpenSignal First

If you have to make a decision on which cell carrier will be the strongest, is there any app any better than …

https://opensignal.com/

You can find a better cell carrier and even locate free Wi-Fi. Open Signal is a free app on both iOS and Android.

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13) We’re Grateful to…

… An amazing $125 donor who referred to himself as “a very appreciative reader from Wycliffe.” We’re grateful to you, Wycliffe!!!
… A long-time friend from the Great Pacific Northwest who sent $100. God bless you and your family, along with our rich history as brothers.
… A $100 gift from Mission Network — we appreciate you!!!
… Another $100 gift from a great, long-time friend. God bless you!
… A $20 donation from one of the two people who trained us how to learn another language. You are amazing! May God bless you!!!!
… A $75 gift from an OC International member who wrote, “We appreciate Brigada and their links to missionary resources for training leaders and fulfilling the Great Commission.” We’re grateful!
… And a $700 gift from a Brigada participant who wrote, “Please keep me anonymous, but a big fan and user of Brigada. Thanks!” Speechless.

By the way, we’re also grateful for a great mention from MissioNexus on one of their recent webinars. What an encouragement!

One partner sent a gift with a “wish to express my gratitude to all of you involved with Brigada. I have been blessed by your ministry for almost twenty years. May God continue to bless you all.” Another gave “to say thank you for your years of faithfully putting out missions info,” adding “You’ve done a fantastic job!” Thanks for the encouraging words and partnership! These and other words keep us going. The gifts are our lifeblood, since we refuse to use glaring ads in any of our offerings. When you visit brigada.org, you’ll never see a picture of that latest thing you’ve been searching for on Amazon or in Google. It’s completely clean and ad-free.

This edition brings to a close our campaign for a year’s worth of Brigada expenses. Total gifts for 2017 rose to $12,401.09, which is just $4,599 short of making our annual budget of $17,000. Obviously, we’re WAY encouraged at what our gracious partners provided. We will continue to provide weekly email editions of Brigada, as well as the app version and the website, completely free of intrusive ads for as long as God allows. Want to partner with Brigada so that all may hear in order to hasten the coming of Jesus? Just click “Donate” at www.brigada.org, or mail a check payable to Team Expansion (Brigada), 13711 Willow Reed Drive, Louisville, KY 40299. Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so, for USA citizens, your gift to Christ by writing a check to Team Expansion is tax-deductible. Thank you, in advance, for your partnership!

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14) Reflecting on 23 Years of Weekly Editions of Brigada Today

What’s it like to write something weekly for 23 years? (Probably about as challenging as it is for some of our best participants to consistently READ something for 23 years! grin ) Perhaps there’s a link between being determined and being stubborn. Perhaps, in fact, there’s a link between determination and success itself. Calvin Coolidge might have gotten it right: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” So what we’re saying is — we might not be the smartest weekly newsletter writers. We might not always have all the answers. We might not even have the talent nor the genius. But apparently, it’s not always about that. It’s sometimes about getting up again and trying just one more time to put something out there that will help someone, somewhere decide to tell just one more soul. (Cue “Hacksaw Ridge.”) If Calvin is right — we’d better keep trying. Whatever it is that we’re attempting for God, we’d better keep trying. We dare not give up. We dare not weaken — even for a moment. Just one more soul. One more.

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