Dear Friends,

Looking Back on 2020

I have much to be grateful for in one of the hardest years in recent history.

• Thailand’s COVID-19 situation was one of the absolute best in the world. It hit early but was contained quickly and effectively. I only worked from home for three weeks before we were back to ‘normal’ with the addition of masks and temperatures taken in public. Considering what the rest of the world has gone through, I have felt incredibly grateful to be in Thailand during the pandemic.

Blessed to work with amazing women.

• New Life Center’s budget took a hit, but we were able to keep everyone on staff and all our programs (safe shelter, therapeutic rehabilitation, spiritual development, scholarship, community-based prevention) running at limited capacity with appropriate precautions. All of our staff and their families have been safe and healthy. We celebrated one staff-person’s wedding and two new pregnancies, both due in April/May 2021.

• One new funding agency, based in Sweden, sought New Life Center out after hearing about our work in anti-trafficking and children’s rights. They asked us to submit a funding proposal. When 2021 funding decisions were made among their administration, they gave us more than we applied for. What an incredible story of God’s provision!

• My own personal support level remained steady throughout the year, despite the global economic downturn. This has been a precious gift to me, not just this year but throughout each of the six years I have served at New Life Center! I praise God for every individual, every family, and every church that gives sacrificially and consistently!

Looking Ahead to 2021

Like you, New Life Center and I are looking to the LORD for whatever is to come, holding all our plans loosely.

• I plan to serve another 6 months (through June 2021) at New Life Center Foundation before beginning a required one-year-long “U.S. Assignment.” Objectives for this year include (1) reconnecting with supporting churches and individuals, (2) raising support for next term, (3) reconnecting with my family, and (4) rest and renewal in the LORD. Please pray for me as I prepare for and navigate this new and challenging season.

• Throughout my U.S. Assignment, others at New Life Center will need to step in to cover my administrative responsibilities. Please pray for our director (“Bee”) and the rest of the administrative team (Faye, Wandee, Kit, and Nara).

Community-based Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Program

• New Life Center plans to expand its work to include a community-based trafficking and exploitation prevention program in 2 villages in northern Thailand this year. We will offer ongoing training and support for families to increase their economic and social resilience (and decrease their vulnerability to exploitation). Please pray for the individual families and young ones who will participate – that their hearts will be open and teachable. Pray that they would understand and implement their training. Our director, Bee, often says: “One tribal woman can change her family, one family can change its village, and one village has the potential to impact this nation.” May God lead us!

• Please pray for wisdom, safety and good health as I finish this term in Thailand and begin my U.S. Assignment. COVID permitting, I hope to see and spend time with many of you in 2021/22.

If you have any questions, or would like to reconnect with me during (or before) my U.S. Assignment, please email me at jeni.pedzinski@internationalministries.org. I look forward to hearing from you!

Jeni

Beautiful women, hope filled futures