by Andy Pearce

When the stay-at-home order began in March, our weekly Conversational English class for Caltech international postdoctoral scholars and spouses switched to Zoom and has continued on Zoom. We miss face-to-face interaction, but teaching idioms using PowerPoint and videos on a shared screen has been effective and fun, and splitting up into Zoom breakout groups for discussions has also worked very well. Another blessing is that the class has actually grown in number. Our most recent class had 13 internationals, the highest number since 2018. The use of Zoom allows us to include class members who moved. The 13 joined from four continents (including North America). Two joined from China, one from Brazil, and one from Australia (a Japanese). Our 4:30 pm start time works well for China (16 hours ahead) and Australia (19 hours ahead).

Speaking of time zones, Zoom created an opportunity for me to teach a Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class in Singapore virtually. I have visited Singapore six times in order to encourage and disciple former international students and love the city/country. When I heard that Singapore would be in a strict lockdown beginning in March, I did a Google search and found that a Perspectives class was underway. I emailed the coordinator and volunteered to teach a lesson by Zoom if there was a need. I had a reply almost immediately and an offer to teach Lesson 8 (Pioneers of the World Christian Movement) in Singapore on Zoom. Due to the 16-hour time difference, I taught from 10 pm to 1 am Pacific time.

My interaction with the class in Singapore gave rise to another Zoom opportunity. Several class members lamented that they would not be able to take an upcoming trip to India due to COVID-19. So I told them that they should put on masks and visit Little India in Singapore. That gave me the idea of leading masked and safe-distanced trips to our Little India (Artesia). Before traveling to India (or Little India), it is helpful to have extensive preparation, so I created three two-hour Zoom sessions that cover India’s history, cultures, religions, food, and communities. So far more than 30 individuals in SoCal have completed the preparation, and I have led one tour so far. As soon outdoor dining resumes, I will lead another tour.

I am grateful for the new doors God has opened to be involved in His kingdom work in the midst of a global pandemic.

by Elliott Snuggs

March 9, 2020. That was my last flight this year for Asian Access. Of course, I didn’t know that when I boarded in Chennai, India for the long flight back. It was a good trip, despite the already looming threat of COVID-19. I had been in Chennai for our marketplace leader orientation. Our faculty was from Japan. It seems like ages ago, but perhaps you remember the cruise ship that docked in Tokyo and ended up being a COVID-19 breeding ground. Because of that, India barred entry from Japan. We had to use Zoom to do the session. Who knew that would become the global norm!

We quickly began to realize at Asian Access that this was more than a minor disruption. I read an article entitled “Leading beyond the Blizzard”. It proposed that COVID-19 was a “blizzard,” but what is coming is like a “little ice age.” And the ensuing question became, are we thinking just about the blizzard, or are we thinking about the new reality beyond the blizzard?

As we began to reflect, I saw this as God’s way of creating a divine pause to perform a divine reset. It was as if He was saying, it is time to recalibrate yourself to Me. And when you do that, I can do something wonderful (Isaiah 29:14). I believe God wants to use this time to recalibrate us for what He wants to do. I believe he is setting the stage for a new worldwide harvest. But first, He needed us to get off the treadmill and seek Him.

So, that is what we are trying to do at Asian Access. We were already working on our five-year, long-range plan. It is amazing how much of it lined up with the realities of a post-pandemic world. We also began to rethink our vision, mission and foundations as a movement. This is our recalibrating coming out of the divine reset.

Thank you Evergreen SGV for standing with us in prayer. God is on the move and we are excited about the future.