If you double click on the picture above, you can see a two-and-a-half minute introductory video (in English, this time).
Ethnos is the Greek word ˈɛθnɒs meaning “nations.” In Luke 24:47, when our risen Savior appeared to the disciples, “He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
And just before he ascended bodily to heaven, Christ commanded His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).
Ethnos probably would have been a good name for the mission all by itself, but since it was already spoken for, “360” was added to represent the whole globe, all 360 degrees of it.
The new name was announced at our mission’s home offices on Friday. By divine coincidence, our Spanish Language Resources team was gathered there for our annual meetings Tuesday thru Thursday, so we got to be there for “the big reveal.”
This is our team. Duff Gustafson is on the left. We taught together in the national training program in Colombia. Jerry McDaniels is between Duff and me; he supervises and cheerleads our team. Jerry and his wife, Joyce, are the global Literacy Consultant Coordinators for Ethnos360 (gotta get used to saying that). They’ve done an amazing job, developing tools and training literacy consultants in all the regions where our mission works.
Of course, that’s me with the bright screen behind my head. I’m the guy who takes the notes, handles inquiries and correspondence and generally writes and talks too much. Jim Wilhelmson is on the right. He grew up and served in Bolivia with the Quechua people and also taught in Bolivia’s national missionary training program, which is also named “Ethnos” in Spanish.
All three of us are MK’s (missionary kids), Duff from the Philippines, Jim from Bolivia and I from Vnzuela. At present, the Gustafons live in a suburb of Atlanta, the Wilhelmsons live in Racine, Wisconsin, and of course, we’re here, outside of Austin. The McDaniels live in airplanes and missionary guest rooms around the world, with occasional visits to their home in Deltona, Florida.
We’re all approaching retirement age, but regardless of our official status, we’ll probably keep translating resource materials till we’re no longer able. Please pray that God will be raising up others to take our place. Maybe Google translate will finally be good enough in a few years to make our job obsolete, but it has a LONG way to go.
Thank you for hanging in there with us!
Steve & Eida Irwin
Spanish Language Resources
Ethnos360.org
Cell: 408-515-1721
steve_irwin@ntm.org
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