Workshop Posters
Latest News on Training Schedule
We will depart May 23rd for eight weeks overseas returning July 18th. During that time we will teach six weeks of workshops to an estimated 125 students. One thing we did not take into consideration are the costs of COVID PCR tests. They have to be taken no more than 3 days before flight departure so free tests are out. So for us both and added $1,500!, USA $300, Dubai twice $400, Egypt $200, Pakistan $200, Tanzania $200, Addis Ababa $200.
Here are the workshop locations and partners:
Alexandria, Egypt – Mobile Filmmaking – 5/31-6/4 and Mobile Journalism 6/7-6/11 partnering with Ibrahima Media Center in Alexandria, Egypt. IMC was the first media center in the Middle East.
Lahore, Pakistan – Mobile Filmmaking – 6/15-6/19 partnering with OM International. We expect 30 students from all over Pakistan.
Arusha, Tanzania – Mobile Filmmaking/Journalism – 6/28-7/9 partnering with Habari Maalum College(HMC). When we were in Nairobi in the 1990s we conducted training there.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Mobile Filmmaking 7/12-7/16 partnering with SIM Media.
Returning 7/19th. 26,939 air miles and 100 flight hours!
Big Tech Censorship and Message Apps
As you know Facebook, Youtube and Twitter have started a war on conservative values in the USA, first suppressing information about election issues and then cancelling accounts. Some feel it is a concerted plot – listen to Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey discuss future political censorship. There was a flood of people moving from Facebook to Gab.com and MeWe and Twitter to Parler which Big Tech closed down on the Google Play and IOS store and Amazon terminated their hosting contract without giving them the 30 day contract termination. Parler CEO John Matze and family fled their home after receiving death threats.
There have been many discussions among Christians who are using social media for evangelism with censorship and workers in India are concerned about Twitter being used to target Christians.
Many use some of the many message applications like Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp and FB messenger. There are many choices available and many of the social media evangelists are looking at the published and actual privacy policy for them. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook who paid $18 Billion for it! Take a look at https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/whatsapp-privacy-telegram-world-leaders-b1787218.html to see why TELEGRAM increased its users 9 million by a 91% increase from the pre-announcement week – and SIGNAL 7.5 million new users – a 4,200% from the previous week.
Now, Facebook, Google and YouTube have long sold your personal data. FB reported 2.5 Billion users and 70 Billion in revenue. Although the average person does not mind how their age, education, income, ethnicity, religion, political party (demographics) and psychographics (our searches, comments, friends, the things we follow, etc. is used to carefully craft advertisements and “predict” behavior. I search for airfare to India and Facebook serves me an advert. But what they are following, as is Gmail, are words we use in posts and emails. So I write my friend talking about flying to India to teach mobile filmmaking for Christians. Gmail could feasibly start selling these contacts to the Hindu Extremists who are already persecuting Christians in India – see https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2021/01/15/report-indian-christians-persecuted-all-areas-life/.
There is no question Big Tech is searching for key words on their platforms. This is a fact. Facebook has sophisticated facial recognition software – much like the Chinese have – to track what we post and what we say. On Feb 8th WhatsApp will start sharing data with owner Facebook who will sell it to….? This uncertainty has caused the digital migration away from WhatsApp to non-profit SIGNAL and TELEGRAM, owned by Russian billionaire Pavel Durov.
Interesting….?
Health Passport? It it needed to re-open travel?
“Since you have already had COVID-19 will you be taking the vaccine?”
This is a valid question and one needs to consider for the future. It is still early to know if getting the two shots from with Pfizer or Moderna will stop you from being contagious – according to the CDC people with the 2 shots 95% chance of getting COVID and we would assume to contract it again.
The question is should there be a Digital version of The Who Yellow Immunization card many of us grew up with. I remember having a painful Yellow Fever shot and gamma globulin (to boost immune response (a huge shot in your butt that lasted several days when I went to Nigeria in 1981. In 1983 Chris and our two children got typhoid, tetanus, Hepatitis A gamma globulin (to boost immune response (a huge shot in your butt that lasted several days – in 1981 I had it at the last minute and spent hours with a painful lump to sit on. In each case we would have to show the Yellow Card to get into these countries.
Perhaps a digital health passport is similar? Some airlines are already changing terms for international passengers and are asking passengers to have the COVID vaccine before boarding the aircraft. QANTUS, KOREAN AIR, JETBLUE, LUFTHANSA, UNITED, SWISS, VIRGIN and CATHY PACIFIC have trialed The Common Pass on selected flights which “lets individuals demonstrate their COVID status. Korea may use such a health passport to allow travelers immediate entry without quarantine.
All of these efforts revolve around having a secure and verifiable way to document a travelers health status as we travel and cross borders.
There are several health passports underdevelopment that would link to data of test status and or Vaccine certificate which is shown both before getting on the flight and when arriving in another country. The International Chamber of Commerce has the AOKpass, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has their IATA Travel Pass under development. It is clear that the documents given by say the National Health Service in the UK will not be in the form acceptable for travel.
2021 is Just Around the Corner- Be strong and courageous.
Joshua 1:9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord Your God will be with you wherever you go.”
We have just recovered from COVID -19 infection and although we had only a moderate case we still had symptoms. Right now, our governor announced that 65 and up would be prioritized for the vaccine and we have been trying to get an appointment.
As you know, we are planning to return to in-person Smartphone Filmmaking Training in just six months from today. Our plan is 
to conduct the workshops that were cancelled because of COVID – Ajmer City, Rajasthan India (Pastor Jacob), Goa, India (Pastor Felix)and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Tenkir Teni). In addition we have been asked by Yaksan Azam in Lahore, Pakistan to conduct two week-long workshops. I have attached a chart of the new COVID cases in four countries and stats show new case incidences are going down as are deaths.
We feel confident that the Lord will provide us a safe way to travel and conduct these important workshops. A friend of mine reminded that the Bible does not say “stay Safe and stay home”,
Joshua 1:9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord Your God will be with you wherever you go.”
A lot has to be completed in the next two months including raising the balance of the budget for travel, Visas and insurance. Our hosts provide the on the ground expenses for the most part but airfare is our largest budget item at $6600 for us both. The balance is cost of visas, overseas health insurance and non-covered expenses. Although we have raised a fair amount of money we still need about $5,000 for the 10 weeks of training.
Here is a link to donate by PAYPAL
COVID Update Newsletter
What is the New “Regular?
I have been curating videos for a YouTube series. I am calling it “God at Work COVID-19 Chronicles”. I asked people everywhere to answer the following questions using their smartphone:
- What is your name, profession and where you live (City/country)
- How has COVID-19 changed your life and those around you?
- Do you see God at Work around you in spite of COVID-19?
- Do you have a personal testimony/impact story you want to share?
It has been very interesting to see the responses from England, Pakistan, India/Canada, Haiti and the USA. (If you want to participate please send me a message on the Contact Dan Henrich here).
I was particularly interested in what Liz Peters of Galilean International had to say about a New Regular after the pandemic is finished so I asked her to elaborate:
Mentally : We have gone through an unprecedented situation we’ve heard about but never thought we would experience. In a fast and faster paced world it has brought us to a grinding halt. We actually notice the seasons now. Our ‘new regular’ to slow down, pause and smell the spring flowers before the seasons race by.
Physically : We have developed new disciplines through social distancing. They say it takes about six weeks to form and firm a habit. Wearing masks is not something you will see only in Asia. Hygiene and wellness more a priority from the rich societal layers to the poorer quarters of our world
Virtually : The word ‘zooming’ is the ‘new regular’ and will find its way into the dictionary. The world wants know more and be part of the virtual. From 5yrs to 105 we cannot help but be connected – virtually
Spiritually: The best outcome versus the good, is the new regular in time and space available to know the One who is the Only stable, in a world of unstable internet, economy and polity.
Ministry–wise: In addition to continuing to partner with you and Christine for mobile media training, Galilean in partnership with Lifeway Resources recently got started to offer online training to Church Leaders covering almost every area of church ministry – Pre School Ministry to Small Group Ministry. We have already started implementing this in India.
MobileTrain.co FREE online training COVID-19
MobileTrain.co FREE online training launched in response to COVID-19 crisis
After looking at the future of Christian media training in the next three to five months we have developed MobileTrain.co in partnership with Global News Alliance. MobileTrain.co is a website that manages no-charge self-paced courses with content very much like what was taught in our in our Face to Face(F2F) workshops.
We are offering two streams of courses to interested people; Mobile Journalism and Mobile Filmmaking. Each stream has five unique courses of eight modules. Each course is self-paced in that the student reads and watches visual resources and does both written and production assignments without day to day involvement of a Learning Facilitator.
Each course is offered without charging a registration fee but students and others are free to donate.
Here is the description of the first two courses:
Mobile Filmmaking Level One
- What are the stories you want to tell and who is your target audience?
- Personas and Conversion
- Making Films with your Phone, applications
- Suggestions for a minimal film kit
- Shots and framing,
- Storyboarding and planning
- Organize visual elements into a video story using the BBC 5 shot formula
- Basics of editing on your smartphone
Mobile Journalism Level One
- Mobile Journalism and its advantages
- Suggestions for a minimal MoJo Kit
- Ethics of Journalism and Newsworthiness
- How to Write for Broadcast
- A understanding on writing news stories from a Christian Perspective
- Shots and Framing of good stills and video
- Use the best apps for video production
- Organize visual elements into a video story using the BBC 5 shot formula
- Basics of editing on your smartphone
For more information visit MobileTrain.co and create an account. After that you may register to take a course.
There is no registration fee for our courses. But if you would like to support our efforts here is a way. There is no set amount!
Online Courses to be offered in face of COVID-19
Life, as we know, it has changed with COVID-19 quarantine. Most of us are at home in lockdown. Many people have been laid off. Churches everywhere are figuring out how to go online with Facebook Live, YouTube, etc. Education has changed to delivery online and Face to Face (F2F) education is put aside. Pundits are wondering if this temporary shift will drift into summer sessions at colleges in the USA and possibly around the world.
We were scheduled to teach five smartphone workshops in India and Africa. Many of these areas are in forced lockdown, stopping international flights and closing borders. Large Middle Eastern carriers have stopped all flights and even US carriers have cancelled large percentages of flights both international and domestic.
We are planning to shift our training to a online mentor ship focus. We are developing courses that involve vision casting, skill transfer and mentorship. We are offering two online sequences of self-paced training using a course deliver system called Moodle. Here is a description:
We have designed a special learning management system to train Christian Mobile Filmmakers and Mobile Journalists. We want many to tell the untold stories of God at Work for international broadcasting and social media distribution. The courses are adaptations of on-site workshops by Professors Dan Henrich and Christine Henrich which have been taught in Thailand, India and Ethiopia.
Currently there are two streams (Mobile Journalism and Mobile Filmmaking). Each stream has five courses with eight modules in each online course. Upon successful completion of each course (Mobile Journalism Level One for example) the student receives a Certificate of Completion. When the student completes Levels Two to Five they receive a Practitioner Certification in Mobile Journalism awarded by Global News Alliance as well as Correspondent Credentials. As GNA correspondents they can submit video stories of God at Work for GNA’s international broadcasting network.
In the Mobile Filmmaking area, we follow the same format of Certificate of Completion and Practitioner Certification in Mobile Filmmaking by Communication Resources International.
Each series of courses constitutes a micro-certification in the area.
Fill out the contact form if you want more information
Virtual Interview in Belize: COVID-19 and Church Lockdowns
Dan Henrich was on-air in the country of Belize yesterday. Henrich was interviewed by owner and manager Richard Smith of My Refuge Christian Ministries 93.7 and 100.5 FM in Belmopan, Belize. Belize is a Caribbean country just south of Mexico with a population about 450,000.
“Belize is untouched by the COVID-19 as of now, but churches are meeting virtually, said Henrich. “We discussed using social media tools like Facebook Live, YouTube and the like so churches could still reach their members.” Henrich provided tips on using the smartphone, audio and framing.
Also discussed was future Mobile Journalism and Mobile Filmmaking courses soon and the possibility of a new initiative for self-paced online training in these areas. Henrich will be rolling out a prototype soon.
