Dear Friends and Family,
We hope you're enjoying the Christmas season and have found time to reflect on the coming of Jesus into the world. Personally, we've been so rushed by coming back from our trip in November and getting ready for a trip at Christmas that we've had to MAKE time to celebrate His birth. We were blessed to see a wonderful Christmas program at a nearby church that helped us get in the true Christmas spirit.
Here's an excerpt from a gutting-wrenching story about what Jesus should really mean to all of us.
"All those years that my husband helped you to translate Our Father's Word into our language, I never helped, I never did anything, I never gave anything. My husband did it all and I did nothing. But now it is my turn. Now I am going to help you. I am going to make a sacrifice to our Great Father in the Sky. I sacrifice you. I am giving you up to go to Brasilia and finish the Book. I will stay here alone with my sick and silent husband. I will stay here where no one can speak my language. And I will let you go. It is my gift to our Great Father. It is my part in bringing His Book to our village." I left the next day, phoning her daily. And then it got worse.
See http://www.thewordman.ca/look/look269.html for the whole story.
Personal Update
Our trip in November went very well. Thank you for praying. The missions conference at our home church was great. We spoke to two classes on Sunday mornings and enjoyed the seminars the church put on for us (on computer technology and retirement planning). There were two prayer meetings for missionaries that especially blessed us. We talked to quite a few people at our display, which led to an invitation to speak at the chapel for a Christian school. The kids there were attentive and interested in learning about Bible translation and the challenging alphabets used around the world. We also were able to speak to a class at a new church the last Sunday we were in Georgia.
After the conference, we spent over two weeks visiting many of our ministry partners and renewing relationships. Around Thanksgiving, we had a few days with family. My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary, and Lynee's dad had his 75th birthday.
While we were gone one director went through the orientation that Lynee had arranged. Another one started orientation the day after we returned. Praise the Lord that these orientations went well. Lynee has only one director scheduled so far for this Spring. Please pray for her as she works to put the teacher orientation on-line (for teachers who will be serving overseas with missionary kids).
My team is planning to have meetings from January 19-27. Please pray for the work that needs to be done before then. I'm hoping to make good progress in the final stage of creating a new font. During the meetings, we want to renew our relationships with remote team members, review our progress over the last year, and brainstorm about plans for 2010. Please pray for us.
Lynee and I will be traveling to Nashville over Christmas to visit her parents and brother's family. Please pray for safe travel and a restful, celebratory time.
May the true blessing of Christmas, God with us, strengthen and encourage you!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Oct 2009 Newsletter (pg 1)
Lynee's LinesThis summer, I spent a great week in Orlando helping to orient 20 teachers for their service overseas. They found out how teaching missionary kids is different from teaching here and also learned about living in a different culture. One person's "take away" from the orientation: "I plan on having a GOD SIGHTING board in my classroom! It will be such a blessing to pray with my students during the good and challenging times on the field."
My team wants to put this training online for those who are too far away to come (e.g., Australia).
My main reason for going was to see how the orientation was done so I can help with this project. Please pray for wisdom and creativity – it seems daunting right now!I have four people coming for Director Orientation this fall: one from Burkina Faso, one from Bangladesh, and two from Papua New Guinea. I will be getting all of their schedules ready early since I will be gone the month of November (read on).
Financial Focus
Alan and I plan to spend November in the Atlanta area. We have a missions conference during the first week, and then we hope to spend the rest of the month connecting with partners, friends, and family. We are very grateful God has met our financial needs this past year despite our committed giving being low. Occasional gifts have been much appreciated.
Currently, our committed support is about $450 a month low. If you're interested in partnering with us, please see the contact information on the right. If you are in the Atlanta area and have a church, Sunday school class, or friends who might be interested in our ministry, we would welcome the opportunity to speak to them. To contact us in Atlanta, call 214-683-2886 (our cell) or 770-287-7425 (Alan's parents). We are very thankful for all the partners who support us through prayer, giving, and other ways.
Oct 2009 Newsletter (pg 2)
"This is Very Good"
Tanzanian churches are attended by people from various language groups, and because the Bible is in the national language of Swahili, prayer is always in Swahili. During a recent orthography workshop*, when an elderly pastor from the Zanaki language was asked which language he used when he prayed alone, the pastor thought for a moment and answered, "Swahili. I always use Swahili. I don't think I have ever prayed in Zanaki. Yes, I am sure I never have in my whole life."
He readily agreed that it would be possible to pray in Zanaki, and he believed God would understand Zanaki, but since the prestigious national language is the language of the Bible, it simply never occurred to him that he could use his mother tongue for prayer.
After they heard this testimony, the group of Zanaki speakers spent an hour doing a different sort of work. They discussed a list of prayer requests for their upcoming Bible translation and literacy project. Just before beginning to pray, however, they were asked to pray in their own language. They were startled, but agreed.
In Tanzanian fashion they all prayed aloud and simultaneously. Passionate prayers tumbled out as all seven participants asked God to bless the Zanaki project. At one point one woman simply sat smiling and crying, listening to the others pray in her language. When their voices all quieted, one man closed with a Zanaki, "In Jesus' name, amen." They lifted their heads and everyone had tears running down their cheeks. Tanzanians don't often cry in public, but every one of the seven was wiping their eyes. The elderly pastor who had just prayed and heard others pray in Zanaki for the very first time could not stop smiling.
One Zanaki man said, "Let's do this again. This is very good."
* An orthography workshop is where work is done to create an alphabet.
PDF
Tanzanian churches are attended by people from various language groups, and because the Bible is in the national language of Swahili, prayer is always in Swahili. During a recent orthography workshop*, when an elderly pastor from the Zanaki language was asked which language he used when he prayed alone, the pastor thought for a moment and answered, "Swahili. I always use Swahili. I don't think I have ever prayed in Zanaki. Yes, I am sure I never have in my whole life."He readily agreed that it would be possible to pray in Zanaki, and he believed God would understand Zanaki, but since the prestigious national language is the language of the Bible, it simply never occurred to him that he could use his mother tongue for prayer.
After they heard this testimony, the group of Zanaki speakers spent an hour doing a different sort of work. They discussed a list of prayer requests for their upcoming Bible translation and literacy project. Just before beginning to pray, however, they were asked to pray in their own language. They were startled, but agreed.
In Tanzanian fashion they all prayed aloud and simultaneously. Passionate prayers tumbled out as all seven participants asked God to bless the Zanaki project. At one point one woman simply sat smiling and crying, listening to the others pray in her language. When their voices all quieted, one man closed with a Zanaki, "In Jesus' name, amen." They lifted their heads and everyone had tears running down their cheeks. Tanzanians don't often cry in public, but every one of the seven was wiping their eyes. The elderly pastor who had just prayed and heard others pray in Zanaki for the very first time could not stop smiling.
One Zanaki man said, "Let's do this again. This is very good."
* An orthography workshop is where work is done to create an alphabet.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Bible translators FROM Africa
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope you are doing well and enjoying the cooler weather of Fall. It's been wet for us. A few weeks ago, we had over 13 inches of rain. Our rain gauge actually overflowed. This put an end to our drought. Thankfully, we didn't have the flooding that some parts of Georgia (and the Philippines) had. We pray for recovery for those suffering there.
Wycliffe is committed to working with believers from all over the world. It's a thrill to see the Lord raising up Bible translators from Africa, which has traditionally received missionaries instead of sending them. Please pray for the people mentioned below.
Wycliffe Africa Personnel
Please pray for several new Wycliffe Africa candidates currently in the application process, as they develop supportive partnerships with their home churches and with personal friends. Pray that their church leaders will be inspired to help provide sustainable financial support and practical care for these families as they begin new ministries in Bible translation.
Personal Update
We are planning to be in Georgia for November. The first week, we will be at our home church's missions conference, then we intend to visit supporters, etc. during the next two weeks. Around Thanksgiving, we hope to take some vacation. Lynee's father turns 75 on Nov. 30. We hope to be with family in Nashville for his big day.
Please pray for all the preparations we need to make before the missions conference: creating a presentation of our work, producing and mailing a newsletter, and possibly updating a brochure about us and our work for potential ministry partners.
The tendonitis in Lynee's right arm is improving, and she can type OK most of the time now. Thank you for praying! Please continue praying as she still has to be careful with that hand/arm. One director from Papua New Guinea is here now for orientation. Another from Burkina Faso comes in a week, and two more come while we are in Georgia. Please pray she can make all the arrangements for their visits and finish all their schedules before our departure.
Please pray for the Lord to add more financial partners to our ministry. Our committed financial support level has declined to about $450/mon below our goal. We are thankful for unexpected and occasional gifts that have made up the difference, including some that were given since our last prayer update. We are seeking Sunday school classes, prayer groups, and home groups to share our work with. We would love to speak with you if you are part of a group that would be interested in hearing about our ministry.We are very thankful for the many partners that enable our work through prayer, giving, and encouragement.
May the Love of God encourage your heart today and forever,
We hope you are doing well and enjoying the cooler weather of Fall. It's been wet for us. A few weeks ago, we had over 13 inches of rain. Our rain gauge actually overflowed. This put an end to our drought. Thankfully, we didn't have the flooding that some parts of Georgia (and the Philippines) had. We pray for recovery for those suffering there.
Wycliffe is committed to working with believers from all over the world. It's a thrill to see the Lord raising up Bible translators from Africa, which has traditionally received missionaries instead of sending them. Please pray for the people mentioned below.
Wycliffe Africa Personnel
Please pray for several new Wycliffe Africa candidates currently in the application process, as they develop supportive partnerships with their home churches and with personal friends. Pray that their church leaders will be inspired to help provide sustainable financial support and practical care for these families as they begin new ministries in Bible translation.
Personal Update
We are planning to be in Georgia for November. The first week, we will be at our home church's missions conference, then we intend to visit supporters, etc. during the next two weeks. Around Thanksgiving, we hope to take some vacation. Lynee's father turns 75 on Nov. 30. We hope to be with family in Nashville for his big day.
Please pray for all the preparations we need to make before the missions conference: creating a presentation of our work, producing and mailing a newsletter, and possibly updating a brochure about us and our work for potential ministry partners.
The tendonitis in Lynee's right arm is improving, and she can type OK most of the time now. Thank you for praying! Please continue praying as she still has to be careful with that hand/arm. One director from Papua New Guinea is here now for orientation. Another from Burkina Faso comes in a week, and two more come while we are in Georgia. Please pray she can make all the arrangements for their visits and finish all their schedules before our departure.
Please pray for the Lord to add more financial partners to our ministry. Our committed financial support level has declined to about $450/mon below our goal. We are thankful for unexpected and occasional gifts that have made up the difference, including some that were given since our last prayer update. We are seeking Sunday school classes, prayer groups, and home groups to share our work with. We would love to speak with you if you are part of a group that would be interested in hearing about our ministry.We are very thankful for the many partners that enable our work through prayer, giving, and encouragement.
May the Love of God encourage your heart today and forever,
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Typesetting New Testaments in Yaounde
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope you've had a great summer. The season seems to be winding down. The kids in Texas went back to school on Monday. The "children" of close friends are starting college. Where has the time gone?
Here are some prayer requests from West Africa for typesetting - the final stage of translation work. Lynee knew some of those involved when she was there in the late '80s. Our personal update is below that.
Three teams typesetting New Testaments, Cameroon
Please pray for God's protection and help for the translation teams for the Kenyang and Denya languages of Cameroon. They are currently in Yaounde, the capital, to typeset the New Testaments in these languages. Team members Pastor Tarh and Gabriel Besong were recently sick; Pa Ashu lost a son and Daniel Eyong lost his father. Pray also for Bony Guiblehon and Pierre Bah, a team from Cote d'Ivoire, who are typesetting the Wobe New Testament. Ask God to protect all of them, their families and the equipment; ask Him to provide stamina, good health and insight for this vital work.
Personal Update
The teacher orientation that Lynee helped with in July went well. Three people who had already served overseas with no training said, "I wish we would have had this before we left." The orientation for the Indonesia director also went well. He managed to maintain his schedule even while trying to recover from malaria. Lynee has four coming for director orientation this fall and needs to have all their schedules done earlier than usual.
We enjoyed our vacation including time spent by the lake where we stayed and visits to a zoo and aquarium. We did return feeling more refreshed. There is a slideshow of photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/wards777/CedarCreekLake09?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHf4Kek7se8pgE
Lynee is suffering from tendonitis in her right arm. Thankfully, it's not very noticeable most of the time. It has spread from her arm to her fingers, which hinders how much typing she can do. Please pray for healing and for care in how she uses her arm and hand.
Please pray for our financial support level to increase. Our committed giving has been declining, though we are thankful some occasional gifts over the last year have made up the difference for now.
We value you and the prayers that you offer on our behalf. It's vital to keep us working in the task that God has given us. We appreciate your partnership.
We hope you've had a great summer. The season seems to be winding down. The kids in Texas went back to school on Monday. The "children" of close friends are starting college. Where has the time gone?
Here are some prayer requests from West Africa for typesetting - the final stage of translation work. Lynee knew some of those involved when she was there in the late '80s. Our personal update is below that.
Three teams typesetting New Testaments, Cameroon
Please pray for God's protection and help for the translation teams for the Kenyang and Denya languages of Cameroon. They are currently in Yaounde, the capital, to typeset the New Testaments in these languages. Team members Pastor Tarh and Gabriel Besong were recently sick; Pa Ashu lost a son and Daniel Eyong lost his father. Pray also for Bony Guiblehon and Pierre Bah, a team from Cote d'Ivoire, who are typesetting the Wobe New Testament. Ask God to protect all of them, their families and the equipment; ask Him to provide stamina, good health and insight for this vital work.
Personal Update
The teacher orientation that Lynee helped with in July went well. Three people who had already served overseas with no training said, "I wish we would have had this before we left." The orientation for the Indonesia director also went well. He managed to maintain his schedule even while trying to recover from malaria. Lynee has four coming for director orientation this fall and needs to have all their schedules done earlier than usual.
We enjoyed our vacation including time spent by the lake where we stayed and visits to a zoo and aquarium. We did return feeling more refreshed. There is a slideshow of photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/wards777/CedarCreekLake09?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHf4Kek7se8pgE
Lynee is suffering from tendonitis in her right arm. Thankfully, it's not very noticeable most of the time. It has spread from her arm to her fingers, which hinders how much typing she can do. Please pray for healing and for care in how she uses her arm and hand.
Please pray for our financial support level to increase. Our committed giving has been declining, though we are thankful some occasional gifts over the last year have made up the difference for now.
We value you and the prayers that you offer on our behalf. It's vital to keep us working in the task that God has given us. We appreciate your partnership.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Scripture in Filipino Sign Language
Dear Family and Friends,
We hope you have a great July 4th celebration. Lynee will be away this year (see below). I don't yet know what I will do, but I'm sure I will find something. Here's a prayer request about a wonderful development in the Philippines. Below that is our personal update.
Scripture in Filipino Sign Language, Philippines.
It is hoped that the dedication of the Filipino Sign Language Bible will be no later than May 2010. Two of the translation team's goals are: 1) complete one-third of the material by December 2009 and hold a mini-dedication; and, 2) finish the whole project of 32 stories and record them on DVDs for distribution at the official dedication in 2010. Pray that God will help the team overcome any obstacles and be able to finish the work. Pray the Lord will prepare the hearts and minds of Deaf Filipinos to receive the Bible's message of salvation.
Personal Update
(These are items from a prayer upate we recently sent a supporting church.)
Lynee's team supports teachers serving overseas to educate missionary kids. Please pray for them as they orient about 20 teachers in Orlando from July 5 - 11. Lynee will be leading a small group each day and overseeing child care.
Lynee also handles the logistics for orienting new Wycliffe leaders to our international administration. Please pray for one director from Indonesia coming later this month.
My team serves minority language groups by creating computer fonts that include special letters. Hundreds of minority languages around the world that need a Bible translation rely on these fonts. Please pray for technical meetings on July 9, 10, and 13 where we will be planning for future developments.
Please pray that our upcoming vacation (July 12 - 19) will be a time of needed renewal.
In the Grace of God
We hope you have a great July 4th celebration. Lynee will be away this year (see below). I don't yet know what I will do, but I'm sure I will find something. Here's a prayer request about a wonderful development in the Philippines. Below that is our personal update.
Scripture in Filipino Sign Language, Philippines.
It is hoped that the dedication of the Filipino Sign Language Bible will be no later than May 2010. Two of the translation team's goals are: 1) complete one-third of the material by December 2009 and hold a mini-dedication; and, 2) finish the whole project of 32 stories and record them on DVDs for distribution at the official dedication in 2010. Pray that God will help the team overcome any obstacles and be able to finish the work. Pray the Lord will prepare the hearts and minds of Deaf Filipinos to receive the Bible's message of salvation.
Personal Update
(These are items from a prayer upate we recently sent a supporting church.)
Lynee's team supports teachers serving overseas to educate missionary kids. Please pray for them as they orient about 20 teachers in Orlando from July 5 - 11. Lynee will be leading a small group each day and overseeing child care.
Lynee also handles the logistics for orienting new Wycliffe leaders to our international administration. Please pray for one director from Indonesia coming later this month.
My team serves minority language groups by creating computer fonts that include special letters. Hundreds of minority languages around the world that need a Bible translation rely on these fonts. Please pray for technical meetings on July 9, 10, and 13 where we will be planning for future developments.
Please pray that our upcoming vacation (July 12 - 19) will be a time of needed renewal.
In the Grace of God
Monday, June 1, 2009
Jun 2009 Newsletter (pg 1)
Alan’s Team Releases New Fonts!
On April 28, my team finally released a new version of our fonts! The Charis and Doulos fonts provide special letters needed for Bible translation. (See the samples in “Revelation” above.) They support all the alphabets used in the Americas, Europe, Russia, the Pacific, and much of Africa — including many letters that have alternate appearances in different locations. These fonts also support the International Phonetic Alphabet used by Bible translators all over the globe.
Among other things, we modified about 35 letters, added about 40 new letters, and added small capitals for Scripture publishing. We also added a way to flag certain letters that need to be updated. In all, this release has over 1,000 more letterforms than the last one. There were more technical obstacles than usual, and we thank the Lord for enabling us to overcome them.
“You and your entire NRSI team are really appreciated by the Americas Area. … We use in the neighborhood of 650 glyphs and combination of glyphs [letterforms] to represent the many orthographies [alphabets]. It is pretty amazing that we now can do all of this with one font. Praise the Lord.”
“Thank you to all who work so hard on these fonts. They are beautiful and a real service to the world.”
I also released a new version of the TypeTuner program to support these fonts. People in two parts of the world may expect the same letter to look differently. TypeTuner makes it relatively easy to display these different letterforms in programs such as Microsoft Word.
Challenges & Obstacles
Since October, there have been several “interruptions.” My department had to relocate our offices to another building for seven months as our building was renovated. In November, I went to North Carolina for a Wycliffe computer conference. In February, Lynée and I took an unexpected trip to Nashville after her father had emergency surgery. In April, I had two episodes of severe pain in my right shoulder and consequently had my heart checked out thoroughly. (My heart is okay, and the shoulder pain was apparently from a pinched nerve.) Thankfully the Lord brought us through everything and all is well now!
We are grieved by the economic situation in our country and know many people are struggling. We are thankful that our financial support has been adequate. Our committed giving is $350/month low, but occasional gifts over the last 12 months have made up this shortfall. We say a special “Thank You!” to our prayer and financial partners. Please let us know how we can pray for you.
PDF
On April 28, my team finally released a new version of our fonts! The Charis and Doulos fonts provide special letters needed for Bible translation. (See the samples in “Revelation” above.) They support all the alphabets used in the Americas, Europe, Russia, the Pacific, and much of Africa — including many letters that have alternate appearances in different locations. These fonts also support the International Phonetic Alphabet used by Bible translators all over the globe.
Among other things, we modified about 35 letters, added about 40 new letters, and added small capitals for Scripture publishing. We also added a way to flag certain letters that need to be updated. In all, this release has over 1,000 more letterforms than the last one. There were more technical obstacles than usual, and we thank the Lord for enabling us to overcome them.
“You and your entire NRSI team are really appreciated by the Americas Area. … We use in the neighborhood of 650 glyphs and combination of glyphs [letterforms] to represent the many orthographies [alphabets]. It is pretty amazing that we now can do all of this with one font. Praise the Lord.”
“Thank you to all who work so hard on these fonts. They are beautiful and a real service to the world.”
I also released a new version of the TypeTuner program to support these fonts. People in two parts of the world may expect the same letter to look differently. TypeTuner makes it relatively easy to display these different letterforms in programs such as Microsoft Word.
Challenges & Obstacles
Since October, there have been several “interruptions.” My department had to relocate our offices to another building for seven months as our building was renovated. In November, I went to North Carolina for a Wycliffe computer conference. In February, Lynée and I took an unexpected trip to Nashville after her father had emergency surgery. In April, I had two episodes of severe pain in my right shoulder and consequently had my heart checked out thoroughly. (My heart is okay, and the shoulder pain was apparently from a pinched nerve.) Thankfully the Lord brought us through everything and all is well now!
We are grieved by the economic situation in our country and know many people are struggling. We are thankful that our financial support has been adequate. Our committed giving is $350/month low, but occasional gifts over the last 12 months have made up this shortfall. We say a special “Thank You!” to our prayer and financial partners. Please let us know how we can pray for you.
Jun 2009 Newsletter (pg 2)
Xinulajgsipij Totonac Start TranslationWe met Gerry (Ger) and Julie Andersen in 2001. They have worked with the Xinulajgsipij (shi-nu-lahh-SEE-peehh*) Totonac people since 2003. First they had to learn the language, then they had to find people who were willing to be trained in doing translation. Finding willing people took almost as long as the language learning. In the last three months, this translation team has grown to four people.
The Xinulajgsipij Totonac in south central Mexico make a living by growing cash crops on the steep sides of mountains: beans, coffee, and greens for floral arrangements. They also sell sheep and cows. Many men go to big cities to find work, often in construction, when they need more money than the crops provide. There is no established evangelical church, but there are possibly 15 people that show evidence of true faith in Jesus Christ.
We thought you would enjoy hearing how things are going in a language project. This is a recent e-mail from Gerry and Julie:
Mostly we tend to ask for prayer when things are going poorly in some way or another, but today we are asking prayer because things are going “too” well.For the last weeks, almost every evening Ger and 3 guys (and recently a woman) meet to translate for 4-5 hours. So we are asking you to pray that it would continue, especially for God’s protection of hearts and bodies as they labor at the end of full days.
That is the short of it. Want to hear some juicy details?
- 70% of Luke is drafted and it’s a huge book.
- Juan refuses to close up shop early even if they reach a stopping point but says, “It’s not late yet.”
- Gerry has a chart on the wall where he marks off the drafted verses and Juan gets a kick out of this.
- Roberto has been home from work in the city, and was a great addition for two weeks.
- Toby remains super faithful and “a hard book to read.”
- The other night Julie saw Juan running on the path, tearing his straw hat off and throwing it in the weeds and heading up the hill to get ready to translate. No men are seen running here!! What a sight to see him so eager to get to the work and not lose any time. Remember our prayers for Juan in February when he was feeling discouraged and inadequate?
* The “hh” represents a sound we don’t have in English—one of the many challenges they face.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Report on my doctor visits
Dear Family & Friends,
Thank you praying for me as I saw two doctors regarding my shoulder pain and heart. The good news is that they didn't find anything seriously wrong with me. We are relieved and thankful to the Lord for that!
The heart stress test came out OK. My heart beat does have a minor irregularity. The cardiologist wants to see me at the end of September to be sure that it is not getting any worse.
The orthopedist thought the pain in my shoulder was caused by a nerve in my neck. He referred me to a physical therapist. I'm supposed to learn some exercises to strengthen my neck and shoulders, so that I will have better posture when working on my computer. He also said my rotator cuff was irritated. The irritation should improve with exercise too.
So thank you again for praying. These are both problems that come with age, I suppose. What a way to start my 45th year!
I came across this interesting article from the Solomon Islands recently. The whole Bible was recently translated into the majority language there. There is a permanent display of the Bible in parliament as "an important reminder to all who enter that God's word and standard are the main principles by which our country's leader[s are] to follow". Wycliffe isn't mentioned in the article, but we were quite involved.
Pijin Bible Found Permanent Home in Parliament
http://www.parliament.gov.sb/index.php?q=node/408
May Christ dwell in your heart through faith
Thank you praying for me as I saw two doctors regarding my shoulder pain and heart. The good news is that they didn't find anything seriously wrong with me. We are relieved and thankful to the Lord for that!
The heart stress test came out OK. My heart beat does have a minor irregularity. The cardiologist wants to see me at the end of September to be sure that it is not getting any worse.
The orthopedist thought the pain in my shoulder was caused by a nerve in my neck. He referred me to a physical therapist. I'm supposed to learn some exercises to strengthen my neck and shoulders, so that I will have better posture when working on my computer. He also said my rotator cuff was irritated. The irritation should improve with exercise too.
So thank you again for praying. These are both problems that come with age, I suppose. What a way to start my 45th year!
I came across this interesting article from the Solomon Islands recently. The whole Bible was recently translated into the majority language there. There is a permanent display of the Bible in parliament as "an important reminder to all who enter that God's word and standard are the main principles by which our country's leader[s are] to follow". Wycliffe isn't mentioned in the article, but we were quite involved.
Pijin Bible Found Permanent Home in Parliament
http://www.parliament.gov.sb/index.php?q=node/408
May Christ dwell in your heart through faith
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Upcoming doctor visits
Dear Family and Friends,
We hope you had a glorious time celebrating the Resurrection. We enjoyed a great trip over the Easter weekend to Arkansas to visit with Lynee's extended family (including 9 kids). We couldn't help but think of how many people in the world aren't able to read or hear the Easter story in a language they understand well. In the Pacific region of the world, Wycliffe estimates there are over 400 languages that need a Bible translation. Here is prayer request for one such language on the verge of receiving the New Testament. Below that is our personal update about my upcoming doctor visits.
Miniafia-Oro New Testament finalization
Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. Please pray diligently for the final read-through* and typesetting of this New Testament and its eventual printing overseas. Pray for wisdom, clarity of mind and agreement in the spelling choices the team makes. For two weeks in April, they have been checking and working on 10,000 vocabulary words, the preface, topical references and the names of places on the map of Paul’s journeys. The team is made up of translators Stanley Oyabua, Josiah Javeve, mentors David and Fran Wakefield, and helpers in the read-through process.
*Before publication can be approved, the translation team must check for consistency in many matters, from spelling of words and Biblical names to the use of the same phraseology for each key theological term to a check against the same event described in the other Gospels.
Personal Update
Lynee's father has now recovered from his surgery. Recovery was very slow at first, but at some point it sped up. He actually was able to drive Lynee's mom to Dallas for a week of meetings at the end of March. We were thankful to see him feeling so much better.
I have had two episodes of serious pain in my right shoulder. The first occurred on the Tuesday before Easter and lasted about 12 hours. The second episode happened the Monday after Easter and lasted about 24 hours. My shoulder doesn't hurt anymore, but it doesn't feel right either. There isn't any obvious reason for the pain. Our doctor has referred me to an orthopedic specialist. I have an appointment with him tomorrow (Friday, 4/24) at 11:30.
As I was being checked out for these pains, our doctor detected an irregularity in my heart beat. I saw a cardiologist that afternoon. So far my heart has checked out OK, and there doesn't seem to be any connection between my heart and the shoulder pain. I'm scheduled for a heart stress test on Monday (4/27) at 2:00. Please pray for healing and for these doctor visits.
Lynee has been very busy helping new directors with their orientation to our International Administration. Two directors are here right now from Japan and Korea. She has four separate people or groups that are coming in the next two and a half weeks, along with one in July. She is still working on their schedules and logistics and is feeling a little overwhelmed. Please pray for her.
We hope you had a glorious time celebrating the Resurrection. We enjoyed a great trip over the Easter weekend to Arkansas to visit with Lynee's extended family (including 9 kids). We couldn't help but think of how many people in the world aren't able to read or hear the Easter story in a language they understand well. In the Pacific region of the world, Wycliffe estimates there are over 400 languages that need a Bible translation. Here is prayer request for one such language on the verge of receiving the New Testament. Below that is our personal update about my upcoming doctor visits.
Miniafia-Oro New Testament finalization
Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. Please pray diligently for the final read-through* and typesetting of this New Testament and its eventual printing overseas. Pray for wisdom, clarity of mind and agreement in the spelling choices the team makes. For two weeks in April, they have been checking and working on 10,000 vocabulary words, the preface, topical references and the names of places on the map of Paul’s journeys. The team is made up of translators Stanley Oyabua, Josiah Javeve, mentors David and Fran Wakefield, and helpers in the read-through process.
*Before publication can be approved, the translation team must check for consistency in many matters, from spelling of words and Biblical names to the use of the same phraseology for each key theological term to a check against the same event described in the other Gospels.
Personal Update
Lynee's father has now recovered from his surgery. Recovery was very slow at first, but at some point it sped up. He actually was able to drive Lynee's mom to Dallas for a week of meetings at the end of March. We were thankful to see him feeling so much better.
I have had two episodes of serious pain in my right shoulder. The first occurred on the Tuesday before Easter and lasted about 12 hours. The second episode happened the Monday after Easter and lasted about 24 hours. My shoulder doesn't hurt anymore, but it doesn't feel right either. There isn't any obvious reason for the pain. Our doctor has referred me to an orthopedic specialist. I have an appointment with him tomorrow (Friday, 4/24) at 11:30.
As I was being checked out for these pains, our doctor detected an irregularity in my heart beat. I saw a cardiologist that afternoon. So far my heart has checked out OK, and there doesn't seem to be any connection between my heart and the shoulder pain. I'm scheduled for a heart stress test on Monday (4/27) at 2:00. Please pray for healing and for these doctor visits.
Lynee has been very busy helping new directors with their orientation to our International Administration. Two directors are here right now from Japan and Korea. She has four separate people or groups that are coming in the next two and a half weeks, along with one in July. She is still working on their schedules and logistics and is feeling a little overwhelmed. Please pray for her.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Lynee's father
Lynee's Dad
In our last update (Feb 8), we asked you to pray for Lynee's dad (Fred Gross) after he had emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction. He came home from the hospital on Monday! Praise the Lord! They did a final x-ray and decided he could go home. His bowels are working again, and he is eating normal food. He is weak after being in the hospital for two weeks. He needs to eat and do some walking. The biggest problem is that his throat is very sore from the tube that went into his stomach. The soreness makes it hard to eat and causes some coughing.
Last Wednesday morning, we decided Lynee should go help out. So we came back early from a Personnel retreat we were attending and got her on a flight that morning. A friend of her parents provided a stand-by flight for her. Last Sunday morning during church, I felt I should drive to Nashville that day. After checking on some things after church, I packed up and left. I stopped overnight in Memphis and got to Nashville on Monday around 10:30 am. I got to the hospital about an hour before he checked out. Lynee is glad I came as she was beginning to feel worn out. We are trying to support her parents during this phase of the recovery. We are taking it a day at a time but hope to be back home by the weekend. Please pray.
Trip to Colombia
Lynee's uncle and aunt (Bob & Dottie Hoppe) flew to Colombia, South America today. (You may remember that Lynee went with her aunt to Colombia in Feb 2008.) There has been a major breakthrough in the Bible translation work they have been working on for forty years. Three men have committed to being trained and working on translation for a year. They've finished their first Bible course. Bob & Dottie are trying to get the work off to a good start and to get them settled into a place to work. Pleae pray for them. Bob still doesn't have his strength back after recovering from a serious disease (dengue fever), so pray for health and strength.
With eyes fixed on Jesus
In our last update (Feb 8), we asked you to pray for Lynee's dad (Fred Gross) after he had emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction. He came home from the hospital on Monday! Praise the Lord! They did a final x-ray and decided he could go home. His bowels are working again, and he is eating normal food. He is weak after being in the hospital for two weeks. He needs to eat and do some walking. The biggest problem is that his throat is very sore from the tube that went into his stomach. The soreness makes it hard to eat and causes some coughing.
Last Wednesday morning, we decided Lynee should go help out. So we came back early from a Personnel retreat we were attending and got her on a flight that morning. A friend of her parents provided a stand-by flight for her. Last Sunday morning during church, I felt I should drive to Nashville that day. After checking on some things after church, I packed up and left. I stopped overnight in Memphis and got to Nashville on Monday around 10:30 am. I got to the hospital about an hour before he checked out. Lynee is glad I came as she was beginning to feel worn out. We are trying to support her parents during this phase of the recovery. We are taking it a day at a time but hope to be back home by the weekend. Please pray.
Trip to Colombia
Lynee's uncle and aunt (Bob & Dottie Hoppe) flew to Colombia, South America today. (You may remember that Lynee went with her aunt to Colombia in Feb 2008.) There has been a major breakthrough in the Bible translation work they have been working on for forty years. Three men have committed to being trained and working on translation for a year. They've finished their first Bible course. Bob & Dottie are trying to get the work off to a good start and to get them settled into a place to work. Pleae pray for them. Bob still doesn't have his strength back after recovering from a serious disease (dengue fever), so pray for health and strength.
With eyes fixed on Jesus
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Marakwet Endo New Testament dedication!
Dear Family and Friends,
We hope you had a great Christmas and New Years celebration, including memorable time with family and friends. Here is one praise item from Kenya and one prayer item for a Bible translation program just starting in Canada. Below that is our personal update.
Marakwet Endo New Testament, Kenya.
The Marakwet Endo New Testament will be dedicated to the Lord on February 21, 2009. Please pray for the preparations and for a joyful time of celebration for the Marakwet Endo people and all who have contributed to the completion of the Scriptures. It has been a long process of twenty-five years due to special challenges. Rugged terrain makes travel difficult; pray that the printed New Testaments and the people traveling will arrive safely. About 80,000 Marakwet Endo live in the Rift Valley Province. A small percentage are Christians.
Hutterisch Scripture, Canada.
About 30,000 people speak Hutterisch*. Bible translation is underway in this language. The first volume of Bible stories is popular. A school ordered a book for each student. A hog salesman regularly drops by a book center and buys 10 copies at a time that he gives out as gifts at the colonies** he visits. Final spelling checks are finished for the remaining 24 Bible stories. They are being published in four volumes of about six stories each. Pray for those translating the New Testament. All four Gospels are drafted. An audio version is also planned.
* It is used in the home by all ages. Most have limited comprehension of English. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=geh
** Hutterites live in colonies of about 90 people each.
Personal Update
Lynee's father (Fred) had emergency surgery on Feb 1 to remove a large bowel obstruction. Please pray for his recovery, especially that his bowels will "wake up" from the surgery and function normally. Please pray for us as we consider whether Lynee should go to Nashville to help with her parents. (Her brother lives there and has been helping.) Tomorrow through Thursday, (Feb 9 - 12) Lynee's department is having a retreat (which I will also be attending). A few days later, she has some other team meetings. These are important events for her group, so please pray for guidance on when it would be best for her to go.
Since our last update in late November, my team has made good progress on our European-alphabet fonts. On Monday, I finished a major milestone, and my team is now doing final testing and fixing before we put the font on our website later this month. There have been many difficult technical issues to overcome. Thank you for praying. These fonts pushed our system beyond what it was designed to do. Please pray for us as we bring this work to completion and as I start work to improve and extend the system we use to create these fonts.
Lynee and her new manager have been revising the week-long orientation for new teachers going overseas to teach missionary children. Please pray for this project. The workshop they attended on adult learning has been helpful.
Lynee also has four Wycliffe leaders coming between March and August for orientation to our international administration. Please pray for her as she arranges their schedules and handles logistics.
We are so thankful for all our partners and their role in this work. Recently, we were blessed to have a visit from one of our partners traveling through Dallas. Please let us know how we can pray for you.
May the Love of Christ Jesus keep you in perfect Peace.
We hope you had a great Christmas and New Years celebration, including memorable time with family and friends. Here is one praise item from Kenya and one prayer item for a Bible translation program just starting in Canada. Below that is our personal update.
Marakwet Endo New Testament, Kenya.
The Marakwet Endo New Testament will be dedicated to the Lord on February 21, 2009. Please pray for the preparations and for a joyful time of celebration for the Marakwet Endo people and all who have contributed to the completion of the Scriptures. It has been a long process of twenty-five years due to special challenges. Rugged terrain makes travel difficult; pray that the printed New Testaments and the people traveling will arrive safely. About 80,000 Marakwet Endo live in the Rift Valley Province. A small percentage are Christians.
Hutterisch Scripture, Canada.
About 30,000 people speak Hutterisch*. Bible translation is underway in this language. The first volume of Bible stories is popular. A school ordered a book for each student. A hog salesman regularly drops by a book center and buys 10 copies at a time that he gives out as gifts at the colonies** he visits. Final spelling checks are finished for the remaining 24 Bible stories. They are being published in four volumes of about six stories each. Pray for those translating the New Testament. All four Gospels are drafted. An audio version is also planned.
* It is used in the home by all ages. Most have limited comprehension of English. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=geh
** Hutterites live in colonies of about 90 people each.
Personal Update
Lynee's father (Fred) had emergency surgery on Feb 1 to remove a large bowel obstruction. Please pray for his recovery, especially that his bowels will "wake up" from the surgery and function normally. Please pray for us as we consider whether Lynee should go to Nashville to help with her parents. (Her brother lives there and has been helping.) Tomorrow through Thursday, (Feb 9 - 12) Lynee's department is having a retreat (which I will also be attending). A few days later, she has some other team meetings. These are important events for her group, so please pray for guidance on when it would be best for her to go.
Since our last update in late November, my team has made good progress on our European-alphabet fonts. On Monday, I finished a major milestone, and my team is now doing final testing and fixing before we put the font on our website later this month. There have been many difficult technical issues to overcome. Thank you for praying. These fonts pushed our system beyond what it was designed to do. Please pray for us as we bring this work to completion and as I start work to improve and extend the system we use to create these fonts.
Lynee and her new manager have been revising the week-long orientation for new teachers going overseas to teach missionary children. Please pray for this project. The workshop they attended on adult learning has been helpful.
Lynee also has four Wycliffe leaders coming between March and August for orientation to our international administration. Please pray for her as she arranges their schedules and handles logistics.
We are so thankful for all our partners and their role in this work. Recently, we were blessed to have a visit from one of our partners traveling through Dallas. Please let us know how we can pray for you.
May the Love of Christ Jesus keep you in perfect Peace.
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