The President of Wycliffe Bible Translators USA and his wife bring us all greetings at this time of year. It is a joy to serve God, along with your partnership, as we find ways to give people the very words of God in their own language! Merry Christmas!
Please join us in praising God for these Scripture dedications that took place in December! Pray that the Scriptures will be used and result in transformed lives.
Everyone of these languages are important to God because they are important to the people who use them and need to hear the Words of their Creator.
Your support enables us to support others who have served in this task for decades!
Each Fall, Wycliffe Bible Translators and our partners set aside a day to celebrate the newly translated Bibles that have been dedicated the previous year. Watching the videos of the dedications always brings me to tears as I watch people receiving the very words of God in their Mother Tongue for the first time. They are dancing, shouting and crying as they receive their Bible. Do I do the same?
Because of your support, together we can dance with people from around the world who can understand “Immanuel, God with Us” for the first time this year! Click here to enjoy our partner JAARS video celebration.
We get to observe many Seniors in our organization. Often, someone knows them from decades ago and shares stories of the wonderful ways they contributed to the Bible Translation task before they retired.
When we were recently in Pennsylvania helping to care for Anne’s mom, Anne was sharing with a visiting nurse about what a fabulous piano player her mom was. She wanted the nurse to see beyond the aging woman in front of her.
John E. Roberts wrote a beautiful poem about growing old.
They say that I am growing old
I’ve heard them say it times untold
In language plain and bold
But I’m not growing old
This frail old shell in which I dwell
Is growing old I know full well
But I’m not growing old.
What if my hair has turned gray
Gray hair is honorable, they say
What if my eye sight’s growing dim
I can still see to follow Him
Who sacrificed His life for me
There on the cross of Calvary
Why should I care if time’s old plow
Has dug some furrows in my brow.
Another house not made with hand
Awaits me in the glory land.
My hearing may not be as keen
As in the past, it may have been
Still I can hear my Savior say
Come faltering child, this is the way.
The outward man, do what I can
To lengthen out this life’s short span
Shall perish and return to dust
As everything in nature must.
But the inward man the Scriptures say
Ah, the inward man
Is growing stronger every day.
Then how can I be growing old’
I’m safe within the Saviour’s fold
‘Er long my soul shall fly away
And leave this tenement of clay
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize
I’ll meet you on the streets of gold
And prove that I’m not growing old.
Thank you for supporting us as we serve the wonderful servants of God of Wycliffe Bible Translators.
We are sharing a beautiful letter from Wycliffe Bible Translator’s USA president. As a parent and in-law of people of color, he speaks from the heart.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief].”
— Romans 12:15, AMP
Sisters and Brothers,
Like many of you, I have watched the heart-wrenching narratives of one injustice after another that have become all too common in our country these days. We have witnessed tragic unnecessary deaths, false accusations of innocent people and insensitive public racial comments, just to name a few.
We have watched as personal pain and anger has boiled over into the streets of cities around the U.S., Canada and Europe. Kelly and I have read the words of friends on social media who have shared their pain of being black in the U.S. It’s been hard to read. We grieve for them and weep with them! I wish I could say I understand — but I can’t. I have never experienced the reality that African Americans and generations of their family have gone through and continue to encounter today.
At times, I’ve been given a mere glimpse into the pain. As you are aware, we have a multi-ethnic family, some joining by adoption and some by marriage. I recall a day when one of our kids was quite young. We were at a playground and two young boys began to make derogatory comments about our child with brown skin. I remember the emotions that Kelly and I felt — shock, pain, anger and tears.
I have heard our other kids of color talk about things that have happened to them at school that have caused pain simply because of the color of their skin. I’ve listened as another one of my kids who works in law enforcement has struggled with the brutality carried out by others in law enforcement. And now his agency wonders if,because of public outrage, they too might be targeted.
While these situations have been painful, I realize they are nothing compared to what our African American brothers and sisters regularly encounter.
I am proud to be part of an organization that believes that all people are made in the image of God. We believe it is unjust for people to not have God’s Word in a language and form they can understand. We send people to the ends of the earth so that those who are often viewed as the least of the least — not by their choosing, but simply because of the language they speak, their socio-economic position, or the color of their skin — may understand that they are of great worth and made in the image of God.
But with all my focus upon those around the world, have I neglected to focus upon the reality that in my own country, state, city, neighborhood and workplace, there are those who are unable to live fully today in the freedom that comes with the value God places on them as his crowning creation?
I am convinced that the only true solution is transformation in our hearts and minds that can only come from the one in whose image we are created. This is true for us as individuals and as a nation. We must ask God to renew our minds, giving us his perspective and aligning our thoughts with the truth of the full context of his Word.
We must also ask that our hearts reflect the mind of Christ. In turn, our attitudes, words, actions and posture are unified in Christ. I pray to that end and ask God to heal our nation. And yet, I can’t leave it there. So much of what needs to change in our country is beyond my control and even influence. However, I don’t get a “pass” in this area. In fact, I believe it has to start with me.
In Psalm 139:23-24, the Psalmist David cries out, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
Lord, what needs to change in my life — my words, my attitudes, my actions? Help me have eyes to see what I do not. Help me to know what needs to change in my own life so that I can lead well — in my family, with our neighbors and in our Wycliffe community. And then help me to act upon what you show me.
As a Wycliffe community, we are diving deeper into what it looks like for us, as Wycliffe USA, to truly love one another as Christ calls us to so that the world will know we belong to him and to one another. I pray that God would give us wisdom and eyes to see how we can be a redemptive community where all women, men and families can live fully in the reality that they are made in the image of God. I pray that we would be a community that others see and want to know what makes us different. I pray that such a community would begin with me — as God continues to transform me day by day, moment by moment. Together, may we as a Wycliffe family intentionally pursue being a community that reflects God’s heart for all people.
To our African American brothers and sisters, I see you, I love you and I am so very sorry for the pain you experience because of the color of your skin. I’m so grateful for you! We stand with you during this difficult time, and we are thankful to count you as part of our Wycliffe family.
To all our staff, and particularly our staff of color, I want to affirm my commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging in our organization. May we truly become a community that together Loves God and Loves People as he intended!
Serving with you, John Chesnut President/CEO
In August 1990, Ken and Anne took a trip to Dahlonega, Georgia to check out Wycliffe Bible Translators. One month later, we signed on the dotted line and joined this organization dedicated to translating the Bible in to every language on earth so that ALL may know God and choose to take His offer of GRACE and MERCY.
Thank you for standing with us. Together we have traversed many miles and served in a number of roles. It’s one of the best decisions we made in our lives! Time flies when you are having fun!!
Saturday afternoon found me in the kitchen for a few hours. I was making several cheesecakes for an event for this coming Friday. Needing to be entertained while licking the cream cheese off of the spatula, I put on one of those “Planet Earth” shows.
I’m always in awe of the shots that are made by the photographers. I watched as a Damsal Fly went underwater, cut a hole in the stem of a plant and laid her eggs. How, how, how did they know where to put a camera in that area of the pond??
Anyway, as time went on, I watched as an animal called a Stoat chased a rabbit. You might know the name Ermine better to describe this small mammal. The video proceeded with the small animal chasing down a huge rabbit. Round and round it went, tiring the poor rabbit until the underdog Stoat was able to eventually overpower the hopping bunny and make it a meal.
Sigh. I have a love-hate relationship with these shows. I love the footage and love learning new things, but hate seeing things die.
The thing is, as the stoat chase the rabbit round and round, many other rabbits were seen in the view. Some turned their head, watching the chase, but most just kept on eating. No one ran to rescue the soon-to-be-dead rabbit. No one distracted the Stoat. Everyone just did their own thing. The attitude seemed to be, “Hey, that’s his bad luck. Have you tried this great lime green grass? It’s fabulous!” Disconnect.
This past week found me studying I Thessalonians. Paul and Silas started the church in Thessalonica back in A.D. 140. New converts, amidst persecution meant that the young believers needed to get a tutorial in godly living.
Don’t be idle.
Encourage the timid.
Help the weak.
Be patient with everyone.
Try to be kind to each other.
And more….
Believers can’t sit idly by while others get eaten. Ok, no one’s literally being eaten but sometimes it feels like you are when no one jumps to your defense when you are clearly right! It feels like cannibalism when a friend is impatient with you or talks behind your back. There’s no place for that among believers.
So we work on our own sanctification. How can we be more holy, more like God today? How can we be kept blameless until the coming of our Lord?
Pray for each other. That’s what Paul did and what he encouraged the Thessalonians to do.
Speaking of which..thank you for praying for us, day after day, week after week. We feel it, especially when we feel down and are having trouble facing a day that looks very much like the one before.
We love you. Just like Paul loved his brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you are interested in seeing a stoat chasing a rabbit, click here.
You’ve been warned!
Worship, sharing stories, lessons on dealing with stress and “How to say ‘No'” were just some of the highlights of our 5 days at Wycliffe Bible Translators’ (WBT) headquarters in Orlando, Florida last week. Wycliffe’s “Stateside Connection” is a short program aimed at members who serve primarily in the USA. The purpose is to provide us with organizational tools and resources enabling us to become more efficient and to reconnect us with the home office staff, the people behind the scenes who serve so that we can serve.
Three to four times a year Ken goes to these meetings to consult with those that attend, just like we just did. He and/or one of his team members give a departmental presentation and then set up one-on-ones with people that desire it. It was great to receive training, learn more about our organizational resources and tools, and be pampered!
Anne met with the insurance and tech departments and received some great responses to her questions. Ken was able to utilize his free time and meet face-to face with colleagues from other departments.
We’re so grateful for a mission that sees the need to take care of its members! We feel ready to tackle our jobs with joy!
Click here to watch a short video highlighting Wycliffe’s goal of changing lives in 25 communities in 18 different countries this summer.
The Haugh Herald 