RSS

Bible Translation – Adjusting to the Times

02 Mar

We often hear that the times when Bible translators moves to a foreign (and often times remote) country, lives there for twenty years, studies the local language, produces an alphabet, and translates the Bible has come to an end. There are fewer individuals entering full-time missionary service, the process often takes fifteen to twenty years, and countries are more reticent to allow foreigners to live and remain in their country for such a sustained length of time. So, what’s the answer?

What alternatives exist allowing for the Bible translation such that the Bibleless people of the world can read the Scriptures in their mother tongue, the language that speaks to the heart?  

Sitting around computer

We know of at least one! Enter in “crowdsourcing“. Crowdsourcing leverages collaborative technology and uses the knowledge and skills of many people for a single task. “Does it work?”, you might ask. Well, you be the judge.

The Seed Company launched CrowdSeedTM a Bible translation crowdsourcing pilot in India, in May 2011. And the results have been phenomenal. Don’t take my word for it though. Click here and read the article for yourself.

You’ve undoubtedly heard it said that “when man closes a window, God opens a door.” I believe this is just one of those times. How about you?

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 2, 2012 in The Seed Company, Website

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Back It Up!

09 Feb
I once heard a dentist say, “Only brush the teeth you want to keep.” Makes sense. But what does that have to do with Bible Translation, computers, and/or computing?

It’s the principle. In other words, back up only those files you want to keep.

People are now using their computer for both work and home use, saving critical information, photos, videos, and the like. Unfortunately, I have encounter only a few that regularly backing up their computer despite the fact that Windows, Macs, and Linux systems have their own back up software and, if you don’t like them, free third-party programs as well.

I recently came across this article about backing up one’s computer. Although it written some time ago, it is still quite relevant. Click here to read more.

I personally use the Windows 7 built-in image creator and restore disc to prepare for a hard drive failure. I also back up my computer data to two different external USB hard drives. It works well. The major disadvantage though, is that the hard drives are in the same location so all of my data would be lost in the event of a fire or flood. And, although some would say that my computer data would be the least of my worries in a situation like that, I still don’t want to take a chance loosing years of data including twenty six years of ministry pictures. Backing up to the cloud would certainly help in this case. I just need to get around to it.

The following articles evaluate various online back up services. May I encourage you take a look and choose one. In the event of a hard drive catastrophic failure, you’ll be glad you did.
 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 9, 2012 in Backup, Tech Article, Tech Support, Windows

 

Tags: , , , ,

Undercover Boss – Part II

07 Feb

Mother tongue translators. Who are they and where do they come from? And how do these BGAN things work?

As mentioned in a previous post, our boss is in Cameroon deploying BGAN satellite terminals. Bruce posted again, sharing a little about his Nigerian and American teammates. May I encourage you to take a moment and read about these Godly servants, people that have sacrificed much, that the Gospel may go rapidly forward? You’ll be glad that you did.

His second post, Tchouvok, is equally fascinating. It’s not pretty to read because he’s simply sending text from Cameroon. But, read to the end and you’ll have a much better understanding of how a BGAN satellite terminal is indeed, accelerating Bible translation.

I hope it encourages you as much as it has me.

The boss, accelerating the process of getting God’s Word in the mother tongue, the language that speaks to the heart. It doesn’t get any better than that!

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 7, 2012 in BGAN, Hardware, Satellite, Website, Wycliffe Associates

 

My Boss Isn’t Undercover!

03 Feb

Have you ever seen the program called, “Undercover Boss?”. I have and I can tell you that it’s not my boss. You see, each episode features a high-ranking executive or the owner of a corporation going undercover as an entry-level employee in their own company. The executives alter their appearance, assume an alias and fictional back-story, and then spends approximately one week undercover, working in various areas of their company operations with a different job (and in most cases a different location each day). They are exposed to a series of predicaments with amusing results, and invariably spend time getting to know the people who work in the company, learning about their professional and personal challenges.

At the end of their week spent undercover, the executives return to their true identity and request the employees they worked with individually to corporate headquarters. The bosses reveal their identity, and reward hard-working employees through campaign, promotion, or financial rewards, while other employees are given training or better working conditions.

My bosses, David Reeves and Bruce Smith, frequently gets their hands and feet dirty by going into the remote regions and fields of the world to perform service just like the rest of us. It’s not the exception, but the rule. These men are great writers, articulating their experiences so clearly.

May I encourage you to take a moment and read Bruce’s most recent trip to Cameroon (starting with Bruce’s January 30th Younde to Belel post). He is a part of a Wycliffe Associates Tech Advance wrapping up a deployment project that was started back in November when the first team deployed 9 TAKs (Translation Acceleration Kit). These kits contain a BGAN satellite terminal, a solar panel, large batteries, a charge controller, and a netbook computer with an external USB powered monitor. This second team will finish the remaining 3 TAKs installations in northern Cameroon.

Take five minutes to read it. I dare you. I think you’ll gain a much deeper perspective and appreciation of the travel, BGAN satellite terminals deployment, and training challenges we typically face.You’ll be glad you did. Serving in the field is my bosses norm.  I don’t think that Bruce and David will be invited to the Undercover Boss series anytime soon.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 3, 2012 in BGAN, Hardware, Satellite, Wycliffe Associates

 

Tags: ,

iTunes Syncing

01 Feb

Several people have contacted me about helping them move their iTunes to a new computer. In all honesty, I have found the process somewhat confusing so I’ve done some research that might be of assistance to both you and I alike. I hope it helps.

The first article is on the Apple website. The second comes from a TechRepublic article.

If you have easier methods or additional information that might help others, please share them with us. We would love to hear them.

Ken

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 1, 2012 in Apple, Tech Article, TechRepublic

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Can you imagine?

26 Jan

Can you imagine moving away from your home country? Can you imagine saying goodbye to family members, knowing that you’ll probably not see them for the next four years? Can you imagine trying to quickly adjust to a new culture while trying to unpack, shop, and get over jet lag?

The Winkler’s are a new family that have just arrived in Nigeria in order to work for Wycliffe Bible Translators. They are tired, scared, and trying to adjust. This video reminded me of arriving in Indonesia in 1992 for the first time. Excited, but wow, what a change! This is the second of their videos. If you’re brave, you can watch the first one when they said goodbye to their family. Warning: It may make you cry! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV40htr00Cg&feature=related

Winkler Video: Part Two

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on January 26, 2012 in Video, Wycliffe

 

Tags: , , ,

Yup, we’re published! And you helped!

19 Jan

Did you know that if an author has one of his works published in 20 languages there is a big celebration? And if he or she is published in 30, 40 or more languages? Well, there’s some partying going on!

Did you know that Wycliffe Bible Translators along with our partners, such as SIL, Wycliffe Associates, and The Seed Company have had a book or part of a book translated in at least 2,479 languages?

Wow! We need a party every year. And you all should be the first to be invited! You have been a part of getting all or part of the best book, the BIBLE, translated into thousands of languages across the world. This work has been done not just for large community groups but for small ones too! Some groups have 5,000 or fewer people using that language! But if it’s a viable language, we think they need to hear God’s word in the language that speaks to their heart.

So thanks! We should be able to celebrate with more parties in the coming year! Come join us.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on January 19, 2012 in Praise, SIL, The Seed Company, Wycliffe, Wycliffe Associates

 

Tags: , , , ,

What’s up with Nigeria?

12 Jan

A number of you have asked us if Ken is planning on returning to Nigeria any time soon. As you recall, he has made three trips there this past year helping deploy the BGAN satellites as well as doing training for our national Bible Translators.

The frequent news articles highlighting the increased bombings in the region make us all a bit edgy. As of this week, Ken has no plans to return to Nigeria until he is needed. But our work is not stopping in the region. Most of the translators are nationals and therefore have a good idea of how to keep themselves safe.

But all our work is not safe, is it? We lived in Indonesia for 10 years and had malaria many times. We watched colleagues and workers die from this disease in spite of medication. We lived in a place that was frequently protesting to become independent. This caused us to have “riot” days — days that we closed down the local school just in case there was to be a local uprising. Increasingly, the places we work will seem not that safe. Sure, none of us wants to walk into the path of trouble, but there are risks to working outside of your own culture and comfort zone.

Please be in prayer for the nation of Nigeria which is experiencing unrest and violence targeting Christians. Nigerians are hungry for God’s Word and translation is going on in dozens of languages. Pray that Satan will be stifled and God will allow these translation projects to continue so the people will have His Word in their heart language sooner rather than later.

An article Thursday on the Mission Network News website included an interview with Wycliffe Associates president Bruce Smith (see http://mnnonline.org/article/16662). When asked about the Nigerian translation teams, Bruce responded:

“They (the Nigerians) are seeking wisdom about how to respond in these circumstances. They’re actually looking to God’s Word for the answers that they really need in terms of how they relate to their neighbors and other members of the community that are part of this stressful situation.” The article says that the teams have not allowed the situation to disrupt their deadlines for translation work. Bruce said, “It’s definitely creating a climate of uncertainty and increases their concern about how to continue carrying out their work. They know that God’s Word has the real power to change people’s hearts and that continuing to move forward in Bible translation is the best way to remedy the situation that they face.”

You can keep up with the latest news about the Nigeria situation at the Mission Network News site as well as other news services like CNN. These events highlight that we need to take advantage of opportunities to spread the Good News while the doors are open.

Thank you for standing with us as we continue to do so.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on January 12, 2012 in BGAN, Ken, Prayer, Wycliffe Associates

 

Tags: , , , , ,

What’s new for you? (Ignore the first post please!)

06 Jan

Another year! A fresh start! The older I get the more grateful I am for each year and day that I have before me.

Like most of you I started writing down a list of goals for this year. As I did I came across a wonderful quote by Dave Ramsey.

“A goal without a plan is just a dream.”

What a great statement! I can’t believe how many times I have made a list of goals, only to find them unreached. I think I forgot to plan out my goals! So this month I am trying to fill in some details for each of my goals.
Example:

Goal: Exercise regularly
Plan: Work out three times a week
Monday-5:30pm Cardio Fitness Wednesday-4:00pm Machines and Treadmill Friday-9:00am Walk around the neighborhood

I might actually meet this goal this time! Of course, I have other goals relating to my spiritual goals, my educational goals, my relationship goals… But as my daughter reminded me, every goal cannot be the number one priority. Some things must become lesser goals.

One of my top priorities is finishing my degree. Yikes! It’s scary to even write that one out publicly. But it’s something I’ve started and stopped working on for many years. It’s time to get it finished!

In order to do that, I need to cut some other priorities out of my life. For me, that required putting in my resignation for my job working for the Wycliffe Europe Area office. This was a tough one for me because I’ve absolutely loved my work the last 3 1/2 years and I’ve loved the relationships that came out of my role. But with the distance between Charlotte, NC and Germany growing larger, along with wanting to take some classes locally, it was time to give it up. I hope that as I improve my writing and communication skills I can be used in a greater way for the Lord in the future.

What are your goals for this year? I’d love to hear from you. We can keep each other accountable! Family is always a priority for me. We enjoyed ours over the holidays as you can see from the photo below.

The Haugh Family 2012

 
1 Comment

Posted by on January 6, 2012 in Anne, Wycliffe, Wycliffe Europe

 

Tags: , , , ,

Last day to give in 2011 is December 29th

28 Dec

This is from the Wycliffe Bible Translators blog….

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your partnership in the ministry of Bible translation during 2011. God worked through your prayers and financial support to reach Bibleless people worldwide with His life-changing Word.

As the year draws to a close, you may be considering a year-end gift to Wycliffe. In order for gifts made by electronic funds transfer or credit card to be considered a 2011 contribution by the IRS, they need to be made by 4:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, December 29.  To give your gift, please visit http://www.wycliffe.org/give or call 1-866-736-4387.

Thank you, and may 2012 be a year full of blessing for you and your family.

We love you all and look forward to our continuing partnership in 2012.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on December 28, 2011 in Website, Wycliffe

 

Tags: , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →