Picture books, Audio portions of Scripture, safe drinking water….these are just a few of the many projects that are funded by those of us working in Bible Translation. I have been working with Wycliffe Bible Translator project funders in Europe for the last 4 years. It’s amazing to see the wide variety of projects that we help fund all across the world! Check out some of them on this link! Should you be looking for a project or someone else to donate to at the Christmas season, I know that you will be a huge blessing to these people as we reach them with the transformational words from God which will change their lives forever!
Projects Galore!
How Wide and How Deep?
I’ve heard it once said that the African church is a mile wide and an inch deep. When probing further, comments regarding the “health and wealth, name it-claim it Gospel”, lack of commitment, a lack of Biblical knowledge, and/or a lack of a Biblical lifestyle. But, that hasn’t been my experience.
I recently received a though-provoking chat from a mother tongue translator that I deployed a BGAN satellite terminal to and it blew me away.I wanted to share it with you, our readers, knowing that many of our foreign colleagues and brothers & sisters in the Lord minister under less that ideal conditions. Read on, if you will, and then ask yourself the question, “How wide, how deep, is this African servant?
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I’m so pleased to share this few pages of sermon titled: “But I have no regrets.” to you all. (2 Timothy 1:12, The Message). It blessed my spirit and I pray that the Lord will use it to bless yours and keep you till Christ’s return.
While we may not have all the answers to Life’s difficulty, pains and many unsolved mysteries, we nevertheless have no regrets about where we have placed our Faith — in Jesus Christ — nor about the life which that Faith has emboldened us to live in this disturbed world.
What a wonderful thing to be able to say at the end of your days — “I have no regrets.”
Paul is standing in chains before Caesar, about to be condemned to death for preaching the Gospel. His confession was unwavering: “Jesus Christ is Lord. I pray you will not waver in your faith in Jesus name ” This singular sentence spoken in boldness, love, and sensibility so enraged the High Court of Rome that Paul was summarily dismissed and sent to await his execution.
While in his cell, Paul writes one last letter — to his young champion, Timothy. And he says, “It is for the cause of the Gospel I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12,KJV).
Inspired by this scripture, an old Gospel hymn says, “I know not why God’s wondrous grace to me He hath made known; nor why, unworthy, Christ in love redeemed me for His own. I know not how this saving faith to me He did impart; nor how believing in His word wrought peace within my heart. I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin; revealing Jesus through the Word, creating faith in Him. I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair; nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air…..
“But I know whom I have believed in, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day!”
That’s a life with no regrets! I pray that we will all stand at the feet of Christ to proclaim this, when he will say to us: “Well done my sons and daughters” God’s grace to you.
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What’s Next?
I was sitting at the breakfast table, over 5,000 miles from my house, and in walks Ed and Aretta Loving. The Loving’s are my neighbors, living two streets from Anne and I. We haven’t seen them in person for over eight
months and yet, I can catch up with them here, in Nigeria. How ironic.
Aretta wasn’t feeling well and made some oatmeal from a package that she brought with her. It was as much as she could manage to eat that day. And they hadn’t slept too well we were told. But, they weren’t complaining. Instead, they were laughing and joking, sharing some of their past war stories occurred during the time it took to complete a New Testament in Papua New Guinea. We were enthralled at some of the things we heard, recognizing that today’s missionaries may have it easy compared to what Ed and Aretta went through.
Somehow the topic around the table shifted to retirement. And frankly, I wasn’t prepared for their next statement.
“I’m 15 years past official retirement age”, Aretta said, “and we’re still not officially retired from Wycliffe.”
WHAT? Did I just hear that right? Did she say, “15 years?”
Quick calculations caused me to think Aretta was approximately 80 and, assuming Ed was of similar age, he was too. And, instead of enjoying the comforts of their home and family, they were sitting in front of me in Nigeria, traveling over 5,000 miles to arrive her, to help translate the Bible. At 80 years of age!
I’m 57 years old and for the first time in my life have come to realize that I am just a short ten years shy of official retirement age. And for whatever reason, it started me thinking… What’s next? Where will I go and what will I do after that? Should I enjoy the rewards of my labor (assuming my retirement funds haven’t dried up by then!), sit back, and enjoy a few rounds of golf (once I learn how to play)? Or, should I invest my time in something a little more significant, outside of myself and for the benefit of others? Well, because I am ten years shy of “retirement” and don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, I have chosen to give the thought a rest for a while. But, after watching some of my friends and colleagues, I have a clue of what I’ll do.
I was in Nigeria last week, teaching a workshop with Bruce Bridges, a Wycliffe Associates colleague. Bruce is 71 years old and has worked in an IT related field his entire life, in both the corporate world and in academia. Together, Bruce and I, working alongside our Nigerian colleagues, are up until 10:00 PM each night fixing mother tongue translators’ computers, ridding them of viruses, updating them, patching them, and anything else that needs to happen to make this tool perform at peak performance. Thereafter, we will be teaching computer file management, how to use Microsoft Word and Excel to expedite the Bible translation process, how to submit an email to the NBTT’s* new helpdesk for technical support, and other topics to help the MTT’s themselves become more efficient.
Bruce lives in what might be considered a retirement community and could be living the “good life”, similar to his neighbors. He and Gwenn, his wife, could be traveling regularly, taking frequent cruises, golfing, visiting friends & relatives, and participating all the other activities enjoyed by those living to his left and right. Bruce could, if he so chose, purchase a new Corvette, his driving passion. In fact, Bruce recently shared with me he thinks about that option often. But, a Corvette he has not. Instead, he has chosen a different course, including long hot days serving Nigerian mother tongue translators.
Because Bruce and Gwenn are so committed to God’s Word and its’ impact in people’s lives, they pay out of pocket expenses to minister with, and to, our Nigerian (and other national) colleagues to advance Bible translation. And, believe me when I tell you some of the places they have traveled and the work they have been involved in are anything but pristine!
I’ve quickly come to realize that the more I work along side of people like this dear brother and the Lovings, the more I appreciate them and their eternal perspective. And, the more I appreciate THEIR eternal perspective, the more it challenges me towards the same eternal, rather than temporal, perspective.
As I pondered Ed and Aretta Loving’s and Bruce and Gwenn’s motives, I suddenly started thinking of the many other people I know that have spent their “second half” ministering for the Lord. I know of the Ken and Flo Ginter, out of Florida, that have ministered for years with Children’s Bible Fellowship/Camp Hope/Camp Joy for years and years. I know of Bill and Barbara Bosch that have tirelessly worked at CBF in maintenance. I know of Don Storteboom and Bob Bates, Wycliffe Associates volunteers, who traveled to Nigeria with our team in June and deployed BGAN satellite modems in the remote regions of the country. And I know of tens, if not hundreds, of other “retirees” that are, after leaving the corporate world, spending their time and energy on serving at JAARS rather than on trips and cars.
The more I look at these saints, the more I suspect that the word “retirement” isn’t a part of God’s vocabulary or plan. Yes, we may retire from our normal source of income, whatever our employment may be. But, I am becoming more and more convinced that God has a work and a plan for each of us thereafter, for the “second half” of our lives.
So, what’s next for Anne and I? I can’t say for sure and, God willing, I still have some time to ponder the question. But, what about you? What is your perspective? And what’s next for you?
Ken
Please Pray for Peace
If you’ve kept up on your world news you will have read about some more recent bombings in the northern part of Nigeria. Monday and Tuesday are holidays for the “M” religion. Apparently, the government is enforcing some rules which will not allow people to travel or visit certain areas in order to keep the area peaceful during these two days.
These are the days that Ken is traveling. He leaves Jos Tuesday morning for the 4 hour drive to Abuja. From there, he must sit in the airport for quite a few hours since he will be dropped off earlier than he needs to be there. He then starts his journey home Tuesday night. He will arrive in Charlotte on Wednesday morning after passing through Ghana and New York on his way home.
Would you please pray for peace in this region for Monday and Tuesday? I ask not just for Ken but for all of the citizens who live with so much uncertainty. Please pray, too, that the people of Nigeria would turn to The Peace who came in the form of a baby for them to die in their place. Thank you so much.
Life is like that
It was 1991. Ken and I were in a three-month training course held by Wycliffe Bible Translators on a remote ranch in Texas and making trips into and eventually living in Mexico for one month. Our days were spent in classes learning about living overseas, taking Spanish lessons and doing long and then longer hikes every day. (Ken lost 15 pounds and I lost 7!)
Each day, the staff would do something to us to prepare us for living in another country. The electricity would be off, there would be no water, we’d have to evacuate camp in 20 minutes…that type of stuff. Afterwards, there would be a debriefing.
Our director always asked us to contemplate the following: “What if life turns out to be like this?”
In other words, what if this isn’t just for a short moment, but this is life? What if this is what it is? How will you cope? It was the best training we could ever have for living….well, anywhere. Sure, Mexico was different, Indonesia even more different, and while Germany was fantastic, it still was different from what we were used to! It’s a good question for any of us to ask ourselves each day actually!
Ken is back in that situation. electricity is on and off. Internet is sketchy. Food is very different. It’s hot. And the shower (bucket shower) is VERY COLD!
“But it’s just two weeks” you might say. Yes, but in that two weeks there is so much to be done. And when you are bombarded from all sides with “different” or “stress” it can be difficult to get your task done. And we all like to get our tasks done, don’t we?
Here are some much-needed prayer items from Ken:
“We will have a very full day. I worked on just three computers in nine hours yesterday! All three had major issues. In total, we completed about 7 or 8. Today, we’ll be inundated with another 20! So, pray for …
- a good internet connection. We haven’t been able to get our downloads on the USB stick working so we’ve had to use the Internet. It’s fairly costly and slow but we need to get them updated.
- good team work. We have things going everywhere, with many people in the room. I think I’ll ask people to stay outside of the room today unless we are working on their computer … or at least remain in the back of the room. Otherwise, we trip over them.
- patience.Some times, it’s just a challenge to figure out what the problem is. I had one that had a virus. It had AVG on it. But, the virus wouldn’t allow me to uninstall AVG. I finally used a 3rd party program to uninstall AVG and then installed Microsoft Security Essentials, an anti-virus program. Updating the database file took a long time because I had to do it through the Internet and now I have to scan the entire computer. That takes over an hour itself.”
Life isn’t bad…its just got it’s challenges. Thank you for standing with us THROUGH them!
Thanks for praying!
Ken has arrived safely in Jos, Nigeria. When I asked him about getting the sewing machine through customs he said, “No problem”. The customs guy asked what it was and then asked why he was carrying it. When Ken explained that it had just been repaired and brought back to Nigeria, they all just laughed. So…yay!
Ken is now set up in his room. Someone gave them a small refrigerator to use filled with Cokes and other drinks which is so special. He immediately had a meeting today (Friday) and they will set up and start their training tomorrow.
Thank you for praying for him. So far he’s had no allergy problems and just needs to get some sleep. I’ll keep you updated as I hear more.
And he’s off!
I just dropped Ken off at the Charlotte Airport. He’s on his way to Nigeria once again. This is his third time to this country so it makes it a bit easier to plan. We still found ourselves running around the last two days gathering items for himself and for others. When you live in another country, it’s nice to receive things from “home.” He’s carrying a bit of stuff for others including a sewing machine!
A wonderful thing about living in Waxhaw, NC is our close proximity to Jaars. Jaars is a campus of our “sister” organization, SIL. It is where our pilots train, computer work is done as well as Vernacular media work. They have a great purchasing and shipping department too. Ken was able to take this newly repaired sewing machine and get it boxed up professionally so he could easily travel with it. We hope it gets through customs okay. I’m sure the owners of it will be happy to have it back.
Ken, along with another man, will be helping with some training classes that will be going on. He’ll be gone for two weeks due to some flight constraints. The airline he’s using only flies in and out twice a week so he’s arriving a bit early and leaving a few days after the training is over. I’m sure he’ll keep busy with his training and relationship building.
So, thanks for praying for him in advance. It’s Wednesday here, but we probably won’t hear from Ken until Friday EST. Two weeks are a long time to be from home. Last time he really got hit hard with allergies and eyes almost swollen shut, so we loaded him up with some antihistamines this time. Please pray too that nothing would deter them from their Kingdom work. I’ll try to update you all as I hear from Ken. I’ve just posted our most recent email with some photos from our recent trips.
Back from Germany!
Europe Project Funders Network Conference 2011
I was in Germany the past two weeks while Ken was away for his week-long training session in Nigeria, October is my busiest month of the year. Each year I help organize and facilitate a conference for our European Wycliffe organizations. This year we had 40 participants which included 11 different nationalities!
What a great week we had! Some of the problems and issues that we have been dealing with for a few years were settled in people’s minds and hearts during this conference. We had a special speaker come from the Netherlands who did some great workshops for our fund-raisers. It was a real encouraging time for each of them.
Thank you for praying for me. I really felt your prayers this past two weeks. I got over jet lag quickly and slept well most of the nights! I also just felt a peace as I worked. I have really enjoyed serving in this area the past 4 years or so. I’m so glad you are a part of our team.
A Fly Across the Atlantic
“On the road again. Just can’t wait to get on that road again. Da da da da music with my friends, I can’t wait to get on that road again.”
You know the song. Willie Nelson wrote it but I’ve taken ownership. I usually start my long trips with this tiny bit of song and I’m sure, after hearing it for the thousandth time, my family is tired of hearing it. But, it’s a fun way to begin a trip. And, it’s true. I’m on the road again.
This time I’m in Nigeria. I left my house on Saturday, September 30th, at 1:00 PM for a 5:20 flight out of Charlotte. I know it’s a little early but I figure it this way… it takes an hour to get to the airport so, after parking the car and taking the shuttle to the terminal, I’m at the ticket counter a little after 2:00 PM. Check. Because I’m well over two hours ahead of flight departure, I breeze through through the ticket and visa checking process and then walk through security. And, I’m a little worried this time because I am carrying multiple computers. Fortunately, I sailed right through. Again, check. And then I sit down for a bite to eat knowing that I won’t arrive at Jos, Nigeria, my final destination, until Sunday, late afternoon something like 24 hours and six time zones later. So, here’s how it played out.
- Eight and one-half hour flight from Charlotte to Munich. I only have one hour layover between Munich to Frankfurt connection and start to stress because the jet is totally full and my seat is wwwaaayyy in the back taking 15 minutes to deplane after arriving in Munich and parking at the gate; the next flight is gate changed so I need to find the new as quickly as possible, certainly within the hour!
- Found the gate. Next leg, the one hour flight from Munich to Frankfurt, is delayed 25 minutes. A little stress is added on knowing that the next flight (Frankfurt to Abuja, Nigeria) is scheduled to depart Frankfurt only 1 hour and 15 minutes after I arrive in Frankfurt. Successful Frankfurt arrival, albeit 25 minutes late.
- Brisk 25 minute walk to other side of terminal gets myself on time to the proper Frankfurt to Abuja gate.
- Five and one half hour Frankfurt to Abuja, Nigeria flight departs on time. Plane arrives at 4:50 PM Abuja time. I am standing in line and suddenly realize that others are holding green and white immigration and customs cards that I don’t have. With little time to be shy (and with a “who cares? You’ll never see these people again?” attitude), I ask the people around me, “Where did you get these cards? Are we supposed to have them now?” “Why of course!” responded one man, gazing at me like I had three eyes. “Didn’t you get one on the plane?”
A man two people in front of me must have heard me ask this supposedly stupid question and loudly exclaims, “Hey, I didn’t get one either!”
Aha! Now I don’t feel so bad anymore proving the old adage that misery really does love company. The irritated man takes two of each off the counter and gave me one of each. As if on queue, I suddenly hear the customs official give a hard time to person already at the counter, about five in front of me, for not having his customs and immigration papers filled out properly. At least he had some, thinks I starting to panic.
Good news. This was evidence I slept at least a little on the plane.
Bad news. Five people in front of me, customs and immigration forms newly in hand, and no pen in backpack!
Back to good news… Borrowed pen from sweet woman behind me.
Bad news… bottom of pen falls off three times in a row! What? Is this a joke? Am I on Candid Camera or something?
Good news… I assemble the pen once more and a slow line allows me to finish the paperwork as I am walking up to immigration window.
Whew! A little stressful but I just made it and am greeted with a smile. I get the stamp and with a “Welcome to Nigeria” no less.
But one has to ask…Why didn’t the flight attendant leave it on my lap if I was sleeping???? Note to self… Reduce travel stress. ASK for customs and immigration forms next flight to Nigeria!
Jos is only three hours from Abuja but it’s too dangerous to drive at night so we head for a Baptist Mission guesthouse. Snarled traffic, broken down vehicles, and many security checkpoints double the normal travel time. We arrive around 8:00 PM and are warmly greeted. It’s 8:30 PM, I’m in my room fighting to stay awake another hour or more. I turn the air conditioning on, sit in a comfortable chair, prop my feet up, and start to watch an American history Khan Academy video. I suddenly am cognizant that the video is over and I haven’t watched a bit of it. My bed calls and I dutifully obey.
A 7:30 breakfast of coffee, eggs, oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, and juice await this weary traveler. Monday morning, October 3rd is Nigeria’s independence day so the roads are empty as we pull out of the driveway at 9:00 AM. Three hours and several security checkpoints later I arrive at the Nigeria Bible Translation Trust (NBTT) compound, my destination.
Good news. It’s Nigerian Independence Day. Bad news. Everyone is gone for the holiday. The place is deserted and I’m totally alone for the entire day.
So, what’s the moral of the story? The moral of the story is about stepping out in faith. You see, preparing for this trip was quite stressful this time. I am bringing over a laptop with a helpdesk program call Spiceworks already installed. NBTT will be using this program to track and manage all their technical support needs, particularly those relating to the BGAN satellite terminals we’ve recently installed throughout the country. And I get one shot at it. I have already done most of the software set up in preparation for the trip but the computer now needs to be joined to their network, configured to work through their firewalls, and then adapted to NBTT’s specific needs. And it all needs to be done before I depart on Friday afternoon.
On the way here, I reread A Walk Across America, by Peter Jenkins. I read this book in 1979 and it was instrumental in me coming to know the Lord. Peter, disillusioned with life and his country (after the Vietnam war), and not knowing who he is and where he was going, literally walked across America to find the answer. In the process, Peter loses Cooper, his Alaskan Malamute, his traveling companion, and up until he meets a southern belle, his best friend. It was during his walk that he also come to know Jesus as Savior. I read this book in 1979 at a time in my life when I, too, disillusioned and asking similar questions. The book touched a raw nerve and ultimately became instrumental in my walk to faith.
Somehow, someway, rereading A Walk Across America while flying over the ocean calmed me down, giving me a fresh perspective. Yes, there still remained times of stress and even panic, like when I was approaching the Nigerian customs and immigration officials sans documents. But, in general, rereading this book reminded me that I am not alone, that God is real, is in control, and He provides the peace that passes all comprehension. And, although I have a responsibility to do my part, it is ultimately up to God for the outcome of the helpdesk project. I am only to be faithful to what He has required of me.
So, here I am, sitting alone in my room on the NBTT campus. No one around and it’s quiet as all get out. But, just has Peter Jenkins learned in his journey, I have been reminded that God is sovereign and, rather than walking across America, God and I have flown across the Atlantic. I have some work to do, a lot of reading material to catch up on, and I feel at peace. What more could I want?
The Reason…
Why?
Why do we do what we do? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I have. I’ve asked why I get angry over inconsequential things, why I worry about finances knowing I’ve never gone hungry, and why I enjoy working with computers so much (even when they can be frustrating!). I’ve asked why has God allowed me into His Kingdom when so many others have no desire to know God. Why was the door opened to me? And, why am I privileged to serve Jesus as a vocation, as a missionary?
Sometimes it only takes a letter or email from a colleague to help me understand the answer the question. Today, the answer came in the form of a colleague’s newsletter, sharing how a former animist and cannibal now pleads to God for his wife’s health as the missionary pilot prepares to fly her out of the jungle to the regional hospital. Reading the letter reminded me once again that God’s Word transforms people’s lives. It also reminded me that, just like the former interior jungle cannibal, I’m a sinner saved by grace. No, I’ve never killed someone or eaten human flesh but, as my colleague so eloquently communicated, “..I have hated others in my heart, and the Redeemer has said that I am guilty of murder—I lacked only the axe“. (Click here to read Nate’s “two murderers'” story. You will appreciate what he has to say).
I am flying to Abuja, Nigeria‘s this Saturday (arriving Sunday) and then traveling 4 hours by car on Monday to NBTT (Nigeria Bible Translation Trust), an independent national Bible translation organization, to help install a Spiceworks helpdesk system. Wycliffe Associates, JAARS, SIL, and others have helped install many BGAN satellite terminals in the country to facilitate Bible translation but, as all technical devices, they periodically need support. This helpdesk program is designed to facilitate the support process, critical to expediting Bible translation with so few support.
Would you please pray for me and with me? Pray that I wouldn’t experience any flight delays through the many connections throughout the 24 hour journey. Pray too if you will, that the technological challenges would be overcome and the system would fully functional by the time I depart the following Friday at 11:20 PM.
I love to travel but, as I get older, I like it more when I’m with someone rather than alone. I do what I do though, knowing that these tools and processes are expediting Bible translation and Bible translation transforms lives. That’s good enough for me.
Why are you doing what you are doing?
The Haugh Herald 