Program Season

The Connection programs are designed to provide a caring environment, to celebrate how God is using our colleagues, to help renew their passion and vision for the Bibleless, and to assist them as they connect with the people and services available through the Orlando office. In the typical year, we will host four or five programs for those who reside primarily overseas and then four programs for those who reside primarily in the United States. In 2018, 148 adults and 80 of their missionary kids (MKs) came through Orlando during the Connection programs.

We hosted two groups of colleagues for Connections last month. One of our joys is to celebrate them by acknowledging their years of service with Wycliffe. The experience of those at the Wycliffe Stateside Connection ranged from a “low” of 27 years to a “high” of 45 years of service! What an encouragement to spend a week with those who have committed their lives to Scripture translation. We always hear stories of God’s faithfulness to them, all along their journey.

Next week, the entire Development~Orientation~Training (DOT) team will be off-site for meetings. More than half of our team of 34 people are not based in Orlando, so it will be great to have some face-to-face time together. Then the next program we host in Orlando will be January 12-25, 2019, Equip new missionary orientation.

Personal Update

For a personal update, take a look at this newsletter. My annual financial update follows on page 2.

Waiting

Waiting... the Keliko of South Sudan are no longer waiting for Scripture in the language they understand best. Their New Testament was the 1,000th in which Wycliffe was privileged to have a part. Take a look at this video to see a glimpse of their celebration.

https://youtu.be/aKI9zN61vWA

The waiting is over for our two weeks of Connection programs that begin on Monday, celebrating colleagues who have served overseas and stateside. Thanks for your prayers for our preparation. It has all gone well. Now, please pray that we will listen well to our colleagues and serve them well.

I am waiting now on surgery. The date has been adjusted to Monday, November 19 for a left total hip replacement. In the meantime, I am thankful to be reasonably mobile. I would appreciate your prayers that I sleep well. Thanks.

The good part about waiting is that there is time to reflect. When I do, I see the goodness of God and the faithfulness of his people who so graciously pray and give for my Wycliffe ministry. Thank you for your consistent encouragements.

I'd be honored to pray with you, too. Let me know how I might do so.

Surgery Date!

Thanks again for your prayers for Equip. We were able to finish well. This week's Endeavor orientation for new paid staff has also been going well. Eleven new colleagues have been learning the basics about Wycliffe, Bible translation and their role in accelerating the process!

We have a decision regarding the next step for my health. I am scheduled for a left full hip replacement on Tuesday, November 20. (Looks like I might be having hospital turkey dinner this year!) Plans are taking shape then for in-home physical therapy and healthcare during my recovery. Lord willing, I will still to come to Indiana during December, but those dates will be firmed up later. In the waiting time, I'm grateful for a combination of meds that is keeping me moving. Thanks so much for your prayers and many encouragements.

Now that a surgery date has been set, the focus has changed to final preparations for two Connection programs this month and the DOT Team meetings where our group of 35 from across the US will have time together. I'm looking forward to all of the conversations that are possible in those three weeks.

God is using your prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry to sustain and empower me to serve. Thank you! As I have said so many times before, we are completely dependent on your prayers and God's strength.

Mid-Equip #40

Thanks much for your prayers for Equip. We are doing well. There are some light "cold" symptoms floating through the group though, so we would appreciate your prayers for a restful weekend so we might finish well next week. These new colleagues are headed to places all around the world - some to be translation/language workers, others to do other things like aviation management, counseling, or even small engine repair in a developing country. All of them will be working to accelerate Bible translation. Your partnership through your prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry means you are impacting their ministry, too. God is so amazing to use all of us together in this way!

I am grateful for your sustaining prayers and your many encouragements regarding my health. I have been through a process of non-surgical alternatives for the osteoarthritis in my back and hips, but we are reaching the end of their effectiveness. The issues are beginning to negatively impact my daily activities, so it's time for a next step. Next week, I have an appointment with a spine surgeon and with an orthopedic surgeon for initial consultations. I'll be asking the surgeons to consult with each other and with my referring doctor to recommend the best direction. I'll keep you posted as plans take shape.

Following this Equip, there is some time and space in the schedule to prepare for the last two Connection programs for this calendar year. We look forward to serving our returning co-workers and celebrating how God has been using them in Bible translation. Then it is time to rest and plan for the coming year!

August's Encouragements

It was such a joy to see so many of you during my two weeks in Indiana. It was a privilege to share my Faith Story on Sunday, August 19, as a part of the summer Connection Class series at Faith Church. There was an audio recording done of the first session, so feel free to take a listen if you weren’t able to be there. It was my opportunity to share a lot of the “back story”—how God so obviously moved in my life to bring me to where He has me now. It was really very interesting to look back and see how many times the Lord used people to move me toward His next step. Many of you may hear your names mentioned. I share for about 30 minutes, followed by some Q&A time. That means the whole recording is almost 45 minutes long, just as a warning. The link also has access to other stories shared this summer—so many evidences of God’s handiwork in people’s lives! May you be encouraged as you listen.

Faith Stories—faithchurchindy.com/resources/faith-stories/

What’s Next?

Our next on-campus program will be Equip new missionary orientation, September 15-28. We anticipate 24 new colleagues and 15 of their MKs (missionary kids). As you pray for us and for them, your ministry extends to all those whom they will one day serve. Thank you in advance!

This will be the final Equip for one of our “core” crew members who will be retiring, so there will be some bittersweet moments for the team with which I serve. I have learned so much from Diana these past eight years, not only about partnership development—the main content we teach, but also about a deep, ever-growing faith and trust in Jesus. Diana has a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature and the joy of the Lord and gives strong testimony to both. We look forward to the next chapter the Lord has for her but will miss her in our world!

Personal Update

Thanks again for your prayers about the cortisone injections. The issue with my back and leg are essentially relieved, but good ol’ osteoarthritis in both hips is making a big move now… or should I say, NON-move, as it is complicating even simple things like sleeping and walking, two activities in which I engage regularly! More imaging is scheduled so the docs know exactly what is going on and can plan a course of future treatment. I continue to be grateful for knowledgeable and capable medical professionals and for your prayers and encouragements!