Variety!

This week was full of variety! I...

• Helped with computer issues in North Carolina.
• Collaborated with a colleague in Kentucky on documents for the new fiscal year.
• Met with two different "newbie" households in California.
• Helped establish an account for someone in Hawaii.
• Answered financial questions for...
• A colleague who had a medical crisis while in Thailand.
• A family with a challenging situation in Texas.
• I attended a baby shower for a coworker in Orlando.

And I never left Indianapolis.

All of these interactions support those who have roles in Bible translation. All of them have been directly impacted by your prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry. I don't have a way to estimate the broader scope -- the number of language communities across the world touched by the collective service of these coworkers.... but we were told this week that Wycliffe is currently involved with more than 2,900 language projects. Wow! Thank you for your ongoing commitment. Praise the Lord for his master plan in using us all!

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• The Lord continues to give wisdom for my jobs.
• The Jr High Grow Class is off to a great start. The 8th graders are demonstrating good leadership!
• I am making some progress learning the new technical skills for volunteer opportunities.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• The potential buyer for the campus has withdrawn. We are told that this can be common with commercial properties. Pray for God's perfect timing in the sale.
• Pray for smooth closure to the current fiscal year, September 30. Pray for technical changes which must be implemented for October 1.
• Continue to pray for focus on the new technical skills I'm learning. My brain is being stretched!

How may I pray with you today? It's such an honor to be on this journey together.

Psalm 32 - Kaaps

How much of our personal identity is shaped by our cultural background? Those who speak a minority language are often ridiculed and marginalized, even if they are also fluent in the majority language of the area. Bible translation not only helps us know God and his saving love and grace, it also can bring dignity and new hope to minority language speakers.

Last June, I shared about the Psalms that Sing project in the Kaaps language of South Africa. This video shares the experiences of some of the Kaaps team members and how the Bible has impacted their lives and families. I know I say it often, but it is so true -- your prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry impact minority communities all around the world!

(If you'd like context for the song included in the video, here is Psalm 32.)

Story Source: youtube.com/watch?v=YJtGUw28ry8&cc_load_policy=1 (6:40)

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• I had safe trips and good visits with out-of-town colleagues.
• We're making steady progress on updating our work processes.
• God's Word keeps on transforming lives!

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Pray for continued wisdom and grace in serving Wycliffe colleagues.
• Pray for the restart of the Jr High Grow Class on September 7, that we would minister well to the students.
• Pray for good focus as I learn new technical skills for some volunteer opportunities.

Thank you for your faithful partnership with my Wycliffe ministry. How can I pray for you today?

Seeds of Language

Imagine a world where people don't write things down to share with each other. You couldn't send a text or an email, knowing the other person would understand.

What if you needed medicine for your child, and the doctor only told you what to do? What if you couldn't read the label on the bottle for instructions later?

In that world, families and cultures would remember their stories and history by heart. We sometimes find it hard to memorize even a few verses of the Bible. But in this world, memorizing would be a very important and common skill!

Many cultures in the world do not value written language, and they might be like the world you just imagined. How do you even start to put God's Word into one of these languages? Part of the answer is to make sure the translation is in forms other than written words. Another important step is creating a dictionary to collect all the words people use. See how that's done!

Story Source: youtu.be/4oOO7cb11RE?si=qx3_fTXIkpAi7ZdQ

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• New opportunities are opening up (see requests!).
• The campus sale continues to move forward. There is an interim location plan for the Orlando staff through 2026.
• Summer has been a very renewing and encouraging time for me.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Pray that God's Word reaches everyone in a language and form they can understand.
• Pray for good visits with some out-of-town Wycliffe colleagues and missions friends on my Fridays off.
• Pray for wisdom and good collaboration as we update workflows so others can understand our processes.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry. How can I be praying for you today?

Sign Language in the Solomon Islands

Your prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry have impacted colleagues who serve all over the world. I helped coach Teri & Rachel Miles in 2012. They serve in the Pacific region with SIL (one of Wycliffe's strategic partners), facilitating and supporting sign language translation and language development work in various countries in partnership with deaf churches, teams, and associations.

During a recent trip to the Solomon Islands, Teri was interviewed by a local news station. He describes language development work, which can be a huge benefit to any language group and is a precursor to Bible translation.

Story Source: youtu.be/xbBjnUMy0gE?si=mGL3qHm50J0OLz4L

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• The June planning meetings went well this week.
• The campus sale continues to move forward.
• Work is going very smoothly.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Ask God to open the doors for the Deaf in the Pacific to have access to the Bible.
• Pray that the Jr High students will stay faithful in their Bible reading while our class isn't meeting this summer.
• Pray for wisdom to see all the opportunities the Lord has for me.

Please let me know how I may pray for you.

Give Me Ruth!

In Uganda, Pastor Herizon was riding his motorbike when he heard her. He wore a T-shirt that read, “Ask Me About the Bible.”

And someone did. “Imba Rusi!” (“Give me Ruth!”) a woman shouted at him. “Are you the one who has the book called Ruth?” she asked.

Story Source: Give Me Ruth!
seedcompany.com/stories/give-me-ruth/

Herizon was carrying copies of that exact story. The woman had been praying that God would bring her the book of Ruth. She explained how she related to Ruth. The woman had lost her husband. One night, her sorrow overwhelmed her so deeply that she considered taking her own life. But she said that “by God’s grace,” she made it through the night unharmed.

The next morning, she visited her brother and saw a book in his house titled Ekyitabu kya Rusi (Book of Ruth). Seeing the cover decorated with pictures of wheat, she confused it for a farming book. But once she opened it, she couldn’t put it down. She read it several times that day. “It became my counselor. I am convinced that the God who took care of Ruth will also take care of me.”

I loved reading this story! God is using your prayers and gifts for Bible translation -- drawing people to know his goodness.

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• Volunteer opportunities continue to open up.
• We have a new colleague on the Member Finance team!
• We've had a good year in the Jr High class at Faith Church.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Ask God to continue to change lives through his Word.
• Pray that the Jr High students develop good habits of being in the Bible regularly, so they can know God better.
• Pray for June meetings that will include planning for expanding Wycliffe's Stateside Care. Pray also for additional colleagues for the team.

I'd be honored to pray on your behalf. Please let me know how to join you.