Equip (new missionary orientation) begins tomorrow!

Thank you for your prayers! It was a blessing to see many of you over the holidays. My heart was encouraged to hear stories of God's faithfulness in good times and in challenging times in your lives. My travel was smooth and I was renewed by my visit.

We are ready for the next round of onsite programs in Orlando, beginning with 26 new missionaries who will come tomorrow for Equip orientation. As always, thank you for your prayers for endurance, health, and wisdom. Pray also for God's Spirit to truly "equip" these new colleagues as they begin their Wycliffe ministries. I'm eager to meet them all!

Then ...and Now

It is hard to believe that five years have passed since I left Indianapolis to begin working in the offices of Wycliffe Bible Translators. (If you’d like to be reminded of my reflections from my starting time, here’s my newsletter from January 2011 - bit.ly/Jan_2011_ljm.) I am grateful for the faithfulness of God and you, his people, who have regularly prayed and given and encouraged so that I might be here. I cannot begin to list the many things the Lord has done in my own life during these years. I am grateful.

I am amazed to look back at the ministry opportunities of these years. Thank you for all the ways you have stood with me as each new phase has begun:

• November 2010 - November 2011 - helped with facilities management for the campus (Center Services Business Manager)
• July 2011 - began coaching new missionaries as they develop their teams of prayer and financial partners (Partnership Development Coach)
• October 2011 - began helping with the onsite training team for new missionary orientation (Equip)
• February 2012 - began helping with the onsite team that celebrates, cares for and connects with colleagues who have been serving in the US (Wycliffe Stateside Connection)
• March 2013 - began helping with the onsite team that celebrates, cares for and connects with colleagues who have been serving overseas (The Wycliffe Connection) 
• December 2014 - began helping with the onsite training team for new paid staff orientation (Endeavor)

Through each of these events, as you prayed and gave, God has impacted the lives of other Wycliffe colleagues so that they might more effectively fulfill their roles, helping bring hope to the world through the translated Scriptures.

It is a joy to continue to coach new missionaries and to help with the onsite programs listed above. Thank you for the privilege of serving in Bible translation!

This Christmas season, may our hearts rejoice in the Living Word, Jesus Christ.

Truly Understanding

Imagine reading the book of Acts for the first time. Imagine this being your first opportunity to read God's Word in a language you fully understand. One of the couples at a recent Connection program passed this quote on to me:

“I read the Bible every day in the national language, trying to understand what I’m reading. I wrestle with God about these things and ask him what does it mean, but I just can't understand it. But this book of Acts in S_____ is so clear, I can read it and understand it. We are thankful for what all you are doing to put the Bible in the S_____ language.” --a college-educated school teacher

​Paul's Conversion (Acts 9), Photo: Janeen Michie

Thank you for your prayers for long-range scheduling and program preparation. Both are going well. Thanks also for praying for those new members I am responsible to coach. Some of them have "deadlines" coming soon in the new year. They are making good progress and are trusting God to provide as they continue to do their work of sharing about the Bibleless and inviting others to partner with their Wycliffe ministries.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for you... I could not be a part of Wycliffe without your faithful partnership. Your ongoing prayers and gifts are also vital to the 165 million people who are still waiting for the Bible in the language of their hearts. My prayer is for your season to be filled with renewing times with family and friends and opportunities to reflect on His goodness.

The past two weeks...

The past two weeks, your gifts and prayers have been a vital part of our opportunity to care for, celebrate, and connect with two groups who came through Orlando -- a total of 50 other Wycliffe colleagues and 25 of their MKs (missionary kids). It was a tremendous blessing to hear stories of God's faithfulness from co-workers who serve all over the world. The logistical details also went well, praise the Lord.

These weeks are designed to speed Bible translation... to provide encouragement so that each missionary might be renewed in their passion and zeal to stay at the tasks God has called and equipped them to do... so that others may have access to the Bible in the language and form they understand best. I hope you don't get tired of hearing it, but we really are completely dependent on your prayers and God's strength. Thank you for upholding us so well. The Lord is using you!

Now it's time to step back and take a good look at the future. Next week, Lord-willing, we will project program dates for 2018. Then we will also work on the little tweaks needed to get ready for January programs. I'll focus much on coaching "my" new members who are currently building their teams, too. Pray for wisdom and clarity for each task.

Florida is an amazing place to live. I am grateful for the renewal the Lord provides through the surroundings here. (Remember, you are always welcome to come visit!) But it's also time to begin to think ahead to a trip to Indy over the Christmas holiday. Already looking forward to seeing many of you then!

October Update

To learn more about how Bible translation impacts literacy, click on page 1.

For partnership opportunities, click on page 2.