PA Days Coming to a Close

I’m thankful for the time I’ve spent here in PA.  The Lord has provided for all of my needs, kept me safe over many miles of traveling, given me good meetings, and helped me to make good contacts.  I will be leaving PA on Monday, but I need to bring you up-to-date on what’s happened these past few weeks. 

First, I’m thankful that Lowman Baptist Church in Pine Grove, WV, has taken me on for support.  This brings me up to 39%!  Praise the Lord.  I look forward to fellowshipping more with Wayne Cooper and his people. 

The last time I made a post was when I was in Pittsburgh.  Well, I’ve driven across the state three times since then.  I came back to the east for a meeting at Hope B/C in Hanover.  I enjoyed seeing Josh Franklin, a former advisee of mine.  I also enjoyed the fellowship with his father-in-law, their families, and the church.  I visited three pastors on the way up to Lancaster, PA, the next day.  I met a few more the next day as I headed to Mechanicsburgh for a hayride with the singles of Emmanuel B/C, where I will be attending a missions conference in Nov 09. 

I had a good meeting at Maranatha B/C in Reading on Oct. 26.  Dr. Merritt Hole has such a big heart, and he never has a hard time keeping a conversation going.  I enjoyed preaching in the AM and presenting my ministry in the PM.  The people had a real heart for my ministry and were very friendly.  The following Monday I visited the Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata.  It appears to me that this cloister was the location of an 18th-century cult.  After the walking tour, I was able to share with the docent about the free grace of Christ that delivers us from bondage that these cult followers were under.  She wasn’t too concerned that she was not born again and probably on her way to hell, but she listened to my witness and took a track.  Pray that she would get concerned about her eternal state before it’s eternally took late.  She said she has a friend or relative who is also very concerned about her and witnessing to her. 

I met up with a few more pastors that week.  Then I headed to Parsippany B/C in Parsippany, NJ.  The people were very friendly toward me there too.  I was especially impressed by the interest of the teens.  They listened very carefully and even responded when I asked questions.  I met a few more pastors later that week, including some men at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminar.  I also had a great time staying at the home of my former basketball (high school) coach and administrator–Randy Thaxton. 

I went back to the Harrisburg area on Saturday to prepare for my meeting at Mtn View Bible Church in Hummelstown.  Dr. Norman Marks has been very gracious to me, including providing an apartment where I can prepare for my PNG trip.  Of course, I spent Mon driving across the state for a pastors’ meeting and then back across the state on Tues.  I was able to make some good contacts, and even schedule a missions conferernce in Duncansville in Nov. 09.  I appreciated the ministry of Dr. Ralph Colas at the pastors’ meeting.  He’s the director of the ACCC. 

There’s two days left to do more preparing for PNG so I better get to it !  Please pray for wisdom as I prepare.  Please also pray for safety, both physically and spiritually.  Flying 23 hours in a plane with wicked movies all around me is a very difficult environment.  Please pray for Spirit enabling to do right!

Autumn in PA

I’m so glad the Lord worked it out for me to be in PA in the Fall, because I have thoroughly enjoyed the colorful hills.  The peak season in the SW is already past, but not in the SE. 

On my “blank Sunday” I was able to visit Emmanuel Baptist Church in Mechanicsburg and Bible Baptist in New Bloomfield.  I had a great time at the former.  I was able to meet the pastor (Steve Crews) as soon as I got there, and he suggested that I call him for a meeting even before I could bring up the subject (of course, I gave him my brochure, so that made my intentions pretty obvious).  He also asked me to introduce myself before the offering and then pray for the offering.  He also took me out to lunch with his family and then gave me an empty office to use for the afternoon.  What a gracious man!  I’ve set it up to go back to his church in Nov 09 for their missions conference.

The following Wed I was able to visit the Wexler’s church in Pottstown, PA.  I had a great time fellowshipping with the Wexlers, Wes Hedrick, and the people at Bethesda Baptist.  It was like a little slice of Mt. Calvary again. 

On Thurs I made many calls, and on Fri I followed through with some of those calls.  I had a great time at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary.  I was able to meet the president and a couple of professors.  It looks like I will be returning there for a chapel to present the ministry of BI.  I was also able to spend a couple of hours with my former bball coach and administrator from Schaumburg Christian School.  It was great to see him and his wife (the Thaxtons). 

Yesterday was the most tiring and hectic Sunday of my deputation experience yet.  I presented my ministry to three different churches, two in Pittsburgh and one 1.5 hours away from Pittsburgh.  But the Lord greatly blessed, even in the wrong turns I made as I traveled (because they helped me out later by the info I discovered).  I ministered in SS and the AM service at Bible Baptist, pastored by Philip Golden.  It was a privilege to minister there for their anniversary Sunday.  Then after scarfing down some lunch, I headed across town to Ambassador Baptist, pastored by Mark Montgomery.  Mark’s daughter is currently helping BI in India.  I appreciated the opportunity to be there.  Then I traveled a few hours to be at Calvary Baptist, pastored by Darryl Jeffers.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and ministry.  I enjoyed meeting many people from my days at LINC as well as making new friends.  I also enjoyed seeing Lucas and Kelly Vanderwerker again.  Lucas was an advisee of mine at BJU. 

Now I’m in Pittsburgh trying to meet with pastors.  I had a great meeting with Pastor Kistler of Middletown Rd Baptist.  We set up a meeting for Mar 09, and he also gave me many helpful tips for meeting other pastors, including a pastors’ conference.  I hope to follow up on them in the next few weeks. 

Thanks so much for the prayers for good ministry and solid contacts.  The Lord has definitely given grace and strength!

Travels to WV and PA

I had a great trip from MI to WV on Sept. 27, traveling through the beautiful Amish country of central OH.  I enjoy getting off the interstates and traveling down the two-lane roads through the country.  I especially enjoy the double-yellow-lined two lane roads that wind around forests and through hilly areas.  There was no lack of that on this trip, especially when I got into WV.  Wayne Cooper’s church (Lowman Baptist Church) is tucked away in a narrow section between two hills, about 8 miles from the nearest town.  Far enough into the sticks that I had no cell phone coverage!  In fact, it took about 30 minutes of driving when I left to return to cell phone land. 

Wayne and I were in the same apartment together as graduate assistants at BJU, along with 4 other guys.  So it was great to catch up with him and his wife Charity.  I also enjoyed meeting their adopted Russian son Nathanael.  The Coopers lost their parsonage to a fire when they were in Russia for the adoption, but the Lord has made up for their loss with a beautiful house and a study full of books.  I had a great time staying with them for the weekend and ministering in their church.  I was thankful to meet Tim Amundson, a representative for Bibles International.  This church (thanks partly to Tim!) is very favorable about taking me on for support. 

The following Monday I headed to Pittsburgh so that I could meet pastors to schedule future meetings.  I was able to send out letters, but my time in Pittsburgh was cut short when my laptop monitor bit the dust.  I ended up having to drive over to the eastern side of the state (for various reasons related to getting my computer fixed) on Friday.  But I did have a very profitable time in Pittsburgh as I prepared another sermon and met with one pastor (another friend from BJU) on Wed night.  We had a great time of fellowship as he took me out for desert after the service.  He would like to have me in for a meeting next spring. 

I attended a missions conference in Middletown on Sat-Wed.  I was supposed to attend the kickoff picnic on Saturday, but because of a misunderstanding I didn’t end up going.  But I enjoyed a relaxing time of reading and resting at a local park that afternoon.  I taught in SS and preached in the evening service on Sunday, and both went very well.   The message I prepared the week before was what I preached the following Wed.  The Lord really blessed that time as well, and I’m looking forward to giving it again in the near future.

Since my computer was at the shop, I had plenty of time for reading.  I’m reading through Meaning-Based Translation and On Being a Missionary.  I’m actually kinda thankful for these times without my computer, because it forces me to do other necessary things. 

I got my computer back on Thursday, so now I’m back in business.  I was able to send off letters to 20 different pastors in the area.  I plan on visiting them over the next few weeks.  Please pray for successful contacts. 

I was supposed to have a meeting in VA tomorrow, but that had to be rescheduled.  I plan on visiting a few different churches to make contact with the pastors.  Though I don’t like having a “blank Sunday,” I take this as from the Lord and look forward to how He will work. 

Thanks so much for your prayers.  I definitely need them!

Please check out my updated itinerary and praises/prayer requests pages.

Trip to IL and WI

I traveled almost 2,200 miles and presented my ministry at 5 different churches in IL these past few weeks.  My first meeting was in Pekin, IL, where my parents grew up, met, and got married.  I wasn’t able to present my ministry at the church where they got married, but maybe I’ll get that privilege in the future.  From what I’ve been told, it’s still a solid church.  At the time of my parents’ marriage, my father and his family were attending there, but my mom and her family were Catholic.  Praise God for the work He’s done in my family since then.  I still have some relatives (my stepgrandmother and her daughter and family) in the Pekin area, so I enjoyed getting to see them again. 

My travels also took me up to the Chicago area where I was able to stay with my sister and her new husband and my uncle and his new wife (my aunt passed away around 6 years ago).  Both couples were married this past summer.  I appreciated the opportunity to get to know my new relatives better.

I was also able to attend the Netcasters Evangelism Training Seminar in Menomonee Falls, WI.  The one-week intensive course taught me much about how to present the gospel, the power of the Holy Spirit in evangelism, and the victory in sanctification that we can gain as we look to Christ with the eyes of faith.  We praise God for the 42 salvation decisions that were made as we went out for evangelism three different times during that week.  It was exciting to see the power of God working through the gospel. 

The Lord greatly prospered my meetings with the churches in IL.  The gifts exceeded all of my expenses, and I was able to see God burden hearts for my ministry.  It looks like there are some very promising possibilities for future support as a result of this trip.  I praise the Lord that my support has risen to 31% now, as a couple in IL took me on recently. 

I head out this Saturday for a trip to WV, PA, VA, NJ, and SC.  I’m looking forward to being in the PA area for the change of the season.  I’ll travel about 9 hours this Saturday to a very pretty place in WV.  In addition to the meetings and missions conference that I will be attending, I hope to make contact with numerous pastors in the area.  Please pray that all of this will go well. 

During my visits with churches, I will also need to prepare for my trip to Papua New Guinea in November.  We are looking into the possibility of translating the Bible into the Pidgin English.  Though there are two translations currently in that language, the Baptist pastors in our circles are not satisfied with them.  One is too paraphrastic and the other is translated from the KJV.  Dr. Bernard, the regional coordinator, and I will be meeting with the pastors to see if we can team up to do this translation.  Pray that we would have wisdom as we prepare and present.

I will also need to find time to prepare for my first consultation work in Haiti in December.  Daniel Telfort is translating the OT into Haitian Creole, and I am appointed to be the main consultant.  At first I will be a trainee learning how to consult as Dr. Bernard mentors me. 

I will be away from Grand Rapids from this Saturday until mid January.  I plan on spending Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with family and friends in Greenville, SC.

Please note my updated itinerary and prayers/praises.

Making the Transition

The Lord gave us a very profitable Consultant Seminar last week.  Thanks so much for your prayers.  We discussed numerous different issues: successful translation questionnaire, Scripture-in-Use, translation philosophy, collaboration on the internet, wikis, visions and values, literacy, mentoring, Bibleworks, etc.  Now we need the Lord’s grace to implement these ideas, and we also need the Lord to send us more workers to help.  I feel overwhelmed whenever I think of all that needs to be done, but I’m thankful that the Lord is more concerned about this work that any of us.  I’m thankful that He has already sent us more laborers.  There were four of us “consultants in training,” and a couple and a young man expressed their desire to begin the application process to join us.  In addition, another consultant, Ashley Anderson, was accepted into BMM last month and will join us after she gets married and finishes some more schooling.  So we praise the Lord for the help He is giving, but there are still many needs, especially here in the office.  The director, Dr. Bernard, is greatly overwhelmed by the many responsibilities that have fallen upon his shoulders, since we have a couple of open manager positions.  Please pray!

After the seminar I enjoyed a long weekend in the New York City area.  It was good to set aside the responsibilities at Bibles International to enjoy some rest and relaxation.  I enjoyed making new friends and seeing the sites of NYC.  I was able to take a bus tour on Saturday through Manhattan, and I got to see Ground Zero and the Museum of Natural History on Monday.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to present the gospel to a Muslim from Ghana on Saturday.  What a joy it was to share Christ with him at the intersection in a very busy city!  Please pray for him.  He gave me his phone number, so I plan on calling him eventually.

Now I begin the transition back into full-time deputation.  I’ve actually not been involved in that very much yet, since I’ve also been trying to keep up with linguistics courses at the same time.  But we’ve decided that the bulk of my linguistics training is behind me at this point (Is it really possible that I don’t have to be a student any more?!!!), so now I can concentrate on raising support, except for the occasional trip overseas (to PNG in November, to Haiti in December, to ?? in Jan-Feb).  I will be in IL for the next three weeks and then back to Grand Rapids for a week.  Then I head to the eastern US for meetings that will take me into Jan. 09. 

Please pray for safety, grace to overcome sin and to be effective, and provision.  Praise the Lord that my support is now at 30%.  Pray that it will increase quickly, because there is so much to do in the ministry, but I can devote so little time to it.

Time Flies

I just realized it’s been almost a month since I posted something on my blog.  Here I thought it was only a couple of weeks ago.  Much has happened since my last update.  I was able to finish well the linguistics courses I was taking at SIL-UND (I hope to share more of what I learned in a later post).  I enjoyed my weekend visit to Marshall, MN, to see the Linscotts.  We had great fellowship and ice cream together.  Pray for Greg because he experienced an accident on his scooter just a few days after I left.  He is in good condition, but he has to go through a number of skin graphs.  Not fun! 

After my time in ND, I headed to Schaumburg, IL, for a Singles’ Conference.  I had a great time making some new friends and being edified by the great teaching and preaching.  Without allowing myself to stay at one place too long, I headed back to Grand Rapids Saturday evening with just enough time to unpack, get some sleep, and head to a deputation meeting in Niles, MI.  Pastor Lomax and Emmanuel Baptist Bible Church treated me very well the entire day.  I could tell that they caught a burden for my ministry, because the pastor asked everyone to spend some time in prayer and heart searching after I finished presenting my ministry in the evening service.

After a seemingly short week of trying to catch up from three-month’s absence in the office and trying to prepare for the upcoming events (retreat and seminar), I had another deputation meeting in Belding, MI, at Ashley Baptist Church.  Pastor Dave Oliver and the church were greatly impressed by the needs of Bible translation.  In fact, the pastor told me that I am number 1 on his list to receive support as soon as the funds become available. 

I head to Kalamazoo, MI, tomorrow for a meeting at Green Meadow Baptist church, pastored by Paul Pendell.  I’ll be speaking in the SS hour, the AM service, and the PM service.  Please pray for a fruitful ministry. 

The Lord made His presence very obvious at the BI Retreat last week.  For the entire three days together, we could sense a spirit of peace and unity.  It was truly refreshing to be together and to enjoy such a beautiful environment.  After the retreat I had one more full day to get ready for the Consultant Seminar, probably the most important annual event in the life of my department, the Text Production Department.  We spend six days discussing various issues that help us be better consultants.  This is my first year leading the seminar, and the Lord has helped things to come together well.  There are 24 consultants, prospective or actual, attending.  The sessions begin at 8:15 and end at 3:30, with meetings with individuals wrapping up the rest of the day.  The first day (Friday) went very well.  Please pray for continued success.  There is so much to discuss, but so little time. 

I look forward to taking a little break from the action next weekend, where I will spend some time in the New York city area.  I’ll enjoy some site-seeing and fellowship with friends.

More about Eskimos

I put up a post a number of months ago on my “Translator’s Page” about the great Eskimo hoax.  I hope I’ve done my part as a linguist to dispell this false story from our conversations, but in case I haven’t quite accomplished that, I would encourage you to read this article: pullum-eskimo-vocabhoax1. 

On a personal note… I have only two weeks left up here, and one more weekend.  This weekend I look forward to visiting Greg Linscott and his family in Marshall, MN, where he is pastoring a small church.  I enjoyed getting to know the Linscotts when they were in Grand Rapids during a short period of transition from one ministry to another.

Back to Chicago Again

I sure have been seeing a good bit of Chicago this summer.  I passed through there on my way out to ND, went back there a week later for my sister’s wedding, and then went back in a month (last weekend) for a deputation meeting.  I’ll be back there once again on Aug. 8-9 for the Singles Conference at Bethel Baptist Church in Schaumburg, IL. 

Though it was a whirlwind trip (left Sat afternoon and came back Mon early morning), it was a great trip to Lake County Baptist Church in Waukegan, IL.  Pastor Ralph Warren definitely has a heart for missions and Bible translation.  His church is multi-ethnic and multi-lingual.  Numerous types of accents can be heard at Lake County.  Pastor Warren captured the international spirit of his church by having the Bible read in the representative languages–Italian, German, Tagalog, Hindi, Haitian Creole, French, etc.  It was great preparation for my presentation Sunday evening. 

Sunday was the start of their missions conference.  It was to continue until Wednesday.  I wish I could have stayed for the entire conference, but I’m glad I was able to be there for at least one day.  The people showed great interest in my ministry.  In fact, an entire page (plus one name) of my email sign-up sheet was filled out.  In addition, there was never a dull or silent moment, because I was constantly speaking to the believers about my ministry.  What a blessing to see their heart for missions and Bible translation!  I’m thankful for how the Lord answered prayers for this good trip.

Check out my updated itinerary on the “where am I?” page and my praise and prayer updates.

Learning More About Numbers

For those of you who read my previous post about the statistics that present the needs of Bible translation, you will want to read it again, because I’ve had to revise some of the things that I said, based on what I’ve learned recently.  Sorry for presenting the information incorrectly last week.  I really thought that I understood the whole situation, but I guess I didn’t.  I think I understand the situation better now, but then again, I may receive further clarity again in a few weeks. 

I hope my revised post doesn’t discourage anyone from praying hard for this ministry or considering joining it.  The needs are still extremely large.  One thing I didn’t say about the stats in that post is the fact that just because a Bible is published in a language doesn’t mean that the need is no longer there.  There’s always a need for revision, and in other cases, there may be a need for a complete re-translation. 

For those who are interested in the ministry of Bible translation, you might want to read my review of an article by D. A. Carson about the limits of the theory of dynamic equivalence.  See “Translator’s Page.”

What’s in a Number? (revised)

When I give my presentation at churches, I like to draw their attention to the back of my prayer card.  I note that many missionaries put prayer requests on the back of their card.  Then I point out that I have over 4,500 prayer requests on the back of my card, because there are that many languages that don’t have a SINGLE verse of Scripture in their own language.  Of course, that makes the impact that I intend.  Then I explain that my greatest concern is for the believers among those 4,500 who have to have a relationship with the Lord through a Bible not written in their heart language. 

While I was in Quebec, I had a guy (an American from BJU, in fact) express his confusion about that number.  He said that Wycliffe Bible Translator’s site notes that there are around 2,500 languages without any portion of Scripture.  In fact, the number is presently about 2,300.  I was just speaking to two representatives of Wycliffe (and SIL), and they said that they derive their number by starting with a rough gestimate of 3,000 languages that they project to have a need for Bible translation.  Then, they subtract out some hard-and-fast numbers of what they are currently doing.  Thus, they arrive at the 2,300 amount. 

I was also able to pick up a Wycliffe brochure to help me better understand their perspective on the need.  According to a graph that they have in the brochure, Bible translation projects are currently underway in around 2,700 languages.  They indicate that there are around 6,900 languages in the world, so that leaves around 4,200 that still have a need.  This is much higher than the 2,300 mentioned above.  However, there are a number of languages among the 4,200 that might go extinct before we are able to provide them with a Bible translation.  But it’s really difficult to know for sure how many of those languages are close to extinction. 

And as I said in my earlier post, a full survey of all the world’s languages hasn’t actually been accomplished.  What a mammoth task that would be!  Thus, the numbers that we can provide are not hard-and-fast numbers.  When we finally get around to surveying them, we may find that there are many more languages that have needs.  Someone said last Sunday that there are around 100 sign languages in the world, but that if we did an in-depth survey, we would probably discover that there are more like 400 sign languages. 

Another person I sat with at lunch last week pointed out that even the 400+ languages with complete Bibles have needs.  In at least one case, the last edition was published 100 years ago and no one knows where it can be accessed. 

Needless to say, there is still MUCH work to be done in the field of Bible translation.  And when one considers the great deal of linguistics work that needs to precede, accompany, and follow Bible translation, we can bank on the fact that there will be no shortage of needs any time soon in this aspect of missions.  It is true that there is not as much of a need as what I had originally thought–i.e., 2,300 is much less than 4,500.  But as I said earlier, we can’t be sure that 2,300 represents the actual need.   In addition, the Bible agencies around the world want to at least begin projects in all of the 2,300 needy languages by 2025.  But remember, this is just the BEGINNING and this is just the languages that have been surveyed. 

Another note about numbers.  I read some tracts in Quebec that spoke of the great diffusion of Bible translation.  In fact, one tract says that 97% of the world can now read at least a part of the Bible in their maternal language.  What are we to make of that?  Well, we should actually adjust the figure to around 93% and we should keep in mind that the remaining 7% represents around 400 million people.  In addition, we need to ask ourselves, “What is the quality of the Scripture that they do have access to?  How much of the Bible do they actually have access to in their own language?  Should we rest content if they have a dozen portions of Scripture from various places in the Bible?  Why can’t they have the same privilege that we do of having it ALL?!”  The Bible is a highly disseminated Book, but this does not mean that there are no more needs or that there are only a few needs here and there around the globe.  There are GREAT needs, and they demand IMMEDIATE attention, because souls are dying without access to Scripture in their own heart language. 

What’s the moral of this post?  Keep in perspective what you read about numbers in this field of Bible translation.  Pray for the Lord to send more laborers.  I’m so thankful that I have been called to this ministry.  And here I have been concerned recently that maybe there aren’t that many needs.  I have the feeling that I am going to look back on these days in the future and laugh at my unwarranted concern.