Tuesday, December 9, 2008

EXCITING developments!!! Please pray!

We need much prayer! Exciting things are happening! The recording of an audio version of the New Testament in Maya has been somewhere between the front and back burner of my life lately, but it has suddenly rocketed to the forefront.

Last Wednesday Clifford fielded a call from the Guatemalan branch of Faith Comes by Hearing, and Friday, the man was there at the Center in a meeting! Clifford now has the assignment of finding 25 readers (it is a dramatized, word for word recording) and hosting an informational meeting by next weekend! He is a little overwhelmed, but tackling the task with courage and determination, despite his physical limitations. He and I have spent quite a few hours online the last couple of days discussing names and making plans.

It looks like the recording will begin sometime in February and take place for five to six weeks. This is no small project! I just put in an innocuous email to Faith Comes by Hearing this past summer, and didn't really expect it to suddenly come to reality. They will be covering all their costs, paying to stay at the Center, paying transportation costs for the readers, etc. I am astounded.

In some ways, I'm feeling sorry that Clifford has to tackle all the preliminaries on his own, not because he is incapable (far from it...he is an extremely gifted young man), but because I know how much it costs him physically because of his sickness, especially since he doesn't have reliable transportation (the license and insurance on my pickup expired when I left, so it is parked). But I am confident that God knew the timing that this would take place long before I left for my visit to the States. He is faithful Who has called us, so we can trust Him!

Please pray for Clifford as he travels to the different villages finding readers, pray that he would find people willing to participate, and pray for his health as he fulfills the task before Him.

I am excited about the opportunity for people to hear the word of God in their own language very soon! Even though many have English Bibles, the older ones cannot read it, and English is not the first language for any of them. What impact might the Scripture have on their lives when they hear it in their heart language?

T.E.A.M. Report

The work of T.E.A.M. continues. So far we have designed a logo, application form for the workshops, and created a flyer. We have also written the first two Bible study lessons, and Clifford and Elvina have tackled the task of translation, and discovered it to be daunting, but not impossible.

We have set the date for the first of our Saturday workshops for January 17th, so we have much preparation to get done before then.

I left Belize on the 26th of November to spend Thanksgiving with my family for the first time in six years. It was a blessed time, and I am so thankful for my wonderful family. I will return to Belize on the 3rd of January. Meanwhile, Clifford, Elvina, and I continue to stay in touch and work on projects via the internet (they have to come to the Center... the villages aren't quite that high tech yet!).

Please keep us in your prayers as we look to the Lord for the provision of a number of supplies, as well as our day to day provision. Also, Clifford continues to have health issues, so we covet your prayers for him. Finally, please pray for lots of wisdom as we seek write, translate, and prepare, we need God's leading!!

T.E.A.M. Begins!

Monday, November 17th was a momentous day for three of us here in the Toledo District of Belize. Two graduates and their teacher met together to form a T.E.A.M. Excitement filled our hearts as we spent time in prayer, seeking God’s will for the next steps in our lives. The theme for the morning came from Matthew 8:13, “...Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed…” We realize that we are unequal to our task, but we asked God for faith to believe that He will do great things through our feeble efforts.

T.E.A.M. stands for “Teaching, Encouraging, Assisting, and Mentoring.” We will be working to develop basic adult Bible study material, translating it into Maya and Kekchi, then implementing it in the churches in the area. We will be training leaders to lead studies in their villages. On Saturday mornings we will host workshops for anyone with topics ranging from discipleship courses, New Testament history for everyday believers, music, English skills, and computer literacy. We have also been asked by the District Superintendent to assist the pastors in their English skills in preparation for ordination. We are also working toward doing an audio recording of the New Testament in Maya. We are thankful to have the professional skills of “Faith Comes by Hearing,” to help us in this project.

I am excited to be working with alongside Elvina and Clifford as we set out on this new endeavor. I am blessed that they have chosen to set aside personal ambitions and follow the Lord’s call into this ministry at this time in their lives.