Recording continues...

Greetings everyone! Your prayers are so appreciated! It seems the enemy has been doing his best to stop the recording with sickness, power outages, lots of rain (tin roof + rain = too much noise to record), struggling readers, etc. But that does not surprise us, because it is God's Word we are recording and the enemy does not like that! We are so blessed by those who have come and read their parts: Emeterio, Juan, Sandra, Profilio, Fermin, Rosaria, Bernaldino, Alberto... Please pray that the Lord would bless them for their service to Him!

This week we are short on monitors, so that keeps Clifford and I tied up with the monitoring. Plus, Clifford has been reading some of his parts (he has the 13 Pauline epistles). We had to find a replacement for the person reading the parts for Jesus (another MAJOR reader part), so that slowed things down a little. However, we are pressing on and thankful for the strength God gives day by day. Please pray for our technicians from Guatemala, one of them was sick yesterday.

We are still working to get ready for workshops each Saturday. Dear Elvina, who speaks Kekchi, not Maya, has not been part of the recording much, but she is faithfully working to prepare her lessons and translate the Bible study.

We would especially request your prayers for the next few days as we are having trouble with the reader schedules...

Birthday Blessings

Yesterday was my birthday, and I was reminded of all of God's blessings through out my life! He has blessed me with a wonderful family, wonderful friends, wonderful co-workers, but most of all, the precious gift of salvation!!!

Elvina, Clifford, and I were able to take a half day off to catch a little R & R at a river, so that was another wonderful blessing!!!

The recording continues to go well. Three people completely finished their parts last week: Pedro, Fernando, and Mark. Juan did not quite finish his, so he'll have to work on it again. Yesterday and this morning, Alberto recorded the book of James, as well as some other small parts. Bro. Bernaldino (Clifford's father) was supposed to start recording the Gospel of John, 1,2, & 3 John, and Revelation yesterday, but he is sick with a cough. In the meantime, Clifford did some of his parts today (he is Paul and has to read all 13 of Paul's epistles, plus small parts for Paul in the book of Acts), but tomorrow, Bro. Fermin will come and read some of his parts, as well as Bro. Canti.

Please keep the technicians, monitors, and readers in your prayers!

March 13, 2009

Recording continues, day by day. Pedro and Fernando finished their parts late Wednesday night (10 minutes until 11:00!), and now Mark and Juan are here. They have to narrate the books of Mark and Matthew, so they have a lot of work to do! Please keep them in your prayers!

We will have our Saturday workshop tomorrow, so pray that we'll be able to finish preparation for that, and that God will prepare the hearts of those who come.

And it is underway!

We had a good recording meeting yesterday. Due to it being a holiday, not all of the readers were able to attend, however the ones who came were excited about getting started.

After the meeting, two of the readers stayed and began recording, the person reading for Peter, and the person reading angel parts and the book of Hebrews. It was hard to get going, but once they started into it, they began to do better and better. Regardless, it is never easy, because of some difference in local word usage and that of the text, as well as just getting the pronunciation correct. Most of the readers have not read in their own language much, as it is not taught in the schools, so it is a daunting task before them! I am so inspired by their willingness to try and give it their best effort!

Please pray for Fernando and Pedro as they continue to read through Wednesday, and pray for Clifford, Elvina, and I, that we would still be able to get our other work done, in spite of our involvement in the recording work.

Recording starts… tomorrow!!!

I am lying here in my hammock, enjoy a few moments respite before the next six weeks begin, I think it is going to be busy!!

Friday afternoon Carlos and Isidro arrived from Guatemala to set up for the dramatized audio recording of the Maya New Testament. They speak no English, Maya, or Kekchi, and we speak very limited Spanish, so we have a small challenge on our hands! However, one of our recording monitors is fluent in Spanish, so that should help us.

Tomorrow is the big day. We will have a meeting with all the readers, then two of them will begin recording. Please, please pray for all of us during this time, as I am sure the enemy will do his best to oppose the recording of God's Word. One concern is the noisiness of our surroundings. We do not have a completely enclosed building, so all the sounds from the outside come right inside. They were doing some test recording yesterday, and the microphones were picking up all the outside noise. Please pray that God will work mightily in this area, He can calm seas, so is it too hard for Him to block out noises? Also, no one here really reads their own language fluently, they were never taught to, so reading at a level suitable for a recording is challenging! Please pray for blessings on their reading skills. We are still lacking a second monitor. Clifford and I could fill in, but that would really tax our abilities to fulfill other responsibilities like the Bible study work and workshop preparations. Please pray for God's clear direction there. We are excited about what God is going to do.

We had no workshops this Saturday, as it was time for the annual Belize District Church of the Nazarene District Assembly. I had the privilege of attending the Assembly, and hearing the reports of what God has been doing in the churches throughout the country. We serve a mighty God, and it was a blessing to see many people who I usually have the opportunity to see only once a year. Several people from here in Toledo were elected to important boards, so we trust that God will accomplish His purposes through these appointments.

I travelled home on a bus full of the pastors and church members from Toledo. I wish you could have been there for the triumphant service we had on the long drive home. No message was preached, but we lifted our voices in praise to our Lord in four different languages and for at least four hours. It was truly a delight, but it did come to end. I stepped off the bus at home with a chorus of farewells and blessings ringing in my ears. I live among precious people of God, and one day our worship services will never end!

As we travelled that evening, we passed through one of my favorite scenic areas of Belize, a fertile valley along the Hummingbird Highway. The hills rise and fall to the horizon, and are covered with rich green citrus groves on both sides of the road. The drive is delightful at any time of the day, but in the evening, just as the sun is getting ready to set, the beauty exceeds my ability to describe it. Of course, it also makes it very difficult to drive with the sun in your eyes, but if one is allowed to simply ride and soak in the splendor; one is reminded of the greatness of his Creator. There is a certain tree here in Belize which, when barren of leaves, covers itself with flowers of a mixture of buttery, lemony yellow. Saturday evening, besides the rich green of the citrus groves, the hills were dotted with the glow of these trees. As the sun settled low on the horizon, its gentle brightness touched these trees and transformed them to specks of gold across the hills as far as the eye could see.

Sing to the LORD a new song;
       sing to the LORD, all the earth.

 ² Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
       proclaim his salvation day after day.

 ³ Declare his glory among the nations,
       his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 ⁴ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
       he is to be feared above all gods.

 ⁵ For all the gods of the nations are idols,
       but the LORD made the heavens.

 ⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him;
       strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

 ⁷ Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

 ⁸ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
       bring an offering and come into his courts.

 ⁹ Worship the LORD in the splendor of his ^[a] holiness;
       tremble before him, all the earth.

 ¹⁰ Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
       The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
       he will judge the peoples with equity.

 ¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
       let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

 ¹² let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
       Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

 ¹³ they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,
       he comes to judge the earth.
       He will judge the world in righteousness
       and the peoples in his truth.

Psalm 96 (NIV)

T.E.A.M. Deployment

For the second time now, all three of us from T.E.A.M. made a trip into a village to help implement the materials we are developing. A village “deployment” usually requires a Saturday – Monday morning commitment, due to transportation issues.
Saturday morning, as soon as our workshops were over, we gathered up our things and prepared to leave. After a mile walk to the junction at noon, we caught the bus going to San Jose. We planned to minister at the church in Na Luum Ca, which is just a couple miles from San Jose. Clifford lives in San Jose, so we went there first to prepare a few things we needed for the weekend.
We had the opportunity to enjoy a special treat with Clifford’s parents, as they had just harvested the last of the green corn (the rest of the corn they will allow to grow until it is mature and dry, so it can be cooked and used for tortillas). Sister Justina ground some of the tender kernels and cooked them, creating a corn porridge, a delightful delicacy. The rest of the corn she ground, rolled into the fresh husks, placed them in a pot, and boiled, making a tender, meatless sort of tamales. I was glad that we had timed our trip just right, I love sa' and tzit!
Later that evening, we walked toward Na Luum Ca, stopping by the pastors’ house, where Elvina and I spent the night. After chatting with the pastor’s family, and discussing plans for the next day, we settled in for a night of rest.
Sunday morning began with a meal and a pleasant walk to the village, where we were able to enjoy the service with the believers there. Immediately following the service, we were given the opportunity to share with the people. I gave a brief introduction to the work of T.E.A.M. and the purpose of the Bible study materials. Elvina shared a testimony, and Clifford taught the first lesson of the Bible study. He did an outstanding job! I was blessed as I sat and listened to him sharing truth with the people in a way I could not, because of my limited fluency in Maya. It is a delight to have the opportunity to see Elvina and Clifford taking the tools we are developing and presenting them to their people so effectively.
The people responded well to the Bible study, and interacted with thoughts of their own; giving us encouragement that it was meeting a need. The pastor spoke at length with me afterward of the limitations of understanding spiritual things in English, expressing his appreciation for the work we are doing.
Na Luum Ca Church of the Nazarene is facing a time of transition as their pastor is being called elsewhere. Please pray for a new pastor, and also pray that they will be able to continue the Bible study and that it would bring forth fruit in their lives.
After eating and visiting with the pastor’s family, Elvina and I walked back to San Jose, chatting with a few people along the way, before making our way back to the home of Clifford’s parents. His dad is the pastor of the church in San Jose, so we participated in the evening service there before getting some rest and catching the bus back home early Monday morning.
Praise God for His protection as we travelled and for His hand upon us as we shared the things He has given to us! We are blessed to be able to give a little of all the blessings He has given to us.