The summer is past, and the fall is here! It's time to be involved in many upcoming activities. Thank you for your prayers for me as I prepare, travel, and teach the seminars and workshops in The ALERT Series, and for making it all possible with both your regular support and special gifts.

An Enjoyable Summer

Even though I was busy revising and updating materials, and fulfilling many speaking engagements, I enjoyed a number of special family occasions, including a family reunion, a visit from my daughter Carolyn and her family from Illinois, a celebration of my son Richard's wedding, a birthday celebration with my sister Jane and her husband John and my son Mark and his family in Raleigh. There was also a high-school reunion, a trip to the mountains to look at several retreat centers as possible locations for the reflection and prayer training, and then a wonderful week of rest and personal retreat at Kanuga near Hendersonville (made possible by special gifts from several donors). Then this month (September), I'll be with my sister Alice in Cape Cod for a week. How blessed I am!

Fall Schedule

In October I'll be doing the week of Reflection and Prayer training at Brookhaven Retreat Center in Texas, two hours drive from the Wycliffe International location in Dallas. Thanks to all of you (individuals, SS classes, groups, and churches) who gave scholarships to make it possible for the participants to come. They work with the Americas Area and in East Africa, West Africa, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and at our Dallas Center. Nancy Duncan, Coordinator of Prayer Ministries for Wycliffe U.S.A., will be the worship leader and will be assisting with some of the teaching as well.

Then I will be traveling to Germany for a week to teach "Life Passages and the Missionary Experience: Finding Strength for the Journey" to Operation Mobilization's conference in Europe. I am looking forward to meeting these conferees who work with another mission. I will just be back in Charlotte when it will be time for my Advisory Board's fall retreat in the NC mountains. I will be facilitating one of the reflection and prayer topics for them at The Snail's Pace in Saluda.

Then during November and December I will fulfill a number of speaking engagements and also prepare for the upcoming courses that I will be doing in Dallas next year.

A Special Blessing

For much of 2005 (before I return to India in November and December), I will be doing a series of "train the trainer" courses (from the topics listed in The ALERT Series brochure) at our International Center. I will be training the participants how they can offer these same seminars and workshops to others in the countries where they work.

We are very grateful that a proposal I wrote to The Everett Foundation was accepted, and the organization has been funded to offer partial and/or full scholarships for individuals who will be coming from various locations around the world to attend this training. The Foundation will fund scholarships each year for a three-year period. I praise the Lord for His goodness, and for the provision of these funds.

Ask the Lord of the Harvest

We need to pray boldly for the resources needed to complete the Bible translation task around the world. The urgency of Vision 2025 (by that year a translation will be started in every language group that doesn't yet have God's Word) forces us to our knees and is driving an increasing need for more prayer, more personnel, and more funds. May we faithfully ask God to bring new workers to join Wycliffe, and to multiply the partnerships needed to forward the work of Bible translation. It also means training more local people in the countries where we work to be involved. Following are some specific prayer requests from locations where I have traveled and taught.

Workshop in East Africa

Understanding the structure of a language results in a better translation. Teams from ANTBA, the local Bible translation organization in Burkina Faso, will come to Ouagadougou, the capital city, to participate in a grammar workshop. Pray for the African students as they learn how to analyze their languages, and pray that they will be able to apply their new skills to Bible translation.

God's Word Hits The Heart

Boxes were piled on the altar in front of 2,000 people. Inside were copies of the Limos Kalinga New Testament being dedicated in the Philippines in June. The importance of the Scripture in one's language is that it hits the heart, proclaimed Father Alunday, one of several priests and pastors who spoke at the ceremony. Praise God for the completion of this New Testament, and pray that the people who bought copies will read, understand, and respond in faith to its message.

Translator Training in the Sepik

Mother tongue translators from six languages in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea are translating portions of Luke and twenty-two Bible story lessons from Genesis. Fifteen participants are enrolled in a workshop, including two or three from the Palimbei, Kwomtari, Pouye, and Manambu language groups. Pray that the work of these translators will be productive and speak the salvation message clearly to their people.

Intercessors Needed

Would you prayerfully consider praying regularly, and asking an individual, prayer group, or church to pray with you? Contact Wycliffe at 800-992-5433 and ask to be put on the list for the Intercessor prayer letter that comes out periodically.

In Joy I Serve Him,

Are You Electronic?
If so, please send your email address to Susan Creech and we'll add them to our list to receive the newsletter that way. They will also be on the list to receive the electronic Prayer and Praise Updates that come out a bit more frequently.

Click here for photos from the newsletter