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Vol. 20 No. 3 - Fall, 2006 | ||||
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Dear Friends, It's newsletter time again, so here's my fall report!The Reflection and Prayer Training in October A very special time is the upcoming R & P training that is scheduled at Brookhaven Retreat near Dallas, TX. We currently have participants who are coming from India, Kenya, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Uganda, and the U.K., as well as several who work at one of our U.S. locations: the Dallas International Center, the North Central Regional Office, and the Washington, D.C. office (the personnel there interact with the various embassies). We also will have a prayer leader from a church in IL, and a worker with Pioneers Mission. The group will experience two of the Reflection and Prayer topics, then will work in small groups with a staff member to prepare and present one of the other topics in the R & P notebook, or one of the retreats that I have developed. This will give the participants practice in presenting, and better equip them to return to their work location to lead days of reflection and prayer for others. Many are able to come because of the blessing of the Everett Foundation Fund that assists with the cost of the meals, accommodations, and materials-and because a number of individuals, groups, and churches gave special gifts to help with the costs of flights and other charges. Thank you!? Some Personal News I'm excited that I will begin moving to a mountain home the middle of September. For several years I have been considering this possibility, since many of the retreats that I lead are held in the mountains (please note my new address and phone numbers at the end of this NL). I will be at a Black Mountain, NC address, but it is in the Laurel Ridge community 2.2 miles up the mountain from the little town of Black Mountain. The 1100 acres development was begun about 10 years ago by CBU (Christian Believers United), an interdenominational ministry that does conferences around the world and takes groups on trips to Israel. There are 55 homes in Laurel Ridge (each on a wooded acre with an awesome view). They have already built a youth camp on the grounds, and a children's camp is planned. There is a ball field, and a helicopter pad in preparation for The Village, a large retirement grouping of various homes that will be the second largest Medicare facility in NC (perhaps 8 years or so from now I will move to that part of Laurel Ridge!) I will, of course, come regularly to Charlotte when I am not traveling overseas-several persons here and at our JAARS Center in Waxhaw help prepare my courses and other materials, and I speak frequently at churches in the Charlotte area. |
A Case for Involvement with Wycliffe The worldwide ministry of Wycliffe cannot function without your involvement. Together we can work to make God's Word accessible to all people in the languages that speak to their hearts. Until I went to Indonesia on my first assignment with the organization, and sat in church services that I didn't understand, did I realize how important it is to have the Scripture in one's mother tongue. The world population is 6.5 billion, and there are 6,912 known languages (not dialects). There are 2,529 languages that still need Bible translation-approximately 272 million people don't even have John 3:16. They don't know that God speaks their language, for they have never heard His Word. For them, God is either distant or unknown. Within Wycliffe worldwide there are 6,643 staff (from 27 sending countries), plus over 700 others preparing for service. Each one needs the support of churches, families, and individuals-with both your gifts and prayers. And how I thank you for your support of my Wycliffe ministry! Translation Treasures When the Teke people of the Congo wrong someone, the one at fault goes to the offended party and asks him to 'break his grudges.' This expression communicates to the Teke people what it means to forgive. The Aja language translators in Africa had a difficult time with Ruth's declaration to Naomi, 'Your God will be my God' (Ruth 1:16). The 'gods' of Moab in the previous verse were translated as voju, a term used for powerful spirits in the Aja culture. But that word definitely didn't fit here! Instead the translators chose 'Mawu,' the Aja name for the Ccreator-God. Ruth's declaration now reads, 'Mawu, whom you worship, I will worship Him too.' In Joy I Serve Him,
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