Jesus' car

When we drove home from Florida, we passed this semi truck hauling these massive tires.  (what equipment could possibly use tires this big??)  I asked Kara, "what do you think those tires are for?"  Without taking a breath she announced, "those are Jesus' tires."  "What?" I wondered.  "Why does Jesus need tires?"  Kara said, "because Jesus is really, really, really, really big and those are for his car."  I'm so glad she knows that Jesus is really big and really strong and really powerful.

Our family needs this truth right now as we face two challenges.  One, we are overwhelmed by the millions of people around the world with no Scripture in their heart language.  But we know that since Jesus is all-powerful, He will redeem worshippers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  Our responsibility is to joyfully obey and use the gifts He's given us.  And two, we're overwhelmed by the task of gathering partners to join us in what Jesus is doing in Tanzania.  But we know that since Jesus is all-powerful, He will provide exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.  Our responsibiltiy is to joyfully rest in His grace.  Please pray for us!

Awake, my soul, and sing!

Last weekend we enjoyed the Unity Christian music festival in Muskegon, MI.  We had a blast!  The kids danced with the music and we were led in worship by artists like Third Day, Casting Crowns, and Jeremy Camp.  Our favorite songs are those that put Scripture to music.  Think about your favorite praise songs and hymns...

One of our favorite songs is based on our hope of being with Jesus on the new earth from Revelation 21:1-4, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

We love singing worship songs that put Scripture to music.  Our hearts break for the millions of people around the world with NO Scripture in a language they can understand.  How can they worship?  Our passion is to translate the Bible for people who can then write worship music for their own culture and language.

TANzania or TanZANIA!

God has already given Jeannette and I a love for the people of Tanzania.  We're so excited to meet the people and discover the culture and learn the langauge(s).

Population:  43,739,000
Land area:  over twice the size of California
Economy:  Tanzania is in the bottom 10% of the world's economies, agriculture employs 80% of the workforce, but only 4% of the land is useable
Life expectancy at birth: 52 (Africa is the lowest in the world)
People with HIV/AIDS: 1.4 million (5th highest in the world)
Religions:  30% Christian, 35% Muslim, 35% indigenous beliefs
Languages: official languages are English (in the courts and education) and Swahili but 127 total languages are spoken in the country

Pray with us for the people of Tanzania!

(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tz.html)
(http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/wpp2008_text_tables.pdf)
(http://www.thetask.net/who/statistics)

How will they ever hear?

Jeannette's story of grace

I was blessed to grow up at Calvary Baptist Church in Holland, MI where missions was always a focus and priority. Every year we would have a missions conference at which some of our missionaries would come and share what God was doing on the fields they were working in. I remember specifically in high school for the first time feeling overwhelmed and burdened to see people come to Christ and receive Him as their Savior.

After high school I attended Moody Bible Institute where God placed a real desire to serve in missions in my heart. The summer after my freshman year my home church provided me with an opportunity to experience foreign missions by sending me on a 2 month trip to Slovakia.  My junior year God brought a certain linguistics major into my life, whom I eventually married :). Ben introduced me to Wycliffe and the need that exists for Bible Translation. I was ignorant of the fact that there were people who didn’t have Scripture in their own heart language. I believed that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” I began to ask the question, “how will they believe if they never hear, and how will they ever hear if they don’t have the Word in their own language?”

Well, Ben and I have been married for almost 9 years now, and have served in different ministries, but the desire to serve the Bible-less has never left us. Over the past year God clearly showed us that it was time to begin this journey with Wycliffe. This past winter we were able to visit the Wycliffe headquarters in Orlando and meet with some of the missionaries that serve there. This had a huge impact on me personally, and it was through those conversations that God really brought peace to my heart that this was what we should be pursuing. I loved their hearts. They were genuine and transparent. They shared with us many of their fears when going into missions but also how faithful God had been throughout their lives and the deep joy found in seeing others come to Christ through having the Word of God in their heart language.

I see my main role in going to Tanzania as being Ben’s helper and supporter. I feel very strongly that my greatest ministry right now is to make our home a haven for our family, where Christ can be clearly seen and come to be known. I love my role as wife and mom and am excited to continue this role as we venture out to Tanzania. I also look forward to encouraging and showing Christ to other women that I meet. I pray that God will use us as a family in this goal of bringing the Word to those who have no access to it!

I pulled a Jonah

Ben's story of grace

When God called me to missions, I pulled a Jonah.  God clearly burdened my heart for unreached people groups and gave me a love for the gospel when I was in high school and confirmed it on my first mission trip to Mexico.  But I wanted to go my own way and do my own thing and become rich and famous.  Thankfully, God broke into my heart, convicted me of the sin of pride, and changed my desires. 

Between high school and college, I served as a missionary intern again in Mexico.  When I returned, I attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  During one of Moody’s missions conferences, I was introduced to Wycliffe Bible Translators.  God kindled a passion in my heart to translate God’s Word into a language that people can understand.  I changed my major to Linguistics, which is the study of language, and when it came time for my Moody internship, I joined a Wycliffe Discovery Team in Oaxaca, Mexico.  I met some great missionaries who loved Jesus, loved people, and loved the Word.  

Now, after nine years of growing in grace and pursuing Jesus as a high school Bible teacher and senior pastor, God is leading us back to unreached people groups and Bible translation.  We’re so excited to serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Tanzania, Africa.

Uncle Cam

In the summer of 1917 William Cameron Townsend took a break from his college studies to sell Spanish Bibles in Guatemala.  (How did he find that summer job?!)  "Uncle Cam" quickly realized that the majority of Guatemalans were descendants of the Mayan Indians and didn't speak or read Spanish.  Several Cakchiquel Indians expressed to him their concern that the Scriptures were available in Spanish but not in their language.

Conversations like this and the urging of the Spirit of God convinced "Uncle Cam" that he needed to learn the Cakchiquel language and translate the New Testament for these people so that they could have it in a language they understood clearly - their own language.  He and his wife went to live among the Cakchiquel Indians in Guatemala and began translation work.  He also came back to the U.S. periodically to train other Christians in translation principles.  Ten years later the Cakchiquel New Testament was finished and eventually Wycliffe Bible Translators was formed.

Jeannette and I are so excited to serve with Wycliffe.

"my Bible is about Jesus"

I took Kara with me when I visited a sweet elderly woman from our church.  I told her we were going to read the Bible and pray.  Kara asked, "Daddy, do you have your Bible?"  "Yes," I said.  She joyfully announced, "my Bible is about Jesus!"

I'm so thankful that my daughter has the Bible in a language she can understand.  What breaks my heart is that over 350 million people around the world have no access to Scripture in their mother tongue, in the language of dreams and emotions.  There are over 6,900 known living languages spoken on earth today.  Of those, more than 2,200 do not have a single verse of Scripture.

The vision of Wycliffe Bible Translators is to see God's Word accessible to all people in the language of their heart.  Jeannette and I have caught that vision!