During the first week the focus was more on teaching them the sounds of languages and helping them learn how to produce them. They had an oral exam on the English consonants at the end of the week. But then over the weekend they began to get into phonological analysis, and some began lagging behind. I also lagged behind some in my grading, so it wasn’t until Wednesday that it became apparent that the students needed more demonstration of how to do phonological analysis. So I set aside Thursday’s entire class period to go through various problems. I praise the Lord that by the end of that day the material was finally clicking in the minds of most of the students, and they were beginning to see clearly how valuable this material is for their future ministry.

Knowing phonetics (the sounds of languages) and phonology (the sound system of a particular language) provides them with the tools they need to become as proficient in the language as the nationals and to completely lose their foreign accent. It gives them the know-how to gain an instinctive feel for the language. Not only will they know exactly where in the vocal apparatus to say the sounds, but they will also know the reasons why the pronunciation of the dictionary form of the word alters in actual speech. They will also have the tools to analyze suprasegmental features of the language (e.g., intonation, tone, and stress). With that knowledge they will have a feel for the “rhythm” of the language. And those who will teach English as a second language will be better able to explain what’s going on in the language they are teaching!

Though the teaching is over for this module, the work still continues both for me and the students. They have two final exams to complete by Monday. And that means I have more grading to do.

But for now I need to turn my attention to my furlough meeting at Lake County Baptist Temple in Waukegan, IL, on Sunday, and to the “Conference on the Church for God’s Glory” at First Baptist Church in Rockford, IL, on Monday. Then I can get back home and try to make up for lost time as I prepare for the Haitian Creole OT workshop that begins in two weeks. The stress level has been quite high for the past few months and won’t let up until mid June, if I can make it that long!

My meeting at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Huntley, IL, went very well. I was so pleased to see how that church is alive, though at one time, Pastor Carlson wondered if it would ever survive.

Well, then the first day of class finally arrived! Monday morning! I was thankful to hear that the class size was reduced some, though I didn’t like that some students would be missing out on the learning experience. But it made teaching the class much more manageable, primarily because of the oral quiz and oral final exam.

I was probably as nervous on Monday about teaching this class as I was for my first day of teaching in Cameroon in 1998 or my first day of teaching at BJU in 2005. In fact, I may have been more nervous. I think it was just the newness of the whole situation and my relative unfamiliarity with the course material. But once I began teaching, the Lord helped everything to click in my mind so well. By Tuesday night I had finished preparations on the last outstanding bit of lecture material, and I had taught a few classes, so I could finally start to relax a little.

It really helped me to relax knowing that I had such a great group of students. Sometimes in this class the students are quite overwhelmed and wondering what application the material has to their lives. But these students are catching on quite quickly and have been noticing how valuable the material will be for their future ministries. Some want to teach English in China, so they are thankful to learn exactly how to describe the way in which the vocal apparatus produces the English sounds. Others want to serve as missionaries, so they are thankful to be exposed to the sounds of other languages.

I praise the Lord for helping everything to come together so well. I was quite anxious about things, but now I’m quite calm and confident in the Lord. I look forward to one more week of teaching. The last week will be quite intense, partly because I will be preparing the students for the end-of-the-course assignments, including an oral final exam that I will need all of Thursday and Friday afternoons to administer.

Tomorrow I’ll be driving down to Cornerstone Baptist Church in Huntley, IL, to speak at Paul Carlson’s church. Paul and I knew each other back when we both attended Bethel B/C in Schaumburg, IL. I look forward to being at his church (first time was in 2007). It will be a privilege to celebrate Mother’s Day with him and his people.

I wish I could be with my mom and my family tomorrow, but I know my mom will be with me “in spirit.” If it weren’t for her, I surely wouldn’t be doing the ministry that I’m doing now. Thank you, Mom, and thank you, Lord, for giving me such a wonderful Mom!

Someone asked me today what the current status is of our project load. We are working with 37 languages in 14 countries. There are 18 NTs being written and 16 OTs, and 3 Bibles being revised. We are also working on 21 literacy projects.

And then there’s a quote I wanted to share. It’s from someone who is very interested in joining us and who did an internship with us recently:

I already believed translation work was where God was leading me, and the trip did nothing to dissuade that. But it did really give me a better idea of what translation consulting was like. I had heard many accurate things about the work, but seeing it firsthand was very helpful. I also got to see some of the more boring or unpleasant things that aren’t as likely to be mentioned, including things like tiredness, tediousness of the work at times, paperwork, problems with some of the translators and projects, politics, and such personal dangers as looking at the Bible only intellectually and forgetting to rely on God in it. So the trip helped me get a realistic view of what consulting can be like and what to expect and prepare for.

I’ve enjoyed my phonetics and phonology studies as I prepare to teach at Maranatha. This week I studied how tone affects meaning. Sometimes on deputation I would give a hypothetical case where tone can make the difference between “mother-in-law” and “dog.” Well, I found something that’s quite close. In Mandarin Chinese the word “ma” can either mean “mother” or “horse” (among two other possibilities), depending on what tone you attach to it. Wow! Little things can make a big difference!

I found out I’ll have 26 students in my class in May. An experienced teacher who has taught the class many times said that’s a huge number, partly because the course involves administering an oral quiz and an oral test, among other assignments. It should be a very packed two weeks! One week left to prepare and only about 1.5 hours of lecture left to prepare. 

I’m so thankful I went last Monday, because the fellowship was very encouraging. It was great to see Dr. Bob III, Dr. McAllister, and Mrs. Yost from BJU. Their fellowship and teaching times were warm-hearted and informative. I learned much about the current state of the typical college student at BJU (and probably other similar schools). I was also blessed by the men as they sought to encourage us in our work for the Lord. It was truly a blessing to set aside that day for the fellowship.

I must add that I also thoroughly enjoyed driving to and from Lansing that day. For some reason getting on the highway is so relaxing and therapeutic for me. It seemed like it had been forever since I had last been on a highway, but it was actually only two weeks earlier. I really enjoyed the relaxation on the way over as I thought through various ministry and life issues, prayed through them, prayed for friends and family, and just meditated on some of the riches in Christ. On the way back I fellowshiped mostly with my mom on the phone, but that was good too!

But now that I’m back in the office I need to figure out how to regain that day that was lost. I’ve already had to put in some overtime and will have to do more, especially as that linguistics course at Maranatha is looming on the horizon. I have only 2 weeks left to prepare. So far I’ve prepared enough lecture material for 6.5 days. 3.5 days to go!

I was so pleased to see last night that a supporting couple increased their support for me some. Praise the Lord for His continual provision!

Here are the details:

Africa

Benin

• Dendi NT

Central African Republic

• Sango Bible

Chad

• Day NT
• Ngamh NT
• Sara Kaba Dem NT
• Sara Kaba Naa NT
• Sara Madjingaye NT
• Tumag NT

Cote d’Ivoire

• Kaowlu NT
• Neao NT

Ghana

• Waalii Bible

Niger

• Zarma Bible

Togo

• Kabiyé NT

Americas & Caribbean

Brazil

• Makushi NT

Haiti

• Creole NT

Peru

• Quechua NT

Venezuela

• Warao NT

Asia & Pacific

India

• (Chakma NT)
• Chiru NT
• Darlong NT
• Deori Gospel of John
• (Inpui Naga NT)
• Lamkaang NT
• Manipuri Bible
• Mizo NT
• Paite Bible
• Ranglong NT
• Simte NT

Myanmar

• (Bualkhaw NT)
• Falam Chin NT
• Matu NT
• Tedim Chin NT
• (Zotung NT)

Philippines

• Tagalog NT

May God continue to sustain us as we help the 35 current projects in 14 different countries! And how many millions more will be reached through those Scriptures?!

Thankfully, we are also experiencing additions. Text Production always has new consultants coming our way. I’m in constant communication with potential candidates. We just secured a relationship with another national adjunct consultant for southeast Asia. A high school sophomore, some college students, and some graduate students are considering plans to join us. Thank God for how He is raising up laborers! But we consultants need people in the support roles. We can’t do our work without them!

As you can see, not everyone here at BI is a language expert. In fact, some here at the Home Office are thankful that they have a good grasp of English alone. But as is the proper functioning of the body, every part is needed for successful operations!

DEPUTATION

God’s grace has truly been evident through the provision of His people recently. My support reached 100% by early March! PRAISE God with me that my 4.5-year deputation ministry has finally come to completion! Victory Baptist Church of Reading, PA; Waterman Baptist Church of Kingman, IN; Independent Bible Church of Duryea, PA; and three individuals joined my support team over the past few months. I thank God that I no longer have to divert my attention to setting up meetings at new churches and traveling to present my ministry at those churches. But lest you think that my ministry at churches is done, I’ve already begun reporting to my supporting churches, since I haven’t been to some since 2007! It’s such a blessing, however, to return to the churches that have already committed to praying for and supporting me. I’ve already been to three so far, and I’m setting up plans to visit others soon.

ASIA TRIP

I spent over five weeks in India, Myanmar, and Singapore in the early part of this year. I preached at around a dozen churches, spoke at two Christian schools (where many unsaved kids attend) and a Bible college, met with numerous different translation personnel, conducted a translation workshop for the Darlong OT, and led a consultant seminar. Almost every speaking opportunity had to be interpreted, and almost every time was interpreted into a different language than before.

What a blessing it was to meet with godly men and women who are longing to have the Word of God in their language! The Darlong committee has been meeting daily for the past many months to make sure their Old Testament is of highest quality. Believers have already placed their orders and given money, though the Bible won’t be ready until 2014.

One Simte pastor marveled that his small language group was among the less than 500 languages in the world (of about 7,000 total) that has the complete Bible in their language. Other believers spoke glowingly of the impact that the Simte Bible has had in their lives. One faithful man said, I cannot read English and I cannot translate English. Because of the Simte Bible, I can read the Bible, and my children can read the Bible, and through that I got eternal life and salvation. What a privilege to help such people! We are currently revising the Simte, having finished revising the NT a few years ago.

In Myanmar, Mizo believers actually pled with me to help them get the Old Testament into their language. We finished the New Testament a few years ago and are just beginning the OT. One man’s testimony was particularly striking. He was a drunk but got saved through the preaching of the Word and the reading of the Mizo NT. Now he has a burden to reach other drunken men with the same gospel that saved him.

So, this trip renewed my burden for this ministry and energized me to work harder to help these people around the world get their Scriptures more quickly but still of high quality.

PRAISE the Lord that the Kabiyé people in Togo and the Quechua people in Peru have their NT’s now. PRAY as I prepare for another Haitian Creole OT workshop. The translator will be flying up here in June, so we can check through Proverbs. Pray for us to finish that book. PRAY also as I prepare to teach a basic linguistics course at Maranatha Baptist Bible College in May. I am praying the Lord will call students to join us at Bibles International. Thanks for your prayers!

Of course, the other issue I ran into was that I’m not a “church planting missionary.” And what seemed to slow me down even further was that I will be headquartered in the USA. Churches like to see their missionaries living on the field.

So, my deputation experience was a fairly trying one. It really tested my faith. The Lord used it to sanctify me, because I wanted to keep myself right with Him so that I could experience His blessing. It also drove me to my knees more as I pleaded with the Lord to move in hearts to come along side me with support.

Though it was trying in the spiritual sense, it was actually quite pleasurable in the physical sense. In other words, I experienced so much of people’s kindness and generosity during my travels. I often stayed in very nice accommodations and ate delicious food… too much of that! The only horror experience I can remember is having to sleep in a bed that smelled so bad it kept me awake at night. Otherwise, I can still remember that feather-top bed in Lancaster, PA, and many other nice luxuries. Of course, I didn’t fly along on “flowery beds of ease” the whole time, but it was a pleasant experience as far as accommodations. Oh yeah, I do remember the stink bugs in PA that invaded my room. But thankfully they didn’t come in flocks, so I was able to kill them as they appeared.

I absolutely loved seeing the countryside. There’s hardly an experience that is more relaxing to me than getting on the road for a long trip with a long stretch of concrete in front of me. Lots of time to pray and think. I especially loved Pennsylvania, and especially the windy, two-lane roads in the hills… on a rainy day.

I had these high ambitions of learning Spanish while I traveled. That didn’t get too far. I had plenty of time to listen to the CDs, but I had a hard time carving away time to keep up in the book. I did listen to many Hebrew and Greek words, so that kept me fresh in those languages.

I did find myself getting emotionally drained after being on the road for multiple weeks in a row. I am not one who enjoys routine for too long, but I found that a good dose of routine in the midst of lots of variety is a really good thing. I stayed in MANY, MANY different places. Sometimes I would stay in a different bed almost every night. I still smile when I think of one older man who asked me if I would rather have the rug on the floor on the right side of the bed or the left. I have no “right side of the bed” to get out from, so it doesn’t matter where the rug is put! But I guess the good side of that is that there’s no “wrong side of the bed” either!

I really enjoyed making so many new friends. I now have friends all around the world because of my deputation travels (as well as my other travels). I feel that I have many “homes” around the world too. Maybe that’s what the Lord means when He promised that He would bless those who left houses, family, etc. for the Kingdom’s sake. I’ve also gained grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. And through these relationships I’ve gained much prayer support. And I surely need that!

I spoke in around 170 churches. According to my records I preached or taught around 340 times. That’s a lot of good opportunities to minister! I was able to open many people’s eyes to the needs of Bible translation around the world.

I began with only $100 per month in my support account. By the end of 2007 (after 4 months of deputation) I had 20%. By the end of the dismal year of 2008 I had 36%. By the ends of 2009, 2010, and 2011, it was 53%, 69%, and 95%, respectively. I completed my support raising in early March. So it was a slow-go during those early years. I really didn’t experience too many quick increases until the second half of 2011. I can still remember how depressing it was to see no new, or very few, support increases at the beginning of each year. Deputation surely tries your faith! I can still remember churches and individuals that promised support but never came through. They must have had some unforeseen things take place, but it’s quite an emotional rollercoaster for missionaries!

I definitely won’t miss feeling like a salesman. Pastors probably don’t want to convey this, but I often felt that I was bugging them. Their answering machines assured me that they valued “my” call and that they would call back right away, but I knew that didn’t really apply to missionaries. Yes, they probably do value the calls of missionaries, but I also understand that it’s hard when they receive so many each week. I don’t think the deputation system needs a complete overhaul, but I wish we could work out a system whereby pastors could coordinate with one another to help missionaries get meetings and to save us from having to bug so many pastors. My records indicate that I made 800 phone calls, but I know the number is at least double that, since I often didn’t write down when I called a pastor. Too many details to keep up with!

I traveled over 76,000 miles and spent somewhere around $50,000! If pastors could coordinate meetings for us, we would use less of the Lord’s money and channel our time toward our ministries rather than to meetings all across the US. Pastors’ fellowships would be a great forum to coordinate meetings. I usually dreaded going to these fellowships, because I know the pastors weren’t there to have a missionary tug on their coat tails. But it was a great place to establish relationships. And though I often tried to avoid these fellowships and conferences, I usually went and have found that a good portion of my support is a direct result of pastors’ fellowships that I attended.

So, am I thankful for all I learned on deputation? Definitely! It shaped my thinking about this ministry, strengthened my burden, and sharpened my philosophy. Would I have wished that the process were slightly different? Definitely! Can I do anything about it? Well, I guess I can begin by posting on my blog and continue by speaking individually with pastors. I spoke to one pastor recently, and he said that another pastor tried to establish some coordination structure, but few pastors wanted to join in because of fears of power struggles, etc.

Only God can help us work through these issues. Until then, we missionaries will keep knocking on doors, pulling on coat tails, ringing the phone off the hook, sending out emails, etc.

I had a good final deputation meeting yesterday. It was at Macomb Baptist Church in Clinton Township, MI, pastored by Ron Wagner. His daughter, Joy, and I were graduate assistants together at BJU, so it was good to see her again. She came up with the idea to have the people try their hand at translation at the dessert social on Saturday night. They were given bilingual dictionaries (English and Spanish, French, German, Polish, or Russian). They had to translate a verse of the NT into one of those languages. I walked around with my Droid and Google Translate to see how they were doing. Everyone came away with the clear understanding that translation work cannot be done by those who don’t know the language and have only a dictionary!

Oh yeah, back to work… (I hope to reflect on my deputation experience in the coming days…)