Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! As we reflect on the first coming of Christ throughout this season, I have been reading through the book of Isaiah and reflecting also on the second coming. Though the earth around us slowly “wears out like a garment”, we can look forward to the day when “sorrow and sighing shall flee away” in exchange for everlasting joy (Is. 51:11).
In October, I was busy with finishing the last touches on my presentation and beginning the process of reaching out to churches. I presented on Oct 12 at my sending church during the morning service and received a lot of positive feedback from so many who have already been supportive throughout the year.
I had two meetings scheduled in November. On the 16th, I shared during the evening service at Independent Baptist Church in Ellensburg, WA. I attended the morning gathering as well, and it was such a blessing to talk with many of the folks there and hear how God has been working in their midst. On the 30th, I presented at Grace Baptist Church in Kennewick, WA. This church already supports a BI family, and I was thrilled to visit a church already so passionate about Bible translation.
I also enjoyed multiple gatherings throughout the month with friends and family in celebration of Thanksgiving. I had an early Thanksgiving with extended family, followed by my church’s annual Thanksgiving potluck, and later a traditional meal with my parents and a friend on Thanksgiving day.
In December, I had one meeting with Lincoln Park Baptist Church in Wenatchee, WA. I presented in the Sunday School hour and enjoyed getting to know this group of believers over lunch. I am so thankful for good health and uneventful travel for each of the meetings I’ve had out of town. When I scheduled the meetings, I had expected snow/ice to be a possibility, not flooding and washed-out roads, but thankfully neither of these have impacted me so far.
A few weeks ago, I received a wonderful blessing as a result of this year’s Giving Tuesday, a day when donations to BMM were directed towards the 2025 appointed missionaries. As a result, just over $50k was donated to “hasten the harvest”, as a way to help the new missionaries including myself as we begin deputation and transition into full-time service. What an incredible blessing! Thank you to those who gave so willingly towards this!
The past few months have not been without their struggles, yet it has been amazing to see how God has provided for me despite them. My cat, Ember, has had some health issues that were progressively getting worse, but she gradually turned a corner and is now back to normal weight and appetite. I don’t really have any explanation for why she is suddenly better, since my efforts didn’t seem to make any difference, but I’m very thankful for that answer to prayer. After that, I had a network issue with my laptop. I was able to get that repaired easily, but the following update resulted in losing everything I’d saved on the laptop. Thankfully most of my files are backed up on an external drive and I still have the most important documents (powerpoint presentation, churches contact list, etc.), so the loss was much less disastrous than it could have been.
I’d also like to pass along news of recent happenings at BI. This year, there were Bible dedication ceremonies for three completed translations: the Sara Kaba Dem and Sara Madjingay Bibles (Chad), and Phyle New Testament (S. America). Due to the recent ban on American visas in Chad, only two BI consultants were able to attend those ceremonies, but we are all celebrating that these groups will have God’s Word in their language this Christmas. There were also 3 shipments of Bibles stuck in customs in various locations (one had been detained for over a year!), but by November they were all finally released. Praise the Lord for these answers to prayer. Please pray for the many ongoing projects in locations where war, persecution, or other difficulties impede our progress.
As a consultant-in-training, my mentorship officially begins in January. Much of this training will be reading, research, and other virtual or long-distance activities. Deputation takes the priority right now, so I will most likely not be traveling to help with workshops until I can raise my support levels higher. Pray that I will be able to balance this training with my part-time job (working at a local piano store), and also add more meetings to my schedule in the coming year. I am deeply grateful for the many in my sending church who have encouraged me in a variety of ways – prayer, notes, gifts, and an enormous gift basket. It has also been a joy to connect with new people these past few months who are equally excited for what God has for me as I look to serve in Bible translation.
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