Packing List

In case you find this interesting, here is Dan’s packing list:

Backpack:
•    Lap Top & Power Cable
•    External Hard Drive
•    External Battery
•    External CD Drive
•    Travel-size Scanner
•    Universal Power Adapter
•    Charging Cables
•    Siphon Water Filter
•    Hand Pump Water Filter
•    Umbrella
•    Hoodie
•    Important Papers

Are You Crazy!?

Currently, I work in a childcare center with toddlers full-time; my ongoing goal is to find a way to communicate God’s love to them in a way that they can understand. That’s often through singing songs, reading stories, and playing pretend. The other day, we were singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, and at the end of the song we were talking about how BIG God’s hands must be if he can hold the WHOLE world! And to that, one of my little ones held out her hands and responded, “my hands are really little.”
 
Dan and I frequently have people ask us WHY we would give away all our possessions, move away from all our friends and family, and leave all the comforts of America. Why would you move to a country that you’ve never been to, to work in a culture (Deaf culture) that’s foreign to you, within another foreign culture (Romanian), neither of which you know the language? People tell us that we’ve got to be crazy, or that they think we’re really adventurous.

The Fellowship

Today, I want to talk with you about Fellowship. Particularly the Fellowship portrayed in The Lord of the Rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, there were many individuals working toward a common goal: the destruction of the One Ring. There were many characters, with many different roles.

It was Frodo and Sam’s job to get to Mordor and destroy the Ring in Mount Doom. They were the ones who could get past the orcs and fight the temptation brought by the Ring. Clearly, without Frodo and Sam, the Ring would not have been destroyed. But if it was only Frodo and Sam working, the goal would still not have been accomplished.

Three Years Ago

During my time at Geneva College, it was customary that a few senior classmen would share a message during the final chapel service of the semester.  A month or so before the end of the semester, I overheard that they were looking for some seniors to share.  I had no desire to stand in front of the entire school and speak; but I distinctly remember praying that if someone directly asked me to speak, I would agree.  Well, as you may have guessed, shortly afterward a member of the chapel committee walked up to me and said, “Hey, Dan, do you want to share something during the senior Chapel service?”  Hurmph.  “Okay.” I said, albeit reluctantly.

I graduated in 2013, so this all happened several years ago, and I vaguely remember my presentation.  At one of the chapel services earlier in the year, we learned about human trafficking and slavery. I choose to reflect on the choices that we make, and how whether knowingly or not, we oppose or support human trafficking.  All in all, I thought my talk went well and a few people told me shortly afterward that they would no longer be purchasing items from companies who supported or used slavery.  But it seemed as though that was the only reason I was prompted to speak, and it made me wonder if what I said really did make an impact.

Back to Being a Baby

Carolyn and I are two weeks into our four-week intercultural communication course; this is the course that meant to is prepare us to live in a brand new culture.   The further we get into this course the more we are learning how much we have yet to learn.  We are continually learning of precautions that I had never considered, and if you remember my blog post from last fall, you may know that I like to plan for everything.  So being told of many things that I did not plan for feels mildly alarming.
 
I have come to the realization that Carolyn and I are more or less going to start over and become babies again.  When we arrive in Romania we will not know how to buy food to eat, and when we do find food we may not know how to cook it.  We will need to learn how to find a place to live, and pay our bills – we won’t even know what bills we need to pay much less how to pay them.  We won’t know how to hail a taxi or pay for a bus ride. (We will still know how to walk, so that’s a bonus!) We will have to relearn everything. So much for planning again.

Our First Romanian Church Service

This last Sunday, Carolyn and I had the opportunity to attend a Romanian Baptist Church for Sunday worship.  First off, I must say that we had an absolutely wonderful experience.  We were so warmly welcomed by the entire congregation; both adults and youth greeted us with smiles and open arms.  We participated in Sunday school with the youth, attended the first service, were invited to lunch, and then came back for the evening service.  And I suppose it’s important to mention that the majority of these events happened in Romanian!

When we first arrived at church Carolyn and I were pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect. Upon walking into the front door we were greeted by several people, who all initially spoke to us in Romanian. They figured out quickly that we didn’t speak a bit of Romanian, I assume based on the blank stare on my face, and many switched to English to converse with us.  We shared who we were and why we were visiting.  After several minutes of meeting new friends, we were invited to attend Sunday school with the youth.

Selah

Recently we have seen God’s hand at work in our (former) cat, and it has been a reminder of His faithfulness to us. It has made a few parables become more real to us than ever before. 

Selah, was a cat that I got when Dan and I were still dating. “Selah” is the pause in a song (Psalm) when it’s time to stop and reflect. Our Selah, true to her name, has provided many opportunities for us to stop and reflect on God’s goodness and mercy. It broke our hearts when we needed to give away our cats as a result of preparing to move overseas, but through this God has once again given us reassurance of His love. 

Shortly after we gave Selah to her new wonderful owners, she disappeared and it was believed (because of a broken window screen) that she had gotten out. It amazed us how much effort her new owners (and all their friends and family) put into searching for Selah. It reminded me of the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 when the shepherd leaves all 99 of his other sheep to search for the one that has wandered away. The search that went on for Selah amazed us. They put out posters, walked around the surrounding area for a few nights in a row, contacted all the vets and shelters in the area, went door to door asking neighbors if they’d seen her, set out cat traps, and used security cameras to try to track her down. Meanwhile, we were all heartbroken and praying that God would provide for her wherever she was. Selah’s new family was determined to never stop searching for Selah until she was found.

Moving Reflections

A little over two weeks ago Carolyn and I moved in with our new host family.  As with any move it was filled with work, challenges, and a whole lot of change.  Much of this we anticipated, but some of the challenges we could not.  While we've been gradually giving away our belongings, the most difficult thing we've had to give away was our cats.  For those of you who have pets, you can probably empathize with us regarding our mixed emotions of joy that our cats will have homes and sorrow that we must give them up.

Even though we had prayed for them to be able to leave, we still felt deep sadness with their departure.  We had already emptied the house, but the night we came home after dropping off our beloved pets, we were able to finally realize, in full, all we had given up.  We distinctly remember standing inside our front door, the first time we weren't greeted with friendly meows.  Our house felt so empty; it no longer felt like home. We are thankful that were able to leave them knowing that they would be loved and cherished. 

You Should Train Nationals

One summer Bernie May, once a JAARS pilot in Peru but now Wycliffe's U.S. Director, flew his plane from California to a meeting in Oklahoma.  He was called out of his meeting for an urgent call from Forrey Zander.

Forrey was excited.  He had met a young woman named Thangi from a large Asian country.  American missionaries are not allowed in her country.  Thangi had just completed her master's degree in communications.  Her father, a national missionary there, had asked her to pray about returning as a Bible translator. Half a million people in neighboring provinces speak twenty languages and dialects, most without the Scriptures.

Forrey suggested that Thangi apply to the Summer Institute of Linguistics.  She wanted to, but it was a week before the enrollment deadline and she was $1,000 short of having the tuition and fees.  Forrey had called Bernie to ask if he could find some money for this urgent need.

Packing Reflections

As Carolyn and I are busy packing our apartment, it is mind-boggling to think that a few months ago we had absolutely no idea where we would be living with our lease ending in May.  Now, here we are giving away everything that we do not need and condensing our lives to a few suitcases and storage bins.

If you have never condensed your earthly possessions to a few suitcases and storage bins I recommend against it.  In our previous moves we always had the option of packing one more box if we were unsure if we should keep something.  Worse case scenario we make a few more trips to the truck on either end of the move.  This time is different though, because we face the reality that we only have two suitcases and a carry on to take with us.  And we will not have access to that which we place in our storage bin on a regular basis – maybe once a year if we are lucky.

Step of Faith

Whenever I think of faith, the first image I picture is the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Indi needs to cross a chasm and it’s clear there is no visible bridge. He must step out onto the bridge; once he does it appears and he can continue across to the other side. If you don’t know what I’m talking about here’s a link to the scene on YouTube.

Indi had to take a literal leap of faith.  I’ve heard pastors say things like, Peter trusted Jesus, but the only way that was evidenced was when he took a step out of the boat, or if the Israelites were going to pray for the sun to stand still they needed to be prepared to march all night long. What they’re saying is, if you’re going to trust God to be faithful, it’s important to take action to demonstrate that you are believing he will provide.

Why Sign Language Bible Translation

One of the more common questions Carolyn and I are asked when we tell people that we will be working with the Deaf in sign language Bible translation, is “Why can’t they just read the printed Bible?”  In English for example, there are over a hundred Bible translations – why do Deaf in America need one specifically in American Sign Language?

It’s a good question, but there isn’t a simple answer.  You see, we learned that less than 2% of the Deaf around the world have been reached with the Gospel.  That means that over 98% of the estimated 70 million Deaf are lost; that is staggering.  Through discussion and reading, we learned that there are three main barriers that create this separation.
 

The Story of Gambarambi

A man in Zimbabwe named Gambarambi (Gahm-ba-rom-bee) would sit by the side of the road talking with people and smoking his hand-rolled cigarettes. A Bible translator who was translating the New Testament into Gambarambi’s language and he really wanted Gamabarmbi to have a New Testament. When he told Gambarambi this, Gambarambi told him that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea as he would tear the pages out and use them for his cigarettes.

The translator was in a quandary as to what he should do as he knew that Gambarambi needed to read about Jesus but he didn’t relish the thought of the New Testament being used for cigarette paper. He prayed about it and came up with an agreement for Gambarambi.

Changed by Prayer

In November 1983, David and Ray began praying that the Juni people of Sudan (a community of over 40,000 people) would receive the Bible in their own language. In May 1986, Jerry and Jan started praying for the Juni people as well. And in March 1990, Jane and Margie began praying too.

It turns out that the same month in 1983 that David and Ray started to pray, a young Juni man became a Christian! In June 1986, this man was accepted into a program for theological studies - just after Jerry and Jan began to pray! He later applied to study linguistics and translation so that he could translate God’s Word for his people. And in March 1990, the year that Jane and Margie began to pray, he was accepted as a Bible translation student. 

Called to Communicate

There have been many books written on calling, and many people have very different points of view on how to discern your calling and how to hear from the Lord. Saying such as: "Think about what in the world makes you the most angry - that's where you're called." Or "Don't know where God is calling you? You're already there. Keep going."

I definitely can't say I know the formula on how to know where God's calling you, but I do have confidence in where God is calling Dan and I. I also have confidence that our calling is not only something that will happen in the future. Presently, he's calling me to the kids and my co-workers in our church's child care center, and he's calling Dan to the people he sees each day. He's also currently calling us to our Equip training with Wycliffe. At Equip, we will be trained in how to begin our Partnership Development, and once Equip is over we will be called to our partners. We will continue to be called to our current work places and the people we interact with there as well.

Are You A Screen Looker?

I have heard it said that we cannot control what happens to us in life - but that we can control how we react to that which is happening to us.   I have also heard it said that the only thing in life we can control is our perspective.   I like both of these thoughts, and I believe they are related.  See, I think that how we react to life’s lemons is based on our perspective.  Simply put, we can’t react by making lemonade unless we already have the perspective that these sour tasting, eye burning, impossible to peel oblong spherical fruits may be a blessing.

I thought about listing examples here about chipped paint on a car not being the end of the world because you can use that to teach your son about forgiveness.  But I’m going to skip that and let you figure that out on your own.  Instead, I want to explore how we can even begin thinking about lemonade when we wish that our biggest problem was chipped paint.  What about when we are faced with the death of a child?  Or what about when we can’t think of any way out other than divorce?   How do we make lemonade then?  I wish we lived in a world where if we prayed hard enough, had enough faith, and did enough good things, life turned out well.  But the reality is: that’s not how life works.  If you disagree, we can talk after you meet Job in Heaven.