June Prayer Letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Eph. 6:10)

Translation Update

Thanks for praying for the workshop with the translators of the Day (pronounced “die”) Bible. We met in early May as planned, to carry out quality checks. This time we were checking parallel passages: different verses that are alike or nearly alike in Hebrew. For example, 1 Samuel 7:4 and 1 Chronicles 17:3 are nearly alike in Hebrew except that 2 Samuel says “LORD” and 1 Chronicles says “God”. There are many parallel verses in the Old Testament. We need to make sure the translation is alike wherever the Hebrew is alike, while keeping the differences wherever the Hebrew verses differ from each other. As you might imagine, it is tedious work, but it is important for the quality of the translation. We were able to complete about half of the parallel passages.

Thank you to all of you who responded to my special request in April, for the need for funds to print the trial edition of Exodus and Deuteronomy in the Sara Kaba Deme language. The response was truly overwhelming! We are still waiting on a couple of last minute details before sending it to the printers, but Lord willing we will be able to print it soon.

My next workshop starts next week (June 12). I will be working with the Sara Kaba Naa translators; we plan to finish correcting Jeremiah and start corrections for the book of Job. The latter is a particularly difficult book, so I appreciate your prayers for us as we work through it together.

Update on Désiré

Thank you for praying for young Désiré, the teenage boy whose family is trying to force him to undergo pagan initiation rites. Please keep praying! He is still at risk, and his family is still threatening to reject him if he refuses initiation. We have offered to help him find a different place to live with a Christian family where he would be safe from initiation, but he hesitates to take up the offer for fear of what may happen if his family rejects him completely. He continues to feel torn between his pagan family and his newfound faith in God’s Word. Please pray that the Lord will work in his heart and keep him strong.

Update on Coworkers

Since January, my new coworkers, Les and Carol Carew, have been in their previous field of service, the Central African Republic. Since the other missionaries in that country were still on furlough, they agreed to wait for them to return to the field before making final preparations to move to Chad. Now that the others have returned, they are finalizing their plans. They hope to arrive in Chad on June 27. They will live in Sarh (about 5 miles away from me) and minister to Central African refugees. Thank you for your continued prayers for them.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

April Prayer Letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:”
(2 Thess. 3:1).

Translation Update

I have been enjoying getting back into the full swing of Bible translation work. In February, I met with the Sara Kaba Naa translators to check the book of Jeremiah. The book is too large to finish in one two-week workshop, but we were able to finish 35 chapters, which is good progress. In March it was the turn of the Sara Kaba Deme for a checking session, and we checked 9 of the minor prophets (the other 3 having already been checked in 2016), plus the first five chapters of Ezekiel.

My next translation checking workshop will be in early May with the Day (pronounced “die”) Bible. This team has already finished translating and checking all the Old Testament books, and they are now working through quality checks on the whole Bible in preparation for printing. Please pray for me as I seek to help them move forward with their quality checks.

Scripture Use Materials

Over the last few months, I have been working with my Chadian coworkers to develop short, simple brochures with Scripture portions in Chadian languages. These are being distributed, and it has been exciting to hear of how much interest even these simple brochures have produced among those who have received them.

One young high school graduate had learned to read in French but claimed he couldn’t read his own language, and thus he had never bothered to purchase a New Testament in his language, even though the cost is well within his financial abilities. After he had read slowly but ultimately successfully through a brochure, he became quite excited as he realized how well he had understood it, and said he now wanted to buy himself a whole New Testament. We pray that many people will be encouraged as they read these verses from God’s Word. We will be working on developing more Scripture Use materials in the future. Please pray for wisdom and for God’s blessing on this endeavor.

Standing Firm against Paganism

In spite of the long history of Christian missions in southern Chad, traditional pagan customs are still practiced by many people, including many who would identify themselves as members of Christian churches. Pagan tradition includes initiation rites for both boys and girls which are held every few years or so (depending on the ethnic group); these rites consist of many idolatrous and harmful practices which no Christian should participate in, but peer pressure and even persecution makes it difficult for many young people to refuse.

 2017 is the year that initiation rites will be held for one of the major ethnic groups in this area, so please pray that our young people and their families will stand firm. Pray especially for a 16-year-old new believer named Desiré: his unsaved family is pressuring him to undergo initiation and threatening to reject him if he refuses, but he is trying to be strong and honor the Lord. My Chadian mother Linda and I are seeking ways to help him so that his family and friends do not physically force him to undergo the pagan rites.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

January Prayer Letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

Thank you for praying for me as I completed my furlough and traveled back to Chad. I arrived safely in the village of Balimba (near the city of Sarh) in mid-December, and enjoyed a very warm welcome from my Chadian friends. I have been very busy getting settled back into life and ministry here, but I am so thankful that God has brought me back here and given me the privilege to serve Him here in Africa.

Translation Update

We have quite a busy schedule of translation checking workshops planned for this year. Besides the two language groups I usually work with (the Sara Kaba Naa and Sara Kaba Deme), I will also be assisting another language group, the Day (pronounced die). This group has been very diligent in translating the Old Testament, and is hoping to be finished within the next couple years. I have not worked with this group before, and their language is very different from the other Chadian languages I have worked with, so I’d appreciate your prayers for that.

Three other consultants who are based in the USA will make trips to Chad throughout the year to work with the Day as well as with two other language groups, the Sara Madjingay and the Ngam. Thank you for your prayers for the continued progress of the Bible translation work in Chad.

Coworker Update

My new coworkers, Les and Carol Carew, have finished their furlough but have not yet arrived in Chad. They are currently in their previous mission field, the Central African Republic, organizing their affairs there and preparing to move to Chad. Please pray for them during this time of transition.

Other Important Events

As I write, two visiting missionaries from BMM’s PEP ministry (Pastoral Enrichment Program) are busy teaching two module classes on systematic theology and on pastoral life and ministry. We have missionaries visit Chad to teach Bible school classes at least a couple times every year, but this time it is different: while in the past the classes have been taught to a small group of Bible school students and local pastors, this time people from our Baptist churches all over southern Chad have been invited. There are currently over 160 people attending the classes, including pastors, deacons, evangelists, and Sunday school teachers. Word from both the professors and the students is that it is going very well. Many of those attending have never had adequate theological training, and they have greatly appreciated all that they are learning. These classes are the first two in a series of 12 classes that will be taught to the Chadian church leaders over the next three years (four classes per year). Please pray that the Lord will use these important classes to ground our churches more solidly in the truth of God’s Word.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell