Missions Trip in February 2010

It's been almost a year now since I flew to the Central African Republic for my first glimpse of a Bible translation project. Ever since then, I've been working hard on deputation and waiting for another opportunity to gain further hands-on experience with a translation project. I'm excited to report that arrangements are now being made for me to join two experienced BI translation consultants for a translation workshop in Asia this coming spring. Lord willing, I'll be leaving on February 10 and arriving back in the US on March 4. Please pray for good weather and no problems with visas, customs, delayed flights, or other issues.

I'm anticipating that this trip to Asia will be beneficial for several reasons. First, it will provide hands-on experience and training in translation consultant work that will be vital for my future ministry. Second, the workshops will be in English rather than in French (which is the language used for most of our African projects). Since I haven't yet had formal language training in French, I'm not yet fluent enough to communicate easily in a French-speaking workshop without an interpreter. So being in an English-speaking workshop will enable me to participate and understand much more readily. Third, it will provide additional cross-cultural experience that will be helpful in a variety of ways.

This will be my first trip to eastern Asia (I went on a tour of the Holy Lands in 2005, but that was a very different section of Asia, i.e. western Asia). So please pray for me as I adjust to an unfamiliar culture for several weeks. Pray also for the workshops that will be conducted during the weeks we are there. We are planning to work with the national translators in checking the books of Psalms and Proverbs, in preparation for those books to be included with the publication of the New Testament in that language.