All Steps Forward Now
The changes to my support estimate are now officially complete. I found out that the adjustments I decided to make to food, fuel, and ministry expenses also necessitated a small increase in taxes - only $15 a month, but enough to shift my percentage from 64.6% to 64.4%. I'm thankful the increase was small, but with all the changes I've been making to my support estimate, sometimes it feels like I'm taking two steps forward, one step backward! But Lord willing, this is the last adjustment I will need to make before I leave for the field, so from now on, every step in my journey toward 100% will be forward! I learned today of another couple who are praying about taking me on for financial support. Please pray for the Lord's guidance for them and others who may be praying about the same decision.
February Prayer Letter
Dear Prayer Supporters,
The weeks since my last prayer letter have been so eventful that I decided to send my letter out a little early this time. Since I last wrote, the Lord took me safely to Chad and back to the USA, and in between, I had many new experiences and adventures, and learned a lot about life and culture in southern Chad.
A MONTH IN THE HEART OF AFRICA
I’ve been back from Chad for about a week now, and am trying to absorb all I learned there as well as preparing to hit the deputation trail again. It was my third trip to sub-Saharan Africa, but my first time in Chad. I spent most of my time in the town of Sarh and the nearby village of Balimba, with a few days in Koumra, a few hours’ drive from Sarh. I don’t have space here to tell you all of my adventures, but here are a few of them:
- I rode in a missionary aviation plane for the first time;
- Participated in a workshop for the Sara Kaba Naa Old Testament;
- Learned how to take a shower from a bucket and dipper;
- Ate goat meat for the first time (it was good!);
- Got my first tour of a mission hospital in Africa;
- Visited three churches and a national Baptist fellowship conference;
- Was in my first car accident in Africa (no one was hurt, and the driver of our vehicle was not at fault);
- Observed several days of a literacy workshop for the Ngamh language;
- Took a 12-hour bus ride from Sarh to N’djamena ... and many more!
In just a few short weeks, I grew to love the people and the country, and the hardest part about the whole trip was leaving! May the Lord bring me back there soon!
PRAY FOR SUMMER 2011 DEPARTURE
Before I can return to Chad, I will need to go to language school for concentrated study of the French language. I cannot effectively communicate or minister in Chad without a good grasp of French, and it seems that the Lord is leading me to go to France for this training. While waiting on the Lord and trusting in His timing, I am also praying that that if it is His will, He will allow me to finish deputation and be cleared for departure in time to begin language school at the start of the French school year in September.
I thank the Lord for providing two new supporting churches and increases from two others in the past month. Now that I have visited Chad, I am making some adjustments to my support estimate to allow for the higher costs of food and fuel there, as well as additional ministry expenses. But the new support has made up the difference, and I am now at 65%. Praise the Lord! I have calculated that 25 more supporting churches or individuals at around $50 a month would bring me to full support. Will you pray with me that the Lord will lead 25 more churches or individuals to commit to regular support so that I can begin language school?
In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
Life in Chad
While I was in Africa recently, I was asked in an email to describe the lifestyle of people in southern Chad. Of course, there is still much I don't know about Africa, since I'm still very inexperienced, but I tried to summarize some of what I've learned so far. I thought you might be interested to read what I wrote while sitting in a missionary home in Balimba (near Sarh):
The people in Chad are very poor - Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world. Here in Sarh, only the major town-center roads are paved, though work is being done even now to pave more roads. Typical houses are small, round huts made of mud brick, with a roof of dried grass. Tin roofing is also available and is more durable, but more expensive, and gets really hot. Families tend to be larger than in the US (partly because polygamy is still common, partly because children are considered a blessing here). When new members join the family, new huts are built, so that a family's home is actually a collection of several huts. In Chad and throughout much of Africa, people really spend most of their time outside - the huts are mainly for sleeping and sheltering from the rain, heat, or sun.
Traditional clothing is very colorful. People (especially men) do wear western-style clothing as well, and Muslim men wear long, whitish robes. As a rule, women do not wear pants here, except for prostitutes.The staple food is called boule - it is a sort of paste made of some kind of grain - millet, manioc, corn, or rice. It is served in a dish, in a dome shape like an upside-down bowl. They will usually also make a sauce with meat and vegetables. Traditionally, you eat it with your right hand, but sometimes they will provide spoons or forks. You break off a chunk of the boule and dip it in the sauce, and then put it in your mouth. But Chadians do like variety, and I have been served various pasta dishes, nuts, rice, and fruit. For meat, I've so far been served beef, chicken, and goat. People also keep pigs and sheep, and I've heard there are people who eat cats and dogs. Mostly though, cats and dogs are kept as pets and not as food. Soda is popular - you can get Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, and some other fruity sodas. Tea is also popular (I was never a tea-drinker, but I've actually learned to like it here, because it is served so much and would be rude to refuse).
Transportation is quite different here. The missionaries use Toyota 4x4 Land Cruisers, because the roads are so rough. Most Chadians can't afford those, but motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles are common, also motorcycle taxis called clandos. Many people just walk, or hitch rides on trucks for long trips. If they have a load to carry, they will usually carry it on their heads, which is actually a very practical method and allows people to carry amazingly heavy loads without ruining their backs or shoulders. Very large loads will be carried in carts pulled by oxen or donkeys, or in a sort of wheelbarrow called a pousse-pousse (that's "push-push" in English). Horses are used here as well, mainly by Muslims.
As I've said before, poverty does not equal misery. The missionary I'm staying with has confirmed what I have noticed myself - you have never met such joyful people. Of course, there are exceptions: people who have made money and possessions their goal in life, and are miserable as a result. But in Chad (and much of Africa), people find most of their happiness in this world through relationships, not through entertainment or success (of course, true joy comes only from the Lord). On the other hand, I don't want to paint a false picture; life in Africa is certainly tough. Just read the headlines - famine, drought, disease, wars, etc. But I've met many Americans who know only the headlines, so I wanted to try to show that there is more to Africa than that.
Leaving Chad
The hardest part about my trip to Chad was leaving. It was even harder than I expected - after all, I know very little as yet of the languages and culture, I was there for only a few weeks, and life and ministry in Chad has its share of difficulties and obstacles. Yet I found myself shedding lots of tears when the time came to start my return to the USA. It was the end of an amazing experience in a country and people that I'd already come to love.
The area of Chad in which we are working is quite remote, many miles from any commercial airport. But the town of Sarh does have a small airport for private planes, and the easiest way to travel between Sarh and the capital, N'djamena, is to use the services of the Missionary Aviation Fellowship to fly in a small plane - a two-hour flight. However, this is rather expensive, unless several are traveling at the same time and can share the cost. The other option is to take the bus - a much longer and more difficult trip, but less expensive. I arrived in Sarh by MAF plane, but left by bus. A Chadian lady traveled on the bus with me for safety.
One of the interesting things to me about overseas travel is the way one's entire environment gradually changes at each stage of the journey, until by the time you get to your destination, it's like another planet. This was especially noticeable on my return journey, as I traveled through Africa, Europe, and across the Atlantic Ocean to the USA. In Balimba, the village near Sarh where I was staying, we had running water and electricity for just part of the day, concrete floors, and roofing partly of tin and partly of grass. There are very few other foreigners in that region, so we worked and lived among our African friends. The languages used for communication are French, Sara Madjingaye, and a mixture of other local languages. In the village of Balimba, the people live in homes of mud brick with grass or tin roofs.
I got up at 3:30am on Friday morning, and left Balimba at 4:00 to drive to the bus stop in Sarh. The bus isn't fancy but it does have cushioned seats, sliding windows, and curtains for shade. In the long, over 12-hour drive to N'djamena, we passed through many villages of huts, and the occasional town with their small shops and tin-roofed buildings. The countryside becomes more open and arid as we get closer to the Sahara Desert, and we see more Muslim villages. Rest stops are not like those in the USA or Australia, but they do have what we need - bathrooms (i.e. holes in the ground, with walls and doors around them for privacy), and some food and drink for sale (barbecued goat meat, bread, fruit, soda). The road is dirt for the first few hours until we get to the little town of Koumra; after that, the road is paved all the way to N'djamena. The sun also gets hotter as we travel - it was over 100 F in N'djamena that day. Chad is warming up for the hot season (March-May).
N'djamena is a city, and seemed strange after getting used to Sarh and Balimba. The roads that I was on, the main downtown roads, were paved; there were streetlights, signs, and billboards, and many vehicles on the road (compared to Sarh, anyway). People speak Chadian Arabic or French, as well as their local languages. In the missionary guest house where I stayed, we had electricity most of the time, and running water the whole time I was there (a night and a day).
Late on Saturday night, I find myself sitting in the waiting room in the N'djamena airport. Many of my fellow travelers are foreigners, mostly French I think, as that was what they were speaking to each other. I hadn't seen that many foreigners in one place for several weeks! On the Air France jet, the announcements are in French and English - nice to hear my native tongue again, but sad too since it meant I was really leaving Africa. The airplane food is French food, including baguettes and cheese.
We land in the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris the next morning, and it is quite a different world. Electricity, running water, European stores and decor, and of course, mostly European people. The airport signs are in French and English, and the staff are also bilingual.
After a 7-hour layover, I board a United Airlines flight bound for Chicago. Many of my fellow travelers are American, including my seating partner. The announcements are still in French and English, but the French is spoken with an American accent. The airplane food is American food.
I know I'm in the USA when I land in Chicago, over 9 hours later. The language, people, and style of the airport are distinctly American. Though as I walk around the airport, I hear the occasional person speaking in French. Perhaps they had just arrived from Paris, as I had.
After a minor delay, I board my last plane, bound for Louisville, Kentucky. Now I don't hear anyone speaking French; I'm really and truly back in America. It's been such a long trip. By the time my plane lands and I meet my friend who came to pick me up, I am, as she said later, a walking zombie. The hour drive to West Baden Springs, Indiana, seems very long. It's well after midnight by the time I get to bed.
When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't help realizing right away just how different it was from waking up in Balimba. No mosquito net, no grass roof, no noises of little animals crawling about in the roof, thick warm covers for winter nights, no need for a flashlight ... but the list is too long. I think you get the idea. It's a different world out there, so don't be too hard on us missionaries from Africa if we look a bit dazed when we get back to the USA (or Australia, for that matter).
At first I was dreading getting back to deputation, but now I'm actually looking forward to it. I have many more stories and pictures to share with people in the churches I go to, and every mile traveled on deputation takes me closer to the day when I will return to Chad!
The area of Chad in which we are working is quite remote, many miles from any commercial airport. But the town of Sarh does have a small airport for private planes, and the easiest way to travel between Sarh and the capital, N'djamena, is to use the services of the Missionary Aviation Fellowship to fly in a small plane - a two-hour flight. However, this is rather expensive, unless several are traveling at the same time and can share the cost. The other option is to take the bus - a much longer and more difficult trip, but less expensive. I arrived in Sarh by MAF plane, but left by bus. A Chadian lady traveled on the bus with me for safety.
One of the interesting things to me about overseas travel is the way one's entire environment gradually changes at each stage of the journey, until by the time you get to your destination, it's like another planet. This was especially noticeable on my return journey, as I traveled through Africa, Europe, and across the Atlantic Ocean to the USA. In Balimba, the village near Sarh where I was staying, we had running water and electricity for just part of the day, concrete floors, and roofing partly of tin and partly of grass. There are very few other foreigners in that region, so we worked and lived among our African friends. The languages used for communication are French, Sara Madjingaye, and a mixture of other local languages. In the village of Balimba, the people live in homes of mud brick with grass or tin roofs.
I got up at 3:30am on Friday morning, and left Balimba at 4:00 to drive to the bus stop in Sarh. The bus isn't fancy but it does have cushioned seats, sliding windows, and curtains for shade. In the long, over 12-hour drive to N'djamena, we passed through many villages of huts, and the occasional town with their small shops and tin-roofed buildings. The countryside becomes more open and arid as we get closer to the Sahara Desert, and we see more Muslim villages. Rest stops are not like those in the USA or Australia, but they do have what we need - bathrooms (i.e. holes in the ground, with walls and doors around them for privacy), and some food and drink for sale (barbecued goat meat, bread, fruit, soda). The road is dirt for the first few hours until we get to the little town of Koumra; after that, the road is paved all the way to N'djamena. The sun also gets hotter as we travel - it was over 100 F in N'djamena that day. Chad is warming up for the hot season (March-May).
N'djamena is a city, and seemed strange after getting used to Sarh and Balimba. The roads that I was on, the main downtown roads, were paved; there were streetlights, signs, and billboards, and many vehicles on the road (compared to Sarh, anyway). People speak Chadian Arabic or French, as well as their local languages. In the missionary guest house where I stayed, we had electricity most of the time, and running water the whole time I was there (a night and a day).
Late on Saturday night, I find myself sitting in the waiting room in the N'djamena airport. Many of my fellow travelers are foreigners, mostly French I think, as that was what they were speaking to each other. I hadn't seen that many foreigners in one place for several weeks! On the Air France jet, the announcements are in French and English - nice to hear my native tongue again, but sad too since it meant I was really leaving Africa. The airplane food is French food, including baguettes and cheese.
We land in the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris the next morning, and it is quite a different world. Electricity, running water, European stores and decor, and of course, mostly European people. The airport signs are in French and English, and the staff are also bilingual.
After a 7-hour layover, I board a United Airlines flight bound for Chicago. Many of my fellow travelers are American, including my seating partner. The announcements are still in French and English, but the French is spoken with an American accent. The airplane food is American food.
I know I'm in the USA when I land in Chicago, over 9 hours later. The language, people, and style of the airport are distinctly American. Though as I walk around the airport, I hear the occasional person speaking in French. Perhaps they had just arrived from Paris, as I had.
After a minor delay, I board my last plane, bound for Louisville, Kentucky. Now I don't hear anyone speaking French; I'm really and truly back in America. It's been such a long trip. By the time my plane lands and I meet my friend who came to pick me up, I am, as she said later, a walking zombie. The hour drive to West Baden Springs, Indiana, seems very long. It's well after midnight by the time I get to bed.
When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't help realizing right away just how different it was from waking up in Balimba. No mosquito net, no grass roof, no noises of little animals crawling about in the roof, thick warm covers for winter nights, no need for a flashlight ... but the list is too long. I think you get the idea. It's a different world out there, so don't be too hard on us missionaries from Africa if we look a bit dazed when we get back to the USA (or Australia, for that matter).
At first I was dreading getting back to deputation, but now I'm actually looking forward to it. I have many more stories and pictures to share with people in the churches I go to, and every mile traveled on deputation takes me closer to the day when I will return to Chad!
Second Half of My Chad Trip
Some of you may have noticed that my blog disappeared from the internet for a while, and perhaps you've been wondering what's become of me! Well, I am still on the earth, and I haven't deleted my blog. But Blogger apparently decided that writing blog posts from a remote corner of Africa was "unusual activity" and took it upon itself to block my account for a while. I suppose it is rather unusual activity, when you think about it! :-) But thankfully, the problem has been repaired now, so I can share with you a little of what has happened in the last couple weeks.
First, praise the Lord that the team in the Sara Kaba Naa workshop was able to finish checking the entire book of 2 Samuel. Pray that they will be able to make good progress as they continue to translate the Old Testament.
After the workshop was finished, I went with Susan Hossack to her home in Koumra, about 3 hours' drive (in dry season) from Sarh. The road is dirt the whole way, but not for long. Work is being done to pave the road between Sarh and Koumra, and though no blacktop is laid yet, portions of the road are nicely graded.
In Koumra, I had the opportunity to get a tour of the hospital there, where missionary Dr Joy Hart serves. It was my first glimpse of medical missions in Africa, and although I am sure that the Lord has not given me any medical skills, it was very interesting to see this ministry.
After just a few days in Koumra, we had to return to Balimba (the village near Sarh) to prepare for the arrival of a literacy team from BI. Our trip back included another new experience for me. With so few vehicles around, it is very common for missionaries give rides to people who are without their own efficient means of transportation, and this trip was no exception. But one of our passengers was a young woman with an eye tumour, who had gone to the Koumra hospital in hopes of getting treatment. But sadly, the tumour was already much too far advanced to have any hopes of a cure, so she had to make the long and painful trip back to her home and family. She was obviously in great pain, and I felt so sorry for her. I'm sure that she and her family would appreciate your prayers, though we may never know in this life what happened to her after she got home.
A few days later, the literacy team arrived, and our group expanded to five - a fun and lively bunch! Their first task was a literacy training workshop for the Ngamh language group. This was not to teach people to read, but to train national literacy teachers, who will go back to their own villages to teach their own people to read. The Ngamh have a New Testament, literacy primers, and a book of Old Testament stories (but no complete Old Testament yet). The storybook was the focus of the workshop: training the teachers in how to use the storybooks as an aid in teaching reading. I am not a literacy specialist, but I enjoyed observing several days of the workshops, learning firsthand about the literacy side of BI's work.
All too soon, my month in Chad was up, and I had to pack again and say a tearful au revoir to the place that I have already come to love. I'll tell you all about the long journey back to the USA in another post.
The photo above is of one of the attendees of the workshop, using his Ngamh OT storybook. You can view more photos of my trip here, if you have not already done so.
First, praise the Lord that the team in the Sara Kaba Naa workshop was able to finish checking the entire book of 2 Samuel. Pray that they will be able to make good progress as they continue to translate the Old Testament.
After the workshop was finished, I went with Susan Hossack to her home in Koumra, about 3 hours' drive (in dry season) from Sarh. The road is dirt the whole way, but not for long. Work is being done to pave the road between Sarh and Koumra, and though no blacktop is laid yet, portions of the road are nicely graded.
In Koumra, I had the opportunity to get a tour of the hospital there, where missionary Dr Joy Hart serves. It was my first glimpse of medical missions in Africa, and although I am sure that the Lord has not given me any medical skills, it was very interesting to see this ministry.
After just a few days in Koumra, we had to return to Balimba (the village near Sarh) to prepare for the arrival of a literacy team from BI. Our trip back included another new experience for me. With so few vehicles around, it is very common for missionaries give rides to people who are without their own efficient means of transportation, and this trip was no exception. But one of our passengers was a young woman with an eye tumour, who had gone to the Koumra hospital in hopes of getting treatment. But sadly, the tumour was already much too far advanced to have any hopes of a cure, so she had to make the long and painful trip back to her home and family. She was obviously in great pain, and I felt so sorry for her. I'm sure that she and her family would appreciate your prayers, though we may never know in this life what happened to her after she got home.
A few days later, the literacy team arrived, and our group expanded to five - a fun and lively bunch! Their first task was a literacy training workshop for the Ngamh language group. This was not to teach people to read, but to train national literacy teachers, who will go back to their own villages to teach their own people to read. The Ngamh have a New Testament, literacy primers, and a book of Old Testament stories (but no complete Old Testament yet). The storybook was the focus of the workshop: training the teachers in how to use the storybooks as an aid in teaching reading. I am not a literacy specialist, but I enjoyed observing several days of the workshops, learning firsthand about the literacy side of BI's work.
All too soon, my month in Chad was up, and I had to pack again and say a tearful au revoir to the place that I have already come to love. I'll tell you all about the long journey back to the USA in another post.
The photo above is of one of the attendees of the workshop, using his Ngamh OT storybook. You can view more photos of my trip here, if you have not already done so.
Bonjour from Chad!
I've been in Chad for about 2 weeks now, and it's about time I gave you an update on how things are going. Well, I arrived in N'Djamena with no major problems, and flew from there to Sarh in southern Chad in a MAF plane (a new experience for me).
In my first week, I learned some of the basics of life here in Chad, practiced my French, attended several meetings, and prepared for the upcoming workshop in the Sara Kaba Naa translation. Learning to take showers with a bucket of cold water and dipper, eating Chadian food, and learning some basic ettiquette (e.g. greeting, shaking hands) are just a few of the Chadian life experiences I've been having.
This week has been mostly taken up with the translation workshop in Sara Kaba Naa. We have been checking the translation of 2 Samuel. The translation is in good shape, and the book is not a difficult one, so things have been moving along quite well. Pray that the group can finish checking the entire book this week, before the senior consultant heads back to the USA. The senior consultant and I both came down with a rather nasty cold-like virus, which has made our work here more difficult. Praise the Lord that the senior consultant was over the worst of his sickness before the workshop started, but I was at my worst right in the middle of it. Thankfully, I was able to attend most of the workshop and lead the chapter assigned to me.
I have begun posting photos of my trip here. I will continue to add more photos as I'm able, so check back there later to see more photos.
In my first week, I learned some of the basics of life here in Chad, practiced my French, attended several meetings, and prepared for the upcoming workshop in the Sara Kaba Naa translation. Learning to take showers with a bucket of cold water and dipper, eating Chadian food, and learning some basic ettiquette (e.g. greeting, shaking hands) are just a few of the Chadian life experiences I've been having.
This week has been mostly taken up with the translation workshop in Sara Kaba Naa. We have been checking the translation of 2 Samuel. The translation is in good shape, and the book is not a difficult one, so things have been moving along quite well. Pray that the group can finish checking the entire book this week, before the senior consultant heads back to the USA. The senior consultant and I both came down with a rather nasty cold-like virus, which has made our work here more difficult. Praise the Lord that the senior consultant was over the worst of his sickness before the workshop started, but I was at my worst right in the middle of it. Thankfully, I was able to attend most of the workshop and lead the chapter assigned to me.
I have begun posting photos of my trip here. I will continue to add more photos as I'm able, so check back there later to see more photos.
January Prayer Letter
Dear Prayer Supporters,
I must be getting older – time certainly seems to be flying by quickly these days! It feels like we barely started 2010, and here we are in 2011 already! A year seemed like such a long time when I was growing up. But be that as it may, it has been a great year. The Lord gave me great meetings in the spring and fall, from Iowa to New York. He provided for me to spend the entire summer at Bob Jones University, where I received important training in linguistics and Bible translation. And since this time last year, He has increased my monthly support by 23% and provided to date about half of my outfit-and-passage needs. I’m looking forward to seeing what He will do in 2011!
HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY
My last deputation meeting of 2010 was to Long Island, New York. It was a blessing and an adventure, as I had the opportunity to go into New York City for the first time and see some of the city’s famous landmarks. It was a great conclusion to a great year of serving the Lord through the ministry of deputation.
For the first time in several years, I was able to spend the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas with my parents, as well as with other members of my extended family. We had a truly wonderful time of celebrating the Lord’s birth together. My parents then joined me in returning to Indiana to welcome in the new year. I enjoyed showing them my home here at the Shepherd’s Bethel. They have now left the area, and will soon be making their way back to Australia. Praise the Lord for giving us such special times together over the past few weeks.
SURVEY TRIP TO CHAD
In just two days from the writing of this letter, I will board a plane to make my way down to southern Chad. I will participate in a Bible translation workshop for the Sara Kaba Naa, a language group of over 60,000 speakers (according to one source). A senior consultant will be leading the workshop as we check the book of 2 Samuel. However, my primary purpose in making this trip is to gain a first-hand understanding of the country and ministries in Chad, and to aid in my plans to move there permanently. Please pray for me as I make final preparations to leave – spiritually, physically, and professionally. I am scheduled to arrive back in the USA on February 6. I look forward to telling you in my next prayer letter what God did through this trip!
DEPUTATION SCHEDULE
Due to a cancellation in late February, I have no more meetings scheduled until March. Please pray for at least one more meeting in the latter half of February to replace the one that was canceled. Pray also for my support and outfit-and-passage needs as churches and individuals consider their missions budgets over the next few months.
In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
Praise Items:
1. Blessed times with my parents over the holidays;
2. God’s blessing and protection in deputation travels over 2010.
Prayer Requests:
1. Good weather and smooth plane connections;
2. Travel safety and good health;
3. That I will have a teachable spirit as I learn new things in a new country;
4. Good progress on the Sara Kaba Naa Bible;
5. Provision of support needs.
I must be getting older – time certainly seems to be flying by quickly these days! It feels like we barely started 2010, and here we are in 2011 already! A year seemed like such a long time when I was growing up. But be that as it may, it has been a great year. The Lord gave me great meetings in the spring and fall, from Iowa to New York. He provided for me to spend the entire summer at Bob Jones University, where I received important training in linguistics and Bible translation. And since this time last year, He has increased my monthly support by 23% and provided to date about half of my outfit-and-passage needs. I’m looking forward to seeing what He will do in 2011!
HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY
My last deputation meeting of 2010 was to Long Island, New York. It was a blessing and an adventure, as I had the opportunity to go into New York City for the first time and see some of the city’s famous landmarks. It was a great conclusion to a great year of serving the Lord through the ministry of deputation.For the first time in several years, I was able to spend the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas with my parents, as well as with other members of my extended family. We had a truly wonderful time of celebrating the Lord’s birth together. My parents then joined me in returning to Indiana to welcome in the new year. I enjoyed showing them my home here at the Shepherd’s Bethel. They have now left the area, and will soon be making their way back to Australia. Praise the Lord for giving us such special times together over the past few weeks.
SURVEY TRIP TO CHAD
In just two days from the writing of this letter, I will board a plane to make my way down to southern Chad. I will participate in a Bible translation workshop for the Sara Kaba Naa, a language group of over 60,000 speakers (according to one source). A senior consultant will be leading the workshop as we check the book of 2 Samuel. However, my primary purpose in making this trip is to gain a first-hand understanding of the country and ministries in Chad, and to aid in my plans to move there permanently. Please pray for me as I make final preparations to leave – spiritually, physically, and professionally. I am scheduled to arrive back in the USA on February 6. I look forward to telling you in my next prayer letter what God did through this trip!
DEPUTATION SCHEDULE
Due to a cancellation in late February, I have no more meetings scheduled until March. Please pray for at least one more meeting in the latter half of February to replace the one that was canceled. Pray also for my support and outfit-and-passage needs as churches and individuals consider their missions budgets over the next few months.
In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
Praise Items:
1. Blessed times with my parents over the holidays;
2. God’s blessing and protection in deputation travels over 2010.
Prayer Requests:
1. Good weather and smooth plane connections;
2. Travel safety and good health;
3. That I will have a teachable spirit as I learn new things in a new country;
4. Good progress on the Sara Kaba Naa Bible;
5. Provision of support needs.
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