Christmas 2013

Mosaic on Haggia Sophia ceiling, Istanbul, Turkey

What makes it worth packing and unpacking suitcases (I actually like that part), standing in security lines, and coping with jetlag? Seeing and being a part of how God is at work through His Church around the world!

In 2013, I (Susan) traveled for meetings in Thailand, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Canada and Turkey, Philippines and various U.S. locations. Tom joined me on several of these trips. What do we actually do (besides packing, standing in lines and not sleeping)?

Tom has continued to serve as webmaster for the complex, ever–growing multi-lingual wycliffe.net Wycliffe Global Alliance website. And he consults with Wycliffe organizations around the world regarding their websites as well.


I’m continuing to serve with the senior leadership team of the Wycliffe Global Alliance, focusing on strategy and communication…connecting with and facilitating Wycliffe leaders and communication personnel worldwide. The meetings I attend are rarely just “business meetings” (though we do have to have a few of those). Some are communication workshops with fellow communication colleagues. Many of the meetings are missiological consultations with Wycliffe leaders from around the world. These are times of reflection and discussion of key issues such as—
• What does it means to serve in community?
• What is God’s desire concerning how His work is funded?
• How does Bible translation fit into the holistic picture of God’s desire for His whole Church to reach the whole world?

Many voices from many cultures are participating in these discussions. And, from the discussions, new guidelines and ideas for sound theological mission practice are growing.

Perga marketplace

While attending meetings in Turkey this year, some of us were privileged to visit Haggia Sophia in Istanbul and the ruins of the city of Perga. These ancient sites are reminders of how God has called people to Himself across continents and across centuries. Today, Perga is a jigsaw puzzle for archaeologists, but it was a thriving city and a crossroads for trade and communication during the Apostle Paul’s day. He probably spoke in this marketplace.

Nations, cultures and languages may rise and fall but God continues to be faithful. Organizations, too, rise and fall! But we are living in a time when God is raising up new organizations… not to build empires and commerce but to contribute to His Kingdom come and coming.

The Wycliffe Global Alliance now includes more than 120 organizations worldwide. These organizations are integrally engaged in Bible translation movements in their own countries and around the world. Two more organizations joined the Alliance recently—the Bible Translation Organization of Tonga and the Bible Translation and Literacy Partnership of Solomon Islands. You can read more about the growing movement in the Tongan church at tinyurl.com/kvnphma. This is just one of numerous stories about Tonga and the Solomon Islands on wycliffe.net. Just as Paul was strategically placed to spread the Good News, the people of the Pacific are strategically placed to reach some of the most linguistically diverse regions of the world that still need to hear God speak their language.

As we celebrate Christmas and recall the coming of Christ, we also celebrate what God has done in enabling more and more people around the world to have the story of that Good News in their own language. But the work continues! More than 1900 language communities still have a likely need for Bible translation. See more at wycliffe.net/statistics.

God is accomplishing His mission to redeem and restore His creation through the participants in new Wycliffe organizations like those in Tonga and the Solomon Islands. He also continues to provide through local churches worldwide and through faithful partners…like you! We want to thank you for helping make it possible for us to serve with Wycliffe, through your prayers, encouragement and giving. God, in His infinite grace and mercy, has chosen to accomplish His mission through the Body, the Church worldwide, and there is a role for everyone!

One of the most rewarding parts of our work is seeing how God has made us all to work and live in community. We pray that you are rejoicing and celebrating in community this Christmas!

To Fall—

to move downward,

typically rapidly

without control

to lose one’s balance

and collapse.

To Descend—

to proceed,

to lower oneself.

stoop.

to progress downward,

purposefully.

We are the fallen.

A mess of flailing limbs

Pulled down by the gravity

Of our sin.

He descended.

Limbs moved by perfect grace

from manger to cross

to grave that could not hold Him.

We are the fallen.

Hands clawing at thin air

Nails scrapping

at nothing.

He descended

Hands reaching for the hurting

Nail-scarred

For the fallen.

We are the fallen

For whom He descended.

We are the unworthy.

Claimed by mercy.

Bought by love.

Beyond

Heights or depths.

Beyond

Our imagination.

Beyond

our grasp.

In His grasp

For His glory.

Family

Tom’s dad, Don Van Wynen, went to be with the Lord in January. Susan’s mom, Marlene Roach, continues to have health problems and underwent major surgery in September. Please keep Susan’s parents, Marlene and Jerry, and Tom’s stepmom, Vivian in your prayers. As they say, getting older isn’t easy!

Our son Josh, his wife Heather and our granddaughter, Wynnie (now 2!) are doing well…even if we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like! Josh’s web design business has grown a bit, but like all freelance work is up and down and it’s also challenging to work while watching Wynnie. Heather is still working at Whole Foods and plans to start classes after the first of the year so she can eventually get teaching credentials. They would appreciate your continued prayers as well.

Our daughter Kate married Jordan Roberts on October 5. It was a joyful event and a beautiful day. They are now living in Philadelphia where Jordan will attend Westminster Seminary, beginning in February. They are still driving back to the Bronx each weekend so they can stay involved in their church, The Bronx Household of Faith. Pray for them in their new life together and as they will need new jobs when their holiday season work ends.

We will close this letter with wedding pictures so you can share some of our joy! Many of you have prayed for our children for many years and we are so grateful.

May your Christmas season be blessed by the realization of God’s presence, goodness and love and through fellowship with those you love.

May - June 2013

“One may not ask the Latin language how to speak German…one must ask mothers in the home, children on the street, the common man at the market, and watch carefully how they speak. After that one may translate. Then those who read will understand you and know that you are speaking German with them” Martin Luther

Tom and I spent a week in Germany this past month. I attended the Wycliffe Global Alliance board meetings and Tom met with communication and IT staff from Wycliffe Germany and Wycliffe Europe Area. A highlight of our time was a field trip to Wartburg Castle. Martin Luther lived here in hiding, under the protection of Fredrick the Wise of Saxony.  If Luther had been captured during this time, he would have been tried as a heretic and most likely condemned to death. How did Luther spend this time? He translated the New Testament into the German language!  He was passionate about and committed to making Scripture available and understandable to all the German people. The desire for Scripture in the common language of the people spread across Europe, inspiring many others to translate the Bible into their own language as well.

The story continues today! “The Word of God is for every person. The challenge is that we have 800 languages,” Reverend Jacob Harry, Cassowary Road United Church. Papua New Guinea. Check out the new video from PNG on wycliffe.net to see how one church caught and is spreading the vision for Bible translation in their country. You might want to share this video with your church, too!

The field trip to Wartburg was just one highlight of a busy week in Germany. Among the many things accomplished in the Wycliffe Global Alliance board meetings was the adoption of a newly revised mission statement.

"In communion with God and within the community of His Church, we encourage and facilitate Bible translation movements that contribute to the holistic transformation of language communities worldwide."

I'm pleased with the work the Board did on this and feel it really captures who we are and who we are becoming as the Wycliffe Global Alliance. Next month I'll write a bit more about this. After our time in Germany, Tom and I joined Hannes and Esther Wiesmann on a train to Switzerland. Hannes is on the Board and is also the Director of Wycliffe Switzerland. We spent about five days with them and their office staff. We enjoyed the Swiss hospitality, (including Swiss chocolate, of course) and worked with Hannes and his team on web issues and communication strategy. We appreciate these opportunities to work one-on-one with the Wycliffe organization teams. Wycliffe Switzerland and the Swiss Church have made and continue to make a valuable contribution to the ministry of Bible translation. 

We are now home for several weeks, my longest time at home in a while. So, in addition to our usual work, we are also trying to get back to house projects--especially the kitchen! Yard work always awaits attention as well. We are making a bit of progress!  Tom's stepmother Vivian seems to be doing well though still missing Don. She stays busy entertaining guests and gardening. Tom will be taking her to visit family in Minnesota at the end of June while I'll be going to visit Kate and help her with some wedding planning! The wedding will be October fifth in Pennsylvania.

I promised you a bit more information about Kate's fiancé, Jordan Roberts. Introducing Jordan Peter Roberts… the man about to marry our daughter! He and Kate helped put this brief bio together:

Jordan was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, where his parents and a few others began the Bronx Household of Faith, a small mission-minded church in the Reformed tradition. His father’s work as the director of a Christian discipleship program for men with addictions, his parents’ commitment to their 13 children (7 adopted), and the Christ-exalting faithfulness of the church to the Word of God have all influenced his perspectives and formed his convictions.

Jordan is a gifted artist, songwriter and musician (He and Kate make beautiful music together!). He studied English and Bible at Grove City College in western Pennsylvania, and spent a year teaching high school Bible in NYC.

Jordan and Kate met in 2005, on staff at a camp for people with disabilities. God had lots for each of them to do and learn before He would turn their attention fully towards each other. Jordan’s family were Kate’s first contacts when she was job-hunting in New York, and in 2008, God opened the doors for Kate to move, quite literally, into Jordan’s backyard, to live with other women from the Bronx Household of Faith, the church she would come to love. After Jordan’s return from college, their friendship eventually blossomed into what it is today.

We are so excited and looking forward to their wedding, October 5, 2013. It’s been a delight to watch God’s work in their lives. They’re planning to move to the Philadelphia area after their wedding so that Jordan can attend Westminster Theological Seminary. He’s looking forward to preparing through study to teach the Bible, whether that may be as a layperson in the church or as a professor or pastor. Kate would also like to attend seminary to study biblical counseling. But they haven’t figured out how to survive without someone working a paying job, so her studies are still in question! At this point they look forward to discovering together what God has for them as part of His church, whether that’s in the Bronx or elsewhere. Together, they want to build a Christ-centered marriage and family.

Jordan also has a few words to say about Kate-- Right here in my own backyard I found the woman who more than any other I've ever known is submitting every beautiful gift she's been given--her intelligence, her creativity, her enthusiasm for discovery, her interest in the whole wide world and every person she meets in it--to the greatest commandment of her Savior: to love.  She loves God and others, and not like it’s a hobby; she turns every hobby every job every task every conflict every celebration into a medium for love.  That He would allow me to be drawn into the closest circle of her obedient, infectious, welcoming love by making me dear to her and her dear to me is an overwhelmingly exciting blessing.  I'm so grateful.  We want to serve Him together, according to His word, in love.

As you can imagine we are so thankful for what God is doing in Kate and Jordan’s lives. Other family news--my parents, Marlene and Jerry, braved the long drive to Jacksonville, Florida so my mom could have a check-up and some additional tests with the doctor who did her surgery about eight years ago. Most of her current health issues aren’t actually related to that surgery, but the folks at Mayo do an amazing job of collaborative medicine and sorting things out. We all appreciate their professionalism and expertise. And Mother also appreciates their attractive decor! As it ends up, her problems are largely related to having so many different medications. So they’re going to try some different prescriptions and approaches. We are grateful they got good help and that they arrived back home safely!

In late April we were able to make a quick visit to see Josh and Heather and Wynnie. They are doing well and we, of course, had great fun with Wynnie. She loves to draw (no surprise since both her parents are artists). She answers lots of questions with nonchalant shrugs and whispers most words except for "chocolate!" which for some reason comes out loud and clear and enthusiastic. But thanks to her health-conscious mom and dad, she is usually content with blueberries, cheese and yogurt. But she only whispers about those. 

Our summer travels, in addition to the New York trip for me and Minnesota for Tom,  include meetings for both of us in Costa Rica, meetings I'll be attending in Calgary and then two weeks in the Philippines in August to work with the communication team there. So we do appreciate your continued prayers! Thank you so much for your ongoing support and encouragement.

April Update

The first few months of this year provided lots of opportunities for appreciating and reflecting on family. We enjoyed a family holiday in January with Josh, Heather, Wynnie, Kate and Jordan. It was both Wynnie's and Jordan's first visit to Disney World! The photo on the top right was taken in front of the fountain at Epcot where we've been taking Josh and Kate's pictures since Kate was an infant. Even transient folks like us have a few traditions!
In February, Tom's dad, Don, went to be with the Lord just a week after his 89th birthday. Though we will miss him, we know he is now in full health and rejoicing in the presence of Lord. All of Tom's siblings and their kids, plus our kids, came to Texas for the memorial service. It was a good time of family fellowship and celebrating Don's life. There were people at the memorial service who had been his friends for more than 60 years! Do be praying for Vivian, Tom's stepmom, as she adjusts to life without Don. She has been such a blessing to our whole family.

The latest family news is Kate's engagement to Jordan Roberts! We've been expecting this good news for a while now and are so happy for them. They hope to get married this October. Jordan has been accepted at Westminster Seminary in Pennsylvania, so if the Lord provides scholarships, new jobs and a place to live they would like to begin school in January. In our next newsletter we will have a special  "Meet  Jordan" article and update on their plans so you can learn a bit more and be praying with us and with them as they look to their future together. Josh's wife, Heather, is also hoping to go back to school to get teaching credentials. I'm sure both families would appreciate your prayers!



I'm writing this letter between journeys. Last week I was in France for global communication meetings.
Tomorrow I leave for meetings in Germany with colleagues working in Eurasia and then go on to Fort Lauderdale, FL for the Forum of Bible Agencies International meetings. But it has been good to be home this past week and to celebrate Easter with Tom and my parents. Next month Tom and I will be traveling together to the Wycliffe Global Alliance board meetings in Germany. We always enjoy it when we can travel together!

I've started this newsletter about four times, so am going to keep it short to make sure I really finish it before it gets to outdated!  We do want to share at least one bit of news concerning what's happening in Bible translation. I don't know if you read and pray through the wycliffe.net weekly Prayer Bulletin (you can find it each week on the front page of the website) but these prayer requests are also a great way to get the news of what's going on around the world. This last week featured requests from Papua New Guinea. Here's just one example--

Praise the Lord for the Bible Translation Association's (BTA) translation consultants who are busy with a number of checking projects in March. Kidu Magi is checking the Gizrra language books of Acts of the Apostles, Philemon and 2 John. Duncan Kasokason is checking portions of Genesis in Kanasi and Buhutu  which are part of the Translators' Training Course assignments for the two translation teams. Aluis Simatab is preparing to check Isaiah in the Guhu Samane language in April. Praise the Lord for consultant training being organized to train more Papua New Guineans to check translated Scriptures.

This gives you just a glimpse of what's happening in PNG, one of the regions of the world with the greatest number of language communities still needing Bible translation. PNG has more than 800 languages! BTA, the organization mentioned above, is a Papua New Guinean Wycliffe organization with a growing number of Papua New Guinean translators, translation consultants and literacy workers. Many people in North American churches still picture Bible translation and mission as primarily "western" endeavors being carried out by expats. While there are still many people from the west going out, the majority of Wycliffe participating organizations today are from the majority world, not the west. It is exciting to see how God's Church has grown and how His people all over the world are joining Him in His mission. Tom and I are privileged to work with and serve these colleagues through our roles in the Wycliffe Global Alliance.

Many of you are also a part of this global ministry. Your prayers, support and friendship are constant sources of encouragement to us. We value you greatly! Thank you for all you have done and are doing. We also want to say a special thank-you to all those who sent notes and condolences when Tom's dad went to be with the Lord.  Thank you!  I started this letter talking about family. We consider you part of our family as well.