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.

October update

Last month we launched the fifth wycliffe.net site language--Chinese! Tom and a small team of Chinese-speaking colleagues in Asia, plus our able web editor and translation coordinators, Craig and Anne Combs, made this long-prayed-for dream a reality. We are grateful to God for providing this capable team and are trusting He will be glorified as the Chinese Church worldwide now has greater access to stories, prayer info and other information about the needs and progress of Bible translation and related ministry.

Petronas Towers, Malaysia

As for me (Susan), I've decided I need another word besides "meetings" to describe this major component of my work and life. When people ask what I’ve been doing and I mention meetings in Malaysia, Kenya, Ghana, Canada or Germany (that’s the past three months) there’s usually more interest in the country than the meetings. People seem to have an aversion to meetings and often say, "better you than me!"
I wish I could better express just what these meetings comprise! It is difficult to do justice to experiences that allow me to worship with and delve into the Word with colleagues from all over the world. Together we seek God's direction, pray for discernment, confess our failings, recount God's blessings, and track this journey He has allowed us to be a part of. We listen to Him and to each other, marveling at His goodness and mercy, relying on Him, hoping in Him, and rejoicing in Him as yet another people group has access to and is applying His Word in their language and as the Church worldwide participates in His mission of redemption and restoration. And we look for ways we can participate!

Communication Forum - Kenya

Communication Forum - Kenya

In September I was privileged to attend the first-ever communication forum for 10 of the African Wycliffe organizations. I learned so much during this time of fellowship with colleagues from Sudan, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon and numerous other countries and they left inspired to share what God is doing in their midst.

Celebration, Accra, Ghana

Following the Kenya forum, I traveled to Accra, Ghana where we had an amazing couple of days in a multicultural missiological consultation on the topic of "community." Together we explored the deep joy and significance of recognizing community as beginning before Creation with the Trinity, then established by God as the means for His people to enjoy Him and each other. We spent time considering how we should think and act differently knowing that community is ordained by God and that interdependence and unity are not optional. We are continuing this discussion and reflection throughout Wycliffe and with other partner organizations. It brings a much deeper and richer perspective to partnership.
During the rest of the week in Ghana we joined our colleagues in celebrating the 50th anniversary of GILLBT, the Ghanaian Wycliffe organization. GILLBT is integrally engaged with Ghanaian churches and the University of Ghana. See more at http://www.gillbt.org/

Canada Communication meetings

Banff, Canada

October also included global communication meetings near Calgary, Canada. It is always a joy to get together with colleagues I’ve counted as friends for many years and to also have new faces, energy and creativity in the mix as well. We all appreciate how privileged we are to participate with God in His mission and to be able to communicate what He is doing around the world. Then it was home for a few days and on to Germany! (more on that next month)
Enroute to Germany, I was able to pay a short visit to our daughter Kate in NY. She is doing well. You can check out the progress on their church/school building (and hear her voice on the video) at http://www.indiegogo.com/AHomeForHopeAcademy and at http://www.bhof.org/
And you can see what our son, Josh is up to on http://www.evergreencomputerservices.com/
He is trying to build up his web design, graphic design and video clientele so Heather doesn’t have to have an additional outside job. We appreciate your continued prayer for Josh, Heather, and Wynnie and for Kate and her boyfriend, Jordan. They are all trying to build up businesses and/or make major decisions about ministry and livelihoods. Well, everyone but Wynnie. She's pretty busy just being a one-year-old.
Thank you so much for your encouragement, support and prayers! We are so grateful for the community that keeps us going. And do let us know how we can be praying for you!

July - August Update

July has come and gone. How did that happen? Seems like most people we know took vacation time away this month. The change for us was being home for the month!

Though Tom is home a lot more than I am, this was the first month this year we've both been home all month. Ok, almost all month. I did have a four- day trip to Orlando for meetings, but that hardly counts. Any flight under 10 hours seems local these days. Though to make up for the relative ease of the trip, I did have a cancelled flight, an extra night in Orlando...and almost ten hours total in security lines and waiting at airport gates. But at least Orlando is a friendly and cheerful airport, full of families on holiday in amusement park t-shirts and hats and carrying stuffed animals so large that you'd think they'd require their own airline tickets.

The highlights of this month were visits from Kate and her boyfriend, Jordan, and then also several of Kate's girlfriends.  Jordan headed back to NY after time here to get acquainted with Kate's family culture, meet her grandparents for the first time, and meet a few family friends.  Kate and the girls were here for a few more days then headed West on a road trip. It was tempting to hop in the car with them, but Tom and I disciplined ourselves and stayed home. We've had some good, much needed focused time of work this month. That's one of the beauties of working from home instead of an office...you can just keep working. But wait, that's also one of the dangers!   Fortunately, we usually get hungry or feel the need for a walk sooner or later. 

To see some of the junction of Susan’s team and Tom’s work, check out these videos (whose thumbnails you see here) at

http://www.wycliffe.net/stories/tabid/67/Default.aspx?media=m_vd&library=T

Tom has a myriad of web projects... along with fixing things that break from time to time when something changes around the various systems from which we pull data.

He is also making progress on our kitchen!  The counter is in and the backsplash is going up.  Slowly but surely we are moving ahead.

I'm working on numerous projects including preparation for the following upcoming meetings:

August — Leadership Development Roundtable 2, Malaysia. Leaders from numerous mission organizations to are meeting to share ideas, grow together and collaborate as we seek to discern God's desires and plans for leadership development and the encouragement of new leaders in our organizations.

September — Communication workshop, Nairobi, Kenya. Meeting with Wycliffe communication leaders from all across Africa.
Missiological Consultation and celebration of GILLBT's (the Ghanian Wycliffe organization) 50th anniversary, Accra, Ghana.

October — Global Communication meetings, Calgary, Canada.
Global Leadership Team meetings, Germany. 
Wycliffe Europe Area Communication meetings, Germany.

November — Wycliffe Global Alliance Board meetings.

Please be in prayer as my colleagues and I prepare for and travel to these meetings. But first and foremost, please pray that we would be attentive to God's direction and leading as we seek to discern how He would have the Wycliffe Global Alliance and its many organizations participate in His mission. And keep Tom in your prayers as he continues at home in the often intense work of maintaining and improving wycliffe.net and as he also stays connected with our parents.

Some of you occasionally ask about our finances so we thought we'd share a bit. God has been so good to provide for our needs day-to-day over all these years. And He does this through His people. Many of you have been supporting our ministry with Wycliffe from the very beginning...more than 25 years now. Thank you!  

May - June Update

 

May 2-13 Tom and Susan in Thailand for Wycliffe's Global Gathering and a meeting of communication and prayer leadership.

May 25-28 Tom and Susan in Colorado to visit Josh, Heather and Wynnie.

June 12-19 Susan in Finland for Wycliffe Global Leadership Team meeting and Wycliffe Finland's 40th anniversary celebration.

Other June highlights- our 32nd anniversary, Don and Vivian Van Wynen's 13th anniversary (Tom's dad and stepmom) and Jerry Roach's 80th birthday (Susan's dad).

The Wycliffe Global Gathering in Thailand was an amazing experience as we saw and heard what God can do and is doing through the worldwide Church as they take on the challenge of Bible translation. More than 200 leaders from more than 100 Wycliffe participating organizations met for a week of sharing, celebrating and learning together.

Our keynote speaker was Dr. Christopher J.H. Wright, noted Christian leader and author. I've enjoyed reading his book, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative, this past year. As an Old Testament scholar, he brings mission to life as much more than just a few proof texts for the Gospels. You can read summaries of his presentations and watch the videos at www.wycliffe.net/resources/missiology/globalperspectives/tabid/97/Default.aspx


What's next? July is probably the only month this year that we will both be home all month! We hope to have plenty of time to focus on work, but are also looking forward to guests and house projects. Those two things may not seem like the best combination, but as our house is always in some stage of remodeling, it is pretty much inevitable that any guests have to accept their accommodations as a work in progress.

Kate and her boyfriend, Jordan, arrive on the 5th. On the 10th, Jordan returns to New York and three of Kate's girlfriends arrive for a few days before the foursome head out for a road trip west. Then Tom and I get back to work!

Tom makes continual improvements and additions to wycliffe.net- enhancing language maps, connecting another list of online Scripture translations, and also a list of language survey reports. My current projects include orientation materials for the Alliance, preparing for a leadership development meeting in Malaysia in August, input to wycliffe.net, strategic planning updates, and the new missiology blog, Missio Vitae. This new resource provides "bite-size" readings, reflections and questions related to the Mission of God and how we, His Church worldwide, can participate. The blog launched this month in seven languages! Check it out or get a feed of the weekly installments at missio.wycliffe.net.

We hope your July brings many blessings, good relationships and times of refreshment as you, too, continue your journey with the Lord. We appreciate you and often reflect on the blessings you bring to our journey! We are grateful for your prayers, friendship and support. We keep you in our thoughts and prayers wherever our journey takes us!

Hi, Susan here. I'm just finishing up a week in New York. I was attending the Forum of Bible Agencies, International meetings. This year the meetings were in Manhattan, hosted by the American Bible Society. The meeting agenda included "field trips" to visit and explore various aspects of urban culture, life, and ministry. But I don't think any of the field trips can match the experiences I have when visiting our daughter, Kate, in the Bronx! Fortunately I did have time to enjoy a few days with her before and after the Forum meetings.

Kate teaching ESL

Urban life and ministry is relevant to all of us these days. For Kate it is about ministering as part of a local body of believers and reaching out to the immigrant population in her very diverse Bronx neighborhood. For the Bible agencies that met in Manhattan, the interest in urban ministry comes from the recognition that more than half of the world's population now lives in cities. And for those of us serving with minority language communities, this urban population growth means many of the users of those minority languages are as likely to be found in hi-rise apartments as in remote villages. It also means these language "communities" are connecting through social networks that spread across the globe as well as back to their geographic homeland.

Urbanization and globalization also have an impact on languages themselves and on the people who use these languages. As people move and new generations are born in cities across the globe, will they keep their language? Will they want to preserve their culture? What mediums of communication will they use? Who will introduce them to Jesus? These kinds of questions lead to new thinking concerning where ministry needs to happen, how the Gospel should be made available, and how the Church can and must respond to the needs of the cities and their peoples.

While I've been in New York, Tom spent several days in Michigan attending the Audio Scriptures Ministries Board meetings (ASM). ASM is one of several key organizations producing audio recordings of translated Scripture. Audio and video continue to grow as strategic mediums. Recordings once produced on cassettes are now as often found on microchips and listened to on mobile phones. Tom and I have seen the reality and potential of this as we've traveled. One of our favorite memories while staying in Kenya a few years ago was being scolded by the local vegetable lady. Like generations before her, she carried heavy loads of fruits and vegetables on her head every day from market to outlying neighborhoods. But her expectation was that we would call her mobile phone to place our order. We didn't have a mobile phone while in Kenya, so couldn't comply. She shook her head at us as I handed her my hopelessly old-fashioned handwritten grocery list.

Globalization, urbanization, technology--all important considerations, not just in business but also in mission. But at the heart of all our observations and reflections, it always goes back to God's heart for people and our desire to see God glorified as people come to know and worship Him. Discerning the times and knowing what to do comes not from keeping up on the latest trends, but from keeping close to Him and trying to see the world as He sees it.

For Prayer

The new kitchen sink!

Thank God--

• For good relationship building at Tom's meetings in Michigan and mine in NY
• For the time I was able to spend with Kate while in NY
• That Tom finally found time to get our kitchen sink in!

Pray for--

Granddaughter,Wynnie, 7 months

• The Church worldwide and particularly the urban churches as they seek to reach people with the Good News.
• Our colleagues worldwide who are working in the ministry of Bible translation.
• Our comings and goings and relationships as we serve with the Wycliffe Global Alliance.
• Our Wycliffe Global Alliance meetings in Asia in May.