IT STARTS IN THE STRANGEST PLACE

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1

Nothing seems to remind us of God's might and sovereignty more than gazing at the sky on a clear, crisp night. We sense great confidence that He is in control. But when we bring our eyes down and gaze at the chaos surrounding us, much like the dust and dirt in the photo above, how easily we forget this truth.

The following video will encourage you to see beyond the chaos and know God's power is right in your midst. People are receiving the Word of God in their heart language and their lives are being transformed by the living power of the Scriptures.

To view this in a higher resolution (recommended), start the video, click on the 240p and change it to 480p. 720p will give you High Definition.

If you have trouble viewing the video click on or copy and paste the following link into your browser.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3YFBDDRx6Y

 

Our part in this great work? To provide reliable transportation for the translation teams. That’s what we are called to do and we continue to press on daily to provide this. “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world,” rings true as we prevail.

In our last blog we spoke of three men coming to work in the Auto Shop. Greg and Andy have arrived and are already hard at work. Phil is traveling to develop a team of prayer and financial partners. He will join us soon. Already Mike's role in the auto shop is mostly assisting with diagnosing. Many of you have heard me share about my desire to be more help to those of our overseas colleagues, but until adequate staff had arrived I was unable to see that become a reality.

Now that the Auto Shop has a gifted team to assist me, I am focusing more on overseas training and the consulting I have prayed about for some time. Kathy functions with me as my personal assistant, writing and communicating via email to the many requests I receive, as well as managing this website. Everything written on this blog has to be approved by Wycliffe so she works hard to present effective communication and stay within Wycliffe policy guidelines.

 Greg Davis-Our Office Manager

There is a program in Wycliffe called “Business as Mission” that connects business people who want to invest in missions to do so by investing in a national who wants to start a business in their home country. These businesses provide employment for needy people who in turn use their resources to support Bible translation in their country. This strategy helps get people involved in their own translation projects. They can help provide funding for it and as a result they take an ownership of the translation.

One church leader spoke of a man who wants to buy a truck to haul food from the south to sell in the north. With the profit, he will pay for his truck, provide affordable food to his village, and be able to tithe to the church for Christian work. They are a partner with Wycliffe in Bible translation. This is just one of many examples of the need for my training skills.

In August I trained another group on driving and maintaining four wheel drive vehicles. What a surprise to find one of the young ladies to be a former member of our sending church in Cape Girardeau, Alison (Bryant) Pyle. She and her husband will be assigned to Papua New Guinea.

Mike with one of his students

This month we met James Ernandez. I just completed his technical evaluation and he and his wife are beginning the application process for Wycliffe. He feels led by the Lord to serve in JAARS Land Transportation and will be another valuable and needed servant.

An update on the accident: Sean has recovered very well and with exception of an occasional visit to therapy, seems fully recovered. As for me, I continue with therapy twice a week. The muscles attached to my ribs and sternum are still not completely healed. The doctor anticipates a long recovery time for this. I am able to do quite a bit of the physical work at the shop but work mostly in consulting and diagnostics, as well as addressing the overseas issues. We are so fortunate that the timing of the help in the Auto Shop was perfect.
 

We have much to be thankful for at this Thanksgiving time. Thanks to many of those who pray for us and give financially so we can continue to further Bible translation. Thanks and praise go to the Lord for His provision of help in the Auto Shop. I am also excited to tell you about another project I'm involved in but will save that for the next post as this one is long enough. Watch for it soon!

Mike & Sean's Car Accident

Hello everyone,

Last Wednesday after lunch, Mike and Sean were returning to the JAARS Center. They were travelling about 50mph (speed limit 55) when a car from an intersection pulled out in front of them. They were about 30 feet from the intersection when Sean noticed her pulling out. There was little time to slow down. She impacted Sean’s car, which then shoved him into another car stopped at the other side of the intersection. All involved were taken by ambulance to local hospitals.

We are so thankful the injuries are contusion in nature, and there are no head injuries or broken bones. We are thankful that God miraculously protected all in this high speed collision. The area where Mike and Sean were seated was completely intact with both air bags deployed. Mike and Sean are recovering at home, the main problem being they are in a lot of pain, especially Mike. He is taking muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory and hydrocodone medication to take the edge off the pain. He is mainly having pain to his chest area, which makes it difficult to breathe. He is able to sleep in a recliner only.

Consequently, since Mike and Sean are the only two mechanics at the JAARS Automotive Shop, the shop is currently closed. There were several cars in the midst of repairs and this has put a hardship on many.

We ask prayer for several matters:

That Mike and Sean would have a safe and quick recovery without complications. Mike was rechecked by our family doctor Friday and received an injection of a strong anti-inflammatory, which helped a lot.

Pray that Sean can return to the shop some time this week and that Mike would be able to get good enough pain relief that he can at least be in the office. This is the fourth day after the accident and he is still requiring significant pain medication.

Pray for all the insurance matters and a replacement car for Sean. Kathy spent a lot of time Thursday and Friday dealing with those matters as well as trying to care for Mike and Sean.

Pray that we would not be discouraged and that we would learn the lesson God has for us in this.

The following link will show you video of the vehicles after they were moved off the road. You can click on an icon to view it at full screen. Sean’s car is the red one. We went to the towing place today to get the license plates and Sean took the photos posted here.

http://monroescoop.com/4-injured-in-crash-near-parkwood-high-school/

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and encouragement.

April 2010

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LOOKING BACK.....

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We have been here going on 7 years!

Soon after we arrived it was evident more help was needed. So we prayed. We’ve had mechanics who came to volunteer on a temporary basis, missionaries on furlough, and new missionaries training for an overseas assignment.

We are happy to report that we now have a full time mechanic who has joined Wycliffe and will be assigned to the JAARS Center.

We met Phil and Jeanette Heinecke after they responded to the need posted on the JAARS website. Phil performed very well during Mike’s technical evaluation. They have been accepted as members and are currently raising their financial support. They have four children and we have enjoyed getting to know them as we have written letters on their behalf.

LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD…..

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In January, 26 people arrived at JAARS to attend Intercultural Communications Class (ICC). This is the pre-field training that all Wycliffe members attend prior to going to their assignments. Mike taught four wheel drive maintenance to a group of those.

These also attended the four wheel driving course, which takes place on the rugged trails behind the JAARS Center.

With the help of our son, Sean, and a couply of temporary volunteers, the JAARS Auto Shop continued to repair many vehicles of our very mobile population at JAARS. Many repairs are accomplished in the shop, on the parking lot, and on the phone, both U.S. and overseas.

-->Mike (foreground, facing class) teaching a group from ICC

Daniel--volunteer

Our son, Sean

WE PRESS ON....

Vision 2025

The vision of Wycliffe Bible Translators is to reach the last language groups on earth with the words of eternal life, the Word of God in their own language--a vision that can be shared by every Christian--by the year 2025. For the Gospel to reach "the ends of the earth," provision must be made for its physical advance. Our role is to find more efficient ways to transport the people and materials associated with Bible translation, literacy work, and language development.

Currently Mike is teaching another maintenance course to a new group of missionaries. His responsibilities at JAARS are comprehensive. Nearly everyone involved in Bible translation has to use some form of land transportation whether in the U.S. or overseas. The JAARS Auto Shop continues to meet this need. But we need more help.

Continue to pray for more mechanics to join us. The position is listed on the JAARS website. Better yet, have them call us. We stand ready to help any who would be interested.

For some of the tangible ways God has used us in Bible translation click or copy and paste the following links:

http://www.jaars.org/stories/roading-ethiopia
http://www.jaars.org/multimedia/speedingtheword/bob-carter-july-20-2008

As always, thanks to many of you who partner with us in prayer and finances.
We greatly appreciate you!

Blessings,
Mike & Kathy The following are photos from the JAARS Auto Shop and the work of Wycliffe around the world. We hope you enjoy them!

Transportation Challenges

Mike training overseas

Translations in progress

The Word of God taught

The Word of God joyfully received