Acts 2:11 (NLT)
As you read this, we are somewhere along our 1,941 mile journey to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where we will be studying linguistics for the next ten weeks. Our linguistics studies will give us the tools we need to learn a language that has never been written down and that nobody has ever really studied before. We won't know what language group we will be working with until after our arrival in Papua New Guinea, but our studies this summer will prepare us for whatever we encounter. Our goal is that one day soon, one of the nearly 300 Bibleless people groups in Papua New Guinea will hear, in their own language, "about the wonderful things God has done."
Why Not Just Teach Them English?
One of the first questions that people have when they hear about our work as Bible translators is, "Why go through all the trouble of learning a language that has never been written down? Why not just teach people English so they can read the Bible in English? Wouldn't that be easier?" That's a good question! And to answer that question, we've prepared a video so that you can see for yourself what it's like to hear the Bible in a second language. Then you can judge for yourself how effective such an approach would be. Watch the video below.
Prayer Requests
Please ask God to help us learn the linguistic concepts we need to know as we prepare to learn a language that nobody has ever studied in depth. Please also pray that we would make time for rest and recreation together as a family during a very busy summer.
By The Numbers
Months to Departure: 7
Miles to Grand Forks: 1,941
Calendar
Jun 4 - Arrival in North Dakota
Jun 4 - Martha's Birthday
Jun 7 - First Day of Classes
Jun 12 - Valley Christian Center
