50 Days to Go

With just fifty days to go before our departure for Papua New Guinea on January 20, our feelings of excitement and anticipation are growing day by day. And as we enter the Christmas season, we almost feel like kids waiting for that magical day to come when we embark on the next phase of our journey. But unlike kids waiting to see what they will get on Christmas morning, we are chomping at the bit to see what God will enable us to give when we finally arrive in Papua New Guinea. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35), and we feel extremely blessed to be able to give of ourselves so that others can have access to the Word of God in a language they really understand.

An Unforgettable Evening
A couple months ago our pastor asked us to be a part of Covina Assembly's annual missions banquet on Sunday night, November 13. He said that we should just be prepared to share for fifteen minutes about our preprations over the past year. We always try our best to be well prepared when asked to speak at a church, but nothing could have prepared us for the incredible service we had that night. The church dedicated the entire evening to blessing, honoring, and commissioning us for our work in Papua New Guinea. The church invited Martha's dad and aunt as well as Adam's cousin. And then they pulled out the ultimate surprise by bringing out Adam's parents, sister, and niece, whom they had flown in from Pittsburgh and Seattle. People shared testimonies in person, via video, and even through a live Skype call to let us know how we have made a difference in their lives. The church then showered us with gifts to make our life a little more enjoyable in Papua New Guinea (including some things to keep the kids happy on the 28-hour trip to get there). We were completely amazed and overwhelmed. The church couldn't have made us feel more loved, appreciated, and supported. It was a night we will never forget.

Un Mensaje en Español
Adam had the opportunity to share for ten minutes in Spanish at two services in November. Adam had studied Spanish in high school and college and had the opportunity to learn a lot during our year in Ecuador. He is not completely fluent, but with a lot of practice and the help of our friends Gustavo Arias and Erica Gomez, it seemed to go over well. Click play below to hear Adam share our story in Spanish

The Nativity
Two years ago, we decided to have some fun and make a short film called The Nativity with Bella as Mary, Jacob as Joseph, and Asher as the baby Jesus. We thought we would share it with all of you as a way to say Merry Christmas! Watch it below.

Papua New Guinea, Here We Come!

With our work permit, visas, and plane tickets in hand, we are busy making our final preparations before departing for Papua New Guinea on January 20, 2012.

We depart for Papua New Guinea on January 20, 2012 at 2:15 p.m., and arrive in Madang, Papua New Guinea nearly 28 hours later. In Madang, we will complete the 14-week Pacific Orientation Course, which will prepare us for life in Papua New Guinea.

Pastor Jim Cymbala invited us to share at the Brooklyn
Tabernacle's Tuesday evening prayer service on Sep. 27.

So what are we doing in the meantime? Since returning from our linguistics training this summer at the University of North Dakota, we have been speaking at different churches every week. Two speaking opportunities have been especially meaningful to us. On September 25, we shared at Ingomar Church, where Adam’s parents have been members for twenty-five years and where Adam attended as a child. What a joy to return to the church where seeds of faith were first planted in Adam’s life (even though those seeds took a while to start to grow)! Two days later we shared at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, one of the largest churches in New York City. Pastor Jim Cymbala happened to see us share our story in California in April and invited us to the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s renowned Tuesday evening prayer service attended by three or four thousand people each week. It was incredibly inspiring and uplifting to have so many people praying for us at once.

By the time we leave in January we will have shared at nearly 50 churches in 7 different states! Besides speaking, Adam is also taking a Bible translation class at Biola University, while Martha is leading the effort to purchase clothes for the children for the next four years!

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We can’t tell you how much we are going to miss you!

The Cost of Obedience

Asher with his great-grandmother

Oswald Chambers once wrote, “If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in.” As we think about those words and the impact that our decision to go to Papua New Guinea will have on the lives of those we love, it brings tears to our eyes. We had a choice about going, but they have no choice in the matter. Their sacrifice is greater than ours, and so we want to take a special opportunity to thank them.

Bob & Heather Boyd
Thank you, mom and dad, for loving and supporting us. I know it is very difficult for you to see your son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren move so far away, but you have been nothing but supportive since the day we told you about our decision. I love you so much! – Adam



Charles Zimmerman
Father, the example you set before me of great perseverance in the face of trials has greatly influenced me, and I thank you for the foundation of courage you provided in my life. I know the sacrifice is great. Thank you for the support and encouragement you have shown us in spite of the pain. I love you! – Martha

John & LeeAnn Johnson
You encouraged us to keep moving forward when we wanted to quit. You’ve taught us how to be loving and patient with people, and you’ve supported us beyond measure. We love you!

Olen & Theresa Adams
Thank you Olen and Theresa for all your support! You have been wonderful friends and have treated us like your own family. We love you!

Where Our Treasure Is

"Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." - Matthew 6:21 (NLT)

This past month has been a month of purging. We have been going through everything we own trying to decide whether to ship it, store it, sell it, or give it away. While it is easy to get rid of junk that has been laying around, it can be quite difficult to part with sentimental items. So many items seem to have memories associated with them, and when we part with such an item, it feels like we are parting with those memories. It can be a painful process. Yet it is also a powerful reminder that we are not supposed to be attached to the things of this world, but rather we are to give our lives in service to our Lord Jesus Christ. We don't want our treasure to be the stuff we have accumulated, but the relationships we have formed and the people whose lives God has allowed us to touch. But that is easier said than done! Please pray with us that God will help us to let go of the material goods we have accumulated and focus our hearts on the treasures we can store in heaven through the work he has called us to.

We Have Our Plane Tickets!
We have purchased our plane tickets for Papua New Guinea! We depart out of Los Angeles on Singapore Airlines on January 20 in the afternoon and arrive in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on January 22 in the early morning. From there we will take a local flight to Madang, where we will be for our initial fourteen-week Pacific Orientation training course. We have also received our Work Permit and have applied for our Visa. Please pray that we will receive our Visa with a waiver (which means that we wouldn't have to submit a bunch of extra paperwork).

Trip Back East
We just concluded our trip to Pennsylvania and New York, where we shared at Ingomar Church and the Brooklyn Tabernacle. We also had a chance to take Jacob and Bella into New York City, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Jacob and Bella in Times Square!

By The Numbers 
Months to Departure: 3
Hours of travel from LAX to Madang: 28

Calendar
Oct 7 - Adam's Birthday
Oct 9 - New Hope Church
Oct 11 - Asher's Birthday
Oct 16 - Crossroads Assembly
Oct 23 - The Blessing Center
Oct 30 - Brimhall Road Assembly of God
Nov 2 - Glad Tidings Church
Nov 6 - Centro Evangelistico
Nov 12 - Bakersfield Christian Church
Nov 13 - Family Fellowhship Church
Nov 20 - Orange County First Assembly
Nov 27 - The Connection

Wait Patiently

"Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised." - Hebrews 6:15 (NLT)

In Genesis 12:2 God promised Abraham that he would make him "into a great nation." This promise, of course, implied that Abraham would have a son. After ten years, Abraham decided to appoint his servant Eliezer as his heir since the Lord had not given him any children. But the Lord promised Abraham that he would have a son of his own. Fifteen years later, when Abraham was one hundred years old, his son Isaac was born. Abraham waited twenty-five years for the promise of God to be fulfilled.

It has been eleven years since God placed the vision of Bible translation on our hearts, and it has been nearly two years since we started the process of becoming Bible translators. Now with our pre-field training complete, it is difficult to wait another four and a half months until our departure to Papua New Guinea in January. But we know that we must wait patiently and continue what God has for us here until the time comes for us to leave. That includes sharing our message at churches, saying goodbye to friends and family, going through all of our possessions to figure out what to sell, store, or ship overseas, and preparing ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for what lies ahead.

Please pray that we would be able to wait patiently so that we too can receive what God has promised and that God would bless us so that we (like Abraham) may be a blessing to others.

Prayer Requests
Praise God for the approval of our work permit in August, and pray that our visas will also be approved. Pray that God will help us begin our final preparations to move to Papua New Guinea in January.

Bella and her friend Lila having fun
at the University of North Dakota.

By The Numbers
Months to Departure: 4
Days Away from Home This Summer: 80

Calendar
Sep 4 - Newhall Church of the Nazarene
Sep 7 - Faith Chapel
Sep 11 - Calvary Assembly of God
Sep 18 - Calvary Christian Center
Sep 18 - Walnut Grove (evening service)
Sep 25 - Ingomar Church
Sep 27 - Brooklyn Tabernacle

Judas Iscariot, A Cultural Hero?

When Don Richardson shared the story of Jesus with the Sawi people of West Papua, Indonesia, they considered Judas to be the hero of the story. Find out how they changed their minds and adopted the gospel of peace.

In 1962, Don Richardson went to live with the Sawi people of what was then Dutch New Guinea. The Sawi culture held to an ideal called 'tuwi asonai man', which means 'to fatten with friendship for unexpected slaughter'. According to this ideal, a man who could trick an enemy into thinking they were friends only to kill him unexpectedly was called a ‘legend maker’, which was a term of high honor and praise among the Sawi.

After Richardson had learned enough of the Sawi language, he shared the story of Jesus. The Sawi were impressed by how well Judas Iscariot earned the trust of Jesus only to betray him to his death. Judas, in their minds, was a great ‘legend maker’.

Frustrated by his inability to explain the gospel as well as by the fact that his presence had escalated violence by causing different groups to live closer together, Richardson told the Sawi that he was going to leave. Worried about losing their only source of medicine and steel axes, the Sawi told Richardson that they would make peace. Richardson doubted the possibility of peace, but they explained a custom of exchanging infants between warring villages. Each infant was known as a ‘Peace Child’, and they assured Richardson that as long as the Peace Child was alive, there would be no more war.

Richarson telling the Sawi about God's Peace Child

Richardson stayed with the Sawi and told them that Jesus is God’s Peace Child and God’s guarantee of eternal peace since Jesus lives forever. Many of the Sawi were transformed by this message, receiving God’s forgiveness and abandoning their treacherous ways.

How powerful it is to hear God’s Word in your own language and from your own cultural perspective!

Where We’ve Been
We’ve spent the last ten weeks at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks studying linguistics. This is the final pre-field training that we need to complete before leaving for Papua New Guinea. We will be back in California at the end of August.

What We Studied 
Because there is no real documentation of the languages that still need a Bible translation in Papua New Guinea, our preparation consists of linguistics training specifically geared to help us create alphabets, analyze grammar, understand culture, and learn to speak a a language that nobody has ever really studied in depth. For Adam, this consisted of Phonology (the sound systems of language), Writing Systems (how to develop an alphabet for an unwritten language), Ethnographic Methods (how language and culture relate), and Field Methods (practice in putting it all together). Martha finished the course set that Adam took last summer including Syntax & Morphology (sentence diagramming to the extreme), Sociolinguistics (how language is used in society), and Second Language Acquisition (how to learn language without classes or textbooks).

Sharing our story and

mission at a church

Adam Shares His Heart 
We’ve added four short videos of Adam sharing powerful stories and illustrations about the need and effectiveness of Bible translation. We invite you to watch them by clicking on the video tab at the top of this page. Don’t miss your chance to hear Adam read John 3:16 in Hawaiian Pidgin and in Tok Pisin, the national language of Papua New Guinea (see below).

What’s Next? 
As we finish our classes in North Dakota in early August, we will travel through Colorado to visit friends and family and share at churches before returning home in late August. This fall, we will be sharing at a different church nearly every Sunday as we begin our final preparations to leave for the field. Our goal is to arrive in Madang, Papua New Guinea on January 22, 2012, to begin the Pacific Orientation, a 14-week course designed to help us adjust to Melanesian culture and learn how to live in a village setting.

Everything is Possible

"Everything is possible with God."
Mark 10:27 (NLT)

Going to a foreign country and learning a unwritten language that nobody has ever studied before seems difficult enough. But translating the Bible into that language and communicating the same meaning that was communicated to the original audience thousands of years ago seems impossible. How do you talk about the "Good Shepherd" among people that have never seen a sheep? What is the "Bread of Life" for people whose primary staple is not bread but sweet potatoes? How do you communicate what Jesus did on the cross for a people group with no concept of forgiveness? The task seems impossible and opportunities for error abound. But Jesus tells us that "everything is possible with God." It is only by God's grace as he guides and directs us that we can hope to succeed as Bible translators.

Trusting God for the Impossible
In 1945, Cameron Townsend, the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators went to Peru with a tremendous vision and little else. But God provided all he needed to do what seemed impossible. Watch Adam tell the story below.

Why Sociolinguistics Matters
One of the classes Martha is taking this summer is Sociolinguistics, which is how language is used in society. As Bible translators we have to be aware of how language can vary based on things like social status and geography. Can you imagine if the translators of the Bible into English mistakenly chose a regional dialect of English and translated Matthew 5:13 as "Y'all are the salt of the earth" or "Youse guys are the salt of the earth" or "Yinz is the salt of the earth"? It sounds funny, but that is exactly what can happen if Bible translators aren't aware of how language is used in society.


Prayer Requests
Please pray for energy as we enter the second half of our ten week linguistics program at the University of North Dakota. Please also pray for favor as we share our story and mission at various churches in August.

By The Numbers
Months to Departure: 6
Words for 'carry' in Tzeltal: 26

Calendar
Jul 14 - Adam & Martha's Anniversary
Aug 5 - Last Day of Classes
Aug 7 - Greeley First Assembly
Aug 14 - Crossroads Victory
Aug 17 - Radiant Church
Aug 21 - Oxnard Bible Church
Aug 24 - Colton First Assembly
Aug 28 - Bethany Chapel
Aug 31 - Crossroads Church


Snapshot

Visiting Grand Teton National Park
on our way to North Dakota.

In Their Own Language

"We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done."
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