Greetings to each of you who partner with us by praying and giving.
We survived the June whirlwind! Thank you for praying. A few highlights:
· 49 potential future teammates attended Discovery to hear about the needs of Bibleless people groups and to learn how their diverse gifts and interests could be invested in serving them.
· Mike met with Pioneer Bible Translators’ Field Ministries Officer to discuss the work he has been doing to enable Bible translators to track their progress as they work in the Paratext software.
· Eunice had countless conversations with colleagues who came literally from all over the world to participate in Discovery and other events.
· Both of us met with the summer interns who are now in Papua New Guinea to assist in their orientation.
· Eunice prepped and packed 99.4 pounds of cargo for these interns to transport to PNG. (Luggage limit was two 50-pound pieces. Not bad!)
· We hosted Phil, a new member of Pioneer Bible Translators’ development team, during these events. We enjoyed getting to know him while meeting his need for a place to sleep each night.
Eunice’s favorite quotation of the week came on opening night from Greg Pruett, Bible translator and PBT president: “This is your opportunity to give your life to God – and never get it back.”
July is off to a busy start. Mike has focused quite a bit on additional analysis of all his Akukem language data. His charts, conclusions, and suggestions will greatly assist the teammates who will be working with the Akukem translation team in the future. Eunice’s big focus now is completing the first round of editing articles for the next edition of The Latest Word magazine. Some of these articles need only minor tweaks, while a few require major editing. (Fortunately, the complete rewrites are on someone else’s plate rather than hers!)
Additionally, we will be hosting a meal for Francis Dagonov and Simon Aroro, two Aruamu Bible translators who have been working here in the U.S. and are about to head back to their homes in Papua New Guinea. (You can read the backstory on this unique approach to finishing a Bible translation here.)
Eunice is about to make a quick trip to California to see our son Matthew and nephew Phil and his family. The timing allows her to see Phil’s four children in Matthew’s church’s production of “Alice in Wonderland.” She’ll be home again before the weekend. Later this month we’ll be visiting Mike’s mom at her new home near Sheridan, Indiana. It will feel odd to visit her somewhere besides Kokomo. Since short visits work best for her, we’ll still be doing quite of bit of PBT work that week.
Please pray:
· For Discovery attendees who are prayerfully seeking God’s leading, whether to serve with Pioneer Bible Translators or minister in some other way.
· For Mike’s stamina and energy to increase.
· For Mike as he continues the programming and language analysis work he is doing.
· For Eunice to edit well the articles on which she is working.
· For safe travels.
Thanks for praying!
Mike and Eunice Herchenroeder
Pioneer Bible Translators
PO Box 380721
Duncanville, TX 75138-0721
(Gifts to Pioneer Bible Translators are tax-deductible. Want the convenience of giving online? Click this link.)