Prayer Partner Letter

August 2014

Dear Prayer Partners,

Each June those who have been selected to serve as summer interns with Pioneer Bible Translators gather in Dallas, Texas, for two weeks of intense training. This summer 19 interns plus their team leaders have been serving in seven different countries. All teams will be in Dallas in early August for debriefing regarding their summer’s experiences. They will be sharing how their lives have been impacted. They also will be discussing what the next step is that they feel God is leading them to take as they continue faithfully in His service.

I thought it would be interesting and informative for you to get the perspective of one of the summer interns after having completed her first week and part of her second week of training in June. Katja Johnson wrote as follows:

This past week has been a roller-coaster week of team-building, preparatory language and culture-learning, and conversations with older missionaries who have walked this road before us. Even these “preliminary” activities have been stretching. It was humbling to be reminded again of my weaknesses, but it is a beautiful thing in that it drives me back to the Lord to beg Him to change me to be more like Jesus Christ.

It has been wonderful getting to know my team this week. We have bonded over 6 a.m. team jogs, ping-pong matches, and even a frozen-yogurt expedition. It is a huge blessing to see my teammates’ passion for the Lord and willingness to serve those around them, as well as their patience and good sense of humor! We know that hot weather, long hours of language study, physical exhaustion, and many other challenges will test our patience this summer, but we are praying that we will respond with grace for each other in each situation as we rely on the grace we have received from the Lord.

This past Monday, we began “Discovery,” a week-long conference that provides exposure to the vision, needs, and work of Pioneer Bible Translators. It was both overwhelming and thrilling to hear about the wide spectrum of needs of an organization like this, from Bible translators to church planters, to IT workers and finance personnel, to literacy and community development workers, to mechanics and carpenters. Everyone is needed in order for people to be able to receive God’s Word in their heart language! It has been exciting to hear about the different fields where Pioneer Bible Translators is working, especially as I continue to pray about where I may end up working in the future.

And finally, a huge praise: after a bit of a hold-up, our team finally received our visas on Wednesday, just days before we leave the country to begin our two-day trek to the other side of the world. We have been praying hard that the Lord would give us favor with the embassy, and we are thrilled to have our visas in hand.

Praise God for Katja and the other 18 who had the courage and faith to volunteer as summer interns, earnestly seeking where God wants them to invest their lives in His service.

Praise God for all those who generously gave of their time to enable this summer’s internship program to become a life-changing reality: many stateside staff members, intern mentors, and field missionaries.

Ask God to lead each of the summer interns into a lifetime of fruitful service in building His Church on this earth.

Thanks for your prayers,
Gerald Denny
Care Department Director
Pioneer Bible Translators