Dear Friends & Family,
Last year, one of our house churches begin partnership with my college friend, Janel, who serves as a Bible translation consultant with Wycliffe in Indonesia. When I think of my college years, Janel is one of the people who encouraged and inspired me the most with her easy laugh, rare skill of pulling all-nighters w/o getting grumpy, gentle spirit, and devotion to God. And we also shared the common ground of both having grown up in Indonesia while our parents served as missionaries. It’s all coming full circle this summer as Harvest is sending a group of 12 to partner with one of the language teams that works with Janel.
Who will be there
Janel & Mike and their two boys – Janel serves as a translation consultant and Mike is a videographer for Wycliffe.
The J language team – One of the seven language teams that works with Janel and are anticipating completion of the New Testament by next year!
Harvest Church – There are 12 of us (pictured with our Ecuador group below)
What we’ll be doing
We will be partnering with the J local church for evangelism training, children’s and elderly ministry, and overall bringing awareness about the translation work. Towards the end of our trip, we will also get to visit the quarterly workshop where all seven language teams gather for consultation.
Why we are going
When the possibility of this trip first came up, Janel said that the language teams were so excited. Having visitors encourages the local teams and helps foster excitement around the translation project. As Janel explained: “Because church falls into the formal domain, people see its importance as something you do—the significance is in the ritual of attending, not in what people get out of it. So often, people don’t understand the importance of Bible translation, because they’re not actually expecting to understand anything from the Bible or from sermons. So, by your presence and your ministry to the J, you are helping people recognize the importance of the content of their faith, not just the ritual of it.”
How you can pray!
- Please pray for Janel & Mike and the language teams that they work with. Pray for spiritual protection as they are nearing the completion of the New Testament translations in these seven languages.
- Pray for the local church in the J area to thrive and grow, especially in truly understanding God’s Word.
- Pray for love and unity for our group of 12. Pray that we would be guided by the Holy Spirit and that we would be a blessing to those we meet in Indonesia.
- Pray for safe travel, good physical health and for all logistics to work out smoothly.
How you can support!
Each person needs to raise $2300 to cover flights and in country costs. This includes purchasing supplies and literature to distribute when we are Indonesia. We are thankful for the provision of plane tickets and the opportunity to see God’s work in Indonesia!
Thank you for praying and for sharing life with me! When I think of you, I am so thankful for the ways you have encouraged me and been part of how God has worked in my life. I look forward to catching up with you soon and sharing about how the trip goes!
Thankful,
Michelle
