Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

Wishing you a joyous and blessed holiday season this year. May the love of Christ fill your hearts and give you peace and hope.

-The Gulletts

Give the gift of Bible Translation this Christmas

Give the gift of Bible Translation this Christmas

Merry Christmas from Wycliffe

“What a joy and a privilege to be involved in bringing God’s translated Word to those who don’t yet have it! As you meditate on the significance of the birth of Jesus, remember those for whom Jesus remains a foreigner because they’ve never heard the good news in the language they understand best. Your partnership in the work of Bible translation brings them closer to the God who loves them, providing access to the hope and salvation offered in God’s Word.”

Original post here.

Worth More Than Many Carrots

From our latest newsletter:

A few years ago during a visit to a translation project in SouthEast Asia our group went for a walk outside of town to share portions of Scripture that had been translated into a few of the local languages. We set out early in search of people working in their fields. After walking for about five hours, we came upon anold lady, her husband and daughter working in their field. 

Our host began talking to her in the national language and some in her language. Then he handed her a copy of the Gospel of Mark in her own language.

She took it and as she flipped through the book her eyes lit up and a big grin spread over her face. She showed it to her husband and daughter. The dear lady got so excited!She began talking excitedly to our host, and it became clear that she wanted to give us something in exchange for the book.

 She started pulling up carrots from her garden and stuffing them in a sack. She pulled up ten or so carrots, and our host said, "It’s enough." She continued pulling up carrots, twenty, thirty or more.All the while our host was still saying, "It’s enough! It’s plenty!" 

The lady still wanted to give us more.Finally, our host got through to her and she settled with giving us about 20 pounds of carrots, maybe more.

 After we returned to the town and sat down to our evening meal (with carrots, of course) I reflected on how enthusiastic and thankful this lady was.She readily gave up the fruit of her hard work, the source of her income and maybe even the food from her table to be able to have God’s Word in her own language, even just one book.

The joy and excitement of this kind of moment is one of the reasons why we desire to serve with Wycliffe in South East Asia. To be part of the moment when people get Scripture for the first time is humbling and priceless.

 How much is it worth to have God’s Word in your language? More than many, many carrots?

Bible Translation Day

Learn how the Bible transforms people’s lives when it’s written in a language they can clearly understand, and discover how many language groups are still waiting for their own translation.

Mission Emphasis Weekend: Salvation Is For All People

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Last weekend, 9/20 – 9/22, our local church, Grace Baptist Church, held a Mission Emphasis Weekend. There were two other couples who are missionaries shared about the passion God has put in their hearts to serve Him.

We are so thankful for all people who are praying for all the people who have not yet heard the Good News in all nations and asking God to reveal His glory and reigns among the people groups.

We represented the work of Wycliffe for Southeast Asia (where we will be going) and were given an opportunity to share the update of what God has been doing in the last 1 year to the Church. There were some friends came from Michigan and Kentucky and it was wonderful to see them again. We also made new friends with the other couples who shared God’s works through them in other countries.

On Friday evening, we had a pot luck dinner together at the church, meeting and greeting the guest missionaries and getting to know them.

On Saturday morning, the Ladies for Mission of the church also blessed us, missionary wives, by taking us for a day out with them, had lunch and went shopping with them at a nearby mall. We had a blast. And the Men of the church hosted a BBQ a.k.a. grilling night for the husbands, at a member’s house. Dave, my husband, gave a short devotion there.

On Sunday Service, God encouraged each of us with the Word of God, testimonies, and fellowship of the Body of Christ! The Pastor reminded us that the message of the Salvation of for all people, those who live in our neighborhood, in our county, state, country and to all the all nations! God is unlimited! His grace is for everyone!

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Romans 10:9-15

Maybe those verses is so popular, or you have read many times, or heard many times from many preachers and missionaries, but would read them again and pray?

There are about 200 Million people are waiting to hear the Good News of salvation God has provided in Christ Jesus. They are living without God and hope. They need to know that they have HOPE!

That was fruitful and wonderful weekend.

He will draw people to His own glory and save them! He is God! He reigns!

“I met Jesus for the first Time”

Eddie Arthur, Director of Wycliffe UK relates this account of the importance of Mother Tongue Literacy.

Here’s a transcript of the story: 

 “I’d like to tell you a story that comes from the Central African Republic. This story is about a guy called Urbain. A number of years ago, in his church he trained to be a literacy teacher, that is teaching adults how to read and write. (The churches play an important role in literacy in that part of the world.) But the thing is, although he trained to do this, Urbain never really got involved in it; he started off all keen, but in the end he didn’t actually teach any classes.

So it came as a surprise, a year or so ago, when a team of people came to record the book of Acts and the book of Matthew in Urbain’s language, Gbeya, that he was one of the first to get involved. He turned up at every recording session and was so enthusiastic. People asked him why all of a sudden he had become so keen to be involved in the recordings. Why the change? His reply was interesting. He said that he had always gone to church and read the Bible in the national language, Sango, but in preparing to do the recordings he read the gospels and Acts in his own language, Gbeya. He said “I met Jesus for the first time! I had heard about him, but when I read the gospels in my own language, I really encountered Jesus!”

Since then, as you would expect, Urbain has gone on to get involved in teaching literacy classes. He wants more people to be able to read and write so that they can have the same sort of life changing encounter with Jesus that he’s had. And he’s in a great hurry to see more recordings done, so that people who can’t read and write can hear about Jesus and can learn about him. That’s what happens when people encounter Jesus through the Scriptures in their own language!”

Via Eddie & Sue Arthur of Wycliffe UK.

 

Picture Bible Translation

Of the 6,900 languages spoken around the world, nearly a third don’t have any part of the Bible in their language and don’t even have work started. But what does that look like? And what would it look like to start work with these languages? – Wycliffe UK