1 Peter 1:24-25 For all human life is like grass, and all its glory is like a flower in the grass. The grass dries up and the flower drops off, but the word of the Lord lasts forever.”
We recently received word that the Kalanguya Bibles will be off the press by the 3rd week of March! We immediately made plans to return to the Philippines, full of expectation and anticipation ……….to finally be able to put the whole printed Bible in the Kalanguya language into the hands of the Kalanguya people!
We fly out of Houston on March 14th, arriving in Manila on the 15th (yes, we lose a day but we always get it back again when we come home!) For our first week back in the Philippines, we’ll be meeting with the rest of our expat missionaries for their annual field conference. Bob has been asked to speak for a couple of their sessions – pray for him as he prepares messages to encourage and hopefully pass on insights from his hard-won experience in church planting, translation, and just plain “sticking to the job!” We look forward to meeting these missionaries, many of them younger than our grandkids……and trust we will be a blessing – and a challenge! – to them!
As of right now, we still do not know when the Dedication of the Kalanguya Bible will be. The church elders are making those plans – we’ll let you all know as soon as we know! Some of you will want to be there to celebrate with us and we’d love that!
PRAISE the LORD for the funds that have been given to get this printing project finished! We are lacking $38,000 toward the complete project of reprinting all materials that needed changes because of the Scripture revision. We leave that in God’s hands! We are incredibly grateful to you all who have given of your own resources to see His Word in print for the Kalanguya people! God bless you and thank you!
PRAY for us as we go: 1) for health, especially in light of the current health crisis in East and Southeast Asia. We’ll take precautions on the flights but feel that once we are up in the province where our Kalanguya folks live, we’ll be fine; 2) for preparations for the Dedication of the Bible as well as for the Annual Believers’ Conference as this could be the last one we will be able to attend; 3) that we’ll be a blessing and encouragement to the believers in practical ways. We’re not sure what all this trip will entail but we look forward to being with the Kalanguya people again and are confident that God will direct our steps as you pray for us.
For those who would still like to give to the Kalanguya Printing Project, the following information will be helpful to you.
1. For giving using a credit card and to get a tax deductible receipt, go to the ETHNOS360 website: https://ethnos360.org/projects/kalanguya-bible-printing
2. The GoFundMe page on Facebook: www.gofundme.com/first-kalanguya-bible-in-print
3. Send a check to: Ethnos360, 312 W First Street, Sanford, FL 32771-1231. Write the check to New Tribes Mission or Ethnos360. Include a slip of paper that says “Kalanguya translation: Philippine Field Fund”. Your gift will go through the mission’s finance office which will give you a tax receipt, then sent directly to our mission finance office in the Philippines.
Next time you hear from us will be from the Philippines, first of all with a date for the Bible Dedication and then pictures and a report on the Dedication itself! You have been a vital part of this endeavor of reaching the Kalanguya people with the gospel of Jesus Christ and putting God’s word in their hands! 2 Corinthians 1:11
THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND LOVING SUPPORT!