As this semester sprints to a close, we’re gearing up for a summer of travel and transition. Lael has had in incredibly rewarding semester of intense linguistics classes. Even though the classes have been very time-consuming (they’ve analyzed 140 different languages), she feels they’ve helped prepare her for learning our tribal language and creating an alphabet for it in Papua New Guinea.
I’ve had a great semester working on staff at the Development Office. The change of pace from being in school has been a welcome one, and I’ve definitely enjoyed the chance to do some more writing and mobilization.
This summer we’ll be moving back to Fayetteville, where our “home base” will be until we move to PNG next year. I’ll also be heading to PNG in July for a month-long vision trip. I’m going with a few other guys who will also be doing church planting in PNG, and we’re excited to visit a few tribal church-plants, see the place we’ll initially move as family, and talk with country leadership. Please pray for the planning and logistics for this trip!
In the fall, we’ll move as a family to Oklahoma to work with the Cherokee as part of the final practicum of the linguistics program. Lael will work with Cherokee speakers for seven weeks with a goal of completing a comprehensive write-up for the language and creating her own Cherokee alphabet.
In mid-October, all of our pre-field training will be finished, and we’ll shift our complete focus to ministry partnership development (or support raising). The PNG field has given us a specific ministry budget for working in that country, so we plan to leave for PNG next year when that budget is met.
Many of you have already chosen to partner with us, and we want to say a huge thank you to you all! We couldn’t do this without your partnership (financial, prayer, emotional, wisdom) and we’re thankful God has designed it this way! We’re all part of the body trying to work together to see His goals accomplished: receiving maximum worship from His creation. There are more than 2300 language groups who have no one giving God glory at the moment, and we’re humbled and excited to be used of Him to scratch a name off that list. Thanks for joining us!
Just amazing, guys.