Chapters

Everyone goes through different chapters in their lives, through chapters of grief and through times of great favor or blessing. Each chapter, when you look back, was just a portion of your life and each one serves a purpose. For example, the languages and cultures to which I (Steve) was introduced as a child have taught me something that widened my view of the world. Also, when one grandfather passed away, I learned to appreciate my time with the other while he was still alive. Even today, our experiences in life are teaching us.

Over the last two years serving with Wycliffe, we have been learning. Bridget and I have struggled and celebrated. We continue to celebrate the life of Anne, knowing how God’s provision brought her into our lives. We struggle, and in ways may always struggle, with the two losses we experienced before the joy and blessing of Anne’s birth.  Our story is not unique, but it is very personal and we don’t share it lightly.  

 
     We recognize the need for growth, both personally and as a family. At the same time, Wycliffe allows us two years to develop our partnership team and we were unable to do that. We feel we must step away from Wycliffe for a time.  And yet, it is our desire to return to this ministry someday in the future , as God leads, after this time of  intentional development.

 

I do not think we have the words to express to you what it means to us to know you believe in us and this work for which we still feel a calling. Your partnership with us has been an encouraging blessing. I am certain we would not have come as far as we have without your prayers. We do not have a way to thank you that seems adequate. We appreciate each and every one of your influences in our lives.

As we move into the next chapter of our lives, we choose to continue to support those who do not yet have the Bible in their language and those working along side them. We have decided to partner with colleagues and friends in Wycliffe, Paul and Christy Dubois. We invite you to consider joining us in partnering with them. 

With heavy hearts, we humbly thank you,

Steve, Bridget and Anne

Days of preparation are not lost days.

                                                  - Pastor Lance Nothstine

Ending Bible Poverty

We recently heard of a story out of Cameroon where technology is really making a difference in Bible Translation. Not only is technology helpful by making creating backups possible and speeding up communication, but now it is being used to create audio Bible's that are available even on cell phones. This is allowing the people of Cameroon to ability to bring the Word of God into their own homes much faster. They no longer have to wait for a copy of the Bible to be printed. They can read it right on their phones. Having the Bible available via a Bible app, like YouVersion, also allows the Bible to get into "closed countries" much easier.

Will you prayerfully consider helping us complete the work that God has called us to do with a monthly gift. Together, we can make a difference for the people of Cameroon and every other language group still waiting.

http://www.wycliffe.org/Partnership.aspx?mid=AF45B1

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Moise Yonta joyfully read aloud a Scripture portion on his smartphone, punctuating the phrases with vigorous gestures. This was God’s Word in his mother tongue—the Ngiemboon language of Cameroon—and he was seeing it on his phone for the first time! As he came to the end of the selection, he jumped up and delightedly shook hands with a colleague. With a huge grin, he exclaimed, “Wonderful! Wonderful!”

It was indeed wonderful!  Moise, who works with the Cameroonian Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL), was the coordinator for the Ngiemboon translation project.  Since the New Testament was dedicated in 2007, he’s used both the printed and audio version, but gaining access to the digital version took his experience to a whole new level!

He says, “I was so happy that I couldn’t hide it! Immediately I applied the lesson we learnt by selecting a verse and sending it to my dear wife, and she was happy to receive it.”

Now when Moise travels, he carries the Scriptures with him on his phone. His special joy is helping others access God’s Word the same way.  He encourages them to get the written Scriptures from YouVersion and the audio version from Faith Comes By Hearing.  At the request of his pastor and church elders, he is preparing a training course for his church on how to use cell phones for evangelization, and CABTAL would like him to present the same course to other churches as well.

Moise is one of more than 650 million cell phone subscribers in Africa, where cell phone service is far more available than landlines. As I’ve traveled, I’ve often found better service in Africa than I get in my own home in Orlando, Florida. I have no doubt that God is behind the development of digital technology, and while cell phones are used worldwide for communications, financial transactions, healthcare, and much more, I believe that God also intended this technology to support the distribution of His Word.

Warmly,

Bob Creson
President/CEO
Wycliffe USA


A video of Moise enjoying his digital Scriptures is posted here .

Bibleless People Prayer Project

http://www.wycliffe.org/Pray/BiblelessPeoplesPrayerProject.aspx

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16 NLT

What if you could pray for a people group still waiting for God’s Word—and follow the progress of translation for their language? As a part of the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project (BPPP), thousands of people are already committing to pray all the way through the end of the translation process.

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Befang of Cameroon

This language is also called Beba-Befang, Biba-Bifang, Bifang, and Menchum. It belongs to the Niger-Congo/Atlantic-Congo language family. Speakers are located around Befang, straddling Tuba Subdivision in Mezam Division and Wum Subdivision in Menchum Division of North West Province. Modele, Ushaku, Befang, Bangui, Obang, and Okomanjang are dialects of Befang. Pray that speakers of this language will be inspired to translate the Scriptures for their people. “Forever, O LORD, your word stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created” (Psalm 119:89-90, NLT).

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Pray for the message

* Pray that the last languages of the world would receive the Scriptures in whatever form they need it. Dare to ask God for big things! Ask Him to provide a person in the world with His world - just as He has already provided it for us - written and in the heart language.

 Pray for the people

* Pray for the safety of the Bibleless people. Many are residents in, or displaced from, countries with poor political and social conditions.

Pray for the completion of the Task to the Glory of God

* Pray for perseverance. Pray that those involved in the translation task would not grow weary or give up before the work is complete.

Cameroon Language Groups

Please pray with us for each of these language groups in Cameroon.

Wycliffe celebrates 25 years in Cameroon

“My mother comes from Banso and my father from Noni. A few years before my mother’s death, she was yet to become a Christian. I took a copy of the Lamnso New Testament and through it, I learned how to read and write Lamnso. I went ahead and read the Lamnso Bible to my mother. She gave her life to Christ and started counseling us as a real mother would do. Before now, she knew there were two gods; one who responds to immediate needs and the other that is talked about in Churches. As she heard the scriptures in the mother tongue, she confessed that there is just one God and that is Jesus, who deserves all our worship and who cares for all our worries. I am so thankful to God for the work CABTAL is doing”

Mrs Mary Wamey, Calvary Chapel Bamenda
Secondary School teacher

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January 2012 marks a celebration of 25 years since Bible translation projects began in Cameroon, West Africa. When Bible translation began in 1987 in Cameroon, the model for translation was still to send a single expatriate team to begin a project. But that has changed.

"Cameroonians are now taking the leadership of these projects," explains Creson. "Local communities are very much involved in helping to shape the nature of the translation process--what they want to see, what they want to have built for them in terms of tools for discipleship, evangelism and church planting."

Nationals are taking over, and Wycliffe likes it. The local Cameroonian involvement has been vital to the speed and success of the numerous translation projects there. Above all, that means the Gospel is reaching people quicker.

"People are coming to Christ now in unprecedented numbers, and God is really at work in the community in Cameroon," says Creson.

The success in Cameroon is representative of projects across the globe. Wycliffe has been able to get more local believers involved with translation projects worldwide. The advantage of locals combined with the advancement of technology is driving translation forward with serious speed.

Vision 2025--Wycliffe's goal to get a Bible translation project rolling for every language in the world by the year 2025--is looking more and more doable, thanks to hard-working teams like the ones in Cameroon. But thousands of people help to make these projects possible, including prayer warriors and financial supporters.

Join our Team  

See More: http://mnnonline.org/article/16753

Cameroon, Africa

 

We will be where the black STAR is!

We are Officially Wycliffe Members

Cameroon Link:

We are officially Wycliffe members. It was a really long application process, but we are finally accepted. The country of Cameroon has invited us to serve with them. We will be living in the capital city of Younde. "Cameroon enjoys relatively high political and social stability. It also has a more prosperous economy than most of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, exporting raw materials such as oil and timber, as well as abundant agricultural products including coffee, cotton and cocoa."

"The tropical coastal areas of Cameroon receive copious amounts of rain, in some years the rain has exceeded 30 feet. In the northern areas, yearly precipitation amounts are much lower, averaging near 30 inches. Drought is a way of life in the far north.

Daily highs in the mid-80's are commonplace, and overall, mean temperatures average in the high 70's; slightly warmer in the south, and a bit cooler in the western mountains."

Some Fun Facts about Cameroon
* Population: 18,897,957
* Capital City: Yaoundé (1.4 million)
* Largest Cities: Douala, Yaoundé, Garoua, Kousséri
* Currency: CFA Franc
* Languages: French (official), English (official), and other African dialects
* National Day: 20 May, Republic Day
* Religions: Christian, Muslim, traditional beliefs