I am going to Asia! I will be leaving on October 29th (yes, that is ONE WEEK from yesterday!) and returning November 16th. I will be working with Wycliffe Associates (WA) new program called MAST. MAST stands for Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation.
In a nutshell the MAST methodology works with multiple teams of national translators, consultants, and accuracy checkers that work side by side to translate portions simultaneously, rather than a single team translating their way through the Scriptures sequentially. MAST is cutting translation times by more than half. Wycliffe Associates has been using this new methodology for a little over a year.
If you would like more details on MAST, please let me know. Below is a link to a 9 minute video explaining MAST in more detail.
The last week was crazy busy with the 8th Bible Translation Conference 2015 (BT2015). It is a biennial conference for those that are affiliated in some way to Bible translation around the world. There were 450 people in attendance from 43 difference organizations, and they flew in from 69 different countries. It was a great opportunity for education on the latest information and strategies regarding translation, but also communication, networking, renewing friendships, and fellowship with those that share a passion for translation. The conference went very well! We had several volunteers come from around the United States specifically to help with the conference.
I had a good time in Orlando in July! I enjoyed a few sunrises at the beach (see pictures below) and time with friends. I also ended up working a little bit. I added a week to the end of my trip to Orlando to do a Translation Notes Workshop. We worked on Translator Notes for the book of John and Exodus 1-11. It was very interesting to look at the Bible in a different way. Instead of looking at the Bible from an exegetical perspective, we tried to simplify it, find key words to define, explain metaphors, etc... It was a whole different way of thinking.
Praises:
My time in Orlando was good and my travel safe.
The Translation Workshop went well and we exceeded the goals set.
I am really excited to go on this trip!
The Bible Translation Conference went well logistically and many people were edified and have renewed vision as they continue their work.
Prayer Requests: Please pray for the translators, facilitators (that's me), and consultants. Please pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance as God's Word is translated.
I have had vertigo for over a week. Please pray it would stop spinning! I have experienced a lot of spiritual warfare lately...
Please pray for safe travel for the team of facilitators.
Please pray for team unity.
Please continue to pray for my support. It is still very low.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Paula Oestreich Wycliffe Associates Site Volunteer Coordinator
"Then he said unto them, ...send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10
Winter/Spring 2015 Update
Hello!
Another “volunteer season” has come and gone in Dallas. We are always sad to see everyone go back home, but most have families (GRANDKIDS!!), friends, and churches to reconnect with so we let them go with the hope they will return next year. We had several new couples & individuals this year, and a few have had to “retire.”
We had many projects around the International Linguistics Center (ILC) this year. As usual, the volunteers were working with various departments such as: Buildings & Grounds, Woodshop, Boutique, Sewing, Stamp Ministry, Medical Clinic, Dining Hall, IT, Archives, Hospitality, Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics, and other various Administrative jobs. The ILC is over 30 years old, so there is no shortage of maintenance, re-modeling or grounds work. Below are pictures of a few of the projects that were completed. FYI - Four Points is our new Student Lounge.
Four Points: New cabinets built by volunteers. They are as beautiful as they look, too!
Medical/Dental Clinic: Built new front desk. In this picture they are about half way done and we caught a couple of volunteers working.
Four Points: Walls taken out, drop ceiling taken down, walls painted, wood wall accent, and rusted metal from another roof added as accent at the top.
Medical/Dental Clinic: New front desk complete!
Four Points: Track lighting added and world map (made out of wallpaper and framed).
Dining Hall: A pitch steel roof with radiant barrier was built to replace the flat tar roof. The pitch roof will also protect the Geo-Thermal (AC) equipment.
This summer: Many of you have asked, "Where are you traveling this year?" Of course this is a good question because the last 6 years I have spent a few months of the summer traveling around the US/Canada for Partnership Development (PD) and/or gone overseas for 1-3 months on a work trip....which I have loved. This summer, I am going to take a break... On July 9th-10th I am going to drive to Florida and spend about a month there (until early August). Please pray with me that this time will be one of rest & spiritual refreshing...
Prayer Requests: * Pray for additional prayer & financial partners. I am currently short about $1,000 per month. * Pray for WA (Wycliffe Associates) as we connect directly with churches around the world to provide them with the tools needed for open source Bible translation and MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation). *Pray that the many needs for volunteers here at the ILC (International Linguistics Center) will be filled....long term and short term. * Pray for complete healing in my back and neck. * We praise the Lord for the incredible work going on around the world advancing Bible Translation. *Thank God for the volunteers that have come this fiscal year! The ILC could not thrive without them!
Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support!
