VMAST Team Prayer - Phil 2

Prayer for my team. 

Fall Update - Asia

Hello! 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuYDwDElACk 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. If you would like to send financial support, please click HERE. 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.

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... If you would like to support me financially, please click here! Share Tweet Forward 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!   I could not do this without you!

Remodel!!

As I said in my last update, our volunteers work hard every year and save the Center many thousands of dollars.  This year one of the projects was to remodel the entry of the Mahler Building.  It is where all of our guests are welcomed, the Center Director's offices are there, and GIAL (Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics) has offices and classrooms.  I wish I had before pictures to show you the tile floor (that buckled up under the heat of the sun last year), the pink walls, and the couches and chairs that you sat 'in' and not 'on.'  They aren't quite done with it yet, but I wanted to show the progress...  It is looking AMAZING!  The new flooring was laid by WAs, the wooden cabinets that will hold all of the different Bible translations where made by our WA Volunteers, the Welcome Desk was re-done, walls painted (I don't think he was a WA). See the picture below...

Great job guys!!!

Winter Update from Dallas - Wycliffe Associates

Paula's Winter Update 2013-2014 View this email in your browser

Winter in Dallas! Hello! This Winter has kept us pretty busy with lots of volunteers and lots of projects around the International Linguistics Center (ILC).  In October we had the bi-annual Bible Translation Conference with over 350 people from all over the world attending, and many volunteers here to help especially for the conference. I spend most of November on the road in west Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming on a Partnership Development trip and Thanksgiving with my family. In December we were preparing for the MANY volunteers that I knew would be headed for Dallas after Christmas, and I went to Kansas City, MO to be with my family for Christmas. January and February were very full months!  We are working on several construction and remodel projects around the ILC.  The pictures in the sidebar are just a few of the projects our volunteers are working on.  Besides those projects, our volunteers have been busy working in the Boutique/Sewing Room, IT, Dining Hall, Child Care, Medical Clinic, Archives, Mail Room, and various Administrative positions around the ILC. Along with the work, we have had a lot of fun with game nights, potlucks/dinners, an outing to the Ft Worth Mint, and a couple of Volunteer Appreciation Dinners.  One was homemade lasagna and the other Spring Creek BBQ.  I'll be honest....it's not as good as Kansas City BBQ, but it'll do... We are looking forward to our 3rd Annual Pig Roast in the RV Park on March 21st. On February 7th we had our Annual WA Auction which raised $19,000!! $10,000 (which has been matched to make the total $20,000) will fund the renovation and construction of two housing units for additional staff that support 7 + Bible translation projects, training in translation, church engagement, Scripture use and missions awareness. $9,000 will fund the purchase and distribution of solar powered MegaVoice players in Tanna Island, Vanuatu.  (These are audio New Testament Bibles in the Pacific Area).  On another note....I am starting to plan my Partnership Development travel for this year.  If you would like to have me come and speak to your church or a small group about WA in Dallas or Internationally, please contact me via email or phone.   Prayer Requests: Safety for volunteers as they travel to and from Dallas, and as they work around the ILC (especially on roofs). For additional volunteers in Dallas and around the world...there are MANY needs that don't get filled every year. For direction as I start planning the rest of this years travel: international and around the US for Partnership Development. Praises: Thank God for a successful Bible Translation Conference.  May the connections made there continue to prosper. Thank God for the volunteers that have come this fiscal year!  The ILC could not survive without them! Thank you all for your continued prayer and financial support.  I cannot do this ministry without each of you! If you would like to become a financial partner click this box... Share Tweet Forward to Friend Paula Oestreich Wycliffe Associates Dallas, Texas Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and 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

Can God Dvu People?

 Why This Question Brought the Hdi People to Tears & Redemption

For the Hdi people of Cameroon, love is a three-letter word. But as Bible translator Lee Bramlett pondered the Hdi word for love, it seemed that something was missing.

Lee and his wife, Tammi, had learned that verbs in Hdi consistently end in one of three vowels. For almost every verb, they could find forms ending in i, a, and u. But when it came to the word for love, they could only find i and a. Why no u?

Lee asked the Hdi translation committee, which included the most influential leaders in the community, “Could you dvi your wife?”

“Yes,” they said. That would mean that the wife had been loved, but the love was gone.

“Could you dva your wife?”

“Yes,” they said. That kind of love depended on the wife’s actions. She would be loved as long as she remained faithful and cared for her husband well.

“Could you dvu your wife?”

Everyone laughed. “Of course not!” they said. “If you said that, you would have to keep loving your wife no matter what she did, even if she never got you water, never made you meals. Even if she committed adultery, you would be compelled to just keep on loving her. No, we would never say dvu. It just doesn’t exist.”

Lee sat quietly for a while, thinking about John 3:16, and then he dropped the proverbial bomb: “Could God dvu people?”

The room grew quiet—complete silence for three or four minutes. Then tears started to trickle down the weathered faces of these elderly men.

Finally they responded: “Do you know what this would mean? This would mean that God kept loving us over and over, millennia after millennia, while all that time we rejected His great love. He is compelled to love us, even though we have sinned more than any people.”

Through your partnership with Wycliffe Associates, the New Testament in Hdi is now typeset and ready to be printed. Soon all the Hdi people will discover the true extent of God’s love as they read passages like, “Husbands, dvu your wives, just as Christ dvu-d the church.”

Update Jan - April 2013

Hello Family & Friends!

Another “volunteer season” has come and gone in Dallas.  We are always sad to see them go...they become like family after a while.  We had several new couples & individuals this year, and a few have had to “retire” due to health  issues.  We had many projects around the International Linguistics Center (ILC) this year.  As usual, we had many volunteers working with our Buildings & Grounds Dept, Woodshop, Boutique, Sewing, Upholstery, Dining Hall, Global Publishing Services, Archives, Hospitality, Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics, and other various Administrative jobs.  They started building the ILC in the 70’s, so as you may have guessed, 30 years later our volunteers do A LOT of maintenance, updates, and  remodels.  We had several this year.  Below are pictures of a few of them.  I wish I had “before” pictures so you could see the HUGE difference.

Prayer Requests:

~ Pray for wisdom as I plan the rest of the year, including travel for Partnership Development this summer in AR, IN, OH, MN, WI, NE, MO, KS, and then CO in November.

~ Pray for additional prayer & financial partners.  I am currently short about $1,000 per month.

~ Pray for open doors to raise awareness about WA & Bible translation.

~ Pray for complete healing with my back and neck issues.

~ We praise the Lord for a good volunteer season!

~ We praise the Lord that every season we are identifying more areas that volunteers can serve, thus accelerating Bible Translation.

Thank you all for your continued prayer and financial support. 

I cannot do this ministry without each of you!

To contribute financially or become a monthly partner,

please see the Partnership tab at the top.

Seed Sowers: Gospel-Planting Adventures!!

Hello and Merry Christmas to you all from Dallas, Texas!

I just wanted to let you know what one of our supported WA Staff in Dallas has been up to.  John, Gwen and their 7 children moved to Dallas just over two years ago...and have added one more to their clan since moving, making it 8 cute kiddies!  John is the Associate Center Director of Facilities Maintenance at the ILC, and Gwen homeschools the kids, and is also a writer.  She writes homeschool articles for a blog and also has a family blog that she updates, among other things. 

When they arrived in Dallas, she started interviewing the missionaries that have served around the world that have "retired" in Dallas, specifically those living in the Cowan Apts (Wycliffe "retirement" apts).  She has written a book of their missionary stories.  There are 21 short stories (chapters), and it is family friendly.  The book is called Seed Sowers: Gospel Planting Adventures.

Seed Sowers is available for purchase on amazon.com for $12.55.  Right now the Kindle version is $3.99.  Below is the link to both the book and the Kindle version if you are interested in getting for yourself or as a Christmas gift.  Sorry I didn't get this sent out sooner!  If you are in the Dallas area, you can also get them from John or Gwen and will save a couple of bucks.  I am getting copies for my nephews and a few other family members as Christmas presents.  What a great way for people, especially children, to learn about missions work around the world!!

http://www.amazon.com/SeedSowers

If you would like to know more about their beautiful "little" family, I have attached the web address to their blog:  www.toliverstotexas.com/.

If you would like to know more about the book, Gwen has a website with more details, and it is http://seedsowersthebook.com/

So now that I have pumped you full of ALL kinds of information, I will let you go.  :~)

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and I look forward to seeing some of you after the new year!

Paula

Portuguese Aug/Sept 2012 Update - Português agosto / setembro 2012 Atualização

Antes de continuar .... Este foi traduzido pelo Google Translate. Se algo está errado ou ofensivo, por favor me avise para que eu possa ter certeza de que é alterada imediatamente!

Olá! Como você sabe, eu fui ao Brasil em julho para cerca de 3 semanas para trabalhar no Centro de Treinamento AMMI para preparar e servir em CONPLEI (a Conferência Nacional de Pastores Evangélicos Indígenas e Líderes-é assim que se traduziria em Inglês). Foi uma viagem fabulosa! Não há espaço suficiente em sua carta a informá-lo sobre todas as coisas que me impactou ...

Tudo começou com um rápido namoro de 45 horas no Rio de Janeiro, onde eu vi muitos dos locais turísticos e onde meu amigo trabalhava no ministério para os 40 anos, ela era um missionário lá. Meu site favorito era, é claro, "Cristo Redentor" pé da estátua de Jesus 130.

Então eu estava indo para a Chapada dos Guimarães para se encontrar com dois grupos de igrejas e do resto da equipe WA para se preparar para a conferência. Trabalho manual foi o nome do jogo, uma vez que chegou lá, e para os primeiros dias de escavação e pintura parecia ser a minha sorte. Nós também montou tendas para estandes, pendurado fio elétrico (sim, eles me deixar trabalhar com eletricidade-assustador pensamento, hein?), Servido comida, pegou o lixo, e uma variedade de tarefas variadas. Foi um trabalho difícil, mas eu realmente gostei. Uma vez que a conferência começou o trabalho abrandou um pouco, então nós servidas refeições, limpa, e fez outros trabalhos pequenos que vieram em nosso caminho. À noite fomos capazes participar da conferência e foi traduzido para o Inglês. Uma das minhas coisas favoritas estava assistindo e participando da dança. Foi incrível ver tantas tribos que literalmente usados ​​para estar em guerra e matar uns aos outros fazer danças tribais juntos como um testemunho de como o Evangelho de Jesus Cristo mudou suas vidas e agora eles são irmãos e irmãs em Cristo!

Enquanto eu estava na Ammi I se hospedaram no dormitório da menina. Honestamente, o pensamento não me emocionar muito. Ele provavelmente teria uma cama dura, duchas frias, e um grupo de meninas que falam Português e eu não ... Eu estava certo ...

E eu estava errado ... Deus tinha fornecido. A imagem à direita é minha amiga Lucia. Ela é brasileira, mas fala Inglês perfeito. Ela estava ao meu lado no dormitório e um dom de Deus, de muitas formas! Além de ser um grande tradutor para mim e me ensinando um pouco de Português (e algumas das meninas um pouco de inglês), ela foi um mentor para as meninas no dormitório, tem as meninas juntos todas as noites para rezar (e me incluiu), e todos encorajou ela conheceu. Ela não é um estudante, mas foi durante o verão para um estágio. Ela agora está de volta na Holanda recebendo seu M-Div. com a esperança de voltar ao Brasil para ter aulas de Linguística e começar a trabalhar como tradutor da Bíblia para uma das línguas indígenas ainda a ser traduzidos.

Eu poderia dizer muitas histórias sobre as meninas no dormitório que passei aqueles par de semanas com. Eles são todos incrível de maneiras diferentes, e tocou a minha vida de maneiras diferentes ...

Geane é um dos meus amigos e AMMI um estudante que mora no dormitório. Ela é Tukano tribo na Amazônia. Há muito poucos cristãos em sua tribo e sua família enfrentou perseguição por causa disso. Uma noite, tivemos uma longa conversa. Eu acho que ela estava no lugar onde você sabe que você foi ensinada toda a sua vida, mas agora você está aprendendo a Bíblia e ver a Deus e as pessoas de forma diferente. Ela estava sendo esticada de forma significativa, e eu poderia dizer que foi difícil para ela. Nós conversamos sobre lutando com sua fé, guerra espiritual, e nós conversamos sobre as coisas que ela foi dito quando ela estava crescendo. Ela foi informada povos indígenas são o tipo mais baixo de pessoas e que os brancos são o egoísta e mesquinho. Uma das últimas coisas que ela me pediu que a noite era: "Como você pode vir aqui e pegar o nosso lixo, e ser feliz?" Falar sobre o sentimento humilde.. Eu respondi a sua pergunta, mas não sem lágrimas ... No dia seguinte, antes de ir para a pausa de inverno, ela disse, "Eu nunca pensei que eu gostaria de um americano, mas eu vou sentir sua falta." Mais uma vez, as lágrimas ...


Você nunca sabe como o Senhor vai usar algo tão simples como a coleta do lixo para mudar a opinião de alguém do mundo.

Por favor, orem para o povo Tukano, eles, e muitos outros, necessitam de nossas orações, e conhecer a Cristo.

Você pode conferir outras fotos / vídeos que eu postei sobre minha viagem ao olhar para postagens anteriores do blog e um pequeno vídeo de alguns cantando na cozinha. :-)