Dear Friends,
I (Doug) laughed at the week-at-a-glance weather report on my phone that showed “mostly cloudy” for every single day of the week here in southern Germany. Things sure were lovely when we arrived six months ago--we were out and walking every single evening. But the gloominess outside has not even started to touch our enthusiasm for being here and for the exciting developments in our ministry!
In Wycliffe, translation consultants are very important because they use their knowledge of the original languages to check the validity of every Scripture verse translated. When a book is completed, it can't be published until after the checking session, when the team spends a week or two going over it with the consultant. Because of the limited number of consultants, many teams are held back waiting for one to become available. The consultants too are some of the busiest people we know.
Note: In the sample to the right, the consultant receives the foreign language text and can verify that nothing was left out as the software helps to identify the words in English (highlighted in yellow).
To address this situation, I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that our translation software now allows consultants to do a lot of this work off-site, lessening their travel time and reducing the actual amount of time that needs to be spent with the team. Connecting to the Internet will download the team's Scripture translation and explanations onto the consultant's computer. They can then review it and reply with suggestions for improvement that pop up as “
flags” in the translator’s text. It doesn't matter if they are ten or ten thousand miles away.
The bad news? Remember how busy the consultants are? It is hard to find time and funding to get them together to receive training, and as a result, the new system hasn't caught on yet. Bringing the consultants up to speed on the new technology will not only benefit them, but also the teams they supervise.
Through an incredible stroke of God’s timing, I heard about two planned training events for the consultants in Africa, one in February in French, and the other in May in English. When I contacted the organizers, they agreed to make the software a major focus at both events. As a result, the training is scheduled and I am hastily preparing for it. Please pray that the February course is well received in Cameroon and serves to lighten the load of all who attend.
In March, we all head for Burkina Faso! Priscilla and Roger are going with a mission team from Black Forest Academy just after my annual workshop in Ouagadougou. Priscilla and two other staff members are leading the team of 16 students, many of whom will experience Burkina Faso for the first time. Their mission is to participate in a Christian medical outreach that provides health screening for school aged children to catch serious health issues before it is too late. They will also assist at a work site for a new medical clinic and encourage sponsored students at a Compassion International site. It will be exciting to see how God works in the hearts of the youth in their group to expand their worldview and bring about discipleship. The cost of our participation is to be covered by special donations through TeachBeyond, the parent organization of Black Forest Academy, and a link is provided at the end for contributions. Please join us financially and in prayer for the planning of this trip. This is an amazing opportunity to impact the lives of these students while serving as Jesus' hands and feet in Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso students lined up for medical examination.Roger is on the basketball team and thoroughly enjoying it. We get to cheer through his home games every few weeks. For the other games, his whole team travels long distances to various military bases where they compete against students in their league on Friday and Saturday, returning late Saturday night.
We haven't said it yet, and so now we do want to wish you God's richest blessings in 2013! The ministry God has called us to is bearing fruit through your investment of prayer and your generous giving. We pray that your faith is rewarded and we thank you for being our...
Partners in the Gospel,
Doug & Priscilla Higby
Praise and Prayer- Praise God for the way we can redeem technology for His glory. Pray with us that the translation consultants will be both patient and enthusiastic as they learn new ways of working.
- With the start of 2013, Doug's travel schedule begins to fill up. For the next four months, Doug will be attending meetings and training workshops in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya and Thailand. We're thankful for an European home base, so this is more doable than flying out of Africa, but still he'll be traveling for eight weeks.
- We are trying to keep an even keel with with our finances but have had a significant drop this past year. With two in college now, it is becoming very difficult. Please pray for the Lord's provision to support both our college-going sons and us in the year ahead.
