What do we do about the slowest computer in the class?

Language Technology Training in Asia and Pacific Areas

STARTING SOON

Next week, I (Doug) leave to teach two consultant training workshops, one in the Philippines, and one in Papua New Guinea.  It seems that I’ll be flying through Hong Kong, so we are certainly praying that the situation there will be resolved and that the flights can go through! If you haven’t heard about the Hong Kong airport, check the news.

We’d like to ask for your prayers for these two training events over the next month.  The first is in Manila and has people from various parts of Asia participating.  The second is in Papua New Guinea and is the first consultant training we’ve been able to arrange there in all the years we’ve been doing this.  Many of the people coming are new candidates, and they have huge potential to provide support and training for the Bible translation teams they will be helping.

I’ll be traveling with Kent Schroeder (also going through Hong Kong) to both workshops.  Kent joined my team in June and has started to work with me to provide administrative assistance in addition to his role as a trainer. Each of our workshop participants gets a growth plan to identify the skills they must master to support the various language technologies used in Bible translation. Kent will help keep these people on track over the course of the year, making sure they are ready for follow-up training next year.  It has been great working with Kent because his planning skills make these events go much more smoothly.

A couple of the Papua New Guineans in the training program have great potential but have hand-me-down laptops that won’t handle the software they’ll be learning to use.  Trust me, we’ve had this issue in the past where one participant slows down the whole group while we wait for their computer to catch up.  Building Scripture apps for smartphones, for example, is particularly taxing on older computers.  It takes a lot of horsepower and we want to be sure the participants have decent machines to work with.  As they will be supporting translators in their work, they should do so without one hand tied behind their backs.  I’ve got 10 shopping days before my trip, and if any of you feel led to contribute, I’d like to purchase two laptops in the 5 to 6 hundred dollar range to better equip these future consultants.  Please let us know soon by calling or texting P.J. on her cell phone (616) 808-8129.

Please do also uphold this trip in your prayers:

• Praise God for the first language technology consultant training in Papua New Guinea.
• Pray for safe passage through Hong Kong, that Doug and Kent are not delayed, and that all the participants make it safely to the workshops.
• Pray for both training events to bring out technology skills that will serve many Bible translation teams.
• Pray for the participants to have access to the tools they need to do their job well.
• Pray for P.J. as she holds down the fort and continues her ebook publishing.  Long absences like this are hard.

God's blessings to you for your continued partnership in the Gospel!    (Phil 1:5)

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Doug & Priscilla Higby