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Press Release: November 15, 2024
Friday Field Notes
Check out the latest updates from our missionaries!
SUMMER OF TRANSITION – Paul and Ali Federwitz
This summer was a bit of a whirlwind for our family. We arrived in Ohio from Ethiopia on June 23rd to spend time with Ali’s family. On July 2nd we filled a trailer with the boxes of items we have stored over the eighteen years we have lived overseas and drove to our house in Concordia, MO. Slowly unpacking has been a treasure hunt as we find things that haven’t been out of a box since 2006. At other times we are looking for things that we were sure we had somewhere, only to realize that it was likely in a house in Tamale, Accra, or Addis Ababa.
We often are asked, “Are you settled? “ That is a more difficult question to answer than you may think. We have unpacked the things necessary for daily living. We are using our house in all of the normal ways: preparing meals, washing laundry, sleeping, conversation, interactions, etc. We have even hung a picture on a wall! However, the idea of being settled seems so much deeper than these functions. It brings up the idea of belonging, connection and some other things. Although we are each finding our way and figuring things out a little more each day, there are moments where we miss what it was like when we lived in other places as well as times when we don’t understand what is going on around us. In some ways the move back to the US is harder than a move to another country because we look and sound like Americans, but there are many cultural things that we don’t understand. We are grateful for the grace extended to us by everyone.
SCRIPTURE DISTRIBUTION– Dr. Chris and Janine Pluger
In the “old days,” language communities would have to wait years — maybe even decades — between the start of a Bible translation project and being able to read the Word of God in their mother tongue.
Today, with advances in technology, the wait is much shorter. While it still takes years of hard work to finish the whole Bible in a new language, teams are now able to print books of the Bible as they are completed and checked, so that the community can stay interested, engaged, and encouraged by the progress that is being made.
The Karama project is only a few years old, but they have already been able to translate, check, and print the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Mark and distribute them in their language community. In addition to hard-copy printing, the Karama translators record an audio version for those who can’t (or prefer not to) read.
The Karama community is predominantly Muslim, so the team started with Genesis to build a bridge with familiar stories and history. One local man said, “I don’t like what Christianity says. But I do like how this Genesis recording speaks.” The Word is effective in the language people know best! Please pray that barriers to the Gospel would be removed, so that the Holy Spirit opens many hearts for Jesus in the Karama community!
DESTINATION MONGOLIA – Rob Veith
I met with Adam about a year and a half ago at a conference in Missouri. A music missionary serving with a church plant in western Mongolia, he gave a presentation on his work in supporting church musician development, which included teaching piano and guitar. He also compiled a songbook with every Kazakh and Mongolian language song he could find. In the presentation, he expressed a desire to see new songs composed to serve the church in the region. Right after the presentation, I promised him that if he brought me to Mongolia, I would turn his students into songwriters.
For weeks, I went back and forth between being unbearably excited about having the privilege of being in the room when new Mongolian Scripture songs were created and being unbearably apprehensive that I had promised more than I could deliver. I’d told Adam I could get his guitar students writing songs.
On the good days, I recognized that this was God’s work, not mine. I just got to be there when it happened…
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