Back from Cameroon

00:00
Tim Schulte
You know, we’re so happy you’re here, and we’re so excited for this translation project. And the Subula people are ready to go, and we’re willing to work hard and we want the Bible so much for our people and realizing it’s not about us. It’s not about these two Americans that showed up. It’s about God’s Word. 

00:24
Rich Rudowske
Welcome to the Essentially Translatable Podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible Translators. I’m Rich Rudowske

00:29
Emily Wilson
And I’m Emily Wilson. 

00:31
Emily Wilson
And today we are going to be talking with Reverend Tim and Erin Schulte. Erin is actually a Deaconess intern with Lutheran Bible Translators. Both of them were called into missionary service with Lutheran Bible Translators this past summer. But before we dig into the interview, let’s just learn a little bit about what’s happening around the corner with Lutheran Bible Translators. What is it that our listeners should know about for how they can get involved in an easy entry point? 

01:02
Rich Rudowske
Well, in this season, with the “More Than Words” campaign for Scripture Impact, what we’re really focused on right now is prayer for the Bible translation movement. And the easiest way that you can get involved in praying for the Bible translation movement is to go lbt.org and subscribe to the prayer calendar. And you do that on a monthly basis, either by email or in the mail. If you’re old school and really like it like that, you get a beautifully designed prayer calendar that gives you something to pray for every day of the month. It helps you learn a little bit more about where Bible translation work is happening, how you can be praying for the people that are involved, who is involved and what’s happening, how God’s at. 

01:43
Emily Wilson
Work around the world, and you’d be part of a huge prayer team. We have thousands of people who are joining us in prayer daily, so want to encourage you to sign up and subscribe to receive that. But we’re going to dive into an interview with Tim and Erin, and this was an awesome interview to be able to hear about their impressions of visiting in a pre-field context. So they’re bound for Cameroon to work alongside the Subula language community, but this was their first visit to be able to make preparations for moving over in 2024. So give it a listen. All right, so today we have on the podcast Reverend Tim and Erin Schulte. Welcome to the podcast, guys. 

02:36
Erin Schulte
Thank you. 

02:36
Tim Schulte
Thank you very much. 

02:38
Erin Schulte
Really glad to be here. 

02:39
Emily Wilson
We’re happy you’re here. Rich is not in the studio today, so I’m the one who gets to interview, and I’m super excited because we’ve been friends now for three years, four years. I can’t remember. Three, four. 

02:51
Erin Schulte
Yeah. Just before the start of COVID is when we… 

02:56
Tim Schulte
Pizza place. 

02:57
Emily Wilson
Oh, yeah, it was a good time all before the COVID craziness shut down the world. So, we want the listeners to be able to get a chance to know you guys like I do. So want to share with them your story. Like, I don’t know who wants to go first, Tim? Erin, who wants to go first of just like where you grew up and what your heart is for mission ministry in general. 

03:24
Tim Schulte
I can go first. So my background, I was actually born overseas in West Africa in a country called Togo. My parents were missionaries with Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s official overseas branch office of International Missions. My dad served as the business director and my mom was an accompanying spouse at the time. I lived in Togo for about twelve years until my dad got a position change and we moved to Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire, and we lived there for about two years before we had to leave the country because of the civil war. Got a little too close for comfort at that time. So we returned back to the states, to St. Louis, because my dad decided to enroll in the seminary. So we lived in St. Louis for a few years while he completed classes. 

04:07
Tim Schulte
And then we moved down to Hillsborough, Missouri, when he took his first call as pastor. And they were there for about ten years while I did high school in that area and college. And when I was in college I got a degree in political science. And when I graduated I found out that everybody that gets that degree over there apparently goes into law. And I realized I’d made a terrible mistake, didn’t know what to do. So I started trying to figure out, like, “Oh, what do I want to do with my life?” And I just remembered always loving being in Africa and missing Africa and all throughout high school and my time in America. Being the African kid was always like such a big part of my personal identity. And so I thought, you know, maybe I can do something overseas. 

04:47
Tim Schulte
But I didn’t know that it was like the love of Africa was real, if that makes sense. I decided I wanted to try living overseas for a few years, but I wanted to have like a time limit to it. So I applied to join the United States Peace Corps. I got accepted and I told them in the application that if they put me anywhere than Africa, I’d probably decline the invitation. 

05:07
Emily Wilson
Honesty is the best policy. 

05:08
Tim Schulte
Exactly. So they decided to put me in a country called Swaziland. So I went over and I did two years there working with HIV and AIDS efforts. So education, medication, things like that. And I learned a lot in my experience. One of the most important things that I learned was that I did love living and working in Africa. I think the best way I’ve been able to describe it, when people ask me, “Why do I like Africa?” Is like, I just feel like I can breathe. When I get off the plane, it suddenly feels like the place that I’m supposed to be, where I belong. Yeah, it’s home. And so I knew that I wanted to continue working and living in Africa long term, but I also realized that I didn’t want to do it for the federal government. 

05:52
Tim Schulte
It was not to throw any shade on people that work in IGOs or NGOs. 

05:58
Emily Wilson
But it wasn’t what you were feeling called to. 

06:01
Tim Schulte
Yeah, I really realized that the work that we were doing was important, but it wasn’t as important as sharing the Gospel with people, with the eternal consequences of what that news can bring into someone’s life. And so I decided to look into the option of becoming a full time missionary. And so I thought at the time that you had to go to seminary and get a degree and become a pastor so that you could serve as a missionary. 

06:28
Emily Wilson
Doesn’t hurt. 

06:29
Tim Schulte
Doesn’t hurt. Part of that was my own naivety about the process. But the other part was like, I just really didn’t, at that point in my life, I didn’t feel like I knew anything about the Bible or my faith or how to talk about it with people. And I thought that going to the seminary would be a good opportunity to really get stuff squared away. And so I did two years at the seminary, and then I took a break, leave of absence to go pursue a job opportunity on a military base in East Africa in a country called Djibouti. I lived and worked there for about two years and was able to save up a lot of money and pay off a lot of student debt, which was kind of the primary reason that I took that opportunity. 

07:08
Tim Schulte
And God kind of had a good plan out of that, because when I came back to the seminary, that’s actually when Erin started. And so my first week back in reading week, I was walking up to the chapel, and I just see this beautiful blonde girl walking out the doors, and I thought to myself, “Tim, you got to make an important decision right now. Are you going to go and talk to this girl, or are you going to be a chicken and walk away?” And so, for the first time in my life, I did something courageous, and I went and talked to Erin, and I got to know her a little. That’s a very powerful memory for…yeah. And I think at this point, maybe Erin can pick up that story. Your story. 

07:50
Emily Wilson
Yeah. 

07:52
Erin Schulte
So I was born and raised in Bremen, Georgia. So that’s about 40ish miles west of Atlanta. Puts you right on the Alabama/Georgia border. Yeah. Grew up there, was home schooled for the majority of my life, so grew up being very close to my family, going and visiting my grandparents and so forth. Went to college, my undergraduate studies, and just local colleges around me. Graduated, and during my senior year, really thought about…so my undergraduate degree is history. Really enjoyed history. I love the stories, the truth we can gain from the past, but looking forward to possibly graduate school, a future career, wondering about what I was passionate about, what was important in my view, and realizing that too. Trying to put into perspective what I was passionate about, what I thought was important, even though I loved history. 

08:56
Erin Schulte
When you think of history and how it’s been interpreted through time, there’s always a lens of perspective that people go with how it’s interpreted and viewed, and there’s always a bias, inherent bias, no matter how hard you try and thinking about that. And then conversely, thinking about God’s Word, the absolute truth that we’re given by our creator just to make sense of ourselves, the world around us, and just our place in the way that he’s placed us in this world. And just the fact that I just love being in church. I’ve always loved going to church, being in that community with other believers, and realizing that the truth of the gospel, for me, just thinking about everything that was something of which I was most passionate about, something that I wanted to devote my life to and that it would be worth it. 

09:47
Erin Schulte
So it was funny, my grandparents, they heard on the radio from the seminary in St. Louis about an advertisement for the Deaconess program. I did not know what a deaconess program was at that time, and this was all during my senior year of undergrad. So I remember looking into it and thinking, oh, this might be something worth looking into. So I got the application project process done in about, I think I looked into it in January, but everything was due by February, 28th or something.

10:16
Emily Wilson
Wow. 

10:19
Erin Schulte
So, yeah, God was definitely with me. I had to take my GREs, get that all done, all while studying and finishing up my final project for my undergrad. 

10:28
Emily Wilson
That’s amazing. 

10:28
Erin Schulte
Yeah. Thankfully, God was with me and helped me get through all of that. So I applied and got in and graduated in July of that year. And moved to St. Louis in August. And yeah, that was kind of a big step for me and for my family too. Just being at home a lot and being close and still, but actually moving away, that was a big thing. But my pastors that I’ve grown up with, they both went to the seminary in St. Louis. They knew it real well and that gave me a kind of comfort too. So, yeah, I’ve moved up there in August and within the first orientation week, met Tim on the last Saturday of that week and he invited me to church the next morning and that was kind of the next. 

11:16
Erin Schulte
I guess that was kind of the first step, wasn’t it? Looking back. Invited me to church with his grandma, God bless her. 

11:25
Tim Schulte
Grandmas are the best wingmen. 

11:28
Emily Wilson
So we have kind of two opposite stories, right, of like the pastor kid, missionary kid growing up in West Africa and the Southern Bell growing up in Georgia, and you had not yet traveled outside of the like…and then Tim comes along and is like, “Hey, I feel called to be in missions, specifically international missions, preferably on the continent of Africa.” And that conversation of like, okay, so what does this even look like? Can you kind of break down what was going through your mind and how you felt like God was working in you? Because, spoiler alert, she’s the one who contacted Lutheran Bible Translators, not Tim. 

12:27
Tim Schulte
You got yourself into this. 

12:28
Emily Wilson
Yeah, it’s true. So what was going through your mind as you were wrestling with? What is it that God’s calling you to international ministry or just ministry in general? 

12:42
Erin Schulte
So looking back, the decision to go to seminary, I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d do. I knew I wanted to be in work that would promote the Gospel and share that Good News with people. But in terms of the setting and the specifics of it all, I never really was sure. I just knew that going to the seminary, feeling that God wanted me to be there. So I was very open to a lot of different possibilities. Even before we started dating, Tim was always upfront about where he felt God was calling him to go overseas to Africa, just to spread the word there. And for me, it’s something that I never really envisioned doing myself before. 

13:29
Erin Schulte
Like, I’d always realized the importance of missionary work, but the fact of thinking, like, picking up and going to a totally different place, your family’s not with you, it’s kind of distant. But meeting Tim and just realizing the person he was and kind of just the connection we had, it all seemed like this was someone God had placed in my life. And this very well could be possible. So it was always an ongoing conversation, even to the point you know, we met you and Rich at that pizza pub right before COVID. Yeah. So it was always a conversation piece in our relationship. 

14:10
Erin Schulte
And I think just as time went on, I could just see the pieces falling into place, whether it be with talking with you and Rich and talking with Tim, and then also just in terms of my whole formation at the seminary, preparing me for my internship and so forth, it just seemed like this is where God is guiding us at this moment. So, yeah, it’s been a gradual process, but I think where we are now, I know I could speak for myself. I feel truly blessed in terms of the ministry that God has called us to. 

14:47
Emily Wilson
Actually backing up a little bit. You’ve been on this journey, going from seminary in St. Louis and then Call Day and being married and coming to Concordia and serving in this capacity of deaconess intern. And you’ve been getting to know the community here. And, Tim, you’re working on your studies for everything with Scripture Engagement, remotely, and all of these pieces are kind of coming together. And then you go on this trip to Cameroon. So you just went at the end of February, early March, to visit Cameroon and the Subula language community that you will be serving alongside. And so this was a return for you, Tim, to West Africa, but first time in Cameroon, and this was your first time on the continent of Africa. First time traveling in that context, French-speaking context, by the way. 

15:51
Emily Wilson
So wanting our listeners to get to know a little bit about your ministry, what you’re hoping to go into, but also just what you perceived in the community, what you saw, but also what you noticed in yourself and your drive for like, oh, it’s now almost like this was two dimensional and now it’s three dimensional. How is this a more full understanding of what you will be going forward and doing in ministry? 

16:24
Tim Schulte
I think there was a lot of value to the experience. I think one of the most significant values for me on a personal level was the fact that Erin had agreed to join me on this journey into missions to move over to Africa. But there’s no amount of explaining and describing Africa that’s ever going to prepare you for the experience. It is something that’s quite different from anything that we can really kind of picture or imagine here in a western sort of context. And so for…I knew that Erin was committed, and I knew that she wanted to be part of this journey and be part of this missions, but I knew that she wouldn’t know what she was really getting herself into until she went there and had this first time experience. 

17:11
Tim Schulte
And so for me, it was really kind of the moment of truth of like, “Hey, Erin, all these things I’ve been telling you, all these stories, all these adventures, you’re going to get to experience it for your first time.” And so it was just really amazing to kind of watch her as we kind of navigated that context in Africa can be kind of crazy sometimes. In the best possible ways sometimes, and in the worst possible ways sometimes. And as someone who’s grown up in that context, in that environment, I take a lot of these craziness things kind of for granted. Like, I’m just like, oh, yeah, I’ve seen that 8600 times. 

17:46
Tim Schulte
Like, this doesn’t bother me in this light, but watching someone experience it for the first time, you really kind of realize just how dramatic of a difference this can be in terms of your experience. And so watching Erin was just kind of wild because here’s somebody who’s only been out of the country once before, first time ever in Africa, and she’s just kind of sailing through the whole…I  mean things are affecting her in the sense that she’s just kind of experiencing this all. And it’s not like, no difference there whatsoever. But just kind of watching how she kind of navigated a lot of these changes was very kind of inspirational for me as well. So it was more than just kind of getting to see the mission ground. 

18:31
Tim Schulte
It was also kind of learning a little bit more about Erin, and it was also having her learn more about what it really meant to say, “I want to go do missions in Africa.” 

18:40
Erin Schulte
Kind of, as Tim alluded to, I’ve heard so many stories about him growing up and him working overseas in Africa. And also everyone here at LBT, those who have been to Africa, really did help me prepare in terms of what to expect, what’s different, what are the different beauties? So stepping off the plane and getting into the car to go where we’d be staying that night, it was kind of surreal in a way, because I expected, like, I feel like I knew some of it, but when you’re there, it kind of just expands and is just so big and things you never even thought of that would happen. So, like Tim said, before going to Africa, the only time I’d been overseas was to England for a study abroad trip. 

19:29
Erin Schulte
So, as you mentioned, Emily, going to a francophone country compared to another country, you know has the same language, is very different. And I remember telling Tim as we were sitting on the plane, a lot of French- speaking, going on, that it was kind of like the first time I felt like a foreigner in another land, being totally reliant on, not on language, but from what I could see, could kind of just ascertain from my environment around me and coming to Cameroon and kind of being in Yaounde for the first few days, it just was totally just thinking of the experience and seeing all the different things. There were a lot of similarities, but there were differences, too. 

20:14
Erin Schulte
So I think when it finally clicked, when it made something, made an impression on me, was when went to our first church service at a local African church, and it was a Lutheran church, and they had the liturgy, the Divine Service, and it was all in French, and I could pick out different parts of the liturgy, and that made sense. But like I said, it was all in French. And it really made sense to me that the importance of the work we do in terms of bringing people the Word of God in their heart language, you can tell someone about God’s Word and give them the text, but if it’s not in the language of which they have their… 

21:06
Erin Schulte
…so in terms of being in Africa and Cameroon for the first time, like Tim was saying, all the stories that I heard over the years over the course of our relationship, and also people here at LBT sharing their stories of going to Africa and just seeing and observing all the interesting differences and also the similarities as well. I was very excited, and when I got off the plane, it did not disappoint. Being in Yaounde, I believe it’s a capital city, one of the bigger cities in Cameroon. For the first few days, I guess you could say it was kind of like a sensory overload. So, like I was saying, you feel like some of the things I felt like I knew, like I expected it, but other things, it was just mind blown. 

22:02
Erin Schulte
And then it was interesting, too, because it was the first time, being in a francophone country that I felt like a foreigner in terms of the language and not being able to really talk to others or communicate them in the normal way. 

22:22
Emily Wilson
That barrier, yeah. 

22:24
Erin Schulte
But it finally didn’t click for me in terms of just the work and everything we do until I went to our first church service in Africa together. It was a Lutheran church. They followed the Divine Service, the Liturgy, and I could pick out some of the different parts, but all the while, we know it’s still in this other language. And while it was beautiful, the singing, just the enthusiasm of the people in the service, it really impressed upon me the importance of the work we’re doing, just bringing God’s Word to people in the language of which they understand. So that was very interesting for me and really brought that home. Let’s see… 

23:09
Emily Wilson
Yeah, it really does. And I’ve heard from missionaries over the years of how important it is to be able to worship in a local context and to worship alongside brothers and sisters in Christ, but to always remember to make sure that you’re being fed by the Word also, and to be able to be in worship in your own language as well, because it’s very easy to have that burnout or fatigue when you aren’t rooted in God’s Word, but that you are able to just get a glimpse of, like, this is beautiful, this is. Yet, you know, millions around the world are worshiping in a language that, although it might be a language of wider communication, they might be very fluent. It’s not the language that speaks most deeply to who they are. 

24:05
Tim Schulte
I was going to add, for me, it was an interesting experience because having lived in Africa, I had a better sense of what to expect. And I sort of, as were getting on the plane, going over, thought to myself, like, oh, this is just going to be a lot of me helping Erin figure out this experience, this kind of novel world that she’s never been to. And yet when I got there and we got off the plane and we’re, like, trying to find Mike in the car and navigate through the guys trying to offer to help us with our bags and everything like that, and they’re all talking in French or other languages, and I’m just kind of like, it’s all kind of hitting me at once. 

24:45
Tim Schulte
It was a very different experience because now, for the first time, I was in Africa with a person that I felt responsible for. 

24:51
Emily Wilson
Sure. 

24:52
Tim Schulte
And obviously, Erin is very capable young woman who can handle herself in many situations and often takes care of me. So I don’t want to come across patronizing when I say this, but I did. I felt a responsibility. 

25:04
Emily Wilson
Well, you speak French, right? Yeah. So there’s just, like, bridges that you were naturally forming in your mind, however. 

25:11
Tim Schulte
And so for me, a lot of the things that I sort of just kind of. I don’t want to say ignored, but just kind of like, let run off my back. Hit me a little harder this time through of like, “Oh, man, I can handle this, but how am I going to help Erin kind of get through these sorts of, you know, we’re driving through Yaounde traffic, and it is just a wild ride to, like, there’s no lanes and cars are coming in at any point, and people are kind of skirting in, around, and you see a space, you move into that space, and I’m just not here. I am sitting in this experience that’s very kind of, like, blase for me, typically. 

25:48
Tim Schulte
And all of a sudden, I’m thinking the whole time, how am I going to get Erin around in a city, just driving her safely, like, how am I going to get us to the places that we need to be and things like that? We get to the SIL house that we’re staying in, and I’m kind of looking around, thinking to myself, like, okay, now how am I going to figure out lodging in the future and take care of Erin and stuff like that? So it kind of added this new dimension to it. And I think our first couple days, even probably our first week of being in Cameroon, was more of a God presenting before us. Here’s the challenges that you’re going to have to figure out and navigate if you really are serious about doing ministry here. 

26:29
Tim Schulte
And for me, the moment when I realized that the challenges were going to be worth it was when we first got to the language community. And we drive up, it’s kind of getting dusk. Night is falling. We walk into this house. We’ve been on the road for, like, six plus hours. Very bumpy. We’re both kind of tired and exhausted and really kind of just kind of like, where are we? What time zone is this again kind of situation? And we sit down, and all of these people come in, and they just start talking about the work that they’ve been doing and the work that they want to do and how excited they are to continue translating the Bible for the Subula people. 

27:12
Tim Schulte
And it was just kind of incredible just looking at these people who were just so earnest and so excited about the experience. And right in the middle of this conversation, as we’re sitting there, this man walks in, and he’s dusty from the know, and he kind of arrived late. And in my head, I’m like, this is a very normal experience in Africa. People are always kind of filtering in, so I didn’t make much of it. But at the end of, kind of, all of the introductions and the conversations and talking to each other, like, why are we here? And what are we planning on doing? And who are all these people? The president of the Translation Association for the Subula language community stands up and is like, I would be remiss if I didn’t introduce this man who has just entered into our presence. 

27:53
Tim Schulte
And he’s like, “I just wanted to let you know that this man is a chief of a village 200 km away.” 

28:00
Emily Wilson
Wow. 

28:01
Tim Schulte
His people are not Christian, they are Muslim. But he believes in this Bible translation project and the promise that it will bring to his people. So he thought it important enough to come all this way just to greet you. 

28:14
Emily Wilson
Wow. 

28:15
Tim Schulte
And that’s when I started to cry, because I was just, you know, like, here I am, all focused on the problems and the difficulties and, okay, how am I going to get Erin sorted? How am I get myself sorted? How are we going to make a life work here? And everything just got swept away in that moment. And I went, it doesn’t matter how. We’re going to figure it out. Here’s why we’re going to figure it out is this man who wants to have the Bible available to his people. And, I mean, for as much as we traveled, that dude’s journey was way harder, way more intense, just to say hi, just to show support, just to throw his lot in with this project. And that was just an incredible moment for me. And then the next day, we get up, right? 

29:01
Tim Schulte
And I don’t know exactly all the arrangements, but my impression of things was that we rolled in and told the translation team, by the way, we want to meet some people in the villages tomorrow. Can that happen? And things don’t really happen overnight, typically in Africa. And yet somehow they made it work. And the next morning, we wake up, the whole team’s there, let’s hop in the car. Let’s go to our first village community. And were driving down the road, and we finally get off the tar road. Now we’re on the dirt track, and we’re driving for a little while, and all of a sudden we’re surrounded by motorcycles. And I’m like, what’s going on? Like, we’re in a traffic jam in the middle of the countryside, and we realize that it’s a motorcycle motorcade, if I can put it this way. 

29:42
Tim Schulte
They are escorting us into the village, and they’re honking their horns and shouting and singing and just very excited. And we’re just like, what’s going on? And we drive a little further down the road, and all of a sudden we see this group of women standing underneath a tree. And when they see us pull up, they just go start singing and dancing. And there’s musicians there with local traditional instruments, and they start playing the music and background noise to everything. And they lead us into the next quarter mile before we get to the village itself. And we’re escorted out of the vehicle, and we’re sat into this large. I don’t know, just the center chair. 

30:17
Tim Schulte
And all around us, the translation committee sits down, and all behind us, the local chiefs and important figures and all these various individuals of note and standing in the community kind of filter in. And then all of the women and the children gather into the front, and they start dancing and singing and just making a big celebration, and you just saw smiles everywhere, and everyone’s just so joyful. And then all of a sudden, the speeches start up and everybody’s like, just, we’re so happy you’re here, and we’re so excited for this translation project. And the Subula people are ready to go, and we’re willing to work hard, and we want the Bible so much for our people. And it was just honestly overwhelming, because I’m just sitting here going, like, you don’t even know I…I’ve taken two classes in Bible translation. 

31:06
Tim Schulte
I don’t know what I’m going to do to help you guys. But Erin and I, after that experience, were sitting there and were kind of processing it, and it was, no, this is a perfect reminder of us stepping back from that and realizing it’s not about us. It’s not about these two Americans that showed up. It’s about God’s Word. It’s about bringing the Gospel to people, and we’re just the tools for that. But what they’re really excited for is the Bible, and that was, for me, a very profoundly impactful experience. 

31:37
Erin Schulte
Yeah, they were welcoming God’s Word into their midst, and just to be their first person view of that happening, I don’t think we’ll ever forget that. It was just, like Tim said, overwhelming. Probably the biggest motivator that anyone could ever have in terms of doing this work, being in the harvest field and spreading God’s Word to those who don’t have it in their language. Yeah, it was just amazing. 

32:06
Tim Schulte
It was one of those reminders for me, too, of one of the beautiful things about mission work is I think we often have this idea or sense of, like, I’m going overseas, I’m going to help people. Like, I’m going to bring the Gospel, I’m going to share God’s Word. And there is a lot of truth to that. It’s a need, and it’s an important work. But in that moment, they were serving me by sharing their enthusiasm, their joy, their passion for scripture and God’s word in a way I have never expressed. Like, I’ve never jumped up and given a dance out of joyfulness. I’ve never given people eight chickens and a sheep out of my gratitude for telling me about Jesus and things like that. 

32:43
Tim Schulte
So there was just all these my faith and my inspiration for the work and my desire to kind of be part of this mission work was just so energized by that experience and the joyfulness that they had for it. And I think for me, it was kind of like it was this both and. Right. We’re working in this together. We’re partners in this mission, and I’m already at the deficit. Like, I got to start working pretty hard to give you half of what you’ve given me. 

33:13
Emily Wilson
Yeah. As you’re describing it, I’m like, “Oh, we’re coming up on Easter very soon as we’re recording this podcast and just thinking about the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but that it’s, instead of it being like, oh, this is going to be the messiah that’s going to save us from the, you know, it’s the Subula. People celebrating God’s Word, like you said, Erin, like his entry into their midst in the Word Incarnate, the Word spoken, being able to understand and truly grasp that. And in a lot of ways, you guys are like the disciples walking alongside. Yes. 

34:02
Emily Wilson
But being able to just kind of also grapple with, we are servants and we are encouraging one another and just really drawn into those verses of scripture of never cease encouraging one another, always be praying for one another and to just walk alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ and to be witnesses to him. And so a lot of what you’re going to be doing in the coming months is being able to cast a vision to people about, this is the ministry that we are being called to, but we can’t do this on our own. 

34:47
Emily Wilson
And so what is it that you would want to tell people who are considering how they can be partnering with you in prayer or financially, what would you tell them about why you feel not only called to this work, but also how they can be a part of it? 

35:08
Erin Schulte
Well, first thoughts that came to my mind was with the member of the translation team we spoke with. We wanted to ask his thoughts about, since he’s been working on the project since even before we began working with the subla. And were just asking him, what would you like to say to the people in America? 

35:28
Tim Schulte
So first of all, just to say his name is Bianvinyu, which in French means ‘welcome you’. 

35:34
Erin Schulte
It was beautiful. And he was such a kind man. He showed us around the town we’ll be staying and all the different places to get groceries. And just different ways to kind of live there and so forth. But, yeah, he was very kind. And let’s see, the first thing you. 

35:51
Tim Schulte
Remember, we asked him what he wanted to, if he could say anything to the churches back in America about the Bible translation project, what would he want to tell them? And the very first thing he said is, “We want to say thanks. We want to give you thanks for everything you’ve done for us already, all of the sacrifices you’ve made, all of the support you’ve given us to get this project off the ground.” The second thing that he wanted to tell everybody is, “We’re working very hard. We want you to know that this is important to us. We’re not just waiting for you to do everything. We’re ready to get started and we’re doing it now and we’re very excited to come alongside you in this effort and this work.” And then the third thing he asked was, “Please don’t forget about us.” Yeah, sure. 

36:33
Tim Schulte
We still need help. 

36:35
Erin Schulte
Yes. 

36:35
Tim Schulte
We don’t know everything. We’re going to have problems that we can’t solve. We’re going to have issues and needs that we need our brothers and sisters for. That’s just how the church works everywhere. 

36:46
Erin Schulte
Absolutely. 

36:46
Tim Schulte
And so these words. 

36:49
Erin Schulte
So he really emphasized prayer and mentioned to us how important the Holy Spirit was in the work because it is hard in their context. It’s not a majority Christian area. There’s all kinds of other dangers around that are always creeping in and in the background. So just prayers for strength and guidance by the Holy Spirit, he said, was one of the most important things that they could ever need or cherish in terms of the work they’re currently doing. So listening to him and meeting the Subula people and the translation team, like I said, it was not only the biggest motivator but also really strengthened, I believe, both our faith in terms of the path God has set before us and the ministry we’re involved with. 

37:39
Erin Schulte
It truly is a blessing to be able to walk alongside them in this and we’re very thankful for that. 

37:47
Emily Wilson
So you’ve come back from Cameroon. You’re going to be wrapping up your deaconess internship. Tim, you’re already going out and visiting churches and casting vision even while you’re studying remotely for Scripture Engagement. But there’s lots of vision casting that you guys have been able to do in Concordia and just around the country. So what is it that’s coming up on the horizon? What is next? Because the like, move date isn’t for some time yet. So what’s in the interim, what’s next as you wait for this time of actually moving over and being in Cameroon? 

38:32
Tim Schulte
Well, I think the very next thing is Erin’s final interview for her deaconess degree, so she’ll have to talk to Dr. Bond and Dr. Nielsen and answer questions related to the scriptures and confessions and things like that. So that’s a pretty exciting thing for us as a family. Is just Erin, kind of, the last hurdle really, on that level. And then she’s got the rest of her internship to complete and her project to work on in terms of working in Concordia. So we talk about missions overseas and everything like that, but Erin’s already also involved in missions here in Concordia, trying to encourage more engagement with the community here with St. Paul’s Church and stuff like that. 

39:14
Tim Schulte
For myself personally, I get a little bit of a break of the travel schedule for the next couple weeks and get to worship with my wife on Sunday, which is nice. And we’ll get to do Easter together, which we’re very excited about. Finally get a chance to go to all the churches of friends that we’ve been planning on. And then we kind of hit the road running again with more traveling and more church visits. The next couple months for me will be local. So all of the traveling that I do right now is without Erin because she’s still doing her deaconess stuff. And I’ll be doing churches in Missouri, Nebraska and Illinois in the next couple of months. Maybe a couple in Iowa, in the great midwest. Yes. Our vast plains, which have a Lutheran church on every block. It feels like. 

39:56
Emily Wilson
Feels like it. Yep. 

39:57
Tim Schulte
Yeah. And so, yeah, I’m very blessed and excited to do these visits. I’ve been very blessed by the experience of visiting churches already. One of the things that I’ve really enjoyed about the experience of this is that I think sometimes when we talk about Christianity and the church in America, we can have this very pessimistic type of conversation. Like the church is shrinking. We’re not as influential in the culture anymore. All of these crazy things are happening. We’re running out of pastors. We don’t have enough people to serve in the church, which I wanted to say this earlier, but maybe I’ll do it now. Plug for the seminary. If you’ve ever considered doing church work as deaconess or pastor, you should definitely reach out to St. Louis or Fort Wayne admissions counselors and have a conversation about that because it’s a tough journey, but it’s an exciting one

40:41
Tim Schulte
Sorry for… So we hear all these things and they’re very real issues, they’re worth lamenting, and we’re allowed to lament. God gives us permission to lament the things that we lose and don’t have in this world, but it is also not the sum total of the story. And my experience of traveling around and visiting churches and seeing pastors at work is that God is very much alive, and he’s very hard at work, and he’s doing really incredible things all across this country. And the traveling, the planning, the asking people for support, that’s all very exhausting. 

41:31
Tim Schulte
But the sharing the story and the being in community with brothers and sisters that I’ve never met before, this is the first time walking in your doors, and I feel so refreshed by that experience and so energized to see the work that people are already doing right now every single day. And I get to get a glimpse of that each Sunday, and it’s really exciting. And then just to see the excitement that people have for God’s broader work in places that aren’t right next door to them is really kind of inspiring as well. And the joy and the energy and the enthusiasm that people have for his mission, sharing it everywhere, it’s exciting. So, yeah, we have problems as a church body, but we’re not dead by any means. And God is definitely not dead by any means. 

42:15
Tim Schulte
And that’s one of the things I share with people at these visits all the time, is know, first of all, God is at work church. The way LBT is working globally, the partners that we have that mission and that work is honestly exciting. It’s genuinely not to exaggerate it in any way. You don’t have to make it kind of cool and noble and exciting work and ministry to get behind. I mean, just the experience of the Subula language community walking into basically a parade and a celebration of people jazzed about God’s Word. And then to see this team that’s been working hard for years now to get this process off the ground and get the translation going. 

43:03
Tim Schulte
So it’s actually easy to undersell the excitement of the work that God is doing all across the world, but then to just remind people that you’re doing exciting work here right now. You’re serving your neighbor here right now. This is what God is also calling you to, is to look around you and to say, who is my neighbor and what is his need or her need, and how can I help? And churches everywhere are just doing that on an incredible level. It’s just been really neat to get to see that, to see all the different contexts and the ways in which God’s church is serving his people. 

43:42
Tim Schulte
So that’s been for me, a blessing is I just get to go and worship with a bunch of, I tell everybody, you’re my family, and I think I get a lot of eye rolls at that, but it’s genuinely true. Like, you are my family, we’re part of God’s family, and we have this connection. In what other context could someone randomly walk into the room and be like, hello, brothers and sisters. It just doesn’t make any sense. And yet somehow it makes sense in the church. 

44:09
Emily Wilson
And you get to be joining on the road here in a few months, Erin. And so what is it that you’re most looking forward to sharing with people as you’re presenting about your ministry and the opportunities to come? 

44:25
Erin Schulte
I think the most important or most exciting thing would probably be, it seems might not even be possible. But trying to share that enthusiasm, the excitement that we experienced firsthand with the Subula, sharing that with the people that we’re visiting, getting to know them better and asking them to join us on this mission is just so important. And I’m very excited to meet all the people that will come across and just realizing too, that when strengthening one part of the body, we’re always strengthened as well. The church is bigger than we can imagine and it’s kind of what Tim was saying, getting to meet all these different people and supporting each other in different parts of the world. 

45:18
Erin Schulte
We may never meet some of these Christians yet, I say yet, because in the life to come, we’ll definitely be around, but just the ability and opportunity to make connections and to support one another. And it’s hard out know the devil is active and always seeking to tear people away from Christ and his grip, but he never will. That’s the thing. And with all of us together, the Holy Spirit key to that and looking towards Jesus and the gift that he has given is from God. It’s something that we can always take strength from and be able to find comfort and peace with one just, oh, it just makes me very excited and this gives me a lot of joy I don’t think will ever go away. 

46:15
Emily Wilson
Thank you so much for sharing, you guys. How can our listeners be praying for you and ministry and the Subula people? 

46:25
Erin Schulte
Well, I guess my first thought in terms of the Subula, just kind of what Bienvenue was saying prayers for their continued work, for comfort and strength and peace, just in terms of everything, their daily challenges and also for joy in their work as well. Just to continue to be with them and give them that peace in their heart. I guess in terms of myself, I would greatly appreciate prayers as my internship concludes. As Tim was saying, I’m doing an outreach project with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church here in Concordia. I’m also doing some ministry work with ICOA in Kansas City, ministering to the Hispanic speaking population there and so forth. And yeah, just continue trading with LBT that’s going to start up once my internship ends. So prayers for that study and eventually I will begin my French study. 

47:24
Erin Schulte
So, yes, prayers for those things I would greatly appreciate and be very thankful for. Absolutely. 

47:32
Tim Schulte
I guess I would just appreciate prayers for peace and prayers for the strength to trust God that he is moving and organizing and fashioning all things and that I will trust in that. I think. I love traveling and meeting people. Let me take that back. I don’t love traveling. I love the meeting of the people and I love the sharing of the story with the people. But sometimes it can feel like an overwhelming sort of task. And the process of preparing both in terms of our own personal readiness and then also getting the funds organized that allow us to go overseas and start this work is kind of daunting when you first look at it. And so my personality is very much like, how am I going to solve this problem? 

48:23
Tim Schulte
And I think one thing that I’ve really learned in this experience is that I’m not. God has to solve it for me. And if God wants us to be serving overseas, he’s going to raise up the partners and the support and the prayers that are going to make it happen. And so I guess I just ask always, people, pray for me that I’ll trust that. Pray for peace as we go about the process, to be boldly confident inviting people to be part of that story. 

48:55
Erin Schulte
I think we would like to say thank you as well to everyone who has encouraged us and supported the mission and just joined with us in this. And we’re just so thankful. Like Tim was saying, it’s just incredible. It seems like such a daunting task to raise support, to go overseas and do this work, but it’s happening and our faith has just been strengthened so much, and it’s just such a gift. So we are very thankful. So thank you. 

49:23
Emily Wilson
Thank you guys so much for taking time to share about your experiences, not only before joining Lutheran Bible Translators, but this journey that you’ve been on. Looking forward to your ministry in Cameroon and the years to come. 

49:38
Erin Schulte
Thank you very much. 

49:40
Tim Schulte
Thanks for having us. Thanks for getting us here. 

49:48
Rich Rudowske
So having been to Cameroon myself a couple of years ago, the hospitality that the people offer in the community, in the church, these stories from Tim and Erin just track right with that. And it’s such a beautiful story. And to really hear their reactions about how they have been embraced and loved and accepted by the community, even when they’re not even there yet, of just that anticipatory relationship that’s going to occur and that space and that context in which God’s work is going to be moving forward and the scriptures will be available for the Subula language community so they can go deeper, they can know Jesus and have peace with them. And just that context. And it’s just a beautiful thing how the Lord makes relationships for that type of ministry to occur. 

50:35
Emily Wilson
We want to encourage you that if you are feeling led to join partnering with Tim and Erin in prayer or financially to visit lbt.org/schulte, their latest prayer letter, and to be able to also see how you can maybe partner alongside them with a monthly gift. 

50:59
Rich Rudowske
Thank you for listening to the Essentially Translatable Podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible Translators. You can find past episodes of the podcast lbt.org/podcast or subscribe on Audible, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow Lutheran Bible Translators’ social media channels on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Or go to lbt.org to find out how you can get involved in the Bible translation movement and put God’s Word in their hands. 

The Essentially Translatable Podcast is produced and edited by Andrew Olson. Our executive producer is Emily Wilson. Podcast artwork was designed by Caleb Rodewald and Sarah Rudowske. Music written and performed by Rob Veith. I’m Rich Rudowske. So long for now.