Serving without going

When we resigned from Wycliffe we had some money in a special account to help us set up our home in Nigeria. Due to regulations on US non-profit organizations and the way these funds were categorized, we were not able to get these funds back and were able to choose another project to give to. We contacted our Nigeria colleagues for advice on what projects needed the money, and they sent us a list of projects in need of funding.

The project we chose was somewhat bittersweet: we will be contributing to upgrading the network at the main Nigeria Group office. This is one of the systems Bob would have maintained had we traveled there to work. It is a nice feeling that we continue to support the team there even though we are not able to go in person to work side by side. Missions all around the world have desperate needs for just this kind of practical, simple devices to help them accomplish what God's enabling them to do.

the Server Room at the Nigeria Group Office

Technology in Missions

One thing we have realized lately is how essential technology is to global mission work. In addition to email and web browsing some of the latest technology developments have become great assets to the work we are doing. We wanted to share with you some of the great tools we are using (this is written with Bob narrating).

Dropbox-  it is an internet service that allows files to be stored by the Dropbox company on the internet, and then downloaded and updated as needed on several people's personal computers. It is forgiving of flaky internet, doesn't take up too much bandwidth, and is easy to use. We have used it to collaborate on our newsletters and to run our partnership database on 2 computers. Cynthia was amused when members of a digital scrapbooking forum that she follows discovered it; this new technology that has become the  norm to us, was rocking their world.

Skype-  The first place I ever saw instant messaging was when I was an intern at JAARS in 2001, and Skype was gaining traction in Wycliffe when I took a mission trip to Mexico with them in 2002. Now the rest of the world has begun to catch up and recognize the value of the videoconferencing and instant messaging that Skype allows. We use Skype on a weekly basis to check in with our supervisior in Orlando and for other remote meetings.

BGAN- My trip to Nigeria in June was to install a pretty cool piece of technology: a satellite internet device that was portable, rugged, required minimal maintenance and setup, and could work for long stretches of time on battery. Pretty high-tech, and pretty cool from an IT guy's perspective.

Wycliffe and its partner organization SIL have been driving forces behind advances in defining Unicode standards (which defines how computer programs use specialized accent marks and characters). SIL has many software developers working on specialized software for Bible translators.

In all of these examples, missionaries are some of the first people to embrace these new technologies that can serve to improve our effectiveness at fulfilling the Great Commission. It is inspiring to work with a forward-looking, dynamic organization committed to using whatever means necessary to advance the Gospel and the task of getting God's Word to those who need it most.

Blog Features: Wishlist button

We have had several people ask about helping us with special purchases we will need for life in Nigeria.  We have created an Amazon wishlist for you to browse and see some of the things we are looking to take with us. Some of the things we will be gathering to to take with us include a household water filter system, durable luggage, larger carseats for our children, headlamps to see at night when we don't have power, extra batteries for our laptops.   You can access our list from the button on the right side bar of the blog.  

Virtual Stress Relief

Lydia has her own computer now with some simple games and her favorite is not what you would expect. Bob being the geek that he insisted on looking for free open source software for Lydia before going the easy route at the store. We found a variety of programs including a version of the “One Laptop per Child” software, and simple paint programs. But by far her favorite go to game is “Stress Relief 2.0” You have a virtual hammer or other tool and can “destroy” your desktop. Your tools of choice include: Hammer, Chainsaw, Gun, Flamethrower, Color Thrower, Phaser, Stamp, Termites, and a washer.  The game is meant for adults who get mad at the computer but it works for our 3 year old as well!  Check it out; its free to download.  

We are a 3 operating system family now, Linux, Apple and Windows, take your pick at our house.  Some of the computers even run a combination of Operating Systems.  That what happens with a geek running things :-)

Wycliffe Gift Catalog

Christmas is just around the corner.  As we are making our lists, and searching for the thoughtful gift for the hard to shop for people on our lists. We wanted to share the Wycliffe Gift Catalog with you.  There a button link on the left sidebar of the blog.  

Last year we gave Bob's brother the materials to build a water filtration system for a village in Africa through a gift catalog.  He is studying Civil Engineering with an interest in water treatment.  For the Africa area this year you can give:

A motorbike for translators reach remote villages,

Bibles for the Ezaa people in Nigeria,

Share in the cost of printing Bibles, 

Training for mother-tougue translators,

Bible picture books for children, 

A computer and related equipment for a mother tongue translator,

Check it out.  

October Newsletter: Tasting our Faith

One of Bob's coworkers at Wycliffe USA is from Ghana.  Working at Wycliffe inspired him to read a translation of the Bible he had never read before, the language of his heart, Fanti.  Download the newsletter to read how it gave him a greater understanding of faith.

You can always find our past newsletters on the newsletter tab just under the header on the page.

If you would like the latest issue and updates in your inbox, please let us know by emailing us at bob-cynthia_heren@wycliffe.org.  We do not give your information to anyone, but use it solely for our  own use.  

40 Days of Prayer - Day 12

-- Wycliffe USA in the middle of 40 days of prayer for Bible translation.  Each day a new prayer request is posted on the Prayer blog.  Today's post is about technology. --

Accelerating the Pace with Technology
Information technology fuels the Bible translation movement

Laptops, email, cutting-edge software, satellite systems, mobile phones, tablets…There’s no denying information technology (IT) is at the heart of almost everything we do. Bible translation is no exception.

Technology devices and the programmers, database specialists, network administrators, web developers, IT managers, and others who provide and operate these tools make it possible to accelerate the pace of Bible translation. As a direct result of technology, in some cases the time it takes to complete a translation has been cut to a third of what it used to be only a decade ago. Through the use of BGAN* satellite terminals, remote areas aren’t so remote. And, translation checks which often require outside consultants to meet with translation teams are easier to coordinate, faster, and more accurate. Advances in technology are helping to make Vision 2025 possible.

Click here to read the rest at PrayToday