The Penner Place

Just did some quick addition and found that our Bible translation video on YouTube has been getting attention. Genesis, Jonah and Ruth have been broken into 103 segments for YouTube publication, and the total hits for all of them is well over 1,000. Jonah chapter 1 was top with 294 hits. Second was Genesis 1:1-5 with 110. Take a look yourself at http://www.youtube.com/user/vibideaf.

Boy--do I hear you loud and clear on that prayer request!  There are so many things where we pray "God we want to know, just show us what it is you desire of us" and then we wait. But God is putting things together in ways we have no idea, long before we can even start to plan what will actually happen. I have to tell you something that really blessed me about making plans.  

 

All the way back in February, Wycliffe and ViBi began talking about 3 weeks of meetings in Dallas in October/November 2009. Mark put it in his calendar to be in Dallas during that time, and to visit some supporting churches.

Two days before Mark was to leave on the trip, I got the phone call. My mom was not doing well, and if I wanted to see her, I needed to get to KC soon.  I was able to book the same flight as Mark, and we flew as far as LA together.

After the first week in Dallas, Mark flew up to KC for the weekend as planned, and got to be with my mom before she passed. The second week-end he was able to come for the funeral. He was still in Dallas while I cared for various things in Kansas City the third week.   I finished up my last appointment there on Friday afternoon  and met him in Chicago on Saturday (arriving 30 minutes before he did.)  He spoke in a church in Chicago on Sunday, and Monday we flew back to Japan together!  

Can you imagine that kind of timing!  Our God was so gracious in allowing Mark to be there (plane tickets paid for by Wycliffe) and available to fly over with me, help on the weekends and fly back with me!  I am so grateful!

 

For three weeks, it’s been 12-13 hour days of either interpreting in Japanese Sign Language or trying to decode meaning from signing in languages I barely understand. This interspersed with weekends in Kansas City with church meetings, hospice vigils, and a funeral. A major loss for our family, particularly for Mary Esther.  Pray for us as we seek to grieve well and also keep up with the work that needs to be done in the coming weeks.

 

The training in Dallas at the Wycliffe center was well received, and gives our whole team a broader base of information on translation theory, linguistics, and planning skills to incorporate into their work. We look forward to see what results it will bring in the weeks, and even years, to come. One immediate result is that planning for the worldwide sign language Bible translation effort spurred our Japan team on to some new looks at how to organize our own work. The two places in Japan where Deaf people are most interested and involved in translation are Tokyo and Yamagata—too far to commute to a central location. The Kansai area, even farther away, seems to be opening up as well. We’re exploring ways to re-structure the project so we can use our limited funds and scattered personnel most effectively. We’ll also be looking at ways to re-structure our translation processes to improve the quality and speed of translation.

 

Work continues on Matthew 1-10, and I need to do final proofing and budget adjustments for a grant application we hope to send in soon.

Augusta "Gussie" Marie (Thiessen) Baum, 81, passed away peacefully with her children by her bedside at the Kansas City Hospice House on October 28, 2009, in Kansas City  Mo. She was born in Buhler, Kansas, on December 3, 1927. While she worked as a pediatric nurse at Children's Mercy Hospital she attended Kansas City Bible College. She graduated in 1952 and went to the Philippines as a pediatric nurse with the International Christian Leprosy Mission. She was married in 1955 and joined her husband, Wilhelm, "Bill", serving in Japan and Germany until 1980 with SEND International. She was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by a daughter, Mary Esther and her husband Mark of Japan; a son, Timothy and his wife Denise of Pennsylvania; six grandchildren; a brother she adored, Abe Thiessen of Inman, Kansas, and a sister-in-law, Charlotte Frank of Overland Park, Kansas. The memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 1, at 3 p.m. at Woods Chapel Bible Fellowship*, 701 NW Woods Chapel Rd.  Blue Springs, Mo.,  Visitation begins at 1:45 p.m.

*Tel. 816-228-1411   Directions: http://www.woodschapelonline.org/Contact/Contact%20Us.htm

 

Meanwhile, Mary Esther is in Kansas City having some last days with her Mom. She lived a full life and is ready to meet Jesus. We are especially thankful for some precious interactions that Mary Esther will be able to carry with her into her days of mourning. Do be praying for us, though, as it is still a painful loss.

Mark is in Dallas for the next three weeks, along with three Japanese Deaf people from ViBi. With us are Deaf translators from Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Finland, and the U.S. First is BT2009, a major Bible Translation conference, which runs from Friday night until Tuesday. Saturday was pretty intense. Mark was the only JSL interpreter for back-to-back workshop and general sessions all day. Today (Sunday) was a bit of a break, but Monday and Tuesday will be non-stop again, so pray for clarity and stamina. After that will be two plus weeks of training workshops aimed specifically at Deaf translators. We’ve already seen wonderful learning and cross-pollination of ideas between the translation projects, and look forward to more to come.

 

Pray for stamina for Mark; even when he's not interpreting, he's still working hard to decipher the mix of international sign and ASL (American Sign Language) in which all the Deaf participants are communicating. Pray too for breakthroughs in translation skills and vision for our Deaf team, and all those attending.