Pray for United States

Early in May, Marcus Pewudie and Andy Ring began a consultant check of the remaining Lelemi* Old Testament books. Marcus is located in Accra, Ghana, and Andy is in the USA. Pray that the technology will work well as they work via Skype. With God's help, the whole Lelemi Bible will be ready to typeset this year. Andy also needs to write up information he gathered about cluster projects**. Pray that he can finish an initial document before his next trip. From May 30 to June 29 he will do Bible translation consulting in Nigeria. Andy and wife Kate write: "Thank you for your love and prayers. We rely on God's answers."

*About 50,000 people speak Lelemi.

** A language cluster refers to languages that may be linguistically related, and/or from similar geographic regions or cultural backgrounds. 

SIL International and the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics are planning the 7^th biennial Bible translation conference, which will take place October 11-15 in Dallas, Texas. The theme is "Promoting Excellence in Bible Translation," with sub-themes on workforce and training, theory and practice, print and non-print media, and engagement and impact. Please pray for the steering, logistics, and abstracts committees. The Abstracts Deadline was May 3. Pray for wisdom for the Abstracts committee as they select abstracts for oral presentation. Pray for adequate funds for all who are planning to attend. Pray for international participants who need visas. 

YUPIK, CENTRAL SIBERIAN; United States and Eastern Russia; 1,400. Ask God to give the Yupik team wisdom, accuracy in their work, good health, and perseverance as they complete consultant checks and conduct a final read-though of the translation. As they read through the text, pray that they will find any details needing adjustment. Pray for the provision of technical specialists who can prepare the text for publication. Finally, ask God to encourage the whole team, granting them His joy as they near the finish line.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH; Canada and United States; 83,700. The finish line is in sight for this language! The whole Bible in Pennsylvania Dutch is going to the printers in early 2013. Pray for wisdom in planning its distribution. Seventeen thousand copies of the New Testament have already sold, which shows a great interest in the Scriptures. Pray that the Old Testament will also be received well. The translated Scriptures have been used mostly by individuals or in family devotions. Ask the Holy Spirit to motivate ministers to use the Pennsylvania Dutch Bible in their churches. Pray that as people read the Bible in their heart language, they will grow in their love for the Lord.

HAWAII PIDGIN; United States; 600,000. The New Testament has been available since 2000, and has been very well-received. The Old Testament project is moving along well. All but two of the books approved by the consultant are already on the Internet. Ask God to give continued strength to the translation team, which is comprised of an experienced couple (ages eighty-two and eighty-three) and four active volunteer translators. Thank the Lord for great interest in this Bible project. Pray that God would use the portions now available on the web to bring transformation and spiritual growth to Hawaii Pidgin speakers, most of whom live in Hawaii but are also found in communities across the continental United States.

CROW; United States; 4,280. Ask God to bring healing to the translator’s wife. Since she suffered a stroke, the translator has taken on the role of caretaker, which in turn has slowed the pace of translation. The team wants to complete the New Testament this year, but two books still need to be checked by a translation consultant. “…Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26, NLT). Your prayers are key in the completion of the Crow New Testament translation.

Praise God for His faithful provision of funds for Aramaic Bible Translation (ABT) as it works to provide the Scriptures in five Aramaic languages. ABT has no building and few administrative staff, so most funds go directly to pay the expenses of translation teams. However, more funds would enable the projects to move ahead faster. Pray for ABT's fundraiser as he works with individuals and foundations to build a funding base. Ask for positive responses to letters sent to foundations. Pray also for open doors to speak to others about the opportunity to invest in this ministry.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH; United States; 83,700. Praise God that after many years of tedious work, the finish line is in sight! Lift up the translators, consultants, and typesetter, asking God to give them all good health and stamina as they look toward typesetting in early 2012. Pray for alertness to detail, especially during the final read-through. Ask God to prepare the hearts of people to receive His Word soon and pray for wisdom for the translation team as they develop a plan to distribute the whole Bible.

CROW; United States; 4,280. This project has been put on hold, as the wife of the translator had a stroke, and he must now be her caregiver. However, the team still hopes to dedicate the New Testament in 2012. Pray alongside them for good health and progress with the last details in preparing for the dedication.

The Intercultural Communication Course (ICC) prepares new missionaries for service on multi-cultural teams. Central to the ICC training is spiritual vitality. ICC prepares folks to understand differing world views, language and cultural acquisition skills, and interpersonal challenges. The next course will be held at JAARS in Waxhaw, North Carolina from January 19 to February 17, 2012.  The staff, who have been preparing to teach this course, are facing challenges of their own. Some have physical and medical needs. Others have parents who are ill and/or in need of help. There are also various needs for the care of the children of the trainees. The health of all participants and staff is needed for optimum learning. God moves mightily through this course, and because of that the enemy attacks on all fronts. Please pray for the Lord to give health and strength to all the staff and students in this course, and that the plans of the enemy will be thwarted.