The Eddy Family Times

Sign languages make up about 20% of the 2,000+ languages around the world that lack translated Scripture. I did not know anything about Bible translation for sign languages before becoming a Wycliffe missionary. This need is so important and I am thankful to now know about it and be able to share this newfound awareness. "According to the Deaf Bible Society, there are over 400 known sign languages in use around the world today. Yet not one of these has a full Bible in their language and only 5 percent of sign languages even have Bible translation work started. ( https://www.wycliffe.org/prayer/how-to-pray-for-sign-language-translation )" There is much work to be done around the world in Bible translation. Many different approaches are needed. Many language groups have distinct needs for how the Bible is translated and distributed to them. Wycliffe has many missionaries researching these needs so that Scripture can be well received and well used once it is translated. A

The PNG Experience Story Credit: Janeen Michie The Yamap language area spans from Salamaua, to Baini in the Bulolo district, to Lae, and Wau. Some people have relocated to Port Moresby, Mount Hagen, Popondetta, and Rabaul. The Yamap team began translating the Bible into their language in 2011. The New Testament is drafted and the gospel of Luke is ready for a consultant check. They have prepared Sunday reading booklets that contain Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The translation team has a passion for sharing the Scriptures. They travel to different villages and settlements for up to a month. They call their trips, “Yamap Patrols.” They stay a couple of days or up to a week in each area to teach the people to read the Yamap Scriptures and distribute Sunday reading booklets. During the last trip the team travelled to Lae, Wau-Bulolo, Baini, and Yamap. Photo Credit: Janeen Michie Isaac, one of the translators, smiled saying, “Something I’ve seen in Baini is their j

"Strengthen the connectedness of our family." "Prepare us for life in a new country." "I feel unprepared!" That was the flow of prayer last week. And not for the first time did I find myself worrying. Sometimes it's a gentle swell that nudges me back to Christ. I receive it as a reminder that says I am weak and I need Him ( 2 Cor 4:7 ). Other times it's not so gentle. It's more like a tidal wave that tries to overwhelm the truth of God's power and purpose. THE LIES The lies recede and the pillars of truth remain not bearing a single scratch. Lies are like that, they crash in with a force that we think will wipe everything out. In the end, they cannot even create one blemish upon the spotless face of truth. Children of God are anchored to that unshakeable truth. Truth from the enduring Words of Scripture. THE PROCESS The more I see the resilience of God's Word in my life, the more I am encouraged to study. This leads bac

It's hard to wrap my mind around it being time to submit work permit and visa applications! We started our Wycliffe journey 19 months and a baby ago. We thought our goal would be to begin our field assignments in August of 2018. That goal became May or June of 2019. Then, it became January of 2020. I would call that a pretty good lesson in Proverbs 16:9. "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." And how grateful we can be in this moment as we pause and see the many blessings that have come as a result of these changes. We know that, had the Lord let it be that we departed for the Pacific with a six month old, we would have been able to lean on Him and adjust to our new location and roles. Yet, I must say, God's graciousness in allowing us more time to become more established as a family of three has been the greatest blessing of this time. HE KNOWS HIS CHILDREN I will be perfectly honest and admit it has been a much harder adjustm

Photo Credit: Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash August 8, 2019 ~ The PNG Experience Story: Karen Weaver As the excitement grows about progress on the Enga New Testament, the local churches are taking the initiative to hold literacy classes to teach people to read in their own language. In this way the people are prepared to read the Scripture portions as each book is translated into Enga. Photo Credit: Nete Talian & Martha Boyd Volunteer literacy teachers from the church write letters and words on the chalkboard, and murmurings can be heard around the room as people bravely repeat the sound for each syllable and form them into words. Slowly the words are mastered and put together to make sentences. Smiles light their faces as they become fluent enough to read short stories and then longer passages from the Bible. During a recent graduation ceremony, more than 40 individuals, representing three churches, gathered to celebrate the completion of the literacy cou

Familiar scripture is like a familiar friend. It is precious and comforting because of the history shared. Sometimes it can be taken for granted. Sweet moments are created when the time is taken to ask new questions and pursue it as though it were new. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord." Jeremiah 17:7 Amidst warning of impending consequences for Judah's sins, God gives instruction and hope. Being disciplined does not mean that God has turned His back. In and through the distress, the Father longs for His children to trust in Him, to cling to Him. Trusting in anything but God will only bring greater anguish. LESSONS Such a lesson is this for parenthood. To remember, when disciplining children and feeling exasperation, that the desire of God is for that child to be turned to Him in and through the discipline. How hard this is. And for Christian growth. To remember, when experiencing discipline, that those "who live by

We talk a lot about our Wycliffe partnership development . You may be wondering, "What does that mean?" We have a certain number of hours that we work for Wycliffe each week. So, what kind of tasks do we do? As you may have surmised, speaking at churches or having other meetings with potential partners is part of it. Other tasks include composing newsletters, blogging, reading, researching, graphic design for outreach materials, and planning for trips . Who knew being a missionary could sound so... normal? It is our prayer that this work will not only draw others into partnership with our Wycliffe ministry, but also ignite passion in others for missions. Our greatest prayer is that God might use it to bring others to a saving faith in Jesus Christ . We remind each other often that we are not waiting to be in a certain place or to fill a certain role. Our mission is here and now. With these things in mind, I would like to share this entry from My Utmo