Kaley's Chronicles

This year was not what I would call "normal." About a year and a half ago, I started looking at Bible translation and became a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators in April. I would like to say that this has always been a dream of mine, but it hasn't. Up until about six years ago, my goal was to live and work overseas in Europe, having nothing to do with ministry and certainly not missions. It was God that gave me new goals. Now I couldn't be more excited about being a missionary. I will live overseas, but in an underdeveloped country, helping to translate God's Word so that he can be glorified among the nations.  There are a lot of changes to come in 2017; for starters, my New Years will begin with a trip to Dallas to start linguistics training. Looking back, God has been so good to me this year, but I want to acknowledge that He's always been good. Even when I felt I had little to report or wasn't content, He was good. The lack was in my grate...

I wrote in my November newsletter that it was critical for me to be at 50% of my Wycliffe ministry budget by January in order to start linguistics training. A couple weeks later, God provided! He did it beyond what I needed and far sooner than I anticipated. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21, ESV). I'll be packing my bags and heading to Dallas to attend classes at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics. I have orientation January 3-4 and classes start on January 5. I'll be in Dallas until mid-September. I'm so thankful for those of you who have already partnered in my Wycliffe ministry through prayer, finances, and encouragement.  In Christ, Kaley

A common question I get when I share that I'm preparing to be a missionary in Africa is, "When do you leave?". If you received my  September newsletter , this timeline might look familiar to you (if you don't receive my newsletters, you can sign up here ). These are the various steps I need to take in order to start serving with my assignment in Francophone Africa .  The next step is linguistics training which will help me gather and organize linguistic data when I get to the field. I'm looking to begin in January at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in Dallas, TX. I need 50% of my Wycliffe budget in order to be approved to go (which is less than I anticipated). The training would take me about 9 months; that brings me to mid-September. After that, once I have 100% of my Wycliffe budget and am able to get together any visas and other preparations I might need, Lord willing, I can leave for the field. The next available training doesn...

Whenever I move, it seems that a disproportionate amount of energy goes towards books. Moving the contents of my bookshelf means several loads of heavy boxes going down a flight of stairs and being heaved into a back seat of a car, some to be taken to my new residence, some to be parted with. Before that I have to go through each shelf, sorting, making decisions about the fate of each book. Interspersed among my books are notebooks of old sermon notes and journals. As I was going through things before moving last month I found a page from an old notebook. At the top was written "What does it mean to have the Son?" followed by a list of things I and all believers have because of Jesus. I can't recollect why I wrote the list, and I don't know if it came from memory or something I was studying. Either way, it made me pause wondering why I tend to be anxious; in light of all I have in Him my anxiety looks pretty foolish. Here's some of what was on the list (it...

Heather Pubols The fact that we have elections coming up this November in the United States probably isn't news to you. The fact that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also has elections scheduled this November might be. There has been a lot of concern in the international community over the elections in the DRC. For a country that has faced decades of violence and instability, this election could lead to continuing unrest.  Please pray for stability in the DRC, integrity and honesty in the government, and that Bible translation could continue there unhindered. The DRC is part of Francophone Africa Read more about the election.

Partnership in the Gospel At Wycliffe's headquarters in Orlando they have what's called the Discovery Center. It's a fun, interactive center that shows the history of Bible translation and the complexity of languages around the world.  As you walk out, there's a wall of names representing individuals and churches that have partnered with missionaries. On the wall there's a quote from a church leader in Southeast Asia after a dedication of the Gospel of Mark in his language. He said, "Please give our greetings in Christ to our friends in the U.S. And please express our appreciation to them for their partnership in the Gospel in this effort." Entrance to the Discovery Center My first assignment with Wycliffe is building a prayer and financial partnership team. Wycliffe uses the term "partner" because when someone comes alongside a missionary with prayer or finances, they are truly partners in that ministry. This is how Paul described...

Isaiah 55 The Bible is so foundational to what we do as individuals and as the Church. What do we base our church planting, discipleship, teaching, evangelism, prayer, fellowship, and worship in if not in God's Word? How do we even know to do these things? As the Bible is translated into a new language, that language community is never immune to it's transformative power. God promises that in Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV) which says, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." God's Word always does what He set it out to do. Oniyan There are so many stories of the way God changes people through His Word being translated into their language. Many of th...

Last month I was so blessed by a friend who hosted a get-together where I got to share about my Wycliffe ministry!

Francophone? As I started the application process with Wycliffe, I knew God called me to work with Bible translation, but the question of "where" wasn't clear. During the application process it was settled on Francophone Africa.  Francophone simply  means “French-speaking .” Because they were colonized by France or Belgium, French was adopted as the national language of several countries in Africa. To serve with Bible translation in these countries, you need to be able to speak French. Because I was a French major in college and spent time teaching English in France, I feel like God was preparing me all along to serve in this part of the world. It's a testimony to His sovereignty over my life. While I haven’t used the language in a long time and might need more training, I can praise God for His plans! In Africa there are languages of wider use like French, English, Swahili, or Sango, and then there are hundreds of local languages like Yambetta . For many...

I recently spent two weeks at Wycliffe Bible Translators headquarters in Orlando for an orientation called Equip. I would describe the experience as a cross between drinking from a fire hose and a wonderful evening with great friends. :) There were around 23 of us, and we started orientation by each of us sharing how God called us to this ministry. What a wonderful group of people excited for the work God is doing through Bible translation! During the two weeks, we went over topics like Wycliffe and their partner organizations, cultural transitions, how translation works, ideas for maintaining spiritual health, and spiritual warfare. A lot of the focus was on the practical side of gathering together a financial and prayer partnership team for my Wycliffe ministry. We practiced presentations, put together newsletters, and talked about the importance of the relationships we have with the church and brothers and sisters in Christ. Our instructors were awesome. T...