Indonesia Trip Report

When I grew up I would hear about the hot steamy jungles of Africa. Well the jungle in Indonesia can get pretty hot and humid too. Fortunately for me this last trip found me in Wausa Indonesia. The jungle and humidity are still there; however Wausa is in the mountains and the heat is not nearly so bad. It still got plenty hot on some days, but compared to the coast I thought myself blessed. It took me two days to get to Jakarta and another day and a half to get to Wausa Indonesia.
I went to Indonesia to help out at a translation workshop. This workshop in Wausa lasted three weeks. Kartidaya is the Wycliffe equivalent in Indonesia. Kartidaya puts on these workshops with help from Wycliffe, SIL and the Seed company. Four languages were being translated here and I was asked to provide tech support for the workshop. All of the language communities supported by these translations are pretty remote. So much so that none of their computers could get updated. Part of my work was to update all the important software on the computers and to check them for problems. Besides work computers I looked at a number of personal computers that needed cleaning. I ended up cleaning out a decent amount of viruses, troubleshooted printer and network problems as well as host of other things. Happily I was up to the task for all the challenges that were faced.
At this workshop all the translators were Indonesian nationals. Helping them were consultants from SIL. I was pleased to find that I had a common connection with almost all the SIL consultants. Stew was a Biola linguistics professor. Helen had been at Rosemead while I attended Talbot. Janelle had been apart of the MK club with me at Biola during our undergrad years. I enjoyed connecting and having some good conversations with my fellow Biola alumni.
The translation workshop itself was fairly remote concerning internet. There was a cell network with very minimal coverage for data. A couple e-mails got through over the course of three weeks, but for the most part it did not work. How would you handle three weeks of being cut off from the web?

The world cup started one week into my stay there. I soon realized I was going to get less sleep because the main room everyone watched the games was all of twenty feet from my room. The games were at midnight, 3:00 am and 6:00 am. I would be woken up by cheering at these delightfully early hours of the morning. The dogs became more active too and the number of dog fights went up a lot while the world cup was running.

When I was not working I enjoyed playing volleyball with the translators, going on morning jogs or reading a good book. I brought "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis since I had not read that before. By the way I will admit I am still a bit confused about the point of the book. It is based on an old Greek myth. Well, before I get distracted, if you have insights on reading that book send them my way and we can talk.
The valley we were in was ringed by mountains and the clouds would come rolling over them. Many of the fields around were rice fields close to harvest and boy were they green. If you know rice fields you will now high brightly green they can be; almost a florescent green. It can be very pretty, especially contrasted with the flaming colors of a sunset. The valley was very lush as you can see in the pictures, though these pictures really don't do justice to what was there.
Indonesian food is diverse in its more populated areas. Malaysians and Thai might argue their food is better but I can definitely say I also like Indonesian. However where we were the food was more simplistic. Every meal consisted of rice and a spinach type leaf. Sometimes we would have fish or a fruit like papaya. However I was not used to rice for every single meal of the day and I missed the variety from the coastal areas. However, it was still pretty good and I can appreciate skill with which the food was prepared.
Once we had finished it took me three more days to get back to the US. On the way I stayed at the FM7 hotel in Jakarta as I had an overnight layover. Instead of eating at the hotel restaurant I walked outside and across the street where I found a little eatery where a small group of folks were watching a world cup game. I think it was Germany vs Ghana. Anyway, I was able to get some delicious food for a fraction the price of the hotel cost and enjoy the game with a more enthusiastic set of company.
On the way home my layover in Newark allowed me to watch the US vs Portugal game with a very enthusiastic American crowd. All of them were cheering or moaning as the game went on. I admit it was pretty fun. I got back to the states and had a whole day before heading out to Minnesota for a family reunion around my Grandmother Helen's 90th birthday. But that is a story for another day.

And that as they say is that.

Africa Drumbeat

I thought I would share with you the perspective of Al Hawthorne, the Africa Director for WA. I have met Al both in the US and in Nigeria. I have also worked with a number of people named in his report like Blake Berry and Peg Seitz. I have been in Nigeria, Madagascar and DRC which are named below. In Nigeria I worked with NBTT on a number of their Bible translation projects. This will tell you a little about other work WA is doing in Africa.


African Drumbeat


February, 2014
Al Hawthorne, Director

 Greetings from Jos, Nigeria where I am blessed with the opportunity to visit with our Bible
translation partners and attend the board meeting for our Global South Services company, Net
Access Nigeria. This week has also been a time to re-connect with our wonderful staff members
here in-country who are deeply involved in supporting the forward movement of Bible translation.
Also, One of our WA board members, Ken Axt is here for his first time in Africa, and he is seeing and
experiencing the joys, excitement and challenges first hand of the dedication of those
committed to seeing God’s Word in the hands of the people of Nigeria. As we talked, it was
amazing to me, to think that God is using us and many more like us in WA, here in Africa and
around the world to see this task completed! To be a part of it is humbling. Ken shared a lot of
wisdom as he observed the happenings in Nigeria. Very encouraging! It was also, very interesting
to note that at a dinner with the NBTT leadership, once they knew that a WA board member was
to be present at the meal and out of respect, they arranged to have one of their board members
there as well. The dinner meeting was a great opportunity to just get to know each other.

This This trip was, like many I am sure around the WA world, energizing as we meet many new people
and partners who are excited about accelerating Bible translation. NBTT revealed more details
about a regional plan to support the over 100 languages and Bible translation programs that are
currently underway, and we discussed how WA can support this effort as well as the additional
40 they would like to start next year. With nearly 300 to go, they are on fire to reach the goal
of Vision 2025 starting Bible translations in all of the languages in Nigeria before that date.
This month there have also been some major changes in staffing throughout Africa Area.

 I have asked Peg Seitz to take on the responsibility of Assistant Area Director for Africa-
Francophone. This will allow me to focus more on some of the Anglophone area and on the over-all
strategic planning and needs for Bible translation throughout Africa. She has already started in
the transition and will be officially in the role in April.

Also, Blake Berry will now be taking on a larger role of Program Manager for Democratic Republic of
Congo. This is a vast area and will be a challenge for sure, but one that we feel he is capable of
tackling. In addition, Dwight Erickson has agreed to move into the Program Manager role for
Cameroon that was open with Peg’s move to her new role.

These are exciting times! Please give congratulations and lift up in prayer for those in the new
leadership roles as we work toward the goal of the Word of God in all languages throughout
Africa!
 Blessings,
 Al


Al


People & Projects - There’s Something Happening Here
Africa High Priority Jobs
Facility Maintenance Manager
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (885375)
Construction Supervisor - Bingham Academy
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (885440)
Facilities Manager/Trainer
Jos, Nigeria (885388)
Language Programs Manager
Tanzania (885351)
South Sudan Network Technician
Juba, South Sudan (885389)


Operations Manager - SIL
Dem Rep Congo (885267)
Finance Mentor - Eastern Congo Group
Dem Rep Congo (885266)
Accountant / Mentor - CABTAL
Cameroon (885438)
Trained Psychological Counselor - RFIS
Cameroon (884255)
Finance Director – SIL
Cameroon (882855)

Bingham Academy High School Dedication

On January 10, 2014 the new campus of Bingham Academy was dedicated. WA volunteer Michael
Heaton oversaw the project. Bingham Academy is a vibrant Christian International school that
serves students in grades K-12. Located in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, teachers and
students come from over 30 countries across the globe. About half of Bingham's over 300 students
in grades K-12 come from the city's diverse international community. The other half of our
students come from families working all across Ethiopia with a variety of Christian organizations.
Bingham Academy provides high quality, culturally sensitive education, within a Christian
environment, which challenges each student to impact the world for God's glory!

Above: Flags representing the nations of Bingham Academy students. Left:
Gregg Bartholomew (WA) with Brad Adams, Bingham Director.

New WA Africa Staff Assignments

Opportunities to serve our Bible translation partners and thus advance Bible translation in
Africa continue to multiply. In order to structure our management in a more strategic way to
meet the many needs, some changes have recently been made in staff assignments. We have
added a new position “Assistant Area Director for Francophone Africa” and increased
responsibilities for several existing positions. Shown below is a map of the countries in which
WA currently works.


Dwight Erickson is now serving as Program Manager for Cameroon. He previously served in Bunia, DRC. Peg Seitz begins her role as Assistant Area Director for Francophone Africa in April. Mark Sweeting is training to become a Bible translation consultant in Nigeria. Blake Berry is now serving as Program Manager for all of Democratic Republic of Congo.


Please pray for our WA staff and volunteers on their birthdays:
Jennifer Bartholomew: March 13
Al Hawthorne: March 15

Praise God for the dedication of new buildings on the Bingham Academy campus
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Pray for funding for the newest CABTAL Bible translation project among the
Baitsawara people of Northern Cameroon.

Praise God for the safe arrival of a team painting and setting up a new campus
for FATEB Seminary in Yaounde. Students will attend courses in Bible
translation in Cameroon instead of war-torn Central African Republic (CAR).

Pray for the new leadership of CAR as they attempt to bring lasting peace and
pray for our brothers and sisters who live in unbelievable hardship right now.

Praise God for Elaine Shellabarger who is beginning her role of SVC in Jos,
Nigeria. Pray for good adjustments to African living and for health and safety.

Pray for several WA Africa staff members who are in the US for medical
treatment (Peg Seitz, Ken Kauffman, Michael Heaton) as they seek God’s healing
and a return to their positions in Africa.

Praise God for Christine Harrison’s deployment to South Sudan which is planned
for March. Pray for the remaining details of her move and work there.

Pray for Peter and Sunny Oh as the travel to Benin to plan for a construction
project there for our partners at Wycliffe Benin.

Praise God for several candidates who are considering accepting or returning to
key roles in WA Africa Area.

Please continue to pray for the upcoming WA Africa Area Conference as travel
plans are being made for a large number of people from diverse areas.

Spring update

Greetings my friends,

March is almost half over and we are approaching a quarter of the year being passed. Amazing how time flies. What have I been up to lately? In the past couple months I have worked mostly with setting up and deploying computers and other tech equipment in the Orlando office. I have also participated in training for tech partners overseas through our video system called vidyo.
Video is a growing technology that is just beginning to see its potential in missions and business around the world. I believe video conferencing is going to have a great impact in the coming years. Here are a few examples of the possibilities. Lets say there is a solar panel kit powering a small office in Nigeria. Something goes wrong and the panels cease to give power. Instead of flying an expert out to Nigeria to fix the panels, that expert connects with the team in that office and walks them through steps to fix the panels from the states. If this works multiple thousands of dollars can be saved. A training seminar for national Bible translators discovers their trainer has taken sick and cannot come to lead them. Instead of canceling the seminar and all the effort put into bringing it about; video can be used to connect that trainer or another one from the states. This allows the training seminar to continue and broadens the number of people who can be involved. Some of you are familiar with dedicated video conferencing systems. Some rooms use full wall screens and rooms with the exact same design to give the feel that those in both rooms are in the same room.

As for me personally, I just moved again from Saint Cloud back into Orlando proper. This time I moved mostly by myself and am still organizing my belongings into my abode. I will hopefully finish the move today or tomorrow.
While being in Saint cloud I enjoyed riding my bike to work every once in a while. It is about 13 and a half miles one way, so I enjoyed the exercise. Fortunatley I was able to do this because WA has a shower facility in the visitors RV park. Thus I could ride my bike to work shower and have my work clothes unaffected. Being back does not mean an end to my riding either. There are some routes I am looking forward to ride in the coming weeks.
I am eagerly awaiting my visa for India, which should be arriving soon. My initial trip to India will run from March 29th to April 20th. I will leave you with some pictures from New Delhi were I will be going in India. These pictures are from Google pictures I found while searching New Delhi. I look forward to uploading pictures of my own later.

A New Opportunity

Greetings and salutations,

When I joined Wycliffe one of the main goals for my work was to help start Bible translation work in Madagascar. While the work I was doing in Madagascar has been put on hold, I have traveled to Nigeria and the DRC to help with work there.
Lately however, a new plan has arisen. I have been asked to become project manager for Wycliffe Associates in India. I would oversee Bible translation projects there, making sure they had what they needed and are on track.

I like this opportunity in India for a number of reasons

1.       I am not tied down in the US and can go without too much disruption.

2.       I believe I can do a good job with the work there. The work would be similar to the work I did in Southern Sudan for Samaritan’s Purse. I believe I could contribute better in this role than the one I currently fill in Florida.

3.       This role has the potential to develop some interesting connections. Wycliffe Associates works with groups like BILD and Distance Shores. BILD is a group focused on providing theological training to the church all over the world for people who normally could not get it. They have large focuses in India and eventually China and many other countries. I could see myself helping with or connecting somehow with BILD. Distant Shores is a group dedicated to providing a platform for scriptures and other material to be translated into as many languages as possible. It is an open push to get individuals and groups to provide these translations without cost so the translations can be used without the burden of heavy cost. There is also a dynamic church scene in New Delhi which would be where I would be located. Besides being connected with the church, I could brush up on theological courses or take new ones while I am out there. Who knows, maybe I will push my M.A. out to a M.Div.

4.  India is a very dynamic front in the effort to bring the Bible to those who don’t have it. There are huge amounts of people in India who could be reached with a Bible. In terms of church growth, India is ripe for some amazing growth. I see my work orchestrating and keeping Bible translation on track as a real potential value to what is going on there.

I will keep you posted on what happens

A day in my life

Greetings,

In my job here at Wycliffe Associates I do a great diversity of things. If I am not traveling I am helping out around the office. One of the main parts of my job is to set up equipment going oversees.
These past few work days I set up some computers going to Russian speaking countries. This provided some different challenges and I thought I would share a few of these with you.
There are a decent number of computers that we set up at Wycliffe to go oversees. Because of this volume, we use a master image to begin the process of setting up computers. Wycliffe Associates has recently created a new help desk system to work on any tech related stuff. This new help desk has completely changed how we receive work, inventory and catalogue our work. Because it is new it has quirks being worked out. In Tech Advance we have meshed our older system with this new help desk. Part of my time is spent seeing were the meshing is not smooth and fixing it.
One of the issues we faced was languages. You may have noticed language packs for windows in your updates. Well, there is a difference between a program having a language pack and a program coming in that language. A program like windows or Microsoft Office will come in a default language like English. You can then get a language pack to change most of the languages that program uses. However fundamental parts of the program will still be in the base language. So if you want to uninstall windows, or do other core procedures, you will see the base language and not the language pack. In a small number of cases this can impact the ability of someone oversees using the computer. So the question is, which base language do you use and will a language pack be sufficient.
Language packs are dealt with differently in different programs. So if you get a French language pack for windows, it has no impact on Microsoft Office. You will need to buy additional language packs for that separately. By they way only Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate have all the language packs for free. Anything lower than these will have a smattering of language packs available, but otherwise you cant use them (So your base language is important).
I discovered all this when I was given a computer with a French install of windows and word and was asked to make it useable in Russian and English. It is interesting to try to set up a computer in a language you don't know. For instance, when I had Office in Russian and was trying to activate it. I don't know Russian but I do know generally all the right buttons to push, so I managed ok.
At one point I was talking with the person I was setting up three computers for. She had some questions about how certain things looked and how to do a couple of tasks. I had to figure out how to explain all this stuff and quickly because it is not easy to connect. She did not have our internal video conferencing software (Vidyo), so I came up with a different solution. I used Join Me (https://join.me/), which is a free program online, to connect. Join Me lets you share your screen with someone else through a web browser and it lets either you or the other person control the computer through that browser. This also lets you call the other person for free through the browser. I stayed on the phone in this case, but I was able to show her the computer I was working on, answer her questions about how to do what she wanted and let her look around herself. She was able to set up an account on that computer from her own computer half way around the world. That was pretty cool.
There are plenty of other stories like that, but this is your sample of what life is like when I am working here.

Glass Museum Part II

Greetings,

Today I am going to post the second part of my glass museum trip. Last time my pictures were mostly from inside the museum. This section covers the work on a bridge outside the museum. There is a walkway over the nearby freeway connecting this museum to a number of others. Along the bridge there are several large showcases of glass works. It is pretty cool.

Two massive pillars of glass.

The next three pictures are all glass works in the ceiling, so you are looking up at them. It was cloudy, so not much light was coming through. However, still pretty neat.

My mother Anita and I

My mom Anita and dad Jon

The elevator outside the museum leading to the parking garage

After we were done, our family met up with the Dyk's to have some lunch.