Where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Returning to the Familiar
PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS SECTION ONLINE WITHOUT PERMISSION
It felt like going home again. For two weeks in November I (Benjamin) was back in the Caucasus where we lived for four years. Since we didn’t have a car for most of that time, I feel like I know that city better than anywhere other than where I grew up. There were a couple amusing moments when I was pretty sure I knew where the taxi driver should have gone better than he or his GPS did, but it’s been 5 years so I didn’t say anything. (Many people move to the capital and immediately become taxi drivers, following the GPS without really knowing the city.) But the actual reason I went was to get two new translations started and that we did. The first few days the training team (including me) learned a new method that we’re trying for these projects for helping the translators get a deep understanding of the text. Then we turned around and trained the translation and checking teams (while the original trainer observed). The teams were excited and enjoyed the process–for the most part: one woman was moved to tears as we considered how the woman who anointed Jesus may have felt. She shared that coming to Jesus may have been similar for her–she had felt a lot of social pressure saying she couldn’t go to Jesus.
By the end of the two weeks the teams had been trained and had drafted 2.5 passages, when I checked in a week later they were almost done drafting Mark 1. In late February we’re supposed to train the checking team more thoroughly (via Zoom).
When I wasn’t working, I spent those two weeks tromping around our old stomping grounds and reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. It was a really blessed time. I even got to see a colleague who has moved to Korea but “happened” to be in country at the same time as me.
Traveling
We’re going to be on the east coast for the holidays and to see friends and partners and share at churches about our work. Please pray for safety and good meetings. Please reach out if you’d like to see us or talk to us about partnering with our work!
Our tentative schedule: Christmas-Jan 11: Central NC Jan 12-19: Maryland Jan 20-27: back in central NC End of Jan.: Georgia Beginning of Feb.: Orlando, FL area for annual meetings
We will be reaching out to many of you individually as we make plans, but if you want to make sure you see us during that time please don’t hesitate to respond with where and when would work for you.
2023: a quick look back
January – Annual in-person work conference. Fruitful time of connecting and remembering that our teammates are real people. We had a good time celebrating the retirement of a key member of our team this year.
February – Stuff we had stored in NC (since we were supposed to go overseas) arrived in TX. This was the tangible outworking of realizing we aren’t moving overseas for the foreseeable future.
March – Observing and training translation teams in South Sudan.
April – Helping Ron of Nigeria check the book of Genesis (remote/video call).
May – Cyrus was born.
June – Swim lessons, Psalm notes, and dinosaurs, oh my!
July – Went to Nigeria alone. Trained community in translation testing.
August – Started a Biblical Backgrounds course to better understand and teach about the Biblical cultural context.
September – Helping Chi’Fwe of Zambia check epistles (remote/video call).
October – Attended Bible Translation conference. Made many old and new connections and processed a lot of ideas. Online conference for our teams.
November – Returned to the Caucasus to help two languages start new translation projects.
December – Our team shifts to helping another note writing team modify their work so it can be released under an open license. Decided on a house we hope to buy. Headed east.
Home
After much deliberation we’ve made a decision on a home and are working on the purchase process. Please pray that it would go well if it’s the right choice and if it’s not that that would become very clear in our option period.
If you would like to make a year-end gift to our Wycliffe ministry you can click here, call 1-800-WYCLIFFE (992-5433), or to give by mail make sure it is postmarked by December 30 and send to:
Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862
Include a separate note that says “preference for the Wycliffe ministry of Benjamin & Shanna Wright, account #227489”