Terry Gibbs, Wycliffe Bible Translators
URGENT! On Sunday afternoon, Hannah the 17 year old daughter of one of our members here, was basically run over by a car while she was riding her bicycle near her home. The car did not stop, so she laid there for a short time. She finally received help and got to a reliable hospital. The injuries are: a shattered right ankle (Talus crushed – some of this bone is missing), a shattered left Pelvis (some of the pieces were fitted together with pins), a broken left leg (femur).
The Pelvis (too many little pieces) and Femur (blood loss) are serious issues, but the Talus must be in perfect working condition in order for a person to stand and walk (no solution yet).
More details are at: https://www.facebook.com/OnTheRoadWithGod/
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Please keep Hannah and her family in your prayers.
Thank you for your financial support and prayers this past month. Things are getting a bit busy at Payap with computers to repair and helping students with Thesis questions. There are now 8 names on my list of student who would like to finish by December 8, but some may not make that deadline.
This seems to be the season for vehicle problem. Two weeks ago, as I was driving home, I made the turn from the expressway onto the road going south out of town towards my apartment, the car engine suddenly made a loud sound and with the grinding of metal the engine stopped working. I was able to coast to the curb, having just made the turn. Thankfully I was not trapped in the middle of 5pm traffic at that moment. I called a friend to come and pick me up. They called a local auto shop. Everyone arrived 20 minutes later. I got a ride home and the car was towed to the auto shop. Now, two weeks later, I have another used engine installed in my car which I hope will last several years. This would have been much more expensive in the US.
Field Reports
In C:
There is a concern that upcoming elections in our location will result in harsh conflict from both sides.
Many are thankful that 5 new members have joined the work here.
One New Testaments is finishing up now, another New Testaments will finish in 2 years and another in 3 years.
With additional help having arrived a new project is starting now.
Some people here were using public transportation to get their children to and from school. The local man providing this was a TukTuk driver. Some parents witnessed to him and he became a Christian.
A special team came to our location and they put together 25 short stories based on events in the Bible. We can now use these before work on the New Testament is completed.
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In M:
In one project, much of the New Testament has now been translated, but part of the translation group wants to use the letter S for a certain sound when the Scriptures are printed, but another part of the group want to use the letter Z. The disagreement has resulted in the translation work coming to a stop. However an audio version was made, and there is now no disagreement since the Scriptures are being played over village loud speakers, and there is no issue regarding how to write the words.
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In L:
The society here is being pushed towards believing only in Spirit worship. This is making it difficult for Believers who live there. In some cases high voltage electric power lines are being installed along roadways, but the necessary step-down transformers and wiring to houses is not being provided. Whole villages are being by-passed since they don’t believe in Spirit-worship.
In mountain areas, schooling is being provided for some villages, but not for other villages. Even if a village builds a school, they will not be provided with teachers.
In another area, after many years of work, the Bible was completed for the B people. They gradually began to witness to the KT people, and some became Christians.
Now years later a New Testament has been completed for the KT people.
Around Town
I walked behind a young man and his wife for several minutes and finally caught up with them. I noticed that he kept looking at his smart phone. When I asked where they were from, she said Oregon, and he said we are looking for a certain restaurant. I gave them a map, which helped, but when I offered them a Tract, the lady refused. She said they did not need it since they were both Christians. So we talked a bit more, then they turned to leave. I again offered the lady the tract and said “give this to someone you meet”, she took it, and they headed off in the correct direction for the restaurant.
I walked up to an older man, and asked where he was from, and he said he was from Germany. I offered some direction and places to go see, but he did not seem too interested and had apparently been in town for some time. Then suddenly we were interrupted as a man walked up to us, offering us a piece of paper. When I glanced at what the title was, I said to him that I did not want it because it was not about Christianity. He slowly pulled back his hand. Having seen the words Jehovah Witness on the paper, I told him that he should read the Bible and learn about who God was, and about his personal need to be saved by his belief in Jesus. The German man kind of faded out of the conversation, and I said some more things to this man. He got the idea, and turned away from me and approached another person on the plaza where we were standing. The German man had not walked very far, so I caught up with him, and apologized for breaking off our conversation. We talked a bit more and I offered him a tract which he took, and then thumbed through it with some interest. He looked at me and said that I was a good person with good Christian beliefs. I then realized that my witnessing to the Jehovah Witness guy had affected him. So I offered him a small 10 page booklet that had a summary of the New Testament. He seamed quite interested in the booklet. I then looked around for the Jehovah Witness guy and went over to talk to him some more. I again emphasized his need for salvation and not to believe that he can work his way to heaven. It turned out that he was Japanese but grew up in Thailand. I eventually got him to accept a tract and we went on our separate ways.
I tried to help 2 Chinese girls locate a place, and offered them a map, but they declined. I also offered them a tract, but they declined that also. Some people are very cautious when meeting a stranger, but some are not.
Local News
This is the end of September, and the month of October will bring a change in our weather as the rain stops and we get a bit of cooler weather. Then like clockwork on November 1 we will begin our High Season. The city will be filled with thousands of people for the next 4 months who have come here for a holiday. The town will be packed with vehicles and the local people will be making money, which they will need to tide them over for the next 7 months (until the next High Season).
As for me, I’m off to a Men’s retreat at a resort in the nearby mountains this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s a gathering of men from many different churches and denominations here, to have fellowship together and spend some time alone with the Lord.