Jerry & Joyce McDaniels opening God's Word through literacy
1. Never shake hands or give something with the left hand. This is considered very rude and offensive. To show respect to an elderly person or someone that is high-ranking, use both hands to give them something.
2. Never show the bottom of your feet to anyone. It’s just plain rude!
3. Do not stand or sit with your arms crossed or on your hips. This is a sign of anger or hostility. (more…)
So where in the world are we off to next? Well, it’s a country of 17,508 islands with a hot, tropical climate all year round. It is the world’s fourth most populous country, with over 850 different languages and dialects spoken among the various people groups. The country has at least 150 active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. As a matter of fact, every day this country experiences three vibrations and at least one small earthquake, with one volcanic eruption each year.
It is a location known for amazing diversity in wildlife, plants and scenery. There you will find the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon; the world’s largest snake, the Reticulated Python; the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia; and the world’s largest bee, the Chalocodoma Pluto.
So…did you guess Indonesia? (more…)
preparing missionary candidates for literacy ministries
How exciting! A brand new year in which we will serve our Lord together. May many more tribal groups hear the Word of God for the first time in this coming year. We continue to do our little part in His big plan for the world. We have been working with Wendy Rees, helping to equip her for her new ministry as the literacy coordinator for Latin America. We were blessed to have some concentrated training on a computer program that helps missionaries organize all their tribal language and culture information and then uses that for literacy, as well as linguistics, Bible translation, Bible lesson writing, etc. This will enable us and Wendy to better help with some of the tedious language analysis necessary to develop literacy programs. (more…)
Anelio & Silverixia
Thanks so much for your prayers for the Kuna conference in Panama. It was a wonderful time with the pastors and wives from 49 Kuna churches. We had great times in the Word together, plus somehow even in the midst of all the crowds of people, God gave us some of the best times ever talking and praying with individuals and couples.
Many of you have been praying for a Kuna missionary couple, Anelio and Silverixia. In spite of a very discouraging and lonely year of ministry, God has used them to raise up a small group of new believers who are standing against the village pressures to obey Christ. Silverixia arrived at the conference and shared that she was ready to give up, but that Anelio remained so certain that they were exactly where God wants them to be. How we wish you could have seen the transformation as God’s Word and the believers ministered to Anelio and Silverixia! They stood together and whole-heartedly committed to serving God even in the difficult situations He’s allowed them to face.
After the conference, as Anelio & Silverixia were returning to the village where they minister, the river flooded and their boat overturned. Silverixia was able to keep hold of their daughter Nisi, but their 3-year-old son, Noel was swept away and drowned in the river. His little body was found two days later. This tragedy touches all of us so deeply.
The Kuna churches have gathered around Anelio & Silverixia to encourage them. As God brings this young missionary couple to mind, would you pray that God would comfort their hearts and give them His peace?
All our travels from January through April really took a toll on Joyce’s health. After close monitoring and changes to some medications, she is doing much better! We are praising God that she feels well again and has energy.
So often as we travel we have to ask ourselves, “Were we as great a blessing as we were blessed?” This was the case again as we returned from a trip to Mexico! (more…)
It’s time for the annual Kuna leadership conference here in Panama!
Please pray for:
Joyce & I, along with our friend and co-worker Wendy Rees, are teaching classes on literacy programs to missionary candidates here in Bolivia.
These classes cover ways that literacy is an important part of our goal of seeing strong tribal churches, how missionary teams can be working towards literacy even in those first months of language study, how to motivate people to want to learn to read, how to analyze the language information to decide what order to introduce letters, etc. (more…)
After canceling our trip to Bolivia last week, we have rescheduled once again!
Ongoing peace talks have calmed the situation somewhat and the field believes there is a window of opportunity for us to get down there and give this important training in literacy. So Lord willing we will fly down later this week.
We appreciate your prayers:
1. for peace in Bolivia, not only for our safety, but for those living and serving in the country. The great news is that God’s work has continued to move forward
2. that we would make our flight connections. We are flying a different route with less a chance of flights being canceled, but involves moving our own baggage between different airlines.
3. for God’s wisdom in teaching the literacy course to the missionary candidates, preparing them to work among tribal groups. Our hearts’ desire is not only to cover the technical details of literacy programs, but to leave a passion for the important part literacy plays in strong, mature tribal churches (and of course, it is all in Spanish!)
Thanks for your prayers as we jump through the windows God opens!
Because of the deteriorating situation in Bolivia, the airlines called us and have canceled flights into the country.
It was decided to postpone the literacy course and reschedule down the line when things are calmer.
Please continue to pray for the country of Bolivia.
