Ambushed

The "minor" cold I thought I had last week was the flu in disguise. It ambushed me and took me out. I spent all day Wednesday and half of Thursday in bed. I'm up now, but I'm sleeping a lot, trying to get my energy back. Some congestion has settled into my chest. Training has been out of the question.

Missionaries have a reputation for being a hardy lot. Sometimes people think we persevere through every obstacle. I do have a stubborn streak, but I’m just like everyone else when I’m sick. I need to rest, get plenty of fluids, and trust in God for my wellbeing.

Please pray for us as we take on this project.

You want me to give what...?

Last week I answered the phone to an unfamiliar voice, not too uncommon, but this person was soliciting something I've never been solicited before: giving my blood. Just 8 weeks ago I gave blood for the first time, and now I'm on the short list for being called back? He said my blood type is in high demand and short supply, so today during lunch I went in and gave a pint of blood. This was only my second time, but I expect that it will be a common event from now on.

I couldn't help but to think on how my blood could help save the lives of up to three different people. That's a pretty amazing return for an hours time and some minor inconvenience. What I started to think is I've had this blood for over 40 years and am only now starting to share it. I just didn't know about it before. I didn't know there was such a need. I didn't know it could save peoples lives...I didn't know.

I also thought about God and how Jesus gave His blood for me. It's His shed blood that made a way for my forgiveness.

This "Going The Distance" event is about getting all the people working together that need to be a part to see God's Word transform lives. Some of us are to ride, some will support, some will host, some will pray, some will encourage, but all of us will give. What we are to give is set by God. For me, it is my time, resources, sweat, pain and I expect that I am just starting to give the tip of the iceberg that has been set for me. Today I gave blood that was given to me to save the physical lives of people that I will probably never meet or know. I also gave two hours on my bike in preparation for riding in April - sweating, straining and pushing myself to give just a little bit more--for the hope of people that I don't know hearing or reading the Word of God some day in the future.

Just one question remains: what has God given you that He would have you give as your part of this work? Certainly you have something to give; ask God to reveal his desire for you if you don't know what you are to give.

In heaven, sitting around a great table as a participant of a Great Feast, I expect to see some who are there due in part to this project, and entirely due to God's Grace and Mercy.

-Dan

Introducing Dan and his 'steeds'...

Reading Doug's entries, where he mentions his time on his Mountain Bike (MTB)...well it seemed like a great way for me to introduce myself as one of the riders. It was just last May when I first started riding my MTB on the road, with my sights on a 100-mile ride in August. I think of my MTB much like an old steed, a faithful friend. I bought it back in 1987: a 32 lb Schwinn Impact. It was a big purchase for me back then at just over $200, but it sure has lasted me: trails in CA, to and from college, trails in TX,... chasing roadies...and being chased. I can very much relate to the idea of riding with roadies on my MTB. Fun memories...

It's hard to believe that it was just 10 months ago that I started cycling seriously. Since then, I've very much enjoyed cycling and have switched from running primarily to biking. As a fit, but large-framed person, my last running injury (Plantar Fasciitis) took many months to heal. Two weeks after the completion of the 100-mile ride, as I was still looking for a used road bike, God provided. They say you buy 3 road bikes before you really get what you want - but God skipped my first two and showed me my third one first! It's a great bike (2004 Cannondale r5000). It was in a garage with two flats and a layer of dust. But, in the dark, with out even being able to test ride it, it was clear it was in great shape. So after 1,700 miles on my MTB on the road, I was able to start riding a real road bike of my own. Now, I don't think the bike makes the rider, just the opposite - but as I prepare for 6 days of riding 600 miles, I am glad that I have some help in the form of a new "road steed".

I've now had my road bike for a little over 5 months, and I enjoy riding it very much. As part of the preparation for this ride, I've bought a trainer so I can be more schedule-oriented in my training and not have to depend on the weather or light hours. Last week my time was split about 50/50 for the ~8 hours of riding. It's my plan that I'll get more time outside as well as getting in some longer rides as March and April come--provided Boy Scouts, soccer games and other family events allow it.

I live with my wife of 20 years and my 4 youngest children. My oldest was married last year and has given us our first granddaughter. Our four kids at home range from 16 to 9. We've lived here since 1993, when we moved from CA to start working in what was then the Printing Arts Department (PAD) doing Windows software development. Since then, I've worked in different roles and projects both in and out of Wycliffe. I have been in the Language Software Development department (LSDev) for 7 years this month. It's a great group to work with and the end results directly hit the bottom line: helping to have God's Word in a language that speaks to each person.

(Just in case you weren't sure, the first photo is the front tire on my MTB - and the last is the front tire on my road bike: face shots of both my steeds.)

-Dan

chasin' roadies on a mt. bike

I got a call from the shop Friday afternoon telling me my bike was ready to go. A two-day tune-up had turned into 11 long days: my right shifter had to be sent back to the factory. It was a close call—the delay almost cost me two Saturday morning rides.

I blogged last week’s century ride; what I didn’t mention was the fact that I had to do it on my back-up, my mountain bike. I was really looking forward to that ride and I wasn’t going to miss it…it was just a lot of work keeping up with my buddies on their lean mean road machines. My old Mongoose weighs in at 33 pounds! I was doing good until that long pull at the front at the 60 mile mark, a little much for my left knee. No major drama, just had to take it a little easy on the training last week.

What a contrast getting back on my road bike for yesterday’s 52-miler! The modern stealth, high-tech bicycle is truly a magnificent machine! I opened up a little on one flat stretch (all there is in Central Florida) and propelled myself up over 30 mph. I was flying.

Indulge me for a moment…I’m not sure I can bridge this concept but let me give it a go. Consider the fact that 200 million people in the world do not have a single verse of Scripture in their heart language. They may have the Bible in a related language or have heard it read and preached in their national or majority language. But I’ve heard so many stories describing the first time they hear it in their own language. It opens up a whole new world of understanding. For those with ears to hear, mother-tongue Scripture in a culturally appropriate form is a resounding message, strong and clear.

It might be a stretch, but understanding God’s Word in one’s second or third language (if you have it at all) is like trying to keep up with the roadies on your clunky old mountain bike. Yeah, it’s two wheels, a little faster than walking but you’re not in the running, you’re “spit out the back”, “in the dining car”, dead last.

We were made to fly! A vast crowd from every nation and tribe and people and language!

--Doug








pic--home in the hanger

Introducing Steve Miller

I'm Steve, and I'm one of the cyclists training for Going the Distance.

The decision to participate was a fairly easy one for me--until I crashed on my bike. I didn't tighten my front wheel enough, and it came off when I hit a large crack in the road. I landed on my shoulder and broke my collarbone. A surgeon put in a plate and eight screws to fix it.

Now my son says I'm 0.0001% cyborg.

The accident knocked out the entire summer for training. When I was released to get back in the saddle last fall, I wasn't all that sure I wanted to. I have had some emotional pain to work through from the crash as well as physical pain. I have had serious doubts whether I could regain the physical ability in time to ride in May. 600 miles in six days is a long ways, something I have never done before, even when I was in prime condition.

This project is part of what has kept me going. We hope to raise funds for Congolese Christians who have had difficulties getting Bible translation training. If I keep training, maybe they can get their training. It's worth the attempt.

Andre's Story

Andre Ndagba wanted to become a pastor and serve his church, and the idea of Bible translation didn’t seem to factor into those plans.

After teaching Sunday school and serving as church secretary, Andre was told the church had no money to send him to school or support him full-time. “What I wanted to do was to go study theology and come back as a pastor in the church,” Andre said.

As one of the three areas of the world with the greatest remaining need for Bible translation projects, Andre’s native Congo in east Africa faces numerous spiritual difficulties. “People in our area could not integrate the Bible very well,” Andre explained. Without the Bible in Andre’s village of Gbae-gbae, Christians have no way of understanding the true meaning of God’s Word.

As Andre continued serving in his church, a translation survey team began a literacy program in his area. “I was still working as a teacher, but I had already spoken to my church about what I wanted to do—mainly to serve the Lord in one way or the other,” he said.

After working with the survey team, Andre began teaching literacy to people in his village, promoting a better understanding of the Bible. Witnessing his strength in teaching and his commitment to the Lord and his church, the survey team offered Andre the opportunity to study Bible translation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and bring that knowledge back to his home village.

“Sometimes there’s no logic between the Bible that people read and their behavior. There’s no link. So we need this [translation program] in order to help them understand the real message…,” Andre said.

Thanks in part to a scholarship funded by Wycliffe, Andre will enroll this fall at the first Bible translation degree program in Congo, located at the University of Shalom in Bunia, DRC. The program will allow students to remain close to their churches and communities while continuing to bring God’s Word to the millions still waiting.

“Our aim is to bring everybody to the Lord,” Andre said. Because of Andre and the support for Bible translation programs around the world, one language program will be a step closer to doing just that.

You have an opportunity to support students just like Andre. Wycliffe will be biking from the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, NC to the Wycliffe USA headquarters in Orlando raising funds for scholarships for Bible translation students. Click here to find out more or to partner with us on this important work.

-Dustin Moody
Wyclife Bible Translators

Rails to Trails

I had a great time with cycling buddies from Campus Crusade last weekend on a hundred-mile ride west of Orlando. The Gen. James A. Van Fleet State Trail is described as one of Central Florida's most rural... which seems like an understatement, especially when you let your mind contemplate all the unexpected things that could go wrong in the middle of no where (there’s a story about my wife here—another time). But who’s interested in worrying (preparing, yes) about things that could go wrong?!

The trail is a crazy-straight 29 mile stretch of old railroad with one, I say again, one slight 5 degree turn the entire length. And flat as a pancake. It was almost tempting to close my eyes just to see how far I could go without looking…kidding. We cycled about 14 miles to join up at the lower third of the trail, rode to the south end, to the north end and back to the south end before heading back the way we came.

Century rides will become much more common in my immediate future as I, along with my Wycliffe colleagues train for the May 9th ride. We do not spin aimlessly… there are up to 120 languages in the DRC needing Scripture. The funds raised through this endeavor will sponsor university-level training for 45 Congolese Bible translators. The Word of God in the mother tongue—good seed indeed!

--Doug Haag

pictures 1) group shot at the 50 mile mark. 2) final stretch home. 3) riding the straight and narrow--courtesy John Douglass. Thanks man.

Going The Distance

In three and a half months, a group of Wycliffe cyclists will take on a six-day, 600-mile challenge from Waxhaw, NC to Orlando, Fla. This will be a new adventure for me. I’ve done a hundred miles a day over three days, but six “centuries” in a row will be a first.

What sets this ride apart from your average adventure is the cause. Remember the account of David’s mighty men in 1 Chronicles 11, when David longed for a drink of the water from the well in Bethlehem? “The three” broke through enemy lines to draw water to bring back to their king. What motivated them? It sounds like madness: elite warriors acting on a whim—-and for what?

I’d love to think of myself as an "elite warrior” on a bike. (I can dream, can’t I?) The heart racing, feeling strong, the euphoric rush of a 20+ mph paceline is a blast. Yes, 600 miles in six days sounds symptomatic of a 45 year old in crisis—-a bit whimsical—-but what can I say? I love being on the bike and I was wired for adventure (mid-life or otherwise). But it’s soo much more…

I believe the vision to see God’s Word accessible to all people in their heart language is close to God’s heart, maybe even a longing of the One who lacks not. The Word is the wellspring of Bethlehem for those who thirst: I’ve partaken and I’ll never thirst again! I can’t describe the love that motivates me, and neither could "the three," or did they? I’ll be honest, 600 miles feels like nothing.

Would you go the distance with us? The vision is for all of us. I can see it bringing churches and communities together, I see it bringing a smile to God’s face. Let’s go all the way…

Let’s ride!


--Doug Haag