Posted on Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Focus UPG: Asilulu of Indonesia

Who they are:

The Asilulu live on the island of Ambon in the villages of Asilulu and Ureng, in the district of Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency, in the province of Maluku. The provinces of North Maluku and Maluku were created from the province of Maluku in 1999. Transportation to the Asilulu area is available both by land and by sea. General transportation is available several times a day to the city of Ambon. The Maluku Islands, historically called the Spice Islands, are a string of over one thousand islands scattered over the eastern portion of Indonesia. They include most of the islands between Sulawesi and New Guinea and between Timor and the Philippines. The Asilulu language is one of the original languages of the island of Ambon and is spoken by people who reside on the west coast. The people in the village of Negri Lima speak a very similar, but different, language sometimes known as Henalima. Historically, the Asilulu language was a trade language for this region, and even now it is not unusual to meet a person from a neighboring island, such as Seram, who can speak the Asilulu language.

The Asilulu are Muslims. As such, they believe they will be judged based on their knowledge of the Qur’an, as well as what they did with their lives. The Asilulu have syncretized Islam with their traditional beliefs. They mix traditional cultural practices and Islamic teachings in many of their events, such as weddings, circumcisions, royal inaugurations, and building of mosques (mesjid).

How we can pray for them today:

Ask God to give the workers the wisdom of God to navigate cultural, political and religious issues for gaining access and favor among an unreached people group can be very tricky.
In every people group there are fathers who love and provide for their children. They each have something in them that connects with our Father in Heaven. Our prayers can focus the attention of the Holy Spirit on one of these fathers.
Ask God to make a way for these people to have their Bible in the language they understand best in their heart. Everyone on the planet has the right to hear the truth of God’s love for them, but many times, Gov. leaders restrict their people from having access to the Gospel. Through prayer we can see this change.

(source: Joshua Project and Prayer Guard)

Posted on Friday, September 6, 2013

Let’s End It Now!

On August 19th morning before we flew back to Ohio, we were invited to share about Bible Translation and the needs with the Elementary students of Canyon Creek Christian Academy, Richardson, TX. We were honored to share with them about the vision, the Bibleless people’s needs, how they can be part of this mission work and prayed together with them and the teachers at their Morning Assembly Meeting.

And Couple of days ago I got a text from my friend, Stefanie. She sent us this picture from one of the class from their Lower School Mission Project 2013-2014. The 3rd Grade students and teacher adopt us as their mission project! They pray for the country, for the people group we will be living with and for us, too. How amazing is that? We are thankful, humbled, honored and blessed.

I bring praise to Him only! Our God is the unlimited God. He is resourceful. He also can use school students to bring the Gospel to those who don’t have any verse in the language they understand best.

These people group in Southeast Asia will hear God’s Good News. Because I have full confidence in Christ that God, our Father in Heaven, is listening to these students and teacher’s prayers every time they lift them up. God will provide the way for this people group to hear and to have the Bible in their language.

But there are still about 109 Million people around the world who speak about 2000 languages who don’t even have 1 single verse in their languages. This is not fair! We have more than 20 version of Bible in English, but they don’t have even 1 word! We have to end it. They need God’s word. They need to hear about Jesus. They need to know who the true God is. So that they will come to trust in Jesus and worship God in His holy name!

But how will they hear? Where is our part in this plan bring them the Gospel?

Together we can end this spiritual poverty. Together we can END THE BIBLE POVERTY! I would like to encourage you to start praying. Pray ask God how he wants you to get involved and ask Him which area He put in your heart.

The Seed Company, a partner organization with Wycliffe Bible Translators, has a new website called, End Bible Poverty. It not a new organization. This is a website where you are offered an AMAZING opportunity to make a huge impact in the efforts to end Bible poverty in around the world. You can start up a campaign to raise the fund for Bible Translation projects. And every dollar given through a church campaign will be matched!

START HERE to start your campaign in bring the Living Word to the Bibleless People Groups in the world! You also can find some resources and videos here.

I will have my first New Testament in my first language in early 2014! That the most amazing news I ever had in my whole live! God speaks my language! I cannot wait to have it in my hand and to read it! This is the joy that I also want the other 109 million people to experience and to know. The joy we have in our Lord Jesus Christ when we can read and hear His life changing word in the language we can understand best in our hearts.

This is why we join Wycliffe Bible Translators, to go to Southeast Asia. This is the reason why we do what we do. This is why I want to meet you, talk with you and share with you what God has put in our hearts for these people groups in Southeast Asia. To know more about us you can visit our website here and over there you also can subscribe to receive our newsletter and to pray for us.

Won’t you be a part of this amazing journey to see more and more people to come to know Christ and worship our God?

Would you join us?

Posted on Monday, August 5, 2013

Writing In Action #3: Where To Start

This week I learned about where I start to write or what I write about. It seems simple but it is not to me. Denise explains that we all begin to write with a blank page or screen but the word will come. The written words not only reveal themselves, they reveal something about the writer, too.

They tell us who we really are and what we value the most. Writing leads to discovery… in order for our words to inform us, we must first write them down.

So… where do I begin to write? what do I write about?

Some tips from Denise:

Write what you know
Write what you feel
Write what you are passionate about

At previous chapter, she also mentions about it starts with Write-Based Prose (words just for me) and we can turn it into an idea for Reader-Based Prose (words for others/readers).

In this chapter she also gives us 3 practical Ways to Begin:

Tell a story
Join a conversation
Answer a question

I am going to start with the first.

I write to tell a story of my life, one wrecked girl, found and saved by God’s grace, have a new life in Christ and to live the given life with trust and obedience to Jesus’ lordship. I write to tell the story unchanging everlasting God, who so loves the world, sent His one and only Son, to died for its sins and rose from the death on the third day, defeated the death and won the battle. He is Jesus Christ, the Lord and King of kings, the Son of God, the Way, the Truth and the Life. I write to declare this News to the world. I write to let them know there is HOPE in Christ Jesus. I write to testify.

I write to represent those who are Bibleless, the story of what it’s like not having a word of God. I, my own language, does not have the whole Bible. I am thankful to have 5 partial books of the Bible, but there are about 2000 languages in the world who don’t have one single word of God, 209 million people speak those languages. Imagine how your life would be when you don’t have the God’s word.

If my life is a book, I wanna start with those story.

What would you want to write in your life story book?

Posted on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Whom Shall Go?

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” ~ Isaiah 6:8

The same answer I gave to God in 2006 and still be my prayer until today, “Lord, her I am, send me to go to these people.” That’s my prayer for my husband and daughters, too. We go to serve God as family among a nation in Southeast Asia. These are the why: these people are still waiting for God’s word to be available in languages they understand best in their heart, they have been waiting for too long. I was there, living among them for a short period of time only, God revealed to me and the team His heart and desire for these people groups. He wants them to know Him, to have His words and for them to come and worship Him only! (*is not the real name of the place) God used the trips to open my eyes to see the needs and to change my heart and my desire to serve Him. There are more that I have ever imagined!

Wycliffe Australia and Kartidaya Vision Trip 2005

Wycliffe Australia 2005 to Central K-Island*

Wycliffe Discovery Trip 2006 to South K-Island*

Wycliffe USA Discovery Trip 2006 to South K-Island*

Wycliffe Discovery Trip 2007 - The Capital J City*

Wycliffe USA Discovery Trip 2007 – The Capital J City*

Wycliffe USA Discovery Trip 2008 – Central Day* Island

Literacy and Multi Education Survey in 3 villages in Central K-Island*

And in 2007 I had given an opportunity to participate in a literacy survey program hosted by one of Wycliffe’s strategic organization in the country, SIL, to go and collect data from the people in 3 villages and from that data we collected were used to determine whether these people will need God’s word, level of how literate the people, will they need literacy program, what language do they can speak and do they understand the national language or not, etc. So many elements that support Bible Translation work, it cannot be done alone. It needs a team.

We need YOU! Yes, together we can end the Bible poverty in around the world!

How you can get involved? You are welcome to visit these sites to find out and pray about how God can use you in ways He calls you to:

The Seed Company

Wycliffe Bible Translators

SIL

JAARS

The Road to Transformation from Wycliffe USA

Translation teams exercise great care in the rigorous and complicated process to translate God’s Word into a language that doesn’t yet have it. Watch an overview of the tasks involved, and learn how each project presents unique challenges and incredible rewards. Learn more here.

Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2013

They Need To Know

Ephesians 2:4-6 tells us that God is being so rich in mercy and has loved us with great love, He even made us alive together with Christ when we were dead in our sins – only by His grace we have been saved – He raised us up with Him and seated us with in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

Isn’t that an amazing and wonderful promises for us when we are His?

Today I know in my heart that these promises are only for me, but also for you and for the over 200 million people who have not yet heard about God and His rich mercy and great love for them.

These over 200 million people have been waiting for a long time. They do not have one single verse of God’s word in language they understand best in their hearts, that’s about 1,967 languages!

They need to hear about it. We can be part of the work to bring this Good News to them. Would you join the team to bring the Gospel to them?

Here’s how you can get involved and partners in prayer and financial in God’s mission through:

Wycliffe Bible Translators

The Seed Company

or join our team to bring the Gospel to Southeast Asia.

God is at work in all over the world, God never forget nor forsake them.

And together we can End Bible Poverty!