Saturday, December 7, 2013

Chili Cookoff Success!

Thank you to all who participated in our chili cookoff today!  It was an amazing time!


We had a total of 10 chills entered in the competition.  Included among the contestants were our son Jon!  The chilis ranged from vegetarian to steak to white chicken.  They all looked very tasty, and began to go quickly!


We also had a variety of desserts that were enjoyed by all!


We had two judges for the competition:  The first judge was the owner and head chef of Temper Grille, Sean Kelley, and the second was the chief of the Clay Fire District, Dave Cherrone.  They took their jobs very seriously, and spent about an hour trying the various chills.


We had several baskets of prizes for the winners.  By around 12:30 pm, the winners were ready to be announced:  In first place, Scott Phipps; in second place, Rachael Hammett; and in third place, Danielle Beers!


We had a bouncy house available for the kids to enjoy!  Our boys had access to the bouncy house for about 45 minutes before other people started to arrive, so they enjoyed the time bouncing each other around.


A colleague of mine sells Pampered Chef products, and she brought her products to the cookoff and donated any proceeds to the ministry.  Wow, such a blessing!


Two of our favorite volunteers were two young ladies who had made some homemade jewelry to sell at the chili cookoff.  They sweetly donated all of their proceeds, $49, to our ministry!  Wow!  I know that God will bless such a precious gift given from the heart.

We were also able to collect some shoes for some friends of ours who are raising funds to adopt another child.  Many people brought shoes, and it was a huge blessing to that family!


We also had information tables set up that talked about our ministry and how people could get involved.


We also want to thank Cassie Kaminsky for all her help and work organizing the event!  We could not have done it without you.  We are also so appreciative of both Grace Church and Deaf Michiana Missionary Church for their support of the event.

Again, thank you to all who came out and supported us and our ministry.  Praise the Lord for his great work!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

A Spicy Time Ahead!

We are excited to announce an upcoming fundraiser for our joining DOOR International.  This Saturday, December 7 from 11 am to 1 pm in Goodman Gym at Bethel College (Mishawaka, IN), we'll be hosting a chili cookoff!  The cookoff has prizes for the best chili, and our special guest judge is Chef Sean Kelley, owner of Temper Grill!  There are other activities for the kids, including a bouncy house and games!  If you are in the area, please come on out and support us!

When:  Saturday, December 7 - 11 am to 1 pm
Where:  Goodman Gym at Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN (campus map available here)
Cost:  $6 at the door for adults / $3 for kids ages 3-7 / kids under 2 free
Other Activities:  Bouncy houses and games!

Sponsored by Grace Church (Granger, IN) and Deaf Michiana Missionary Church



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Radio Interview on Chris Fabry Live!

Rob will be speaking on Chris Fabry's live radio program today (Wednesday, Nov. 20) from 3 to 4 pm Eastern time on Moody Bible Radio!  They'll be discussing our family's transition and what led to it.  Please tune in!  Here's a link.  (If you miss the broadcast, it's also available by podcast for free, so feel free to download it!)

Chris Fabry Live! on Moody Bible Radio

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Why Do the Deaf Need a Bible?


We get a lot of questions about the need for sign language Bible translation, and want to take the opportunity help clarify some points regarding this valuable ministry.  (Note:  DOOR's website does a great job of answering some questions on Bible translation and Deaf culture, too, so check it out!)

  • Is there one global sign language?  No. Most countries have their own sign language, and many of them differ considerably in vocabulary, grammar, and structure.  Current language surveys by organizations like Wycliffe have identified at least 200 sign languages globally, but it is anticipated that there are at least 400 total.
  • Is a sign language simply the spoken language coded into signs? No. Almost all sign languages are linguistically very different from the surrounding spoken language.
  • Can’t Deaf people read?  While some Deaf people are literate (and some are, in fact, very well educated), a vast majority of the Deaf in the world lack formal education.  This is partly because most spoken languages are phonetic (based on sound), and this makes it much harder for a Deaf person to learn.  Additionally, in many cultures parents are ashamed of their deaf children, and do not pursue formal education for them. Even for highly educated Deaf people, sign language is still their “heart language,” the language they most connect with.
  • What does a “sign language Bible” look like?  Because sign language is visual, the translation is actually signed by a native Deaf signer, then videotaped, reviewed (and re-signed, if need be), edited, and made into a DVD for distribution.
  • How many sign language Bible translations are there right now?  There are no complete translations yet. None. DOOR is working with 11 sign languages right now, having completed portions of Scripture in each of them. But there is so much work to be done!

Please contact us if you have more questions about Deaf language or culture.  If we don't know the answer, we know people who do!  Click here to see some of the translations that DOOR has produced that are available online.

Please also consider donating to this vital ministry.  Donations can be made here.  To hear how your donations impact the Deaf community, click here for some testimonials.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

We're Going to Africa!



Well, it's official!  As of the end of December, Rob will be stepping out of his full-time teaching position at Bethel, and we will join DOOR International

Many of you have followed us as we headed over to Kenya this summer for six weeks.  (If you haven't please feel free to read some of our previous posts.)  During that time, we became more deeply acquainted with the various parts of the ministry, as well as the need among the global Deaf community for translation of the Bible into the various 400+ sign languages.  After some time of fasting and prayer, we felt God's hand leading us in the direction of joining DOOR.  Rob will train to become a linguistic consultant, and that training will take place predominantly in Kenya over the next two or so years.



It's been quite a journey to take us from where we were ten years ago to this point.  We came to Bethel College in 2004, with Rob fresh out of graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley with his Ph.D. in Math.  We had very little contact with the Deaf community prior to that, and no knowledge of sign language.  Since that time, we have had the opportunity to learn sign language, and more importantly, become connected to the lives of so many amazing people in the Deaf community.  The Deaf need to hear that they are valued in God's eyes, and that they have gifts that can serve his kingdom.  But in the words of Paul, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?" (Rom. 10:14-15a)  (One interesting and sad note: This verse was often used to conclude that Deaf people cannot be saved, as they cannot hear.  [Clearly, Paul's use of "hear" means something deeper than simply sound hitting the eardrum.]  Ironically, God used this very same verse to call us into Deaf ministry!)

Thus, we feel God is sending us, and we appreciate your prayers and support as we prepare to go.  We will likely be moving around April, and there is quite a bit to do between now and then.  The work of Bible translation cannot go on without the support of the global Church.  Many of you have a heart for Deaf ministry, but perhaps you either have no opportunity to learn sign language to the point where you could assist the Deaf community, or no opportunity to go.  If that's the case, supporting us is a great way to impact God's kingdom among the Deaf.  For more information or to donate, please click here.  If you are interested in continuing to hear all that is happening, please contact us with your mailing address, phone number, and email address, so we can add you to our contact list.  Please send your email to this address:


We would love to stay connected with you!

As we reflect on how God has brought us through this journey, we're reminded of Paul's words in Ephesians 3:20-21:  "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
 


Sunday, September 8, 2013

Home for Sale: 2515 Wildflower Cove in Mishawaka, IN

We're attempting to advertise our 3000+ sq. ft. home for sale in the Mishawaka, IN area.  If you, or anyone you know, is interested in the house, please pass on this information and contact us at (574)386-5338.  Below are the details, a photo tour, and a video tour of the house.  Enjoy!


Main Details:
Location: 2515 Wildflower Cove
Type of Home: Single-Family (one owner!)
No. of Bedrooms: 4
No. of Bathrooms: 3
Finished Square Footage: 3062 sq. ft. (1531 on main floor, 1531 in basement)
Sale Price: $158,900
Lot Size: Less than one acre

Description: Beautiful move-in ready, one-owner 4 bedroom/3 bathroom home.  Over 3000 sq. ft. of living space (1531 on main floor, 1531 in finished basement)! Wonderful open concept with raised deck, large yard, and automatic sprinkling system. Large master bedroom suite with walk-in closet. Dual vanities, walk-in shower, and soaking tub in master bathroom.  First-floor laundry and mud room! Gracious eat-in kitchen with pantry, planning desk, and cabinets galore! Finished lower level offers 9 ft. ceilings, office space, 4th bedroom, and 3rd full bathroom. Close to neighboring wooded nature walk, Bethel College, shopping, schools, etc.

Additional Features:
  • Attached 2-car garage
  • Automatic sprinkling system
  • 9 ft. ceilings in basement
  • Central air/heating
  • 2 blocks from Liberty Elementary School
Contact Information:  Call (574)386-5338 or email robertkmyers@yahoo.com

Here are some accompanying photos:

House Exterior (Front)
Kitchen
Eat-In Kitchen Area
Dining Room 
Living Room
1st Main Floor Bedroom
2nd Main Floor Bedroom
1st Main Floor Bathroom
Master Bedroom
Master Bathroom Vanities/Tub 
Master Bathroom Soaker Tub/Walk-In Shower
Basement Family Room
Basement Area
Basement Full Bathroom 
Basement Bedroom
Backyard Area 
House Exterior (Back)


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

2 by 2 Teams: Putting the Word into Action

Sorry for no recent update lately; things have been busy, and we haven't had much time to write.  

In our previous post we gave a brief description of what is involved in creating and producing a translation of the Bible into sign language.  These are the roots of DOOR, but several years ago the people at DOOR realized that individuals equipped with a Bible but no training in evangelism, teaching others, and building up leaders who can do the same (in other words, discipleship) will struggle to grow God's kingdom.  That struggle ended up generating DOOR's "2 by 2 teams."

Each country with a sign language translation supported by DOOR also has one or more 2 by 2 teams that are supported for a fixed period of time.  The model for the 2 by 2 teams is based on Luke 10:  "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he was about to go.  And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest...'" (Luke 10:1-2)  Each 2 by 2 team consists of two Deaf individuals who have been trained by DOOR in many areas.  Four specific main areas they have been trained in are evangelism, teaching, church planting, and raising up leaders among the local Deaf community, training them in these areas.  These areas match the three series of Chronological Bible Stories that the translation teams have produced.  ("Know God How?" connects with evangelism; "Follow God How?" connects with teaching/discipleship; and "Serve God How?" connects with church planting and leadership development.)  Briefly, here is how each area works:
  • Evangelism:  The 2 by 2 teams go into local Deaf communities and begin building relationships with local Deaf in many different contexts.  Eventually after spending some time developing these relationships, the team often holds a camp in which they introduce many of the locals to the Chronological Bible Stories.  Those who are interested in further stories or information are invited to join local fellowships (a bit like "small groups") in their areas or villages.  The 2 by 2 teams then travel from area to area during the week to support these fellowships and teach.  It is through these camps and fellowships that many Deaf people come to know Christ.
  • Teaching:  Once someone gives their life to Christ, they need to become grounded in the faith.  These local fellowships help give them exposure to the Scripture (in their own language), solid teaching, and an opportunity to ask questions.  At right is a picture of one fellowship in which participants are watching the DVD of the Scripture (this lesson was on Exodus 19 and 20: the ten commandments).  They later have an opportunity to review the story, ask questions, and apply it to their lives.  
  • Church Planting:  Once enough thriving fellowships are happening in an area, there are enough Deaf people to plant a church.  Just as all believers are given spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16), Deaf believers have gifts that contribute to the development of the Church.  These gifts really come out when the Deaf are in fellowship with other Deaf.  In a hearing church, Deaf people are seen as a ministry.  But in a Deaf church, Deaf people are ministers.  Thus, a Deaf church is established in a central location by the 2 by 2 team, and all of the Deaf fellowships that meet during the week are then invited to become a part of the church.  
  • Leadership Training:  As in Paul's vision of discipleship in 2 Tim. 2:2, ministry is something that is intended to be passed on.  The 2 by 2 teams are taught how to identify new believers gifted in evangelism, teaching, etc., and then they spend additional time pouring into these individuals, training them for future ministry.  Following this training, these individuals will be ready to go out and begin this process again, raising up more Deaf fellowships and planting churches for local Deaf people.
  • National Association:  Once there are enough established Deaf fellowships and Deaf churches, the nation is ready to establish a national Deaf association that helps oversee the health of the churches.  This association is independent of DOOR, and once a country reaches this point, DOOR begins to withdraw and let the association take over the oversight of the further development in the country.  Nationals then own the vision for where the next steps will be, having been trained in how to achieve those steps.
There are so many aspects of this that we love.  Praise God that this "sending out of harvesters" is actively happening already in a number of countries thanks to the work of many people at DOOR and other organizations partnering with DOOR.  Please continue to pray for these individuals, that they would be equipped, courageous, strong, and steadfast, and that the Lord would raise up many more people to go into the harvest.




Sunday, July 14, 2013

Sign Language Bible Translation: A Complex Process


Over the past week I've gotten to sit in on several aspects of the sign language Bible translation process.  While I haven't seen everything, I'm certainly amazed at all that is involved.

Here is the basic layout of the process of translation, as I've seen it so far:
  • Prayer:  Obviously there is a lot of prayer involved!  In trying to translate a passage, you are setting up the Scriptures for an entire people group!  I've appreciated the amount of prayer I've seen among the staff involved.  The staff get together as a whole on Wednesday mornings to pray, and additionally the translation and 2x2 teams meet on Friday nights for worship and prayer.  Sunday morning church also involves prayer for wisdom and God's guidance.
  • Text Selection:  By now this has been determined.  There are three series of stories that the translators translate:  1. "Know God How?"  2. "Follow God How?"  3. "Serve God How?"  Each series has a collection of Bible verses associated with it.  (For instance, "Know God How?" begins with Genesis 1, describing creation.  These series are called "Chronological Bible Stories".)  In the first translation (which was in KSL), they had to decide which stories to pick out.  Now that the KSL series have been completed, each subsequent translation in another language already has the stories determined.  (For those interested, after the translation teams finish their CBS [and some additional topical texts], they go back to their country and begin work on the full Bible under the supervision of SIL or Wycliffe.)
  • Source Texts:  The team sits down with several different sources.  All have an English text, as well as the written text from their own country.  (Some of these are very different than English; see, for instance, the Ethiopian Bible.)  In addition, several of the recent teams use some of the previous sign language translations (in other languages... in particular, the Kerala and Kenyan) as source texts, too.  They will sit down as a team and talk through what the text should look like as a signed story.  Keep in mind that native (Deaf) signers are the ones translating, as it is their native language.
  • Recording:  Once the story is determined, several recordings will take place.  They will typically record three parts:  an introduction (which explains the text briefly); the text itself; and a deeper description of what is going on in the text.  The signers wear different colored shirts to distinguish which part (introduction, text, or description) they are signing.
  • Review:  Once they record the story, it is reviewed, first by the team, then by a consultant-in-training, then by an approved consultant.  (There are very few certified consultants for sign language... really only four globally.  This is a big need.  There are about 10+ people training in this now.)  Each Deaf translation team is paired with both a Deaf and a hearing consultant-in-training (CIT).  The Deaf CIT checks to make sure the translation is natural and accurate (from a sign language standpoint), and the hearing CIT checks to make sure it is Biblically/exegetically accurate.  Each time an issue is found, then entire recording must be redone again.  This is very different than a written text; you cannot simply delete or insert.  The signer must memorize the entire text and sign it precisely in full.  Wow!  (Imagine having to translate, for instance, John 1, and then memorize the chapter and speak the entire thing accurately into a recording.)  As the translation is being edited, it is occasionally brought into the community for community testing.  The translation needs to meet the CANA criteria:  clear, accurate, natural, and accepted.  (I'll talk more about this in a later post.)
  • Drawings:  Because the Deaf are visual learners, it helps to provide pictures that show the action visually, especially with concepts that are foreign to the culture of the people watching.  Thus, the recordings are done in front of a green screen, and drawings are inserted behind the signers.  These drawings are created by a team of Deaf artists and animators from India and Kenya.  They have some beautiful work!  These drawings are also used as storyboards for people presenting the texts without technology.
  • Editing:  Once the recording and drawings are finished, an editing process begins.  The two must be fluidly merged (and text inserted), and the resulting library of stories organized so that it can be produced on a clickable DVD menu.  This is all done by a Deaf member of the translation team, who is trained in all things editing and computers by a main editing coordinator, Simon, who is also Deaf.  
  • Copying/Production:  Once the digital version is ready, the files are copied onto DVD, and a DVD cover is produced.  These are then mass-produced for distribution by the 2x2 team as they work to evangelize and teach other Deaf the gospel.  
I've already gotten to watch some of this process, and I'm looking very forward to getting to know it even more.  There are so many skilled people working here; it is amazing to see the teams of people God has assembled for this task.  Praise Him for the unique ways that he has gifted so many.

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13)

Wildlife in Africa

It's hard to believe we've been here a week and a half!  So many experiences, it feels like the rest come crowding in on each other when you sit down and try to describe any one of them.  Perhaps it's best to make several posts and divide them into themes.  Here's a chronicle of a bit of the "wildlife" that we've seen from afar and up close and personal.


Elephant Orphanage:  A few days in, after we'd recovered from our jet lag, our friend Sammy drove us to the Elephant Orphanage, not far from our campus.  Here they care for baby elephants up to two years of age that have either been abandoned or their parents have been killed by poachers.  They need milk up through the end of their second year, and they drink a lot of it.  Once they reach the age of two, they are brought to the main park outside of Nairobi and released.  These elephants pictured are actually gray, and one of them is albino, but you can't tell because they are plastered with the red-ish mud of the area to keep themselves cool.  During the time we were there, one of them filled its trunk and sprayed part of the crowd with mud.  Exciting!

In addition to the elephants, we saw a baby impala grazing nearby.  It was a bit skittish, but it let us take its picture.  Not shown are a warthog that crossed the road on our way into the park, and some monkeys that we saw while leaving.  We'll definitely come back to visit the main park, which is a reserve for wild animals.


Animals Raised on the Campus:  In addition to some of the wildlife outside of the campus, we've gotten to experience some of the home-grown kind.  The DOOR campus also has a farm associated with it, with the purpose of helping raise money for the ministry, provide jobs for some local Deaf people, and provide food for the campus.  In addition to some traditional crops (including kale, spinach, tomatoes, bananas, and corn), the farm raises rabbits and catfish (both pictured) for meat, as well as dogs trained for being guard dogs.  Sammy helps coordinate and oversee this aspect of DOOR, and he's done a great job.

You can also a rooster in the morning.  One family on the campus keeps two hens and a rooster in a small cage.  Luke always wants to go visit them, and he signs "chicken" whenever he sees or hears them.


Surprise Guests:  The campus supports not just rabbits, fish, and dogs, but also other creatures not quite so purposefully brought here.  In the mornings you can sometimes hear the ibis or storks walking around on the roof.  Pictured here is an ibis.  These are fairly good-sized... maybe two feet tall or so.  The storks, however, are enormous... perhaps six feet tall.  Needless to say they make a lot of noise!

Also pictured is a spider that the boys found on the wall in their room.  The spider was the size of my fist, so they were very surprised indeed.  They caught it in a jar, but later let it go free (in the backyard, we were told... we'd better not wake up to it in our bed!).


Feeding the Monkeys:  On Friday we were able to go to the city park and feed the monkeys.  Wow, what an experience!  In fact, simply getting there was quite the experience.  Sammy navigated the city traffic quite well, no problems, and we got there in one piece.  We purchased some peanuts, and walked into the park.  The monkeys have seen this quite a few times, and saw we were coming.  Sammy taught us all how to lure the monkeys up on your back.  The next 15 to 20 minutes were probably the highlight of the boys' time so far.  Here are some pictures:






And, of course, we have some video, too!


We all had an incredible time.  A huge thanks to Sammy for bringing us there!  We have plenty more video as well as pictures, so just ask if you'd like to see more!

Jon is the big animal lover in the family, so he's been so excited to see all of the wildlife here.  Several times he's asked to take home this or that on the plane.  I can only imagine what the ride home would be like with a monkey jumping around the airplane cabin stealing people's peanuts! :)

We're amazed at God's abundant creation!  What an incredible, creative God we serve!