Mark & Patti January 2026 Prayer Requests

* This month Mark will be concentrating on the book of Joshua for the C4 project (4 Central Quechua languages). They set the book of Leviticus aside last month, and began Joshua.

* For the Panao Quechua project Mark hopes to finish the book of 2 Samuel and then get into Ezra and Nehemiah.

* Continue to pray for the different participants to not just grow in their abilities to read, write, teach and translate, but especially to grow in their love of God and his word.

* Last month Patti accepted the request to walk a new-to-Wycliffe latino couple through a couple years of orientation and getting started in their first assignment. She's not sure yet which of two couples will be assigned to her. Pray for a good connection as she begins walking alongside them this month.

Mark & Patti December 2025 Prayer Requests

* This month Mark will be finishing up the book of Exodus and hopefully beginning the book of Leviticus with the C4 Quechua project.

* For the Panao Quechua project, Mark anticipates reviewing 2 Samuel.

* As always, continue to pray for insight in how to best translate passages. Pray, too, and that God's word will impact the participants as well as those they share it with as they take it out to read to others.

Fall Beans'Talk 2025

Download a printable copy of the Fall 2025 Beans'Talk.

Missing a word for that?

What do translators do when there is no word for something? Do you know what they did when the Bible was first translated into Eng lish and they got stuck looking for a word? Of ten, they coined new words! For example, they couldn’t come up with a word for angel, so they just borrowed the word from Greek into English and then taught what it meant. Simi larly, sometimes we borrow a word from Span ish when Quechua doesn’t have any creative way to say something.

There are many English words which occur for the very first time in a Bible translation. Be lieve it or not, they include words like female, beautiful, consume, crime, appetite, puberty, excellent and liberty!*

*Stanley Malless and Jeffrey McQuain. Coined by God: Words and Phrases that First Appear in English Transla tions of the Bible W.W.Norton, 2005.

One year in

The month of October marks one year since the C4 Quechua translation project began. C4 stands for 4 Central Quechua language areas. It has been a steep learning curve for the men involved. They didn’t really know what they were getting themselves into! They were nomi nated by their denominations to do the work. Most didn’t know how to read in Quechua. Some had never preached or prayed in Quechua. That just wasn’t a pattern that had ever been modeled for them. Besides, there’s a lot of cultural pressure to use Spanish to show that you are educated.

Each language area is represented by two men. Plus, there are Wilmer and Walter, who worked with Mark for years. They handle workshop lo gistics and guide the group through the pro cess. This group of ten men has been a safe place to practice reading and praying in Quechua. As they rotate giving devotionals each morning, the new men have gradually started teaching in Quechua, too.

So, what do they have to say now that they’re a year into the process? Here are some of their comments.

Read more...

Mark & Patti October 2025 Prayer Requests

* At the last minute, bags packed for Peru, we learned that our passports didn't have the required six months remaining on them to be able to enter the country (a new rule for us!). In spite of having to work from home, Mark and the Panao Quechua team made great progress. They not only made it through the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel and the first 13 chapters of 2 Samuel with members of the community, but they had fun in the process. Lots of laughter and good conversation. They even finished before the two weeks were up.

* October 6-24th Mark will be working remotely with the project that's made up of 4 related central Quechua languages. Mark is busy preparing computer-generated drafts for each of them. They hope to finish adapting Exodus and start on Leviticus, and continue working on outstanding issues in books they've already worked on.

Mark & Patti September 2025 Update

Our bags were packed, we were ready to go!

Like John Denver's song, we were ready to leave on a jet plane. Then, out of the blue Delta informed us that our passports were not valid. What?!

It turns out that Peru, like some other countries, now requires a full six months left on one's passport in order to be admitted into the country. It doesn't matter if you only plan to stay a few weeks. It was so unexpected that we found ourselves grinning. Wow! God has so many ways to redirect and guide his children. This one was pretty obvious!

Thankfully, we haven't lost anything in the process except being with the Panatawa Quechua team in person. We have cameras and mics set up so Mark can work with them virtually.

Read more...

Mark & Patti September 2025 Prayer Requests

* The first two+ weeks of September we will be in Peru. Mark hopes to check the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel and chapters 1-13 of 2 Samuel for the Panatawa Quechua team. Pray not only for good concentration and attention to detail while checking Scripture, but also for protection over schedules, health and rest.

* Pray for the people who will eventually receive these books. May they be hungry to know more about God and find him in his Word.

Summer Beans'Talk 2025

Download Summer Beans'Talk 2025 with photos.

Hungry?

Why would someone offer you food when you yawn? To distract you and help keep you awake?

To our Quechua friends, a yawn is a sign of hunger! It sort of makes sense. Look how wide the mouth gets when you yawn. It must be waiting for something to fill it, right?

Sometimes messy…

These are the broad steps Mark goes through with the four teams on the new Quechua translation project (the “C4” project), with the goal of eventually publishing a separate edition of the Bible for each of their central Quechua varieties.

1. Mark teaches a computer program to adapt chapters of Old Testament books for each of the new teams. He adapts from a previously published translation that he worked on.

2. The men on each of the four teams edit the chapter so it sounds like their respective Quechua. Then they go over their versions as a whole group.

3. Mark checks their work. Usually, their work is good. However, sometimes it gets messy. Not only are the men new to translation work, but they are also new to reading and writing in their language. So sometimes it is easy for them not to notice that they have left out a main verb, garbled the spelling, or deleted punctuation. Sometimes, not understanding their Spanish Bibles, they will change the meaning to what is incorrect.

4. Mark gently points out the mistakes that were introduced. Then, after working on it together, sometimes they end up with what Mark gave them in the first place!

They are learning!

When I express dismay at this process, Mark is upbeat. They are just getting started. They have much to learn! he responds. The men all have great attitudes and are learning quickly. They are sacrificing a lot to leave their homes and work as a group for 18 weeks a year.

Step 5 is taking the books they’ve worked on during the year and reading through them with community members for a different kind of check. They plan to do this check during the August workshop.

Read more...

Mark & Patti August 2025 Prayer Requests

PRAY:

Aug 4 thru Aug 22 Mark will be consulting from Ohio again for the C4 team representing 4 related Quechua languages. These men have been working together for less than a year. This workshop they will be inviting people down from their respective communities to read newly adapted Scripture to them to make sure it is understood. Their goal for the three weeks is ambitious: check Genesis, Ruth and Jonah with community members AND edit drafts of Exodus 17 to 29 that Mark has generated for them. There’s lots to pray for, including health. During June’s workshop several were ill.

PRAISE:
We enjoyed ten days of vacation in July with three out of our four kids and nine of our twelve grandchildren. What a rare treat!

Mark & Patti July 2025 Prayer Requests

* When's the last time you thought to PRAISE God for access to his Word in your own language? PRAY for the many language groups in the world that are still waiting for their own copy of the New Testament. There are many more waiting for the Old Testament.

* Pray for Quechua speaking pastors and those in their congregations to take time to practice reading God's Word. Pray for perseverance in reading and progress in fluency. Pray that God's Spirit will meet them in his word to teach, rebuke, correct and instruct them. May we all pay attention to God's work in our lives!

Mark & Patti June 2025 Prayer Requests

* June 6-14 we will be traveling, visiting the California Redwoods to celebrate Mark's birthday. Praise God with us for this opportunity and for the beauty of his creation.

* June 16th there's another 3-week translation push with the group of men representing 4 closely related Quechua languages. They travel down to town to work together and with Mark (online). This month they plan to finish the book of Genesis and get well into Exodus. Pray for increased facility and understanding. These men are just months into working in their language in written form, having never written it before now. Pray also for growing attention to detail.