The Beans'talk March/April 2022

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God’s gracious answers to your prayers

In our last Beans’Talk we had a number of prayer requests. We’d like to briefly comment on them, for God graciously answered.

1. Peruvian Bible Society webinar

There were nearly 300 people signed on to the Peruvian Bible Society’s webinar that Mark taught. We couldn’t keep track of all the countries represented in the audience; at least a dozen. Plus, one friend mentioned there were yet more people watching via Facebook. The feedback has been positive. Mark spoke on how all translations make adjustments to fit the target language, illustrating with examples from a popular Spanish version of the Bible.

2. Training future consultants

February 21–25, was the week-long online training for Latino translation consultants-in-training. After Mark taught all Tuesday morning, a colleague mentioned that he had been skeptical wondering how Mark was going to safely talk about the breadth of evangelical positions on two doctrinal issues. We are thankful that instead of being divisive, it seemed to be helpful.

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Mark & Patti April 2022 Prayer Requests

* Praise for the wonderful opportunities Mark had to teach in different settings and the encouraging responses this past month. Pray for people to hear the call to be future translators and consultants.

* Praise for excellent medical care so close by. Mark has tolerated these first two months of chemo treatments fairly well. Pray that these treatments will keep Mark’s body working well for as long as God has something for him here.

* Praise for these years we've been close by to serve Mom Bean. Praise for the tender care shown to her by those in her facility and the hospice people who came alongside and cared for her. Praise that she was with family when she peacefully exited this world.

Mark & Patti March 2022 Prayer Requests

We're thankful for the opportunity to reach nearly 300 participants during the Sociedades Bíblicas webinar Mark taught last month. (at the time of this writing, we can't tell you how Feb 22nd went --Mark teaching translation-consultants-in-training.)

March 8 - We will be the missionaries in the "hot seat" at one of Wycliffe's regularly scheduled Explore Wycliffe Live webinars for people interested in or investigating work with Wycliffe. Pray that we will be focused and sensitive to how God would have us answer questions from the host as well as from the audience.
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The Beans'talk January/February 2022

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An unexpected Christmas season

We’ve had an unusual holiday season! A friend from Peru arrived the week before Christmas, and unknowingly brought Covid with her. Then, Christmas Eve, the residence where Mom Bean lives called to say that she had tested positive. They asked us to collect her and bring her home for ten days. I felt like I was running a clinic, caring for three patients since Mark soon came down with Covid, too.

Hurray for the body of Christ! Friends in our community group were a huge help. We enjoyed the meals they dropped off, groceries, games and even a baby monitor to care for mom. Most encouraging was their checking in on us each day to see how we were doing. God graciously kept me healthy until it was time for mom to go back to her residence. Then I crashed for three days.

Lots of training coming up

In addition to his regular work, Mark is preparing for three different opportunities to teach.

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Mark & Patti January 2022 Prayer Requests

* For the process and progress of checking the book of Proverbs for the Panao Quechua team. The process includes having Mark’s “mentee” check the book and then comparing notes with Mark’s comments.

 * For a workshop to help train, encourage and further motivate a handful of Quechua men to travel from village to village selling Bibles and organizing Bible reading groups.

 * For God’s Word to work powerfully in the lives of individuals and whole communities as Quechua speakers open it up together.

Thanks,

Mark & Patti

The Beans'talk November/December 2021

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We look the same, right?

When our family was young we needed to get out new prayer cards regularly because our children grew so fast. It’s been nearly eight years since we’ve made a new prayer card. Maybe there’s a bit less hair and a few more wrinkles, but our hearts still desire to follow after God.

We’re happy to send you a 4x6 copy of what you see here, but we need your help. Since our Beans’Talks have been sent by email for so long, we’re not sure where each of you live these days! If you’d like to get a copy of this photo in your mailbox, please go to https://form.jotform.com/213163549666160 and let us know your snailmail address.

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Mark & Patti November 2021 Prayer Requests

Praise: A second Quechua translation now has an audio recording for the Old Testament. Both recordings are now in the process of being prepared for distribution.

Pray: for strategic ideas and people to facilitate getting more Bibles out to the hinterlands where Quechua speakers live. Pray, too, for a new generation of leaders to build up the Quechua speaking church. Quite a few of the key leaders were ushered out by Covid or are aging out.

Continue to pray for Mark: as he does translation consulting for other projects, mentors a Guatemalan translator to be a consultant, and continues to support the Quechua speaking churches in different areas with training materials.

The Beans'talk September/October 2021

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Almost there

As we have mentioned in past letters, Mark is now working as a translation consultant. That means that he checks over what others have translated to make sure that it is faithful and communicates well. Since June, Mark has been checking the Old Testament translation for Panao Quechua, spoken in the Peruvian highlands. Their current goal is to have the books of Job and Exodus checked by the end of September.

It is mid-September as I write this, so I can’t report yet that Mark and the Panao Quechua team have met their goal. The book of Job is finished but they are still plugging away on the book of Exodus. Right now they are reading each paragraph in the book to someone who didn’t work on the translation to be sure that it is understood. Thank you for keeping them all in your prayers.

Looking ahead

Since he just started in June, Mark has been spending extra time to help the Panao team get everything done. Starting October there will be new translation goals, and the new pace should be more reasonable.

Looking ahead, Mark also expects the residual stabs of pain from shingles to disappear. Practically, they aren’t a big deal anymore, but they are still noticeable.

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Mark & Patti September 2021 Prayer Requests

Pray for Mark & the team of Panao Quechua mother-tongue translators as they press to finish the book of Exodus. As the consultant, Mark has studied through and commented on their translation of Exodus. Still to finish in September, when funding goals require its completion, are the team's responses to the 500+ notes Mark's made. Then, Mark must go through those responses to see how they handled them. Sometimes there is yet another round of back and forth between consultant and team before everyone is satisfied. Together, Mark and the translation team also have ten days set aside to do a "comprehension check" with a native speaker who didn't work on the translation. Without God's obvious help, (and your prayers!) this mountain of work won't move!

The Beans'talk July/August 2021

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Those unscheduled surprises!

It happens to all of us. We make our plans, and then God surprises us with unscheduled events and circumstances. Some are wonderful, and others not so much. Here are some surprises on both ends of the spectrum.

A recording surprise

For a variety of reasons, none of the men have been able to stay in the capital city to finish recording the Old Testament for Huamalies- Dos de Mayo Quechua. That was an unplanned surprise for those who are responsible for getting it done. So, a technician will travel up to Huanuco where Wilmer and Walter live, and the two of them will finish reading all the remaining text.

Shingles surprise

Even though he had been vaccinated, Mark broke out with a doozy of a case of shingles—probably due to his lymphoma. Big blisters popped out down the back of his leg and backside. We still haven’t sat down to a meal together in weeks—he can’t sit down! At last, most of his sores are drying up.

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