Teammates

Traveling for long periods and working together in unique circumstances create great opportunities to get to know my teammates. Since we've been traveling for the past 1-1/2 days, there is not much to report regarding our work, so I thought I'd give a brief introduction to the other members of our team here in Cameroon this week.

Ndokobai Dadak is our Cameroonian colleague. He is part of the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) and works directly with the translation teams we are connecting this week. He has a masters degree in linguistics from the University of Yaounde and held a teaching position at the university prior to joining CABTAL. Ndokobai, like many of our national colleagues worldwide, is making significant professional and personal sacrifices in order to work in Bible translation. He is Mafa, and grew up in this region of Cameroon as a neighbor to the Pana, Tchouvok, and Mofu-Gudu people. He speaks Mafa, French, English, German, and several other languages. He's interested to begin working on his PhD in linguistics in order to become a Translation Consultant. This would actually increase his workload but would equip him to check Scripture drafts from multiple translation teams. His surname, Dadak, means "to the bush." It's an interesting description of his life and calling.

Peg Seitz is our Wycliffe Associates Cameroon Program Manager. She's been working with WA longer, but for the past two years has been here in Cameroon leading our volunteer support for translation teams. Her husband died after battling Alzheimer's for several years. Peg's heart for ministry, her love for people, her wisdom and experience in cross-cultural life and work, and her energy are contagious. Peg and Ndokobai arranged all the logistics for our work this week. It has been encouraging to see the fruit of her investments in partner relationships here. As we do these installations and training, Peg is ready, willing, and able to do anything needed to make things work. You'd love working with her. In fact, she invites you to come!

Bob Bates is a long-time volunteer in the Wycliffe world. He worked for NASA during his career and has put his life experience to work serving several partners in Bible translation in recent years. This past year, he has been part of our Technology Advancement team installing satellite internet connections for translation teams. In the past 12 months, he made two trips to Nigeria and this trip to Cameroon. In between, he works at our Orlando office improving our technology and training and preparing equipment and people for upcoming trips. Bob is in his early 70s and typifies the kind of energy, experience, and commitment that Wycliffe Associates volunteers bring to our team. I met Bob last year on our first Nigeria team. It has been great to work directly with him this week.

Time to get moving for our day today. Plan A is for a 1 to 1-1/2 hour drive to the Tchouvok translation team. Pray that Plan A, or a better plan, comes together!