As we come to the end of August, I realize it's been two months since my last video update. Jan and I've been traveling eight out of the last nine weeks and so haven't been in my office to provide you an update on what's going in Bible translation, so I want to do that today...
Video Transcript:
As we come to the end of August, I realize it's been two months since my last video update. Jan and I've been traveling eight out of the last nine weeks and so haven't been in my office to provide you an update on what's going in Bible translation, so I want to do that today.
Still quite an exciting year! I looked in our database this morning and realized that we've seen 268 languages begin their Bible translations this year. Still a very exciting number. Obviously the pace has slowed down a little bit this summer due to the travel restrictions and the COVID implications around the world.
But even just in the last three months we’ve seen 55 languages begin their translations around the world. At the same time we’ve seen 131 New Testaments completed just in this last year as well.
So great progress, great work to continue be a part of. Lots of challenges that we're facing in the meantime, but our international teams are really doing a great job basically making lemonade out of lemons in their local situations, working with whatever flexibility and whatever options are still possible in their area. And we're continuing to be able to resource them and back them with training and technology as we have in the past. And so we're continuing to press ahead trusting that God will open doors that only He can open.
As we look ahead to the fall, one of the big things on her calendar for 4 months now has been our Banquets and our fall Summit events both in California and Florida. We've been moving forward by faith, working and praying toward seeing these events come together, but as we continue to get closer and closer we're realizing that the hotel requirements and limitations for the season ahead are unfortunately just not going to work out for us to be able to carry off these events.
Our team is very disappointed, Jan and I are also really disappointed, we had looked forward to seeing you and to bring you more confidential updates about what's going on in Bible translation–things that we can't really publicize, but inside information that we want you to be aware. Turns out that things are just not progressing toward reopening enough nationally for us to make this happen. So unfortunately we made the hard decision to have to cancel these events for the fall.
Since the large events are not going to be possible, we are going to press ahead with plans and efforts to put together smaller meetings. I just mentioned that Jan and I have been traveling this summer, eight out of the last nine weeks, and basically we've been meeting with individuals in their homes, in smaller groups on their porches whatever is possible in each unique situation. But as we look toward the fall we're going to plan to do the same thing as during October and November. So in the coming weeks I'll be in touch with you as our travel plans start to come together.
I know that some of you will still want to stay isolated in and not to be ready to meet publicly or whatever— that's okay. If that's not possible we'll just try to have a video meeting. And for those of you who are hoping to the meetings, Jan and I have already had COVID-19, as far as we know we’re immune, and we’re also not contagious. So we’re optimistic that there’ll still be lots of opportunities for us to meet with many of you around the country. So we’ll look forward to planning that in the coming weeks.
The other thing I wanted to say is thank you so much for your faithful support.
One of the things we've been very concerned and very prayerful about during recent months is whether or not our financial circumstances would decline as a result of the financial impacts of covid-19 and other unforeseen circumstances.
But by God's grace and through His provision, we continue to be maintaining and meeting our budget, and we know this is because of your generosity, your commitment to Bible translation, and your trust that we value so, so tremendously.
And so thank you for your faithful support, and I’ll just say that Jan and I look forward to seeing you soon, whenever that might be. Take care.
