Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers for us. We are in a spiritual battle, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, and your prayers are powerful artillery in our combat with the forces of darkness.
Here are a few new prayer and praise items:
1. Pray for Matthew as he settles into his studies at Missouri State University and considers the best way to prepare for a career in digital animation. Our van, which he is using at school, was broken into recently and important documents in Todd & Pam's name were stolen. Please pray that this will not lead to identity theft or any other malignant consequences.
2. The computer tablet Biljana uses for Bible translation stopped working a couple weeks ago. We feared that she had lost a lot of new translation work, and also that she would be unable to keep doing translation since I am in the States and am not able to get a replacement tablet to her yet. But we praise God that it "resurrected" and is working again. Pray it will work well and that nothing will prevent her from doing a couple hours of Bible translation daily into the Chergash Roma dialect.
3. Our daughter and son-in-law,
Elizabeth and Stephen Sell, have joined Pioneers and are raising support to return to Hungary as soon as possible.
Pray for the $1000 per month they need in pledges to be able to complete their three-year missions term.
If you would like to support them, you can give to Pioneers and designate it for their account #112736. If you'd like more information about their ministry, please feel free to e-mail them at
elizabethjoysell@gmail.com or
stephen.r.sell@gmail.com or read their blog,
https://www.servingwiththesells.com/.
4. Please pray this verse for Bible translation for the Roma in Croatia and Serbia: “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was among you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
5. Goran has finished the first draft of the entire New Testament into the Gurbet dialect and has begun Genesis! Praise God for this progress and pray for continued wisdom in translating each verse in Genesis (currently in chapters 4-6).
6. Sasa is translating Luke, and is up to chapter 7, in the Arli dialect. Pray for him for wisdom in translating and as he juggles translation with life as a new husband and writing his thesis to complete his Bachelor's of Theology.
7. Natasha is looking for nursing work as her contract recently ended. Pray for the Lord's provision for income for them and also that she will be able to use the rest of her time for editing the Bayash dialect translation, currently working on 2 Corinthians and Galatians.
8. There have been problems with Kada's computer tablet and although she finished a draft of the Gospel of John into the Arli dialect, we are having trouble saving that and getting the draft to me and the other translator. Pray they can get this going so she can continue to draft in Arli and so none of the translation is lost.
9. Pray for a refreshing and safe time for our teammate, Joy, as she enjoys her sister's visit from Australia. They will be driving many miles in Hungary, Austria, Croatia and Serbia.
10. Pray as we speak tomorrow, Sunday 9/24, in the morning at Newburg-Chester Congregational Church in Grinnell, Iowa, and in the afternoon at Woodland Community Church in Runnells, Iowa, and then at home meetings and a missions conference at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Monday 9/25 through Wednesday 9/27. Pray the Lord will use it to light a fire for many more people to pray for Roma Bible translation.
11. With all the travel, packing, jostling, etc., my laptop got damaged (bent and cracked). Due to your generous financial support, I have been able to order a replacement. But please pray the current laptop will continue working until the new one arrives and I can set it up and transfer all the information from the old one. I still need to travel with it to speak at 4 or 5 meetings and the travel increases the chance of further damage.
12. I need to travel to Croatia and Serbia for a week or so in November so I can meet with each of the translators to check their work and pay them. Please pray for the details of flights, travel, and schedule that this time will be greatly used of the Lord to encourage each of the Roma translators (it will have been four months since I will have seen them) and that we will make good progress in checking their Bible translation drafts.
Thank you for your love, support and prayers,
Todd & Pamala
