Geyman Steps

Mission Objective: Place each piece in place  Location: Freezing cold basement (boys room) Hostile pieces: 6,000 Mission Casualties: Jacob, Carmen, Dad, Isaac... Duration: Four long years Time of Completion: Unknown (probably never) They screw the plywood piece under the puzzle to the ceiling after Christmas break is over each year.

A few pictures along the way home from town. The weather finally cleared after about a week of snowing.

They got new gloves and were super excited to test them in the snow. Notice the absence of shoes. I guess when you are having fun... So, I decided to make some matchbox rockets for the boys. All you need is patience, and the above tools. ...and a few hours later you have a matchbox with the essentials. I did modify the rockets from the original design by adding aluminum tape to the top after wrapping the aluminum. It creates a better seal and a satisfying POP and noticeably more velocity. I got the idea from youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFyKgmnCF-8 We will see if the kids enjoy them as much as I did.

The other day I was asked where my desire to serve in Bible translation came from. It originates from many things, but at the center of it is key points in my life surrounding how I came to the Lord. I was raised in a Christian family of twelve children. My teen years were spent on a farm in the rural mountains of Northern Idaho. Previous to moving to Idaho, my parents were in Brazil for language training as a step towards working in Mozambique with AIM (Africa Inland Missions). Through various circumstances, God led my parents back to the States after a year on the field. Though I was raised in a Christian home with godly parents, I did not become a child of God until I was about fifteen years old. I knew who God was and believed in Him; however, I did not know Him as my Father - there was no real relationship.  While we were in Brazil, my mom had a stillborn girl. I can remember  us children being excited about meeting our new sibling and then  her going to the...

Taylor and Amie in Virginia Stopped for a break to check out the overlook in New Mexico It was VERY windy and the boys were pretty cold  Grandma and Grandpa in Arizona Went to see old dwellings made by the indians  Leaving Arizona on highway 89 - absolutely gorgeous!

Since Carmen and I have been moving towards working for JAARS oversees in Bible translation, we have periodically run into seemingly unsurmountable difficulties and frustrations while only looking forward to a crazy amount of work ahead of us before we actually are settled and working in Tanzania. From living in an RV for a few months to simply being on the road for weeks on end, our life is not ordinary and presents unique challenges for ourselves and two young boys. In the midst of this we have to step back and ask ourselves why what we do is worth it. Every time we do, we come to the same conclusion, Bible translation is worth it. But why? That is what I want to explore in this post. Bible Translation "The words do matter, but they matter because they constitute a message. The message is paramount. That's why the Bible can be translated. If the inspiration were tied to words themselves as opposed to their message, then we could never translate the bible, and if we c...