On September 21st, I turned 24 years old and I was able to celebrate it my favourite way, by being outside enjoying God’s creation! Rather than having a party inside, Lauren and I went to Kananaskis to do some mountain climbing and we rewarded ourselves halfway through the hike with a wonderful picnic lunch. While eating we had the opportunity to pause for a few minutes and take in our surroundings; the world was quiet, save the chirping of birds, the sky was crystal clear and the mountains loomed all around us.
During this time I reflected on the overseas missions training course that we completed in August. We learned a lot of invaluable things throughout our time there but one thing that really stuck out to me was learning about the various ways in which people feel close to God. There are naturalists, sensates, traditionalists, ascetics, activists, caregivers, enthusiasts, contemplatives, and intellectuals and I would recommend the book Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas to everyone interested in exploring the different types of worship. Not to anyone’s surprise I’m sure, I quickly found myself relating to naturalists. When I find myself out in God’s creation, especially at the summit of a mountain after an arduous climb, I am often reminded of Psalm 19:1. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” When I look up at the sky from the mountains, I feel God’s presence there with me. This is naturalist worship and it is the way that I, personally, best relate with God. My naturalist worship tendencies are one of the reasons that I have enjoyed Race to 2025 so much. During the two day race we have ample opportunity to enjoy God’s great work and give glory to Him! I am always looking forward to the next race that I get to participate in and I have been considering participating in the upcoming race in February 2015, as this may be the last Race to 2025 in Alberta that I participate in for quite some time! Though for good reason, as I am testament to the fruitfulness of the two-fold purpose of the race, which is not only to raise funds for Bible translation projects around the globe, but also to get young men involved in ministry! Praise God, that not so far in the future my life will be like one giant Race to 2025 as I will get the opportunity to conduct real language surveys and help bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the unreached people groups of the world!
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AuthorChristopher and Lauren Merke have joined Wycliffe to help fulfill the goal of seeing the scriptures translated into every language of the world! Christopher and Lauren live and work in Mbeya, Tanzania doing linguistic, language survey and vernacular media work. As a linguist, it will be Lauren’s responsibility to analyze and evaluate the linguistic and cultural data that is collected by language survey workers. Her role is very important because it speeds up the Bible translation process and makes translators for effective, ensuring the Good News of Jesus Christ reaches people as quickly as possible. Christopher will be fulfilling two roles as a language surveyor and as a vernacular media technician. As a language surveyor, Christopher travels to remote villages in order to gather linguistic and cultural data about various people groups and language groups. This is critical information, as it lays the foundation for Bible translation work through seeking answers to critical questions in the first stages of the Bible translation process. As a vernacular media technician, Christopher’s role will be to help translate various materials, such as the Jesus film and Christian radio programs, into other languages in Tanzania to ensure that the Gospel reaches as many people as possible. Christopher and Lauren are thrilled to be able to use the gifts that God has given them and would like for you to prayerfully consider partnering with them in this journey! Archives
September 2016
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