As the days tick by and our support levels increase (truly by the grace of God, which is something that I cannot emphasize enough) it looks as though we will be heading out to Tanzania in January. This is so exciting and overwhelming that I often cannot put my emotions into words. This is something that we have been working towards since we got married almost 2 ½ years ago. In fact, God drew us to one another through our mutual passion for long-term, overseas living and I thank God everyday that He gave me a partner with whom to embark on this adventure! However, this impending departure is also bringing something else into perspective, the prospect of saying good-bye to the people I care about most. This past Thanksgiving as our family sat around the dining room table enjoying great food and even better company, the time was bittersweet. This was most likely the last Thanksgiving that we will enjoy around a meal in each other’s presence for the next four years. Four years. Often when I hint at the grief that I have experienced over leaving home and family for the next four years, people comfort me by saying that it will fly by, and I’m sure it will! However, the loss is still real and it isn’t pleasant. While our Mom and Dad (frequently) commend us on our desire to serve the Lord and encourage us, I know they are grieving that their son and daughter are leaving home and safety behind. They are grieving the empty chairs that will be present at many holidays to come and the grandchildren they will not be able to easily visit. Often times Christopher and I take centre stage and we have an army of prayer warriors backing us, but at this time I ask for prayers for our families, especially our parents, and all those whom we are leaving behind. Now enjoy some pictures from what, we both agreed, was our favourite Thanksgiving weekend yet!
0 Comments
In church the other week we were studying through the book of Ephesians and I was reminded of one of my favourite passages in Ephesians, namely Ephesians 2:8-10:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The passage is discussing salvation by faith alone through Christ, not through works, “lest any man should boast”. That caused me to reflect on the past few weeks of full-time fundraising that Lauren and I just completed. It has been an extremely busy and emotionally, physically, and spiritually intense few weeks, but our support levels have increased more in the past few weeks than we even hoped for. I’m not boasting though, because I cannot. Despite our efforts in the past month almost none of our increased support has been the fruit of our own efforts, it has all been from the Lord. We hosted an event where not a single person felt called to support us, but then throughout the month we discovered that some of our partners had doubled their monthly support, another had tripled, and one had even quadrupled! We send out emails without getting a response or make countless phone calls with no answer, but then the next day someone emails or calls us “randomly” and asks how they can be a part of our ministry. Likewise, we have had some people who have taken our fundraising burden on themselves and have gained us supporters through prayerfully sharing our ministry with others. This is why I can say that it is not the result of our own efforts but a result of the Lord’s provision that our support levels are increasing. While we will not stop working hard and doing all we can, we cannot boast that our increased support levels are the results of our late nights and back-to-back meetings because truly our support levels are the result of the Lord’s provision and His faithful servants heeding His call, not our own efforts. After an intense summer of studying in Langley at CanIL (Canada Institute of Linguistics), I have finally completed my Language Survey Certificate! It was an exciting moment as, even though the program only takes two semesters to complete, this moment has been three years in the making for me. I began the program back in the summer of 2012, after God ignited a passion inside me for Bible translation and the Bibleless people of the world on an Insti:GATE trip with Wycliffe. While on the trip in Kenya I signed up for the language survey track at CanIL, which gave me one week to get back from Kenya and drive out to Langley and start classes. I remember, at that time, feeling unprepared and not entirely sure what I had gotten myself into, but I enjoyed that summer studying linguistics and God confirmed in me that this was something I should pursue!
While I had intended on returning the following summer in 2013 to complete my training, instead, Lauren and I got married that summer! This temporarily put CanIL on hold. Lauren and I thoroughly enjoyed our first year of marriage and I fully intended on returning the following summer to complete my training. However, Lauren and I ended up in Thailand on another detour, scouting out the work that Wycliffe is engaged in on that side of the world! Once again the Lord postponed my plans to complete my Language Survey Certificate in 2014. Which brings us to summer 2015! This summer I finally found myself back at CanIL to complete my language survey training. It has been an amazing summer completing my training and, as it turns out, being married to a linguist has many perks when studying linguistics! God has used the detours He has taken me on to grow my faith in Him and better prepare me for the journey that lies ahead! I am now even more excited that I will be able to put my new language survey skills to good use in Tanzania this coming January, Lord willing. While I entered the program unprepared and unsure of whether language survey was something that I would even be capable of, I am leaving the program feeling prepared knowing that I am capable of being a language surveyor through God who strengthens me! Recently I (Chris) had the opportunity to participate in the CanIL (Canada Institute of Linguistics) Training Ride,which takes place every summer and raises funds in order to provide future CanIL students with scholarships. These scholarships fund the crucial training that translation workers need to complete before heading out into their positions in the Bible translation process. Lauren and I have personally benefitted from the generous scholarship and bursary program that CanIL provides so this was a great opportunity for us to give something back! I finished the 100km ride with my team of 5 in approximately 4.5 hours and all of the participants raised over $24, 000 this year for the training of Bible translation workers at CanIL! Lauren volunteered at the event by working at one of the rest stations handing out water and snacks to participants. She was at the 80km rest stop so the volunteer work that she did was very much appreciated by all of the cyclists participating in the 100km route! Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am thrilled that we were able to raise so much money for scholarships that will fund future Bible translators, ultimately aiding the mission of providing the Gospel for every people group in their mother tongue! It has also been exciting and encouraging to get to know some of our future colleagues over the past 7 weeks here in Langley. There is one man, with his wife and four children, who will also be moving to Mbeya, Tanzania (the exact same city as us!) in January 2016 and two ladies who will be moving to another city in Tanzania, also in January 2016. They are all members of Wycliffe USA and it has been an honour for us to hear how God called them into missions and Bible translation work. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of them over the past month and a half! We are so thankful that God brought us together for this time at CanIL to encourage one another as we all prepare for life overseas as missionaries. P.S. We are going to be sending out our summer newsletter later this week, so if you are reading this and want a copy please let us know! This weekend officially marks the end of our first week of studying at CanIL (Canada Institute of Linguistics) in Langley, BC! It has been an exciting whirlwind of settling into our home for the summer, starting classes, and meeting lots of other students from around the world! We are looking forward to deepening relationships with fellow students and filling our minds with lots of useful linguistic information and missionary training over the next eight weeks of classes. During the summer, Chris will be taking three classes, Ethnography, Phonology and Language and Culture Acquisition. Ethnography is a class that teaches students how to observe, describe and evaluate people groups and cultures, which will be a very useful skill in Chris’ role as a language survey worker. Without getting too technical, Phonology is the branch of linguistics that deals with the system of human speech sounds, another class that is critical for Chris’ language survey work. Finally, Language and Culture Acquisition is a class that will give Chris tools that will help him acquire Swahili and settle into the community when we move to East Africa. After having just had my convocation ceremony at the University of Calgary last Wednesday, I began my M.A. in Linguistics this summer at CanIL. It is recommended that linguists eventually attain an M.A. in order to be most effective in their work and I want to be the most effective I can be and reach as many people with the Gospel as possible!
The time between finishing up my last day of recruitment work at the Wycliffe Calgary Office and the beginning of summer training at the Canada Institute of Linguistics has been packed with PD (prayer and financial support raising) for Lauren and me! One of the events that I am especially excited to be a part of is a radio program that will occur this coming Sunday at 7pm! While I have never been on the radio before, I am looking forward to the hour-long broadcast where I will be able to share about the work that Lauren and I will be doing, as well as the vision of Wycliffe as a whole! It is a great opportunity to promote the work of Bible translation and so if you are in Manitoba near Portage La Prairie at 7pm on Sunday, May 31st, tune into CFRY 920 AM & CFRY 93.1 FM if you would like to hear me speak.
Finally, I wanted to share a neat story that occurred recently when I was sharing about my life and mission at a small, rural church near where I grew up in Manitoba. I spoke with many different people after the service, but one interaction stood out the most to me. A lady was talking to me and saying how much she appreciated me coming out and sharing about Wycliffe, and then she said, “When I’m supporting you and your wife, I don’t feel like I’m supporting missionaries.” That took me aback and I started thinking, “what does she means she doesn’t feel like she’s supporting missionaries? How are we not missionaries? We work for a Bible translation organization and we are moving to Tanzania!” Luckily before I had a chance to say anything back to her, she continued. She said, “I don’t feel like I’m just supporting missionaries. I feel like I’m supporting people being able to receive the Word of God. I feel like I’m supporting the Gospel reaching the ends of the earth.” I was stunned and humbled. What a great God we serve that we get the privilege of helping the Gospel reach the ends of the earth! On Friday, April 24th Lauren wrote the very last exam of her undergraduate degree and she is now officially a linguist! I am very proud of the hard work that she has put in over the past four years for this great accomplishment and it is hard to believe that she is already done! Now, we are heading into a time of transition, we are moving out of our current house, focusing the next month support raising, and attending CanIL (Canada Institute of Linguistics) in June to finish my training in language survey. After that we will complete the final preparations and fundraising for our overseas assignment! Oh and on the subject of our overseas assignment, we have another big announcement, which we will be making in our next newsletter coming soon… so stay tuned!
If you would like to receive our newsletter, feel free to send me an email at [email protected]. Anticipation is building as I look forward to June 15th, 2015. For me personally it marks the 2nd anniversary of the day I married the love of my life, Lauren. For me professionally it will also mark the first day of my final semester of language survey training at CanIL (Canada Institute of Linguistics) in Langley, BC!
Summer at CanIL is an intensive 9 week program that trains Bible translators, linguists, literacy workers and language surveyors, among other things as well. We work hard at CanIL, but alongside the courses offered, CanIL also has a vibrant community life made up of students and staff who make an effort to get to know one another and have fun together during the summer. Hiking, camping, morning chapel and communal meals are all part of the CanIL experience! Overall, it is a great place to meet many people who share a passion for linguistics, Bible translation and the Bibleless peoples of the world! Many of these students will one day be my colleagues on the mission field where we will work alongside each other to do our part in translating the scriptures into all the languages of the world! I have already completed the first semester of training and will complete my second, and final, semester of the survey track this summer. After that, I will be ready to go overseas and start my language survey work. Now some of you may be wondering, what exactly is language survey? To give you a general idea, language survey is one of the first steps in the Bible translation process. We work in teams and travel to remote areas to gather linguistic and cultural data about minority languages, which is used by language developers and Bible translators to determine what needs to be done to most effectively move forward in the Bible translation process. Language survey is also crucial at various points throughout the translation process when more information about a specific aspect of a language is required, in order to help Bible translators overcome barriers while translating the scriptures. Our work also includes documenting minority languages, as many of the languages that we will encounter have been studied very little, if at all. Data that we collect is then used to create grammars of the language and start literacy programs. It is challenging work, but also extraordinarily exciting and rewarding! I can’t wait to be a part of it! Here are a couple links that provide more information about the Canada Institute of Linguistics and the program that I will be completing in this summer. Summer at CanIL Language survey track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Wycliffe Missionaries Lauren and I are moving out in faith, trusting that God will ensure our needs are met by stirring hearts to provide us both prayer and financial support. If you feel the Lord stirring your heart to partner with us financially you can download and print this form and follow the instructions provided. Wycliffe Giving Form If you would like to learn more about what Lauren and I are doing with Wycliffe and how you can be a part of that through prayer and encouragement, or if you have any other questions for us, you can contact us at: [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also call Chris at +1-587-583-5181. Below is a picture of the students and staff that was taken during my first semester at CanIL. “The Race has had a profound impact in motivating young people, specifically young men, to get involved in missions and Bible translation work.” If you have heard me at one of my recent speaking engagements, then you have most likely heard me say those words during my presentation. I like to emphasize that point because the race really does profoundly impact young men and I can say this with authority because I am one of the men that was impacted through this event!
Since becoming a Wycliffe member, I have had many opportunities to tell people about how God brought me to the place that I am today. While telling my story, I often add or omit parts depending on time constraints, or what parts I want to emphasize. However, there is one piece of my story that I never leave out, and that is the significant role that the Race to 2025 had in my decision to become a Wycliffe member. I first participated in the Race to 2025 in 2010 during the Treasure in Asia themed weekend with some friends from Nipawin Bible College, the College that I was attending at the time. Aside from getting the opportunity to climb a mountain and scale a frozen waterfall, I really didn’t know what to expect that weekend but the idea of participating in a race where I didn’t know what I might be doing or where I would be going next was a big enough thrill to get me involved. The money that we raised for Bible translation work was really just a bonus for me that first time, though as I continued to participate in the race over the next couple of years my heart began to change. In 2011, after I had finished my program at Bible college, I was praying that God would show me my next step in life, because I was very unsure of what I was going to do next. While I was praying, a friend called me and asked me to be on his race team. I took that as an answer to my prayers and accepted his invitation. I felt like I was racing for more than just an adventure that time and so before that race weekend I asked that God would show me through my experience what He would like my next step to be. He did! My team did very well and ended up winning scholarships that no one else on the team wanted to use and so I ended up with all of them. I took that as another answer from God and used the scholarship to go on a missions trip to Kenya in 2012. It was on the mission trip that God ignited a passion inside me for Bible translation and the Bibleless people of the world. I also met Lauren on the trip and, after we were married a year later, we began our journey towards becoming members of Wycliffe! Since the first encounter I had with a Wycliffe recruiter (Derryl Friesen), things have come full circle! I have gone from being recruited and participating in the Race to 2025, to recruiting and being one of the speakers for the event, and this is just the beginning! My journey as a Wycliffe member has only begun, as I am currently planning to head overseas to do language survey work long-term, which is the first step in Bible translation and what the Race to 2025 is based on! All in all, I can confidently say that the Race to 2025 has had a huge impact on my life and I would strongly suggest if you are given the chance to participate, go for it! For a short time during the holiday season we had the opportunity to slow down and spend lots of quality time with friends and family. Not only was it a much needed rest from the break-neck pace of life, but we treasure every moment that we get to spend with important people in our lives. (Especially considering we do not know how much longer we will be living in Canada and how much time we will get to spend with them once we move away!) However, while the holidays were very enjoyable, it’s time to get back into the swing of things! Chris is heading back to the office after the time he spent in December doing concentrated partnership development work and I just finished the first day of my last semester of classes. It is a very strange feeling knowing that I am but a few short months away from being done my degrees. I am looking forward to the next few months as well as to what the future holds after graduation!
P.S. We just sent out our Winter 2015 newsletter, so let us know if you want a copy and check out the link to our new Instagram page! |
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
Categories |