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Stitches in time

By Deb Fox (adapted with permission from newsletters from Warren, Jessie and Merryn)  |  Wycliffe Today  June 2020  |

Warren and Jessie have celebrated 45 years of highs and lows involved in translating the Godavari* mini Bible. They say that, much like the journey of the translation itself, the dedication did not go according to plan. There were delays with the typesetting, transport issues and changes in travel plans. Warren and Jessie arrived at their destination just before the coronavirus pandemic was announced. Then another concern hit the team—how would their Australian visitors arrive when they had been told the airport had been closed? Thankfully, on the day of the dedication, 250 people had gathered, including their overseas guests. They were all able to witness the joy on the faces of the people who now have God’s Word in their own language. 

Following the dedication ceremony, Warren and Jessie had a chance to reminisce over fond family memories with their children, Mark and Merryn. They visited old family homes and then Merryn pulled something out of her bag. ‘Close your eyes’, she asked them. They tried to guess the mystery item. What was it? A blanket made from woollen squares they had knitted when Merryn was very young. Jessie had backed the squares and given the dolly blanket to her as a Christmas present. She had kept it all this time as a reminder of the bonds they shared as a family and the bonds they all felt to the area they were re-visiting. 

Merryn shares:

They say you can’t go home, and we were all aware of the perils of nostalgia and the reality of change. But that journey was far more than a return to the past; it was an affirmation of a family’s life together. It was a difficult life at times and we are no dream family, but it was a life fired by a purpose greater than itself. We were ordinary people in an extraordinary place and I am forever thankful. To be there again together, for the last time, was a gift.

*pseudonym

 

For more information, please contact Wycliffe Australia info@wycliffe.org.au

Thanks for your patience...

Waiting is hard, isn't it. But imagine waiting 2000 years for Scripture in your language! Thanks for your patience. And thanks for your generous support which will help bring the long wait to an end...