Happy Easter! We recently returned from our Wycliffe training in Orlando; thank you so much for your prayers! We had an amazing time. It was a huge blessing to learn from people who have been with Wycliffe for decades, to have fellowship with other families who have the same calling, and to hear stories about what God is doing around the world through Bible translation. The following story was especially meaningful to us at this time of year:

At a Good Friday service in Cameroon, a local translator named Leonard Bolioki stepped forward to read John’s account of the crucifixion. This passage had always been read in French, but this year the local priest asked Leonard to read in the local language, Yambetta.

As he read, there was a growing stillness in the room. Some began to weep. At the end of the service, people rushed up to him and asked, “Where did you find this story? We have never heard anything like it before. We didn’t know there was someone who loved us so much that he was willing to suffer and die like that!”

Leonard pulled out his French New Testament and showed them the passage. “We listen to this story every year during Holy Week,” he told them, but they insisted that they’d never heard it. This experience motivated Leonard to translate the whole New Testament into Yambetta, the language of his people. Praise God, it was dedicated in 2016!

Please pray that the nearly 1700 language groups left without Scripture would be able to hear about the hope we have in Jesus!

In Christ,
Matt, Emily, & Elijah

Praise

• Our training in Orlando was amazing!
• Elijah has been doing great! He loved the MK care program in Orlando, was awesome on the plane, and is continuing to talk more and more!

Prayers

• We are speaking at a local church on April 30th! Pray that we would get more opportunities to share, and for calm nerves
• For God to build a team of partners to get us to PNG by early 2018
• That God would bless and provide for the other families we met in Orlando

Leonard Bolioki