July Newsletter and Commissioning Service!

I’ve been hard at work this past month studying graduate linguistics at the Summer Institute of Linguistics, hosted by the University of North Dakota. It has been a delight to be able to wrestle with complex issues that I will encounter on the field under the guidance of internationally-recognized linguists! Many times, I have found myself sitting in class and struggling to grasp the meaning, until the professor is able to explain it in such that I feel like my eyes are finally opened and I understand!




When Yakob Kaya read the Bible in his mother tongue for the first time at age 70, he testified to a similar experience as my academics, saying:


“When the Orya people heard the Bible in the Indonesian language, they couldn’t understand the meaning. It was like hearing a bird up on a tree singing, but not being able to understand what the bird is saying. Or like knowing that there are fish in the water, but not being able to see them – because our eyes were closed. But when we read the Bible in Orya language, our eyes were opened, and we were amazed at God's message to us.”

I just sent out my July newsletter. If you didn't receive one and would like to, please send me an email at catherine_rivard@wycliffe.org. Also, if you would like a prayer card, please send me an email with your mailing address, and I would be glad to get one to you!

ANNOUNCEMENT!

My commissioning service is fast approaching! This will be the last opportunity for me to say goodbye to many of you before I leave for PNG on August 12. I would be honored and blessed if you would be able to join me there, even for a short period!

• When: Sunday, August 7, 2011 from 5-6 pm (followed by an open house at the church from 6-8 pm)
• Where: Centennial Evangelical Free Church in Columbus, MN (see www.cefc.net for directions)
• RSVP: Click here: http://doodle.com/dg9vf5hikng687sy or on the Facebook event: www.facebook.com/CatherinePNG by July 31 so we know how much food to provide!