Habari za Mark July 2006

Exciting times in the US…

In April I went to California to visit my girlfriend Laura, and on April 19th on a beautiful beach in sunny Oregon I asked her to marry me! We are now very much looking forward to getting married in the USA on 6 January 2007, with a thanksgiving service in the UK three weeks later. Laura has always wanted to work with Wycliffe and to be a missionary in Africa, and we are really excited about how the Lord has brought us together!



Visiting Churches and Small Groups

In May and June I have been speaking at various churches and small groups in the UK. It has been a real privilege to be able to talk to so many people about the work that God is doing in Tanzania, and to share with them some of the exciting things that have happened in the last couple of years. Thanks to many of you who have invited me to speak at various events!

Looking ahead…

I am currently in the UK and planning to return to Tanzania on July 13 for another few months. Laura will be coming back with me for a couple of weeks to attend our branch conference in Kenya and then to spend a week in Tanzania. We are both really looking forward to meeting up with people from East Africa again!

Drought in Tanzania

Thanks for your prayers for Tanzania over the past few months. There have been some rains during this time, but there is still a big problem with lack of food, especially in the rural areas. Many people had already planted several times by the time the rain arrived, meaning they had nothing left to plant. Please pray for good rains at the right time, and for a good harvest. Pray also that the government would be able to ensure that everyone has food until they get a good harvest. There have also been lengthy powercuts most days over the last few months due to the lack of rain, and these show no sign of subsiding in the foreseeable future.

Much of Tanzania is very dry

World Congress of African Linguistics

In August I have been asked to represent SIL at the World Congress of African Linguistics at the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. I have been asked to present a paper on how we create language maps in Tanzania. I have almost finished writing the paper now and am really looking forward to presenting it, although I am slightly scared at the prospect of standing in front of lots of professors and other clever people!

Mara Word Collection

In October and November I expect to return to Mara Region of Tanzania with the Tanzania survey team. There are eight languages in Mara Region that will hopefully begin a Bible translation project next year, but before the project can start, a total of 2,000 words are required in each language. Our task will be to spend a week in each language area to try and collect these 2,000 words, which can then be used when the task of analysing the languages begins early next year.

At the beginning of December I will be leaving Tanzania for the time being and flying to the US to prepare for our wedding. Please keep praying for Laura and I as we prepare for married life and plan for our future. We would really love to be back in Tanzania with Wycliffe at some point, so please pray that we would be open to the Lord’s leading as we pray about the future.

Stuff to pray for…

• Please continue to pray for Tanzania at this time – for rain and for provision of enough food for all the people. Also for wisdom for the government and church leaders.
  
• Thank God for our engagement in April and please pray for Laura and I as we prepare for our wedding in January and married life afterwards.
• Pray that I would settle back in well to Tanzania in July and that Laura would enjoy her short visit
• Pray for me as I present my paper in Ethiopia, and that it would be received well by those present
• For the word collection in Mara Region – that the task would go well and we would be able to collect the words while at the same time building good relations with the local people
• For Laura and I to trust the Lord and grow in him over the next few months apart
  

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

My website: www.habarizamark.co.uk
E-mail: mark_woodward@sil.org

Wycliffe Bible Translators, Horsleys Green,
High Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 3XL, UK
www.wycliffe.org.uk
E-mail: askus@wycliffe.org