A Canadian couple who recently returned from an extensive speaking tour in Latin America say Christians in that region are eager to serve God and ready to advance Bible translation in Southeast Asia.
The Friesens (front row, centre) pose with students in Costa Rica.
Wycliffe Canada’s Derryl and Karen Friesen spoke at 30 meetings during a three-week tour that took them to Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Speaking to students, church and mission leaders and on radio and TV, the Friesens challenged thousands of believers to channel their passion for Jesus and their desire to serve Him into Bible translation efforts in Mainland Southeast Asia.
The response, they reported in a recent email to supporters, was beyond anything they could have imagined.
After speaking at missions seminars in Argentina, for example, the Friesens were approached by a young couple who said, “Everything you talked about today describes us exactly. We are the people you are talking about. We are ready to go. What do we need to do next?”
After talking to the Friesens, the couple applied to study linguistics at Payap University in Thailand.
“We believe with all our hearts that God is indeed raising up a new wave of missionaries from Latin America for the Bible translation task in Southeast Asia. And Karen and I are thrilled that we have had a small part in being the link between the two.”
The Friesens, who are based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, plan to submit a full report about their tour to leaders of the Wycliffe Global Alliance and SIL Asia. It’s hoped the report will aid in developing strategies and new pathways for Latin Americans to serve long-term in difficult, new contexts in Southeast Asia.
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