One of Those Sundays

There comes a church service in one's lifetime, that is so incredibly powerful, where God makes Himself so undeniably evident you question how people can reject His existence.

One of those Sundays where you end up sitting or kneeling during the worship, because the stories and the Scripture so perfectly align, that your jaw drops, and just to sing "Majesty, worship His Majesty" takes on a whole new meaning. 

One of those Sundays that the pastor's closing prayer resonates in your heart and you mean every single word along with him as God confirms these truths and speaks to your soul. 

One of those Sundays where you let the tears roll down your cheeks while simultaneously grinning from ear to ear, unashamed, because you've just discovered what an amazing God you serve. 

One of those Sundays that you just want to hug everyone or shout Hallelujah, Amen, which is totally out of your character, because you know that this omnipotent, omniscient God deeply loves you.

This was one of those Sundays.

Hearing the testimony of the elderly couple seated on a couch onstage, it was like walking into their living room, sitting with them, enjoying afternoon tea and sharing stories. Except these stories were like no other.

You see this couple, Keith and Wilma Forster, are Wycliffe Bible Translators. The Forsters have dedicated the majority of lives to living with the Kuna tribe in the jungles of Panama and translating the Bible into their native language and what a journey it's been.

Keith grew up in South Africa, and having a passion for the Lord and making him known, walked away distressed that a group of international miners didn't have the Bible in their language. This experience impacted him for the rest of his life, and, even though he was not skilled in languages, he decided that he would either be an accountant or a Bible translator and use it for the Lord.

When he had to provide for his widowed mother, he received checks in the mail from anonymous donors, as well as was miraculously provided the funds and a fully paid ticket for a mission trip to Colombia. Later, while facing the dilemma to become an accountant or a Bible translator, Keith was approached by a pastor he had met in Colombia, who, prompted by the Lord, signed Keith up for Wycliffe's linguistics course and jungle training and funded the whole process. (Ha! Talk about an answer to his dilemma about what to study!)

Wilma, on the other hand, never wanted to be a missionary, but God grabbed a hold of her heart and she eventually committed whole-heartedly, "Okay I'll be a missionary, even if it means I will be a single missionary." And He continued to direct her and sustain her, even when she met Keith and had three children together. Can you imagine raising a family in a completely different culture than your own? Not to mention snakes.

There are countless stories during their years pre-Panama and during their years in the jungles where God completely provided and directed their work, so that today, the Forsters and their translation team sit just weeks away from the final revisions of the New Testament in Kuna.

Listen to the service recording and their story "Our Lives for a Book" here.
Toda la gloria es para Dios!