A grateful client of Verna's
August 2007
Dear friends of Verna,
It's with joy that I write this unsolicited endorsement of Verna and her counseling ministry with Wycliffe Bible Translators and also thank you for your part in making it possible for her to minister to her fellow missionaries. My wife and I spent last year in the US on home assignment after three terms overseas as Wycliffe members working with SIL. During our time at home, Verna's ministry to us brought needed healing to our marriage and helped us understand each other better. Although our marriage commitment was strong, we had issues that had plagued us for many years. Instead of our relationship being the source of joy and strength that it could have been as we worked overseas in a difficult environment, it became at times another challenge we had to deal with. Instead of feeling secure in our love for each other, we oftentimes found ourselves deeply hurt by the other's actions and seeming lack of love. We had made significant progress over the years, but I finally realized that I was not going to be able to work through these deep-seated issues without outside help. It was then that I contacted Wycliffe's counseling department and arranged to meet with one of Verna's colleagues. From the second session on, Verna joined with him, my wife and me. At the same time, we enrolled in a marriage course being offered at our church.
Through Verna and her colleague's counseling as well as the marriage course, God brought a measure of healing and renewal to our marriage that I hardly thought possible. My wife and I are thrilled with what God has done for us, and we are thoroughly enjoying our unencumbered love for each other. Our relationship is no longer one of the challenges that we have to overcome in order to work effectively in the cross-cultural context where God has called us, but it's one of the main things we've got going for us. And God knew what he was doing when he led us to Verna and her colleague. We have returned to our field of service, and in the next months we'll be entering into a position of leadership that is one of the most demanding in our organization. We thank God for using Verna in our lives.
My wife and I encourage you to continue being a part of Verna's ministry by supporting her in prayer and by partnering with her financially. As you may be aware, we Wycliffe members don't receive a guaranteed salary, but each of us looks to God to provide our needs through churches and individuals that catch the calling together with us. Those of us who work overseas, especially those who do actual Bible translation, often have an easier time of finding financial partners, and we're more likely to enjoy full financial support. But those who work at home -- like Verna -- are equally valuable members of the team. I am convinced that for the rest of our lives, our ministry will be much more effective because of Verna's counseling. Working overseas isn't easy. It makes normal problems that many people face all the more difficult, and sometimes cross-cultural living in itself brings such stress that it requires someone with Verna's experience and expertise to deal with it. Having somebody like Verna ready to help is essential. We wholeheartedly endorse Verna as being worthy of your partnership in her ministry.
Thank you once again for your part in making Verna's ministry possible.