Lord, thank you for friends!

Christ has ONE bride!

Dear ones and conquering prayer warriors! :)

I just had a wonderful conversation with my dear brother. His deep desire for the things of the Lord encourages me. Today he shared with me his desire of seeing the Church united as on body. After all, we are the bride of Christ, right? We prayed together and meditated on the following...

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!" --Proverbs

Over the last week, I have had a few conversations with different people about the Lord and the way He works among us, His people. There are so many questions that consume my thoughts and confuse me to no end. The ways of the Lord are truly a mystery. He has graciously and mercifully given us His Word in our language. Getting this Word into other languages is one of my greatest passions and dreams, and I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to train for Bible translation and study something I absolutely love!

Today's sermon was on the Divine Glory, Divine Judgment, and Divine Mercy of God. It was such a beautiful reminder for me. Mercy is not deserved. It is a free gift. That's what makes it mercy.Aren't you glad that we have such a merciful and personal God?!

I sure am.

Thank you for your much needed and appreciated prayers as I continue my training here in Dallas. Though I miss my snow (I do!), it is kind of nice to wear shorts and sandals. :)

May the Lord bless you and equip you for His purposes, and may the motivation for everything you do be our Christ---merciful Savior.

Lovingly,Ruthie
(If you want to receive my monthly prayer letter sent out by LBT, email me at rlee@lbt.org.)

Lord, say to my soul, "I am your salvation." (Ps 35:3)

I have been feeling like Anne when she is away from home and longs for her Green Gables. I miss my Minnesota and all that I left, but I'm grateful for the way God is working in my life through the struggles and challenges! I am definitely being tested and broken. It is a very humbling experience to sit in my Scripture Use Methods class surrounded by experienced translators and missionaries who have so much to offer. Who am I? Nobody without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God is good, and He says to my soul, "I am your salvation." (Ps. 35:3b)

He is the King of Glory!

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Happy Birthday Jesus!
I had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with my family and saying goodbye to them for some months. I'm staying with my sister Mary and her family in Ohio before I head down to Dallas on the 4th and 5th.During the roadtrip to Ohio, my sister Esther and I had a good discussion about God and how He graciously reveals Himself to us in so many different ways. The Lord displays His faithfulness to each of us, and we notice it in many different ways. She sees His might and faithfulness most through creation, and I through people.

This is what Yahweh (the LORD) said to Moses while on the mountain, "Yahweh, Yahweh, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin."

Thanks to His son Jesus, whose birth we just celebrated, our sins ARE forgiven. YES!!!

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My car made it fine to Ohio with a broken headgasket; and she's still running, but I still have over 1,000 miles to drive. Please pray for protection on the road for me and for my friend Kevin who's driving down with me.My last post was about lonliness and finding comfort in Christ. This is a lesson I am still learning along with several others. I am still going through a rough patch, but God's faithfulness is magnified during these bumps. I am encouraged by Psalm 24.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.(Selah)
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. (Selah)

Here are some pictures of the kids!!!

This is a project that I did with my nanny kids. I love it!

I went camping with several good friends from Bible school! It was pretty cold. :)

Home again!

Last week, I was sitting on my bed thinking about what I should say at the church I was visiting the next morning. I have been speaking every Sunday for about a month about my role with LBT and LBT's role in Bible translation work, but what I say is modified every week as I think about what the Lord might have for me to say. As I listened, this song came to me..."Teach me, Lord, to have faith in what you're bringing me will change my life and bring you glory! There on the storm, I am learning to let go of the will that I so long to control. There may I be in your arms eternally. I thank you, Lord; you are the calmer of the storm."This is the chorus for Downhere's song, "Calmer of the Storm". What an encouragement! It is so comforting to know that no matter what we go through the Lord is with us...always!I'M HOME AGAIN (for a couple months)! Many of you have been praying for me and the family I was nannying for (See previous updates). Jen has made unbelievable progress, and she is almost completely off the IVs!!! Praise the Lord. I am desperately going to miss the four little boys I have come to love so dearly, and my dear kindred spirit who has been a mentor and friend, Jen. But... what a blessing it is to be home early! Now I can spend much needed time with LBT paperwork, reports, and my Hermeneutics directed study.

Tiny faith, gi-normous grace!

Well, the Lord has been teaching me quite a bit about my weaknesses and some of the many things that I have yet to learn.I have had bronchitis for about a week, so between coughing fits and exhaustion, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking. Many of you know the dream I have of going overseas to meet an exciting group of people, to learn an exciting language, and to tell people about OUR Savior. Well, this excitement is still there, but reality is beginning to kick in as time continues to tick. As I've been meeting pastors and speaking to groups, I am learning more about this call than I had before. I am ashamed to admit that doubt and feelings of fear have crept up over the last couple weeks. I am beginning to embrace this time the Lord has given me for training. The unknown of Nigeria is beginning to challenge my courage with thoughts of..."How long will it take to communicate with people?" "Will the language be difficult?""Will I be lonely?" "Will I make a friend to spill my concerns to?" "Will the Lord supply ALL my needs?" "Will I have the courage to talk about my Lord?""Will people listen?""Will the job seem monotonous?""Will there be fruit?""Will God be glorified?"My faith is tiny, and God's grace is gi-normous!"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for you brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." -I Peter 1:22-24

Only 429!!!

First! How can I pray for you? Please update me.Thank you, thank you, thank you! The encouragement I have received is incredible, and I am especially thankful for those who have offered to help me with the family I'm caring for (see past posts). We need it. I am so grateful for all of you who are praying for me, and I am so excited that I have a chance to share my heart with you.Recently as I have be reading the Word and feeling its overwhelming power, I have been thinking about those who don't have it (surprise, surprise). Do you know that there are 6,912 languages in the world, and only 429 languages have complete Bibles? That's about 6%. Does this shock you or what? I've been learning about translation for 3-4 years now and this fact feels like a boulder being thrown on me. What can I do? Pray.Only 429! http://www.wycliffe.org/About/Statistics.aspxA little over 1,000 languages have only the New Testament, and nearly 2,000 translations are in progress. Why is it that only 429 languages have the Bible translated, and we have over 50 complete modern English translations? Huh?!I am praising the Lord for these 429 complete translations (though many are already outdated because of language changes). BUT!!! I am grieved that there are so few in comparison to the thousands left. Whew! I have also been burdened with the need for Old Testament translations. It's the majority of Scripture, its translation need is downplayed, and the need is enormous! Please pray.Please pray for...-The 196 MILLION people who don't have ANY Scripture at all. NONE!-The incredibly overwhelming translation needs.-Continual guidance with what project I am to work with in Nigeria. There are over 500 languages there and 135 million people!-Opportunities for me to speak in churches. Scheduling has been difficult.-The family I'm living with and caring for, my health, and wisdom with care and discipline.-My focus on the Lord. It's hard.****I just sent out my first prayer letter with LBT so if you didn't receive it and would like to please contact me at rlee@lbt.org(If you do not want to receive updates feel free to leave the group.)