October, 2018
Greetings from York, PA, where we have experienced a warm two weeks of fall.

When we last wrote...
Diane had been with her parents for a month this summer when her father was hospitalized. After about a month in a rehab facility, he returned home and is now doing therapy as an out-patient. Thanks for all who prayed and expressed concern for him. Diane returned to Guatemala from Michigan in late July.

Old Testament translation work
In August, she participated in the checking session for finishing the book of Ezekiel. We thank those who prayed for the K'iche' team as they again had the tedious task of reading each verse, stopping to make improvements and incorporate the consultant's suggestions. We will have sessions again the last two weeks of October to work through Daniel and Hosea. There are some interesting descriptions in Daniel that we want to be clearly expressed to the K’iche’ readers.

What would it take?
What would it take to produce children’s Bible story books and coloring pages. These items are readily available in English, often at low prices. Story books in Spanish, though, are fewer and more expensive. Currently none are available in K’iche’. As more Bible passages from the Old Testament are translated and polished, we are wondering what it would take to make this content available to children. Additionally, Marty has had requests for more coloring book pages of Bible stories. These pages had Spanish verses, but we’d like to see the equivalent in the heart language of these children. If you know of any on the internet that are in the public domain (no copyright) and biblically accurate, please let us know, as we have found very few that are suitable. For example, we’re avoiding renditions of Noah’s ark that look like the good ship Lollipop, or have several windows in it.

Revelation study in the home stretch
The verse-by-verse Revelation study with pastors in rural Guatemala is coming to a close. It has taken much longer than expected. Marty did his best to break the content into bite-size pieces. This approach, however, prolonged the study rather than reduce it. The participants have asked many questions about the content of the book as well as questions related to various interpretations of the vision given to John. The final two chapters will almost certainly provoke additional discussions and questions.
Saying Goodbye
The reason for greeting you from Pennsylvania is that we flew to York when we learned that Marty's father's health was rapidly failing. We thank God for a good visit about 36 hours before he peacefully passed away in his sleep at age 91. Miriam and Joe joined us for the funeral.
Our thanks to all who sent words of encouragement and comfort during this time. The 18 days were filled with visits with family and close friends, and we are grateful for the time we could spend with them before returning to Guatemala.

Saying hello
We are looking forward to the arrival of a granddaughter in November, in San Antonio Texas --Joe and Lauren's second child.
In mid October Miriam will be saying hello to new colleagues as she starts work as a speech pathologist for a home health working with children in San Antonio.

May you be blessed, as you have certainly blessed us!