Lots to be thankful for!

We have a lot to be thankful for. Rejoice with us and thank God for these blessings:

  1. In the Gurbet language, we finished the quality assurance consultant check in 2 Samuel and are now starting 1 Kings.
  2. In the Macedonian Arli language, we finished Revelation and are now starting Galatians.
  3. In the Bayash language, we are making headway in the Gospel of Mark. Please pray for us that our translations into these languages (Gurbet, Macedonian Arli, and Bayash) will be accurate, clear, natural, acceptable, and will match the literary style of the original.
  4. I (Todd) had a colonoscopy, and everything came back clear. (I am high risk since my father died from colon cancer, so I need to be tested regularly.)
  5. Daniel has 54% of the financial support he needs to go to Slovenia in September to help build a building for a church camp there. (If you would like to donate to help send him, you can do so at this link: https://fbctn.gomethod.app/!/58270/slovenia-trip-2026/participants/612827/donate). Much appreciated!
  6. Matthew was able to visit us from Atlanta for a week. While he was here, we enjoyed some fun time together at a local waterpark.
  7. We will be going to California to visit Jonathan for a week. This is our first time seeing his house there!
  8. Ariela got to go to two Bible camps this summer, and a campout with her American Heritage Girls troop, where they also got to tour Watkins Woolen Mill. She turned 15 and enjoyed birthday celebrations, and is looking forward to working on her driver’s permit.
  9. After significant car issues, Kirsten was able to get a new-to-her car in much better shape.
  10. As part of my role in training others in our region to become Bible translation consultants, I will begin supervising quality assurance/consultant checks for a trainee in three more languages: Serbian Arli and Chergash for 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings, and Montenegrin in Mark and Matthew. Please pray for much wisdom from the Lord and for the time, energy, stamina, and concentration needed to take on these tasks, and most of all that I will be a great blessing to the brother I am supervising and help him grow in his role as a Bible translation consultant. He is a delight to work with! Also, please pray for us that our translations into these languages (Arli, Chergash, and Montenegrin) will also be accurate, clear, and natural.

Thanks for praising and praying with us. Enjoy a few family pictures below.

Gratefully,

Todd & Pamala

Our daily prayer calendar for August 2026

Price prayer letter for 08-2026 page 2Download

August 1 Pray for Todd’s visit to his mom, Geri, at her nursing home in OKC this weekend to be a blessing

August 2 Pray for Pam teaching youth girls on 1 Samuel these next 3 Sundays, for effective teaching and learning

August 3 Pray that Bayash Roma will read, listen to, and watch the Gospel of Luke in their language, which we distributed

August 4 Pray for accurate results at Todd’s colonoscopy this morning

August 5 Praise for the great youth group years for Daniel on this final day of his time in high school youth group

August 6 Pray that Ludari Roma will read, listen to, and watch the Gospel of Luke in their language that we distributed

August 7 Pray for Todd & the Macedonian Arli team to translate Revelation & Galatians accurately, clearly & naturally

August 8 Today is Ariela’s 15th birthday! Praise God for her love for Jesus, care for others & courage to tell of Jesus’ love

August 9 Pray for a fun & edifying birthday party for Ariela with her church friends & with our family

August 10 Pray for the salvation of Ludari in Capraške Poljane, Croatia, where we visit each year & have distributed Luke & Bible stories

August 11 Pray for the salvation of the Bayash in Palanjek, Croatia, where we visit each summer & have distributed Luke & Bible stories

August 12 Today is Matthew’s 28th birthday! Pray for a close walk with Jesus & for grace with his daily nerve/phantom pain

August 13 Ask God to plant Gospel-preaching churches among the Roma in Kutina, Palanjek & Capraške Poljane, Croatia

August 14 Pray for wisdom for Todd studying to prepare to help translate 1-2 Kings in the Gurbet language

August 15 Pray for God to be glorified & the Gospel proclaimed at today’s memorial for Dr. Joseph Kappes, which Pam is assisting with

August 16 Pray for us to be effective and efficient and keep all our efforts focused on eternity

August 17 Pray for safe travels for our trip to visit Jonathan & help with renovations on his house in Crescent City, CA, this week

August 18 Pray for wisdom for Todd studying to prepare to help translate Rev., Galatians & Ephesians in the Macedonian Arli language

August 19 Pray for our adult children to have an eternal perspective to see Jesus’ sufficiency, power, and forgiveness

August 20 Ariela begins competitive gymnastics today; pray she’ll be a light for Christ as she shares the Gospel with friends there

August 21 Praise for safety & strength on the job for our son-in-law, Stephen, as we celebrate his birthday today

August 22 Pray that our help with Jonathan on his house will be a blessing to him, & for safety for us flying home today

August 23 Pray for a great transition for Daniel into a new Sunday school and college & career group at church

August 24 Pray for God’s guidance as we edit verses in Mark & Matthew in Bayash, for a clear, accurate & natural translation

August 25 Pray for Todd & the Gurbet team to accurately, clearly, and naturally translate 1-2 Kings in their language

August 26 Pray for Todd to wisely mentor & coach those training to become translation consultants in Europe

August 27 Praise for the huge help Pam’s sister, Kim, is when we are away, watching our house & cat; we’re celebrating her birthday today!

August 28 Pray the Bayash team can successfully produce two translations, for use in two related dialects

August 29 Praise that Pam can watch our granddaughter weekly (on average) & for the opportunity to pour into her life

August 30 Pray for full financial support for Daniel’s short-term construction trip to Slovenia

August 31 Pray for wisdom for Todd checking the Bayash translation of Mark and Matthew

Glimmers of Hope: Quarterly Impact Report

Below are excerpts from the exciting quarterly report on progress in Bible translation with our teams and global partners:

Dear friends, 

This quarter’s update shows encouraging progress and extraordinary opportunity. We have now served in 452 Bible translation projects to date, with 444 presently active and 10 full Bible translations completed. Bibleless places are beginning to shine with the light of God’s Word. 

During this period, 13 New Testaments and 2 full Bibles (including a reprint) entered production. This includes the recently dedicated 3 New Testaments in Romani languages. I encourage you to watch the video and read the story below. Both are powerful testimonies of God’s Word at work among people not forgotten.  We are also seeing strong growth in the people being equipped for the work:

74 new Diploma in Bible Translation students, now totaling 1,196

22 new consultants in training, now totaling 119 

The most significant number before us is community demand. 493 additional language communities have been identified where there is an immediate need for Bible translation and where we have the capacity to begin work, if financial resources were not a limiting factor. Grassroots demand is growing rapidly as communities witness the transformative effects of Scripture—strengthening faith, supporting learning, restoring dignity, and bringing hope into daily life. 

Over the past 45 years, God has grown The Word for the World from a single project beginning to hundreds of Bible translation projects. Before us now stands a significantly larger season of responsibility. The demand is real. The indigenous-led model is effective. People are being equipped. We have the capacity to meet this demand, and funding will determine how fully and how quickly we can respond. Your partnership makes this possible.

Thank you for every prayer, every gift, and every partnership as we press toward the day when Scripture exists and Jesus is known among every language community. 

God bless,
KOBUS VAN ASWEGEN
INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT & CEO
THE WORD FOR THE WORLD BIBLE TRANSLATORS (TWFTW)

[CLICK TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE]

An answer to a years-long prayer…

Last week we saw an answer to a years-long prayer request: I had the joy of leading the first Bible translation consultation meeting with the new team (pictured above) translating the New Testament into the Bayash language! As you might recall, from 2014-2018 we worked on translation into Bayash and completed the Gospel of Luke and 50 chronological Bible stories which we printed, audio recorded and distributed. However, since then we have been unable for many years to go farther in translation due to lack of translators.

But in February of this year God put together a new translation team and they have been receiving training and drafting the translation of the Gospel of Mark. Pamala and I met them in person in Serbia in April, and I met with them online last week to check the first 15 verses of Mark. What a joy to see the language project restarted and to have tangible hope that we can work now to give the Bayash people the rest of the New Testament.

There are differing dialects of Bayash, and the related language, Ludari. As we work with the new translators, it looks like we will probably end up producing two translations for Bayash in order to meet the needs of more readers since there are significant differences in the dialects.

Regarding my Bible translation consultant work in other areas, in the Gurbet language we have almost finished 2 Samuel and I have begun preparing to consult on the next book, 1 Kings. And in the North Macedonian Arli language, we are doing consultant checks in the book of Revelation, after which we will check Galatians.

Pamala and I led the missions segment of our church’s VBS recently. She read a missionary story to the kids (pictured above) and taught them how they can be kid missionaries even now, and prepare to serve the Lord in foreign lands when they are older.

Ariela has enjoyed going to Camp Good News in Arkansas City, KS, and God’s Mountain Bible Camp in Rushville, MO. She also enjoyed baking for our 4th of July celebrations (pictured above).

Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support!
Todd & Pamala (Daniel, Ariela)

When God’s Answer Became Greater Than the Dream

The Roma people discover their identity in Christ through the living Word of God.

“I understand everything you are saying.”

The man stood up while the passage was being read. For a moment, the room fell silent.

“This is very good,” he continued. “We really need this.”

For Nikola, it was one of those moments that cannot be measured by years, milestones, or completed projects. The words being read were from the Gospel of Luke in Arli Romani, one of the languages spoken in Serbia. What made the moment unforgettable was the response the translated words awakened. People were listening. They understood. And they wanted more.

The reading took place during a community check, one of the most important stages of the Bible translation process. People throughout the community gather to hear God’s Word read aloud in the language they know. They help refine every word and phrase, so that the words feel natural, understandable, and deeply personal.

For many, this was the first time they heard Scripture in the language they spoke at home. Nikola was witnessing a glimpse of the desire God had placed in him long before: to serve his community. Years later, that glimpse would become something far larger, as Roma communities gathered to receive the New Testament in their mother tongue.

Nikola’s story, though, began years earlier, … [READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE].

Daniel’s upcoming construction work trip to Slovenia in September

We are excited that Daniel will be going on another short-term construction work trip! He will be joining a team from Fellowship Bible Church in Nashville, TN, which is the same group he went to Slavonski Brod, Croatia, with earlier this year. This time, they are going to Maribor, Slovenia. If you would like to get more information, pray for him, or give financially to support his trip, please go here: https://fbctn.gomethod.app/!/58270/slovenia-trip-2026/participants/612827/donate

Please note that this trip is not through Pioneers or associated with them, so donations cannot be made to Pioneers to our missionary account. Donations need to be sent to Fellowship Bible Church, Nashville, TN, using the link above or the QR code below.

Thank you all for being such a great support system for Daniel! We are very proud of him using his gifts in construction to spread the Gospel!

Todd & Pamala

Our daily prayer calendar for July 2026

Price prayer letter for 07-2026 page 2Download

July 1 Pray for the Daveys family traveling to the US to have a baby & pray they will get their Croatia visa on return

July 2 Thank God for recent safe travels for our family to Nairobi, Kenya; Atlanta, Georgia; and Sisak, Zagreb & Fažana, Croatia

July 3 Praise God for providing full financial support needed for us & each summer teamer who came to Croatia with us

July 4 Pray Todd will be a blessing to his mom, Geri, visiting her at the nursing home in Oklahoma City

July 5 Pray for comfort for our dear chiropractor’s new widow & for Pam to be a help to her in organizing the memorial, etc.

July 6 Praise God for safety & good health for all the summer teamers in their travels to/in/from Croatia for our summer outreach

July 7 Pray that Roma in Kutina, Croatia, will read, watch & listen to Luke & the 50 Bible stories in their Bayash language

July 8 Pray for Todd & the Gurbet team to accurately, clearly and naturally translate 2 Samuel & 1 Kings

July 9 Pray for wisdom for translation consultants implementing decisions we made at meetings in Nairobi in June

July 10 Pray for Todd & the Macedonian Arli team to translate John, Galatians & Revelation accurately, clearly & naturally

July 11 Pray for our summer teamers to have a long-term missions vision & know how best they can serve in missions

July 12 Pray for a great week for Ariela at Camp Good News in Arkansas City, KS, this week

July 13 Pray for Roma in Capraške Poljane, Croatia, to understand what we taught them & to come to know Christ

July 14 Pray for Roma in Palanjek, Croatia to remember what we taught them, receive Christ & follow Him as faithful disciples

July 15 Pray God will use us to give a missions vision to kids attending our church’s VBS tonight & tomorrow night

July 16 Ask God to plant Gospel-preaching churches among the Roma in Kutina, Palanjek & Capraške Poljane, Croatia, where we were

July 17 Pray for a joyful graduation for Ariela from Camp Good News & great visit to Todd’s mom, Geri, in Oklahoma City

July 18 Pray that many Ludari & Bayash Roma will read, watch & listen to Luke & the Bible stories we distributed & thru our website

July 19 Pray for Pam teaching youth girls’ Sunday school & for them to be strengthened in their faith

July 20 Pray for a beneficial time for Daniel, camping with friends, & Ariela at God’s Mountain Camp, this week

July 21 Pray for wisdom for Todd studying to prepare to help translate 2 Samuel & 1 Kings in the Gurbet language

July 22 Pray for wisdom for Todd studying to prepare to help translate Rev., Galatians & Ephesians in Macedonian Arli language

July 23 Pray for a great visit with Matthew while he is visiting Kansas City today through the 29th

July 24 Pray for God’s guidance as we edit verses in Mark & Matthew in Bayash, for a clear, accurate & natural translation

July 25 Pray the Bayash team can successfully produce two translations, for use in two related dialects

July 26 Praise God that we were warmly welcomed by the children & youth in the new village of Kutina, Croatia, last month

July 27 Pray for good weather & great interaction for Pam, Ariela and the American Heritage Girls troop on their 3-day camp out this week

July 28 Pray for God to be very real to each of our children so they will have growing faith & pursue Christian fellowship

July 29 Pray for Todd to wisely mentor & coach those training to become translation consultants in Europe

July 30 Praise God for giving our teammate, Lim, strength during our summer outreach; pray for continued improvement & helpful medications

July 31 Praise God for a great time in Croatia with friends at the coast after our summer outreach

Croatia, days 12-16: R&R, travel and now home from Croatia

Thank you for praying for us and the team we led to Croatia. We praise God for the six young adults from Iowa, Colorado, and Hungary who traveled to Sisak, Croatia, for a 10-day summer trip, along with our family (pictured below) and the career Pioneers team serving in Croatia.

After the team left, we stayed on in Croatia for R&R at the Croatian coast as a gift from our Croatian friends. We enjoyed the beauty of the Croatian coast and Adriatic Sea, touring Roman ruins and spending time with friends (pictured below).

Here is a quick recap of our outreach time with the team: We were able to minister in three Roma villages–Kutina, Capraške Poljane, and Palanjek. Over 100 children, teens & adults came to the Bible clubs (VBS and day camp). The message of the Gospel was shared through songs, crafts, dramatized Bible skits, audio recordings of the Bible, games, memory verse learning, a sermon, a testimony, and audio recordings of Bible stories. See pictures below.

We handed out free copies of the Gospel of Luke and 50 chronological Bible stories in their Roma languages (Bayash and Ludari), along with cards containing the website address where they can access them in digital and audio formats for free (pictured below).

It was especially thrilling to show parts of the LUMO Gospel of Luke film in these two languages, with about 80 people attending. This was history in the making, since, as far as we know, these films had never been shown in a public setting before. We showed three chapters in Bayash in Palanjek on the side of a house and three other chapters in Ludari on a soccer court, then told them how they can access the full four-hour film online, word-for-word from the Gospel of Luke (pictured below).

Please pray that God will give a hunger for His Word to the people of these three villages, that they would remember what we taught them, that they would read, listen to, and watch the Gospel of Luke and the 50 chronological Bible stories in their heart languages. Pray that many would come to Christ and that Gospel-preaching churches would be planted in these locations.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Croatia, days 10-11: teen day camp; showing Luke film; tourism day

Once again, we want to thank you for your faithful prayers for us and the team in Croatia.

Yesterday, we took 15 tweens/teens from the large Roma village to a park by the river. One of our summer teamers gave a sermon and clear Gospel presentation based on Luke 15:11-24 (the story of the Prodigal Son); we listened to that passage in their Ludari language, sang songs, ate lunch together, and played games (basketball, water balloon fights, ultimate frisbee with water balloons, and a photo treasure hunt). Another of our summer teamers told her testimony of the story of being abandoned as a child in China yet adopted into a loving, Christian family in the States. We also did a couple of craft projects together (decorating t-shirts and making leather crafts of keychains). You can see the pictures above and below.

In the evening, we went to the large village and showed three chapters (about 30 minutes) of the Gospel of Luke in their Ludari language. Again, this was history in the making, since as far as I know, a word-for-word Bible film in the Ludari language has never been show in a public setting before.

We met on the concrete soccer field, stringing the screen over one of the goals; about 40 people attended. I explained to the audience that the entire Gospel of Luke is available in film (it lasts about four hours), as well as in audio and text, and that they could access it on our website. We told them how to access the website and that there they could also find 50 other Bible stories in their language. After the film showing, many children and teens eagerly took printed copies of Luke and the 50 Bible stories in the Ludari language. See the pictures of the film showing below.

On Friday, our family and the summer teamers took the bus and train to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, for sightseeing.

Tomorrow (Saturday) four of the summer teamers head to the airport at 3 a.m., one heads back to Hungary on the 8 a.m. train, and another is staying in Zagreb for a couple of days before going to Hong Kong and then Taiwan. In the afternoon, our family will be going to the Croatian coast for some R&R until we fly back to the States on Wednesday.

  1. Thank God with us that we were able to share the Gospel with 15 teens/tweens. Pray that the Spirit of God will enlighten their minds to understand and believe the Gospel. Pray for them to become faithful followers of Christ and for the seeds of a church to grow among the people of their village.
  2. Praise God that we could show part of the Gospel of Luke in film in their language, and pass out information where they can watch, hear, and read the rest of Luke. Pray that many will follow up by watching and listening to more of Luke in their language. Pray that many will read Luke and the 50 chronological Bible stories we have given out over the last few years. Pray that God’s Word will bear fruit in the lives of many among the Ludari and Bayash Roma.
  3. Pray for safety for the team and us as we travel to our various destinations.
  4. Please pray that the career missionaries will be encouraged and strengthened in the Lord.
  5. Pray that the summer teamers will maintain a heart for missions and that some would return to the mission field, either for a summer or long-term.

Thank you,

Todd, Pamala, Daniel and Ariela

Croatia, day 9: VBS day 2, showing of film in Bayash

As always, we are grateful for your faithful prayers for us.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we had wonderful weather and were able to hold the second day of VBS in both villages. Our theme was Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, who cares for his sheep, and loves each one so much that he leaves the 99 safe ones to go in search of the one lost sheep.

In each village we sang Bible songs, acted out the story of the lost sheep, played the audio of that Bible passage (Luke 15:1-7) in their local languages, gave a Gospel presentation, taught the children a memory verse, made a craft of sheep, prayed and played games. We had about 25 in the small village and 45 in the large village.

Pictures from the small (Bayash) village are above and below.

Below are pictures from the larger (Ludari-speaking) village.

At night, we returned to the small village and showed three chapters of the Gospel of Luke as a film in their language. To my knowlegdge, this was the first time ever that a film taken word-for-word from the Gospel of Luke in the Bayash language was shown in a public setting. Praise God that we were able to show it and that over 40 people attended. I explained to the attendees that this was just part of the film and that they could access the entire film for free from our website, where they could also find it in print and in audio-only format, and that there were also 50 other Bible stories on this site, freely available in print format and audio recording. See pictures of the film showing below.

  1. Thank God with us that we were able to give out God’s message in song, skit, craft, Gospel presentation and Scripture. Please play that God would use it to find many lost sheep and bring them to Himself.
  2. Thank God with us that we were able to show parts of the film of the Gospel of Luke, for the first time ever for us, in the Bayash language. Pray the Word will bear much fruit.
  3. Pray that many among the Bayash would follow up by watching the rest of the Gospel of Luke from the website and listening to and reading Luke and the Bible stories in their language.
  4. Praise God for safety and good health for everyone on the team so far.

Gratefully,

Todd & Pamala, Daniel and Ariela