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

Croatia, day 8: VBS in both villages

Thank you for your faithful prayers for us.

On Tuesday, the weather was dry and beautiful so we were able to hold our VBS in both villages. In each village we sang songs, acted out Jesus’ parable of the sower sowing seed on the four types of soil, played an audio recording of the Scripture passage of that story (Luke 8:1-15) in their Roma languages, gave a Gospel presentation, taught a memory verse, did a craft of ears (“He who hears, let him understand!”), prayed and played games (forms of tag). We had 25 in the small village and 45 in the big village.

The summer teamers did a great job and the Roma kids loved all the attention, love and excitement.

The smaller village speaks the Bayash language, and is pictured above and below.

The larger village speaks the Ludari language. They are pictured below.

It was a special joy that one little girl sat with us after the program and eagerly listened to the audio of Bible stories in her Roma language and watched a couple of chapters of the film of the Gospel of Luke.

Please:

  1. Thank God with us that we were able to hold our VBS club in both villages and for each of the children (and teens and adults) who came.
  2. Pray that the message of the Gospel that was given out in song, skits, word and deed, will fall on good soil among the families of those villages and would bear fruit for the glory of God.
  3. Praise God for the involvement from a few people from our teammates’ local Baptist church who came out to the big village to help us. Pray the Lord will use this local fellowship in the lives of the Roma.
  4. Pray that many Roma would embrace Christ and follow him as faithful disciples.
  5. Pray the Lord will use the written Scriptures (Luke) and Bible stories in print, audio recordings and film to draw Roma to himself and build his Church among them.

Thank you!

Todd & Pamala

Croatia, days 5-6: “the best laid plans of mice and men”

Thank you for your continued prayers. On Sunday morning, we enjoyed worshipping with a local Croatian Baptist church. In the afternoon, we went to the new village where we had been promised that we could use the community center to show the Gospel of Luke film. We ended up waiting over an hour and a half for the key so we could get into the center, but the keeper of the keys never showed up, so we weren’t able to show the film.

However, all was not lost. This was a new village for us, and the summer team did a great job using that time to play with the Roma kids. The kids were very happy to have us, and a good group gathered. At one point, one of the summer teamers showed the Gospel of Luke in print to one of the kids, who said it was not his language. When I heard that, I wondered if he had said that only because he had never read anything in his language before, so I decided to play the audio from my phone and a portable Bluetooth speaker. As soon as I began playing it, you could have heard a pin drop as all the Roma kids stopped and listened, realizing that it was in their Roma language. We played four stories from the Gospels as the kids listened.

It was way too light outside to show the film with our portable projector, but we passed out cards with the website address and told the kids that the entire film, along with the stories they had just listened to and many more, is available for free on that website. I did show one chapter of Luke to a few of the kids who gathered around my phone to watch it and listen to the audio.

At the end of our time there, we handed out copies of the Gospel of Luke and 50 chronological Bible stories in their language, which they eagerly received. See the pictures below. So, yes, we were disappointed that we could not show the film, but it was still a fruitful first contact with the people of this village and opened the door for follow-up in the future.

We had planned to hold our first Bible club (VBS day) in both villages on Monday, but were not able to since it was raining and since we meet outside. The rest of the week is supposed to be without rain, so we have decided to move most of the activities a day later than we had originally planned, and to cancel one of the teen days. (This is the first time, in ten years of having summer teams, that we have actually had to cancel a full day of activity due to rain.)

Please pray for the following:

  1. Pray that those who received printed copies of Luke and the 50 chronological Bible stories and the business cards giving the website address where they can access these in print, audio and video, will be drawn by God’s Spirit to read and listen and watch. “Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes” (2 Thessalonians 3:1b).
  2. Pray that the weather will not prevent us from holding any more of our outdoor outreaches. Pray that there will be adequate places in the other two villages to show the Luke film.
  3. Pray for fruitful interaction with the Roma children, teens, and adults. “Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about this mysterious plan concerning Christ…. Pray that [we] will proclaim this message as clearly as [we] should” (Colossians 4:3-4).
  4. Pray that when God’s message is proclaimed in song, in skits, testimony, sermon, memory verses and film, that it will land on good soil that will bear eternal fruit.

Todd, Pamala, Daniel and Ariela

Croatia, days 4-5: preparing for Bible clubs & film showing; inviting people in three villages

Thank you for your continued prayers. For the last two days, we have been:

  • orienting the team to Croatia and work among the Roma people
  • learning the parts for the Bible skits that we will be using in Bible clubs
  • practicing the skits, songs, gospel presentation, and Bible memory verses
  • preparing the crafts for Bible clubs
  • visiting all three villages to invite people to the Bible clubs and film
  • making arrangements to show the film of the Gospel of Luke
  • having worship, devotions and prayer time as a team
  • shopping for groceries for team meals and refreshments for the Bible clubs, teen club and film showings

Below are lots of pictures of our activities (having devotions; practicing the Bible skits, songs and gospel presentation; playing with the kids and inviting them to the Bible clubs and film showings).

Please join us in praise and prayer for the following:

  1. Praise God that we were warmly received in all three villages. The presidents of the villages gave us permission to show the film of the Gospel of Luke.
  2. Thank God that all of us on the team have stayed healthy and everyone has worked really hard with good attitudes, in spite of heat and mosquitos.
  3. Please pray for good attendance for the children’s Bible clubs and also for the showing of the Gospel of Luke. Pray the Lord will prepare the hearts of the people and draw many to himself through the Gospel. Pray that the message of the Gospel will be clear and that the Holy Spirit will give new life in Christ to many Roma.
  4. Pray that God will give these Roma a hunger for His Word so that they will pay close attention to the audio recording and film of portions of the Gospel of Luke, and will take initiative to read and listen to the rest of the Gospel of Luke in their languages from the app and from the printed Gospels we give out.

Gratefully,

Todd & Pamala