The Bean Family
Recent Blogposts
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Bean Family June 2020 Prayer Requests
*Mark continues to convert Quechua materials so that they can be accessable on people's cell phones in Peru. Building apps for cell phones has not been a smooth process, but Mark's thankful for the great progress that's been made so far.
*Pray for advertising. Soon Mark will begin investigating how to go about targeting Quechua speakers via Facebook or someone other venue in order to advertise the fact that all these Quechua materials are (or will soon be) available to download for free.
*Pray, too, for Mom Bean. It is hard not being able to visit her in person.
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Beans'talk April-May 2020
Download a copy of the April/May 2020 Beans'talk with photos here.
Wish you could go, too
We had a great visit at the amazing Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to enjoy the museum and give a presentation. We were there the end of February before anyone started talking about sheltering in place. We highly recommend a visit. This photo is in their Illuminations room with the collection of Bibles and Bible portions from all around the world. This special display highlights Quechua and shows off the five Quechua Bibles we worked on.
Almost separated!
Mark was just days away from leaving for Peru in March when he received a note from there saying it would be best not to come. Whew! Good thing! We would have found ourselves separated on two different continents if he had left. Originally I was going to follow him three weeks later. We’re SO thankful we’re together in the same spot!
Bible dedications on hold
Peru has aggressively locked down their country. Just last week the prime minister announced that public activities like sports events, movies and nightclubs will remain closed even after other areas of life begin to open up. He warned that they may be closed until the end of the calendar year. Big Bible dedications fall into that category. They are on hold.
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Video Update From Mark & Patti Bean
Mark and Patti Bean are members of Wycliffe Bible Translators working among Quechua speakers in the Andes mountains of central Peru. They are currently in Ohio, but are continuing their translation work from a distance. You can watch their ministry update below. The video is just under 2 minutes long.
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Bean April 2020 Prayer Requests
1. We thank God for the time in Washington DC, at the Museum of the Bible.
2. Like many other people's changes in plans, our have changed, too. Mark was to have left for Peru on March 17. Patti had plans to fly down on April 6th. At first we thought the upcoming Bible dedications in Peru would simply go on without us, but now it looks like they will have to be postponed as the county of Peru takes measures to slow down the advance of the virus.
3. We thank God that Mark has plenty of work to do from home to support the Quechua speaking church. He may end up meeting virtually with one of the translation teams he consults for since he won't be able to be there in person to teach.
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Bean's Talk February-March 2020
Bundled up
This past month I’ve had a couple occasions to “dress-up” someone in Quechua clothes while talking about Peru. The first time was a kindergarten teacher and the second time was an older woman at the facility where Mom Bean lives. They probably thought I was exaggerating as I added layer after layer of woolen petticoats and blankets. Things can get heavy!
Dates for #4 and #5!
Yes! There are now dates to celebrate the arrival of the fourth and fifth Quechua Bibles. Easter Sunday we will be in Pomabamba, Peru, for the North Conchucos Quechua Bible dedication and the following Sunday in San Marcos, Peru, for the South Conchucos Quechua Bible dedication. These are not areas that we know well, nor do we have many personal contacts in the churches there. We look forward to meeting more of the church in these areas.
Washington, D.C., here we come!
Have you ever been to the Bible Museum in Washington D.C.? We’re looking forward to visiting the museum for the first time and checking out where the five newly published Quechua Bibles are shelved. While we’re there, we will also have the opportunity to give a brief presentation.
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Event
Missions Moment with Mark & Patti Bean
Location: Room B207
Start Time: Sun 20, Oct. 2019, 9:45 a.m.
End Time: Sun 20, Oct. 2019, 12:15 p.m.
Come and hear a ministry update from Mark & Patti Bean on Sunday, Oct. 20 at Parkside Church at either 9:45 or 11:15 am in Room B207.
Mark & Patti are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators working in Peru and the U.S.
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Event
Peru Bible Dedication Trip Informational Meeting
Location: Room A210
Start Time: Sun 19, May 2019, 3:15 p.m.
End Time: Sun 19, May 2019, 4:15 p.m.
If you would like to know more about joining Mark & Patti Bean at the Bible dedication celebration in Huaraz, Peru August 7th-14th, come to an informational meeting Sunday, May 19 at 12:15pm in room A222.
A light lunch will be provided. The estimated cost is $1000 plus flights.
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Beans'Talk May 2019
Tears of joy
Our Quechua colleagues are doing a lot of leg work getting ready for the arrival of the Bibles being printed right now. They take public transportation out to different towns and villages to talk to local pastors and congregations. Then they invite the pastors to a meeting to plan as a group for the dedication of their Bible this summer.
Wilmer wrote that when he spoke in the church at Yanas, at first an older woman, and then the pastor, broke out in tears—crying with joy at the news that the Bible was finally in their own language! Wilmer wrote that their emotion caused him to tear up, too.
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Beans'Talk April 2019
Download the April Beans'Talk in a printable form here.
Jesus spoke about shepherds saying “The sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Then he added: “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep and they know me.” John 10:3b,14 (NLT)
Good shepherds
Quechua speakers can relate to the verses above. They shepherd their sheep daily. What is different is that instead of leading their sheep as described in the Gospel of John, Quechua speakers drive them from behind as seen in the photo.
But many practices are the same. They watch over and care for their sheep. They even give their sheep names. They say their sheep only respond to the voice of their shepherd. They ignore anyone else calling their name. So, when we translated John 10 (see above), they said, “That’s how it is for us, too!” Oh, don’t you wish we could be so attuned to our Good Shepherd’s voice that we would pay attention only to him!
Answers to your prayers
Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! Psalm 27:7 (NLT)
That’s exactly what he’s done! Here are just a few examples of his recent mercy in answering your prayers. First of all, we asked you to pray for different churches to come up with dedication dates. We now have some dates!
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Beans'Talk March 2019
Download the March Beans'talk with photos here!
Desire for the Word
Above is a picture of Hermenegildo (pronounced like air-many-HILL-doe). Every few months he would walk several miles to our house and ask if we had finished the Bible yet. Year after year we always had to say, “not yet.” To keep him encouraged, we would print out a copy of the latest book we had been working on. Here he is reading some fresh-from-the-printer Scripture.
Psalm 1 talks about the man who “delights in the law of the Lord.” Hermenegildo is one of them.
Hurray! Bibles are off to the printers!
On January 31st we learned that the first three Quechua Bibles had finally been sent to South Korea where they are in the process of being printed. Two Bibles are for Quechua speakers in part of the “state” of Huanuco and the third is for Quechua speakers in part of the “state” of Ancash. Like last month’s announcement that all the funds have made it in, this is another big deal. Meanwhile, the other Bibles are still in process.
One dedication date set!
Our Quechua partners in Ancash are going full steam ahead planning for the arrival of the Huaylas Quechua Bible. They’ve set August 10th as the day to celebrate and dedicate their new Bible. Pray for them as they visit villages, talk to pastors, speak in churches, spread the word by radio, and put up posters to let people know what’s happening. They not only want people to save the date, come to the dedication, and be prepared to purchase a Bible, but they are also coordinating who will do what to make the celebration happen.