Postscript

Photo by Søren Kjeldgaard

Anyone considering a job in Bible translation, literacy or any related work with the organizations associated with Wycliffe has to first complete cross-cultural and linguistic training.  Training centers are located around the world.

The last of the stories I’ll be helping with in Europe is on the European Training Programme (ETP). I’ve been in the UK this week conducting interviews.  Since ETP has campuses in Germany and the UK, we’re getting photos and interviews in stages.

It’s been fascinating to learn about it.  The director of ETP UK told me that they shut down the training in Europe for a full year in order to assess how to do it better.  They saw that many people were being trained for things they never did.  In other cases, people received so much training before they began working that by the time they put their training to use, they’d forgotten key elements.

The program now uses a distinct approach which focuses on helping people acquire training and experience which build on each other.  Their just in time training begins with several months of training, followed by an internship for two years, followed by more training with the option of getting a master’s degree.  Then additional training as one wants to expand their skills or refresh their knowledge on a subject area.

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Jeff and Martijn drove up to Wycliffe Netherlands for the day to help with another IT project.  It was just a just hour drive from where the office is in Germany to the office in the Netherlands.

The old rack mount.

The office needed a new rack mount for their server switch installed. A network switch routes traffic between computers and is the central point between all the computers in an office. The network at the office had expanded, and the old rack mount wasn’t big enough to fit everything anymore.  A new rack mount would give them the increased capacity they needed for their bigger network.

Out with the old, and in with the new.

This project involved unwiring the network switch, removing the old rack mount, installing the new rack mount and rewiring the network switch.

The new rack mount.

Between the two of them, they finished the whole project in a day, and they were back in Germany by the evening.

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Jeff has been working with his supervisor, Martijn, on a cabling project at one of our offices in Germany.

They’ve had to install conduit along all the office walls and in the attic. Then, they’ve been working on running internet and electrical cables through the conduit.  The last part of the job was installing the electrical outlets and internet ports. Jeff enjoyed this project because it combined some of his IT knowledge with his construction skills.

(Click on the images to see them at full size.)

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Getting photos and doing interviews for the stories we put together requires lots of logistical work.  Often most people just see the final story with the photos placed in.  Let me show you a few photos of more of the behind the scenes look at our trips to Denmark and Romania.

Photo by Connie Neumann

In this photo we’re either figuring out our next location for photos, and where to eat…or both.  Søren always had lots of great ideas for photo locations especially when the light was just right.  The bag with him is full of his photo gear.

Eating was actually a challenge in Denmark because of the cost.  The Danish krone is worth a lot more than the American dollar, so everything felt very expensive. We ate a lot of fruit, granola and yogurt in the apartment where we stayed to minimize the cost of our meals.

Photo by Connie Neumann

We got lost our first time walking around Aarhus, Denmark.  We were almost an hour late to where we were supposed to meet with Søren and Lise.  I think in this picture Jeff and I were in a discussion about how to get to our destination .

Photo by Søren Kjeldgaard

We spent most of our time in Romania in a small village called Margau.  The village had some great old and new contrasts…like…a wood fired water heater along side great wireless internet.  The scenery around us was beautiful, and the slower pace of life made this part of our trip very enjoyable.

Photo by Connie Neumann

We experienced the wonderful hospitality of Ghiță and his family.  We had every meal at their big outdoor picnic table.  The food was wonderful.  A special treat that Jeff and I enjoyed was making our own soda.  Homemade syrup (fruit juice and a simple sugar syrup) + sparkling water–try it yourself!

Photo by Jeff Pubols

On trips like this, you never know when you’ll be busy and when you can relax.  This was one of the moments we had to chill out.

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Photo by Søren Kjeldgaard

Before we left Romania, we spent a day with the Wycliffe Romania administrative staff.  They have a small, but growing team.  This team does publicity, church relations, events, processing new staff, and more.

Administrators play an important role that is often overlooked because these kinds of roles are not considered font-line jobs.  However, without good administrators serving in a variety of functions, Bible translation and related work would be hindered.  I guess it’s sort of like trying to drive a good looking car without an engine. Even though you can’t see the engine from the outside, without it, now matter how good a car looks, it won’t drive.

After we had finished some interviews and photographs with the staff, Jeff met with Jeroen to assess the IT needs of Wycliffe Romania and consult with them about what kinds of IT systems they need to run their office more efficiently.  His report will go to the Wycliffe Europe Area IT services director.

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