A Liddle Good News – The Wycliffe ministry of David and Katherine Liddle

“We can make our plans…”

“… but the Lord determines our steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, NLT)

I planned to write much, much earlier than now, but that does not mean that the Lord determined that I wouldn’t. No, it was mostly just my own procrastination—and other elements of my personality. Indeed, it’s been several months since I last wrote about what Katherine and I have been doing in our ministry with Wycliffe in Germany. From that time in May of last year, some significant events have occurred, and I’m going to share them in brief with you.

In late June of 2024, we made a two-week trip to Pennsylvania to do three things: attend the wedding of one of Katherine’s close college friends, move our household goods to a cheaper storage unit, and celebrate our younger son’s birthday. That was the limit to the plan we had made. (And the Lord said, “Watch this….”)

Around when I wrote in May, our son concluded that his best option for continuing his education was to be found back here in Germany. It didn’t take much research and prayer before Katherine and I agreed that he was right. Step #4 added to the plan: pack the lad up and bring him back with us—the day after his birthday. There were many, many steps following that—Germany is famous for its bureaucracy—but I am pleased to report that our son is close to finishing his ~~first~~ second semester at the University of Siegen. He is pursuing a teaching degree, with concentrations in math and English.

One of the gorgeous sunsets we experienced on Edisto Island (keep reading).

On the day of our departure to the U.S., Katherine and I received word that the tenants renting our house in Duncanville, Texas, had departed abruptly and left behind a mess and no small amount of damage to the property. <sigh> Step #5 added to the plan: figure out what to do and how to do it. The Lord guided us to the wisest solution possible, but that situation will be a financial stressor for some time yet. (Due to taxes on both sides of the ocean, selling the house is not an option at this time.)

Test day for the motor portion of my recreational boating exam. Sail portion underway, so to speak.

August saw the three of us working regularly on various tasks related to getting our son settled and registered. At the same time, Katherine was planning her six-week practicum in the Ames Library of Seattle Pacific University. From about mid-September to the end of October, she got hands-on experience with the concepts of cataloging that she’d been studying in her MLS program with Texas Woman’s University. The practicum went very well, and Katherine even got to catalog some holdings in German for a special theological collection. She also got to spend lots of time with her sister, who oh-so-graciously-and-not-at-all-reluctantly hosted her. (Katherine visited other family members as well, but Pam gets a special mention. Duh.)

Pleasant trails and wildflowers in springtime.

Meanwhile, in my work, I was preparing for some comings and goings at Wycliffe Germany. Some people retired, and some new people arrived. Included among those was a new director, who started work in October. So I needed to order and set up all the things that beep, bonk, and/or blink. At the same time, I was planning the replacement of the remote support tool that I use along with other technicians in Europe and Africa. The server we had been using had reached the end of its life, and it was time for its services to ascend to the cloud—in more ways than one.

November and December were pretty normal in terms of work and everyday life. Katherine tended the library, I tended the many systems in my herd, and the lad tended his studies. We did that until shortly before Christmas, when the three of us joined the rest of Katherine’s family and our older son on Edisto Island, South Carolina. We all had a great time celebrating the holidays together and enjoying a break from work. Oh, and lest I forget… Katherine was granted her Master of Library Sciences degree, having completed the program with flying colors. (Duh.)

Speaking of colors, here’s lavender abuzz in front of our home in Holzhausen

The year began fairly well for us. Between semesters, our younger son completed an internship at a nearby high school. Katherine made another trip to the U.S. to help her parents for a few weeks. Little by little, I’m working with the leadership team on formulating a succession plan—and may the Lord determine our steps as we do that together. Yes, my work and duties are going to change next year, and as soon as that future is more certain, I will write again. In the meantime, please pray for us to have ever-present wisdom and grace in our relationships, in our work (and studies), and in tackling the niggly bits of everyday life. Thank you for your support—in prayer and in finances—and for your patience!

Save the best image for last. Our hearts are full with Katherine’s accomplishment!

Be overcome by beauty, not by hackers

Today is Pentecost Monday in Germany, which is a holiday for us. It’s not a bad day at all to write from a Wycliffe ministry. After all, the original day was marked by the proclamation of Jesus as Messiah in the many languages spoken by the people in the disciples’ vicinity. Now, we support similar work in this day and age—one in which the “vicinity” is the whole world, and the languages spoken or signed number more than 7,300.

That information has nothing to do with the title, but it’s a good reminder that the work that we and our colleagues do is not for naught—and that we’re not done yet.

A frosty morning in Holzhausen, the four of us at Christmas, and the two of us on a snowy hike.

Now, those pictures have more to do with the title. It’s good to be reminded of the beautiful things in this world before discussing the icky bits. Speaking of bits—cue that rimshot—it feels like my work for Wycliffe Germany has been dominated lately by security matters. No doubt you have seen or read in the news about one cyberattack or another. Part of my job is to guard against such a thing happening here.

In October, the reality of that responsibility hit close to home when our county government, Siegen-Wittgenstein, and its constituent townships were hit by a ransomware attack. Nearly all of their systems were disabled while the damage was assessed and a path to recovery was developed. We had just registered our change of address after moving into our new apartment, so that much was done, but we haven’t yet been able to get that address updated on our residence permit / ID cards. Friends of ours, who purchased a new car during this time, had to register it in a different municipality while the local DMV was offline. Ick.

One of my daily tasks is to look for and make a short study of the attacks that are experienced, the vulnerabilities and practices that enable them, and the measures that can be taken to prevent them. As far as it is within my ability, I ensure that Wycliffe Germany is unlikely to fall victim to known threats.

A fun place to rest along the trail, and the oft-hidden, short-lived beauty of the *Märzenbecher*

Wow, I needed that pictorial break from the ugliness of cyberattacks. Didn’t you? The good news is that I am presently able to keep Wycliffe’s systems in a good state. At the same time, I know that I will reach my limit someday, because it’s all getting more and more complex. For that reason, I’ve asked Wycliffe Germany to develop a plan for succession that will allow me to leave this position in late 2025 or early 2026—and leave them in more capable hands.

In the meantime, on any given day, you could find me helping guests with the presentation system, fixing an electronic door lock, replacing an older wireless access point, or ordering a new laptop for a member. Those things happen, too.

Gorgeous flowers on a beautiful day at the botanical garden in Bonn

Ah, what better way to segue to Katherine than to pause and look at pretty flowers? She has just a few more classes and a practicum to conquer before completing her Master of Library Science degree. You really need to see her eyes light with excitement and interest when she describes her favorite topics and coursework in this study program. We humans use those 7,300 languages to describe life and the world around us, and the librarians among us employ their own language to classify and catalog it all. And my wife eats it up with relish!

Katherine’s work on transforming the catalog of the training program’s library is ongoing—and benefitting from her studies every step of the way. The old system is not at all suitable to the academic research done by Wycliffe linguists and translators. The new catalog is a giant leap forward in providing access to information that aids and sharpens the work of our Wycliffe colleagues. Since I help support both the live and test systems, Katherine and I sometimes get to work together.

Holzhausen? Since 1326? It feels like it was just yesterday! Enjoy the view up the road from our home!

This update wouldn’t be complete without a brief mention of our offspring. Those two are doing pretty well. They both came to Germany for Christmas—as seen in the top middle picture. The elder lad is gallivanting about the Pacific with the Marines, and the younger is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, contemplating the advance of his education and career. When you pray, please ask our God to grant them wisdom for every decision they make.

Katherine and I need much of the same as we go about our days. We’re grateful for your diligent support in prayer, giving, and encouragement. May the Lord our God bless you and protect you from all manner of harm!

“These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us….”
1 Samuel 25:15-16, NLT, regarding David’s protection

Moving experiences

According to the elephant in the room, it’s been about eleven months since I last wrote an update here. Before I’m squashed by the pachyderm—or worse!—I’m going to note what’s been going on in the life and ministry that Katherine and I have together. There might even be a few pictures of us.

In mid-January, we ended our five-month visit to the U.S. and returned to Germany. We came back to the same apartment on the Wycliffe center that we lived in shortly before leaving. This time, though, it was just the two of us, since both of our sons now live on their own in the States.

In March, we had the very great pleasure of receiving an advance copy of the Kisafwa New Testament. Katherine and I were part of each of the teams that conducted the language survey of the Safwa people in 1998 and reported that they would benefit from their own translation. Holding the fruit of the fruit of our labor in our hands brought to completion all of the effort we put into every interview we conducted and every test we administered under trying conditions. We’re grateful to our God for the chance to serve him and the Safwa people in this way!

Selections from the Kisafwa New Testament. We’re so happy for them!

In May, Katherine flew to Colorado to be with her parents (and sister!) for a little more than five weeks and help them through a challenging series of medical events. It was a good visit for them all. Contrary to every expectation and betting pool, I survived her absence admirably. I’ve never gone on so many solitary hikes in my life!

Selections from the photos I sent to Katherine while she was away and the mouse was … hiking.

Upon her return, Katherine immediately resumed her responsibilities, managing the course reserves for the language and culture classes taught during the summer. After that, it was time to ready ourselves to move into the apartment we’ll be renting until we leave Germany. Katherine was also preparing for the start of the third semester of her library sciences program at Texas Woman’s University. (She’s doing great, by the way.)

In October, we moved into our new apartment—and almost immediately had a visit from Katherine’s parents and sister! We loved being together, and it was hard to say good-bye.

Our apartment on the lower level of a house very close to the Wycliffe center.

So here we are in November. This month, Katherine and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We spent a long weekend at a quiet place less than an hour from Holzhausen that overlooks Lake Bigge and Lake Lister.

Views of the Biggesee (left) and Listersee (right). And us.

What’s next? More studying and homework, more cataloging in the library. More shepherding of all the technology in use by Wycliffe Germany, more preparation for the nasty things that can happen to those systems these days. But no more moves, so far as we know.

Thank you for reading today. Thank you for standing by us and behind us during our 25 years of marriage and during the additional years we’ve been ministering with Wycliffe Bible Translators. We know that it’s not been easy lately for those of you who give, and we honor you for facing that challenge with faith and with grace. May the Lord our God fill you with peace and with encouragement, and may he bless your Thanksgiving celebrations with abundance—and the wisdom to know when you’ve had enough!