Author: David Liddle

I grew up in Media, Pennsylvania, close to Philadelphia. I graduated from The Citadel in 1994. In 1995, I joined Wycliffe Bible Translators and have served in Africa, the United States, and Germany. Katherine and I were married in November 1998.

Newsletter, September 2013

“With your help, the next newsletter will be written from Germany!”

Yes, I wrote that more than two years ago – the last time I wrote and sent a newsletter.

“When I return from this conference, I will work on writing a newsletter to highlight what has happened in our family life and in my work over the past year.”

And, yes, I wrote that more than a year ago, promising to rectify the error. Ugh.

Among those reading these words now – or the words in the newsletter, if they’ve skipped over this drivel – are people who have faithfully kept us living and working in Germany despite our unfaithfulness in keeping in touch. And within that group are folks who began supporting our ministry two years ago so that we could come here in the first place. The actions and prayers of our brothers and sisters are a powerful testimony to their love, and we are indeed grateful. We have not been in want.

So here is our newsletter, a summary of life and work for the Liddles as we serve Wycliffe Bible Translators from central Germany.

September 2013: A Liddle Good News (for viewing on-screen)

September 2013: A Liddle Good News (for printing)

Thank you for reading – and for being patient with us!

The four basic needs

I wrote a few months ago about being asked by Wycliffe Germany to upgrade their wireless network. As I discussed the project with their current director, Angelika Marsch, I mentioned that I have observed that people aren’t content anymore with the traditional needs of food, clothing, and shelter. We (yeah, me, too) have added a fourth: Internet access.

When conference or meeting attendees arrive at the venue, they ask three questions, and not necessarily in this order:

  1. Where is my room?
  2. When (and where) is the next meal?
  3. How do I get on the Internet?

Most people have brought their clothing with them. (Well, those are the only kind I provide support for, anyway.)

Crazy access point setupSo my goal at the Wycliffe center was to give guests (and staff) a great experience with Internet access. Whether folks are inside or outside – it is, after all, a beautiful setting with cool weather – their devices should be able to connect quickly. The new equipment we ordered arrived over several days, and I set to work right away as each piece arrived and prepared it for installation. Some things, like the wireless access points you see in the picture, could be set up en masse.

No little green men in these "UFOs"Once I installed some core equipment around the center that would provide both data and power to the new wireless system – and at faster speeds than before – the rest of the installation went very smoothly. The center manager and I went from one spot to another, securing mounting plates and plugging the little “UFOs” into the network. Gradually, the new wireless network took shape and became active.

During the meetings that inspired the upgrade, we received nothing but compliments from the attendees. Since then, many people – whether guests or everyday staff – have commented on the improvement. There are areas in which I know I can make some improvements, but this experience has been very satisfying, and the sight of people happily and comfortably doing email or connecting with family back home is all the reward I need.

Getting some time away

The school system here gives students two weeks’ vacation in the spring, normally straddling Easter weekend. The long break gives families plenty of time to go away together on vacation. We decided to join the throng — despite the cold weather — and go to the south of Germany. Katherine booked us into a vacation apartment built on a fruit farm and vineyard that’s just a short drive away from Lake Constance, which is called the Bodensee here.

Here are some of the pictures that I took during that time. Click any of the galleries to see the individual photos in it. Use your Back button to get back to the page that shows all of the photo galleries.

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I’ll be adding descriptions to most of the photos, but write to me if you want to know more about any of them.

We’re thankful for the chance to go away and rest for a few days, and we also like the opportunity to go somewhere we haven’t been before. Given the beauty of the area around the lake — especially Mainau — we definitely think that we’ll make another trip there someday when it’s warmer.