Behind his quiet nature lies a deeply passionate heart. In a powerful encounter with God as a teenager, alone in a winter woods, Aaron became a Christian, surrendering his life to do whatever God wanted.
Attending a Russian-speaking church in Missouri, Aaron agreed to accompany his pastor to Moldova. The pastor had an emergency, and Aaron, a teenager, went alone. There he was involved in a camp geared toward non-Christian youth.
Later Aaron went to Russia, traveling from Moscow to Vladivostok by the Trans-Siberian Railroad, stopping at various places to visit churches and orphanages, and ministering to
street children.
At GIAL Aaron is working on a certificate in Applied Linguistics which will complete his undergraduate degree. He plans to work as a Bible translation consultant with SIL in the eastern
part of the Congo. | | As an approved Wycliffe candidate, Amanda is working on the Certificate of Applied Linguistics at GIAL in hopes of serving as a language surveyor wherever God has planned.
The ministry of Amanda’s family took them to several different countries, so she had the privilege (and challenge) of growing up in a variety of cultures. She began high school in Kuwait and finished in the USA. Amanda desires to serve God cross-culturally.
Amanda has an undergraduate degree in Language (learning both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese) and International Health (public health with an international focus and an emphasis in community development). She studied abroad in Spain and China, and especially enjoyed her time in Asia.
Amanda hopes to complete her studies in June 2011. She is excited to see where God will have her serve. Please pray that Amanda,and other students at GIAL, will be fully equipped and divinely directed. | | Among the threads God is weaving into the tapestry of Christopher’s life are skills in electronics and mathematics, a talent for music, and a love for languages and cultures. Christopher was introduced to Wycliffe through a professor at Houghton College, NY. That interest grew when Dr. David Ross, President of GIAL, visited their campus.
Adding color to his life’s tapestry, Christopher spent four years at
the International House of Prayer, Kansas City, Missouri, serving with his musical talent. Music was also prominent in South Korea where he wrote and directed two children’s musicals while teaching ESL.
To date Christopher has studied Greek, Hebrew, Swahili, and Arabic. He’s especially drawn to Islamic cultures. Christopher believes God will use his linguistics training, experiences, and interests—weaving them all together in the beautiful tapestry He’s creating. Pray that God will uniquely prepare all students at GIAL for the purposes He has planned. | | If you notice a young man with a big smile hurrying down the halls at GIAL—it could be David Bradley. If you ask about his story, he’ll explain that trying to serve God in his own strength was exhausting. Having accepted Christ at five, David eventually came to the end of “self,” after being challenged by the teaching of Hudson Taylor about the ‘exchanged life’ and the book, To the Golden Shore: the Life of Adoniram Judson. Today David serves through the power of the living Christ.
David has a heart for the lost; for encouraging and equipping the downtrodden. He’s at GIAL preparing to work with Pioneer Bible Translators in Southeast Asia. He prays that, with the Bible in their own language, these groups will be drawn to the intimate, empowering life of Christ. Pray for David, and for others preparing at GIAL to translate His Word. |