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What We Do

We work with churches all over the world who are translating the Bible into their own language.

 

When you think of languages without the Bible you usually think of primitive tribes. Would it surprise you to know that the only people we work with are Christians with established churches? Many of these churches will have over 100 people attending and the tribes themselves may have hundreds of thousands of professing Christians. Most of these churches have never had a foreign missionary. There are 6809 languages spoken in the world today. Only 414 of these languages have the entire Bible translated into them.

Birch has worked as a programmer for the past 11 years. For the past 7 years he has been developing software designed specifically to increase the speed and accuracy of Bible translation.

Connie has worked as a literacy coordinator for the past 15 years. She helps people whose languages have never been written down but want their own Bible: developing alphabets, reading materials, Bible storybooks and training reading teachers.

Our sons, Rowan and Warren, just turned 5. They got their first passport at 6 months and have been to Asia 5 times. They are typical boys with boundless energy, and they love trains.


About Us

We were both born in Maine. Birch grew up on a dairy farm in Sebec Corner (even most people from Maine don’t know where that is!) Connie’s parents were missionaries in Brasil until she was 10 and they returned to Maine. Birch’s father became a pastor on the coast of Maine. When Connie’s parents returned to the mission field (1993) they contacted the church which had them come speak and then began supporting them. It was through this relationship that Connie got to know Birch’s parents fairly well and we ran into each other from time to time over the course of the next 6 years. It wasn’t until Connie had finished graduate school (1999) and was in the process of getting cleared for full-time ministry that we really “met.” God quickly showed us that He had been preparing us for each other. We married in 2000 and God directed our ministries together. In 2003 He gave us two wonderful sons who now serve with us as well.

Birch:

  • Born in central Maine in 1972.
  • Graduated from Calvary Family School, Warren, Maine in 1990.
  • Attended Bob Jones University graduating in 1995 with BS in Computer Science with a minor in mathematics.
  • Worked as a programmer and project manager for Avocet Systems from 1995-2001.
  • 1995 took first overseas missions trip and renewed a childhood passion for missions.
  • 2000 married single missionary Connie Hodsdon
  • 2001 Joined Baptist Mid-Missions and began serving as technical developer for Bibles International.

Connie:

  • Born in central Maine in 1970.
  • Graduated from Landmark Christian Academy, Bangor, Maine in 1988.
  • Graduated from Grand Rapids Baptist Bible College in 1993 with a BA in Business Administration and a minor in Computer Information Systems.
  • Began working as Bibles International’s stewardship secretary in 1990 and through that became involved in their literacy ministry.
  • 1993 joined Baptist Mid-Missions
  • 1996 took first trip with Bibles International as a literacy consultant to Chad, Africa
  • Graduated from University of Texas in Arlington in 1998 with a Ph.D. focusing on Sociolinguistics and Reading Education.

 
Last Updated ( Friday, 27 June 2008 )
 
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