Stability and Scripture: Growing Sherwood and Translations

God has been at work in the Caucasus through a small school group called Sherwood, where missionary kids from several families and continents have been given a place of steadiness, friendship, learning, and joy. The Lord, “as the shepherd of Sherwood,” has grown that little group from three students in two families to twelve students from five missionary families, with parents serving in Bible translation, evangelism, church planting, and business as mission.

Creativity has become one of the sweet signs of health in that school community. The drawings on the walls, the warning that “the children contained in this facility are liable to break out in song,” the lion craft, the watercolor lesson, the poems about the Lord holding his children tight, and even the wrinkly potato from Spain all show kids who are not merely surviving overseas life. The fun matters because stability is “the most valuable currency for missionary kids,” and stability is often rare when families are facing new languages, new cultures, war, sudden moves, lost friendships, and the ordinary pressure of missionary life.

Sherwood has become more than school. It has become a real support for kids who have all carried hard things. It has also helped their parents gain time for language learning, relationship building, and the work God sent them overseas to do. The story of one family moving to that town because of Sherwood shows how deeply that stability matters.

Adelaide’s story gives that reality a name and a face. God has walked with her from age ten to seventeen through loneliness, anxiety, sudden goodbyes, and the difficulty of growing up overseas without peers her own age. This year, God called Adelaide to himself in a personal way, through morning time in the Bible and a growing sense that he wanted to connect with her. Her baptism by her dad in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit became a beautiful sign of God’s patient work.

Bible translation in the Caucasus is also moving forward. The number of languages still waiting for translation to begin has dropped dramatically worldwide, and six language groups in that region are being served. Even when a team leader was denied reentry and a project seemed threatened, God brought new workers and new community contacts. Scripture in a heart language matters because encountering God in one’s own language changes people in ways neighbors can actually notice.

The future now calls for prayer as new government laws make school and translation work more complicated. Jesus is asked to shepherd Sherwood and the translation teams through legal barriers, funding approvals, and new structures, so that the Sherwood kids and the peoples of the Caucasus may really know him, since knowing him is eternal life.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Stability is precious missionary currency Stability is not a small comfort for missionary kids, it is part of how health is guarded in a life full of transition. A fun school year can be a sign of deep mercy when children have known war, sudden moves, lost friendships, and cultural pressure. The ordinary gifts of friends, routines, books, songs, and safe adults become a way God steadies young hearts. [41:25]
• 2. God shepherds Sherwood’s small community Sherwood did not grow mainly by strategy or size, but by the Lord gathering families who needed one another. A school group became a place where children from different countries and ministries could belong together in the Caucasus. The image of God as shepherd gives that growth a tender shape, because these kids are not just being organized, they are being cared for. [35:11]
• 3. Loneliness can become baptismal ground Adelaide’s story shows that missionary kids do not automatically inherit an easy faith. Loneliness, anxiety, and painful goodbyes can become the very places where God personally calls someone to himself. Her baptism does not erase the hard parts of her story, but it does show that Jesus met her there and made faith her own. [46:58]
• 4. Heart-language Scripture changes people Bible translation is not only about finishing a project or producing a book. Scripture in someone’s own language creates a meeting place where God can be heard with unusual nearness and clarity. The changed life of a local translation helper shows that the Word can become visible in a person long before a whole community knows how to name what is happening. [53:45]
• 5. Government barriers need holy favor New laws and funding restrictions make the work more fragile, but they do not make God’s purposes fragile. Legal approval, local favor, and wise restructuring are now part of the spiritual labor. Prayer becomes a real participation in the work, asking Jesus to shepherd his people through doors that human effort cannot simply force open.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [33:44] - Rebecca Stewart and the Caucasus
• [35:11] - Sherwood’s Growth and Families
• [36:23] - Creativity in the Classroom
• [38:39] - Readers, Proverbs, and Poetry
• [40:25] - Student Speeches and Glitter
• [41:25] - Stability for Missionary Kids
• [44:32] - Adelaide’s Story Begins
• [45:21] - Adelaide’s Baptism and Faith
• [50:11] - Bible Translation Progress
• [51:08] - God Keeps Translation Moving
• [54:28] - Prayer for Government Favor
• [56:54] - Knowing Jesus Is Eternal Life

1. What specific examples of creativity and joy in the Sherwood school community show how stability is cultivated for missionary kids? [36:23]
2. How did Adelaide’s baptism reflect a personal faith journey despite the challenges of growing up overseas? [45:21]
3. According to the sermon, why is encountering Scripture in one’s “heart language” so transformative for people? [53:45]
4. What practical obstacles (legal, financial, etc.) are the translation teams and Sherwood facing in the Caucasus? [55:53]

1. Why might stability be described as “the most valuable currency” for missionary kids, and how does this connect to the idea of God as a shepherd? [41:25]
2. How does Adelaide’s story challenge the assumption that missionary kids automatically inherit their parents’ faith? What does this reveal about the role of personal struggle in spiritual growth? [46:58]
3. The sermon mentions that Bible translation “creates a meeting place where God can be heard with unusual nearness.” Why might hearing Scripture in one’s native language create this kind of intimacy with God?
4. How do government barriers and legal challenges test the team’s reliance on God’s sovereignty rather than human effort? [55:53]

1. Stability often comes through “ordinary gifts” like routines, friendships, or safe adults. What small, consistent practices could you create to help someone in your life (e.g., a child, coworker, or neighbor) feel spiritually or emotionally steadied?
2. Loneliness and anxiety are described as “baptismal ground” where God meets people. When have you seen hardship become a place where someone (or you) encountered God in a deeper way? How might this shape how you view your own struggles? [46:58]
3. The sermon highlights how supporting Bible translation helps others encounter God in their heart language. What steps could you take to advocate for or contribute to efforts that make Scripture accessible to marginalized or overlooked groups?
4. Adelaide’s community rallied around her during transitions. Who in your life is navigating a major change (e.g., moving, career shift, loss) and needs practical or emotional support? How can you intentionally “show up” for them this week?
5. Legal and financial barriers threatened the translation work, but the team fasted and prayed. What seemingly impossible situation in your life, community, or world could you bring to God in focused prayer or fasting? [55:53]