Introducing...Drum Roll Please

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Who are you?

Dietlinde (Deet-Linda) Hoffman


A little bit about you:

 I’m a missionary kid to parents who spent and gave their lives for Bible translation. My parents were with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. The Nabak Bible translation took many long years and my father was murdered while translating I Corinthians 13 into the Nabak language.

I am a teacher at heart but with the Corona-virus Pandemic sweeping the world I am home with a little more time on my hands. I am married to Matthew Hoffman, a Pennsylvania boy. I live in Reading, PA and love being close to my Mom, but also hope to get back overseas some day to work with children in poverty.

 My Dad was from Germany, my Mom from New York. I have traveled the world myself and now live in Pennsylvania. So, I say my home is in heaven.

Why do you want to start a blog?

I want to write about a negative trend I see happening in Bible translation. If I feel inspired to write about other things, then I can do that as well.

What I’ve learned during ‘The Big Pause’: 

  • I’ve spent a lot of time on Zoom and realized I can make my face triangular or very square if I want to. Also, my face reacting doesn’t look like I imagined it did. It is strange to watch my own face so much. 
  • Teaching online classes is much harder than it looks especially because we speak different languages I am passionate about way too many things. 
  • You should take antibiotics right after getting a cat bite because the puncture will most likely carry infection and you can’t clean out a puncture. (None of my cats)
  •  Chaos finds a way to get in even when you sit home all day. Ex. Airbnb cancellations, emails, students not showing up for e-class, organizing online birthday parties… 
  • I love my wild hair and am not trying to tame  it  
  • Cats sleep a LOT. 
  •  A day passes very quickly, even when you don’t have it filled with projects and “to do” lists. 
  •  I have not yet done all the things I imagined I would if I just “had the time”.
  •  I like slowing down and sleeping in.
  •  I need less stuff than I thought, I don’t miss shopping. 
  • We should expect strange moments of grief as we handle the trauma of this strange time. 
  • Having a pause helps put things in perspective, but also disrupts my ability to plan properly. 
  •  Gardens are a lot of work, but it is so rewarding to watch the seedlings burst through the ground. 
  • My neighbors think my chalk drawings on the sidewalk are childish but I think they spread joy. 
  • I really do love my husband. 
  • I care more about Bible translation than I thought I did. 

 Lies I’ve told myself:
  • My house would be cleaner if I just had more time. 
  •  Back pain comes from over-exertion. 
  • Christian organizations like Wycliffe Associates will behave in Christ-like ways.

 I hope you will join me as I fill this blog with opinions, quotes and ideas. 
Socks, Loki and Thor
Location: Reading, PA, USA

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