Good morning all!
With the parts that Tim and I play in the Bible Translation movement we often don’t get to experience first hand the impact that translated scripture can have on people. We know that our roles are vital and we know that impact happens, we just don’t get to experience it all the time. A bit like most of you reading this e-mail update, you are also playing roles in Bible Translation, you are praying for it, maybe supporting it financially but you don’t get to experience the impact first hand. Well, I had the privilege of a great encounter with a lady the other day that I want to tell you about so that you can at least get a second-hand idea of the impact.
There is a lady called Martha who has a great fruit and veg stand just around the corner from our house. Her produce is beautifully displayed and good quality. I often pop around there to pick up some tomatoes or lettuce or maybe an avocado or two. We often have a bit of a chat and I found out that she speaks Rigwe, a local language that had the New Testament published a few years ago. She told me that someone had given her an audio recording of the Rigwe New Testament on an SD card so that she could listen to it on her phone. The problem was that her sister had borrowed it and loved listening to it so much that she wouldn’t give it back! Knowing that our Scripture Engagement team had the recording and could put it onto an SD card, I offered to sort it out for her. She gave me her phone’s SD card and I duly got the Rigwe audio NT loaded onto it. It took me a couple of attempts to get it back to her and she would (not so gently) remind me about it. I finally managed to get it back to her and the next time I saw her she was all beaming smiles. She told me that she had been using it with a women’s Bible study that she led and that any time she was with other Rigwe people, they would often listen to some of it. Then she said something that really stuck with me, because it sums up for me why Bible translation is so vital.
“Dat ting na enta me well well” she said. “That thing enters me really well, those words make sense to me, they sink in, I can soak them up”.
God’s Word in a translation that we can’t understand, that doesn’t resonate with us, will just flow over us like water off a duck’s back. But when God’s Word is accessible to us, it can enter us, it can sink in, it can have the potential to change us, to transform us. We will only be transformed if we can absorb it. I pray that hearing about this encounter will bless you as the encounter blessed me!
The last couple of weeks Tim has been serving as the Acting Director as well as covering his usual role of Language Programs Director. It has been a stretch at times, doing both jobs we thank you for your prayers!
I (Ali) am having some health challenges at the moment. It seems that my thyroid hormone levels are not what they should be and I am trying a different dosage of thyroxine to try and get them back in line. Meanwhile I am tired but my body is finding it hard to relax. Please pray for patience for me as I try to be realistic about what I can achieve in a day and for wisdom to know how to proceed. We are so grateful to have expert advice from an endocrinologist in the UK who is willing to consult via e-mail but questions have been raised about the accuracy of the blood tests done in Jos.
Dan’s class are organising a large dinner event (aiming to feed 300 people) to raise money. They will be serving North African cuisine which, it turns out, is to be cooked by the parents! Tim, with his event experience, is proving a valuable resource for the class. Please pray that it goes well and that the students actually learn something in the process.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers!
Praise
We get to be part of helping people access God’s Word in a form that they can absorb
Ali has good support for her health issues
Prayer
Tim to be refreshed and encouraged
Dan’s class as they put on a big event
Ali’s health to improve
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