Chrysalis or Cocoon?

Look what fell out of our mango trees!!!

Our kids are studying BUGS at the missionary-kid learning center. Actually, they correct me and say, "Not bugs, Dad. Insects!"

Exactly... bugs:)

Here are some more examples of backyard bug science...

Kara: "This is a beetle because the outer shell is divided and it has membranous wings underneath."

Luke: "This insect is camouflaging and it folds its antennae when we get close."

Ben: "The little spiky thingys really do hurt!"

Recording the JESUS film

Now it's time to record the script of the JESUS film in the Jita language.

  You can see the other posts about Jita Jesus film here:
  http://www.gerthfamilytanzania.blogspot.com/2014/11/next-big-project-jesus-film.html
  http://www.gerthfamilytanzania.blogspot.com/2014/11/scripting-jesus-film.html

Guess what it is?

This is our sound-proof recording studio!

This Jita man played the part of the narrator in the film.

The temperature inside "The Box" felt like 150 degrees but the Jita "actors" were such good sports. They endured the heat and the claustrophobia and repeating their lines over and over again until it was perfect.

Magesa and one of our friends from the Jesus Film Project

Our friends from the Jesus Film Project came to do the actual recording. They travel all around the world doing this exact job.

My friend Jeff (far right) organized the whole recording process. He coordinated with the Jesus Film Project, handled all the logistics, organized the actors and the traveling and the location and so much more. Good work, Jeff!

After two weeks of recording for 6 days/week and 27 Jita "actors," it was time for a final review.

After a few minor revisions, the JESUS film is now finished in the Jita language! Praise the Lord! We're looking forward to a big celebration showing of the film maybe early next year. Thank you for all your prayers!

King Jesus is With Us

Join us on our Advent journey through God's Word. This year again we will go from Genesis to Revelation looking at God's promises to dwell "WITH" his people. These promises are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.

You can follow our daily reading schedule here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1XCekGacO5fRFduakRtVDJKZ3M/view?usp=sharing

Enjoy!

Scripting the JESUS film

screen shot from Jesus film http://jesusfilmmedia.org/

So the Jita team is working on the JESUS film. The first step was to translate the script into Jita. We used a normal spreadsheet with the English and Swahili already included. After we inserted the Jita it looked like this....

It may not look like much but there were 1,206 lines to translate!!

Then my friend Mitchell took all 1,206 lines of Jita and copied them into a computer program. (Mitchell is our media specialist.)

We used this program to check the timing of each scene because we wanted to make sure that the Jita "actors" would be able to fit all their lines into a given scene. We also wanted to make sure that the lips matched the voice as much as possible. (We've all seen badly dubbed movies, right?)

screenshot of the computer program we used

photo by M. Wimbush

Then Neema and Magesa and I reviewed every line of script to make sure it was accurate and that it would fit with the timing of the scene.

Finally, we were ready to take the script out to the community and test it with other Jita speakers.

We gathered a small group of Jita Christians in the village and read the entire script with them. They gave us some helpful feedback about the Jita words and phrases in the script. And they also had some interesting questions for us. "In this movie, will Jesus be an African or a white person?" Sorry, we can't change the video, we can only change the audio. But at least we'll have a white Jesus speaking Jita! That will be cool!!!!


Stay tuned for recording the JESUS film...

Next big project: JESUS Film

This year with the Jita team, we have finished the books of Acts and 1, 2 and 3 John. We're thanking God for his abundant grace. Now it's time for our next big project...

You remember that old movie from 1979? It has been translated into 1,214 languages around the world! We are partnering with the Jesus Film Project to bring the Jesus film to the people of the Mara region in Tanzania. Last year, members of our team helped produce the Jesus film in the languages of Kabwa and Zanaki.

Hundreds of Kabwa and Zanaki people saw the film and heard the good news about Jesus. Many people trusted Jesus for salvation.

Now it's time for the Jita people to have the Jesus film in their own language!

Here's a sample from the Jesus film showing English and Swahili, but no Jita.




Sadly, the Jita people don't have the Jesus film in their language. That means they can't use this evangelistic tool to tell other Jita people the good news about Jesus. That's why we're working hard to bring the Jesus film to the Jita people. Please pray for us. This is a huge project, with a huge amount of work, but a huge spiritual benefit for God's kingdom. We have already encountered some spiritual attacks in the process. Please pray for unity, wisdom and endurance.

Stay tuned for more updates...




Jesus film project logo and statistics taken from http://www.jesusfilm.org/
Jesus film video segments taken from http://jesusfilmmedia.org/
Photos of Jesus Film celebrations taken by C. Lucas and M. Nicholls

Mouth to mouth

"I wish I could talk to you mouth to mouth."

What would that phrase mean in your cultural background?

This is just one example of the interesting challenges we faced while translating the letters of John into the Jita language. I'll return to that example later.

Here's another example. Right away in 1 John 1:1 it says,

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.

The first draft of the Jita sounded like we heard him with our eyes and saw him with our hands. Uh oh! Thankfully, that was an easy fix.

Then there's this beautiful verse about God's love and Jesus' sacrifice.

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The word "propitiation/atonement" was a difficult concept to translate. The main components of meaning are sacrifice, covering of sin, removal of guilt and turning away God's wrath. We discovered a word in Jita [okugwatanya] which refers to the process of reconciliation. When one person wrongs or offends another, their relationship is separated. The guilty party must bring a goat, both parties lay their hands on the goat and a respected elder will slaughter the goat. When the blood is spilled, the relationship is reconciled. So we decided to translate the one English word "propitiation" with the Jita phrase, "sacrifice which removes our sins and reconciles us to God."

1 John 4:10 Rinu niryo eryenda, jitari ati, eswe chaatangatire okwenda Nyamuwanga. Tari omwene niwe :aatangatire okucheenda eswe. Niyo isonga ^naatuma Omwana waaye, abhe echoogo echa okusoosya‑wo ebhibhiibhi bhyeswe na okuchigwatanya na Nyamuwanga.

And of course, let's not forget 2 John. John writes this letter to a church personified as a "lady." The best way to communicate that idea is with the word "sister." But then at the end of the letter, when John sends greetings from a "sister" church, the Jita used a different word for "sister." 

Huh? 

In Jita culture, all greetings are determined by gender and age. So when John himself (a man) greets his sister church (a woman) he uses [omusubhaati]. But when he sends greetings from one sister church (woman) to another sister church (woman) he uses [omuyara]. Whew! That's confusing! But now the letter of 2 John will be accepted because it is natural Jita language.

And finally, in 3 John, John closes his letter with these words, 

"I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face." 

That phrase "face to face" was fun. The Greek literally says, "mouth to mouth." Swahili has two different ways to say it. And the Jita expression is "eye to eye." 

And just for fun, here's a word cloud I made for 1 John with the size of the words relating to the frequency in the letter. Enjoy! (have I mentioned that I love this job?!?!)

Past the zebras to the dentist

The other day we took Kara to the dentist. The nearest dentist is in the town of Mwanza, which is three hours away. Ugh! But the good news is, we drove past the Serengeti and enjoyed seeing some zebras and wildebeests.

Welcome to Tanzania!

Thoughts on marriage...from a MONK!

Happy Reformation Day!
{for more background, click here: http://gerthfamilytanzania.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-reformation-day.html}

Mr. and Mrs. Martin Luther - such a pleasant couple

On this Reformation Day, let's enjoy Martin Luther's insight on the marriage between Christ and his church. {This, of course, is the same Martin Luther, a former monk, who, 5 years later would marry a former nun!} 

The third incomparable grace of faith is this, that it unites the soul to Christ, as the wife to the husband; by which mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul are made one flesh. Now if they are one flesh, and if a true marriage-- nay, by far the most perfect of all marriages--is accomplished between them (for human marriages are but feeble types of this one great marriage), then it follows that all they have becomes theirs in common, as well good things as evil things; so that whatsoever Christ possesses, that the believing soul may take to itself and boast of as its own, and whatever belongs to the soul, that Christ claims as his.

If we compare these possessions, we shall see how inestimable is the gain. Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation; the soul is full of sin, death, and condemnation. Let faith step in, and then sin, death, and hell will belong to Christ, and grace, life, and salvation to the soul. For, if he is a husband, he must needs take to himself that which is his wife's, and, at the same time, impart to his wife that which is his. For, in giving her his own body and himself, how can he but give her all that is his? And, in taking to himself the body of his wife, how can he but take to himself all that is hers?

In this is displayed the delightful sight, not only of communion, but of a prosperous warfare, of victory, salvation, and redemption. For since Christ is God and man, and is such a person as neither has sinned, nor dies, nor is condemned,--nay, cannot sin, die, or be condemned; and since his righteousness, life, and salvation are invincible, eternal, and almighty; when, I say, such a person, by the wedding-ring of faith, takes a share in the sins, death, and hell of his wife, nay, makes them his own, and deals with them no otherwise than as if they were his, and as if he himself had sinned; and when he suffers, dies, and descends to hell, that he may overcome all things, since sin, death, and hell cannot swallow him up, they must needs be swallowed up by him in stupendous conflict. For his righteousness rises above the sins of all men; his life is more powerful than all death; his salvation is more unconquerable than all hell.

Thus the believing soul, by the pledge of its faith in Christ, becomes free from all sin, fearless of death, safe from hell, and endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of its husband Christ.

Christ, that rich and pious husband, takes as a wife a needy and impious harlot, redeeming her from all her evils, and supplying her with all his good things. It is impossible now that her sins should destroy her, since they have been laid upon Christ and swallowed up in Him, and since she has in her husband Christ a righteousness which she may claim as her own, and which she can set up with confidence against all her sins, against death and hell, saying: "If I have sinned, my Christ, in whom I believe, has not sinned; all mine is His, and all His is mine."

Martin Luther, On the Freedom of a Christian, 1520.

From http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/luther-freedomchristian.asp

First John, first edition

Very exciting! The Jita people can now read the letters of 1 John, 2 John and 3 John in their own language!

Jita translators Magesa and Neema translating 1 John into the Jita language

I really love the letters of John. They're packed full of wonderful gospel truth. And now the Jita people can enjoy the letters of John as much as I do.

For example, Jita people can know that God will forgive their sins when they repent.

1 John 1:9 Tari, araabha chikata ebhibhiibhi bhyeswe, Nyamuwanga kaachifwira echigongo ebhibhiibhi bhyeswe na okucheesya obhujabhi bhwone, kwa okubha omwene ni omwiyikanyibhwa ka wone ni omurengeresi.

They can know that God loves them and that God sent Jesus to die as the atoning sacrifice for their sins.

1 John 4:10 Rinu niryo eryenda, jitari ati, eswe chaatangatire okwenda Nyamuwanga. Tari omwene niwe :aatangatire okucheenda eswe. Niyo isonga ^naatuma Omwana waaye, abhe echoogo echa okusoosya‑wo ebhibhiibhi bhyeswe na okuchigwatanya na Nyamuwanga.

Now the Jita people can know God's command to love one another because God is love.

1 John 4:7-8 Abheendwa bhaani mu‑riikirisya, cheendane, kwa okubha eryenda erisooka ku‑Nyamuwanga. Omuunu woonewoone unu keenda abheejaabho, ni omwana owa Nyamuwanga, ka wone niwe kaasombookerwa Nyamuwanga. Nawe omuunu woonewoone unu atakwenda abheejaabho, atakusombookerwa Nyamuwanga, kwa okubha Nyamuwanga ni eryenda.

And now the Jita people can rejoice in the assurance that they have eternal life if they believe in Jesus.

1 John 5:13 Enibhakaamira inyarubha inu, emwe bhanu omwikirisya risiina erya Omwana owa Nyamuwanga, korereki mumenye ati muri na obhuwanga obhwa akajaanende.

And of course, we can't forget 2 John and 3 John. You should read them sometime. They're very interesting and very relevant for the church today.

Please pray with us that the Jita people will trust Jesus as their Savior and love one another.

Jonah X-factor

God's Word is beautiful!

Last year as we were translating the book of Jonah I noticed a beautiful pattern in chapter 1. Technically, it's called a chiastic structure because it can be diagrammed like the letter "X." The first half of chapter 1 and the second half of chapter 1 contain symmetrical ideas. The climax is in the middle when Jonah declares, "I am a Hebrew and I fear Yahweh."

Check out this little video...


I love the Bible!

Jonah still travels far

Check out what book these Jita people are reading...

photo by SIL Literacy Department

Do you recognize it?

It's the book of Jonah in the Jita language! We translated it and published it last year. And now, our Literacy Department is using the book of Jonah in Jita to teach Jita people to read their own language.

photo by SIL Literacy Department

Here's how it works...Our Literacy workers invite Jita speakers who can read and write Swahili but not Jita. (I realize this might be confusing. Jita people speak Jita at home but they have never learned to read and write Jita. In school they only learn to read and write Swahili.) Then, using Swahili as a starting point, they teach the Jita people how to read and write their own language. And they use the book of Jonah in Jita as a basic reading textbook. How cool is that! Just another amazing ripple effect of translating Scripture into people's heart language.

Crazy 13

Still crazy in love...after 13 years.

Thanking God for my wise, wonderful, witty wife.

Marabou Stork "The Undertaker"

Here's an interesting beast. It's called the Marabou Stork. Tanzanians call it "Mr. Clean" because it hangs out around garbage dumps and eats trash!

They're HUGE birds. They can be as tall as 5 ft!

Kara: "I found a very big feather on the side of the road. It's really soft. It's a Marabou Stork feather. Today I saw two big Marabou Storks walking around with their wings spread out. I think they were sun-bathing."

Their wingspan can be 7-9 ft across.

Apparently they are nicknamed "The Undertaker Bird" because of their shape from behind: black, cloak-like wings, skinny white legs, and sometimes a mass of white "hair." Also, they are scavengers who feed on dead, decaying flesh.

Yep, that's nice.

Beautiful lake, dirty water

This is our life. We live on a beautiful lake which is full of debris and disease. This is what happens when you draw tap water from a dirty lake.



But then, on our "bad days," we look out our window and see this...

Many of our Tanzanian neighbors haul water from the lake in buckets every single day.

Therefore, we're thankful that we have running water in our house. Well, today the water was off all day long but we're thankful that we have running water on most days. :)

Passion avocado

Two joys of living in Tanzania...

avocados the size of your head

passion fruit growing in your backyard

We make fresh guacamole, fresh fruit salad, fresh fruit smoothies, fresh fruit juice. My wife even discovered how to make chocolate pudding with avocados! YUM!

Savoring Acts with a can of root beer

Rejoice with us, we finished the book of Acts in the Jita language!!! So we celebrated with a can of root beer.

Let me explain…

The process of translating the book of Acts in the Jita language was very similar to that of translating Jonah (check out the blog posts if you missed them Translating Jita Jonah Part 1, Translating Jita Jonah Part 9). First, the Jita translators adapted the book from Swahili into Jita. Then they cleaned it up, made it sound natural, and checked spelling and clarity. Then I examined the book to make sure that the author's original meaning was communicated accurately. Then we went to the community to make sure that the language was natural, clear and acceptable. Finally, we met with a Consultant as a final check on accuracy and clarity.

This has truly been a team effort. Translation work was started on Acts in December 2010. I am the 5th Translation Advisor to help the Jita team with this book. One of the Jita translators left SIL to return to his church as pastor. We tested portions of this book in the community at least three times. There are 1007 verses in Acts.

Whew!

But it was worth every ounce of hard work.

Now the Jita people can read what Jesus told his followers before he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:8).

Nawe muriramira amanaga omwanya gunu Mwoyo Mweru ariija kw-imwe, muribha abhabhambasi bhaani mu‑Yerusareemu na mu-mbaara ejindi joone eja echaaro echa Yudeeya na echa Samaariya, na okukingira ku-bhuteero obhwa echaaro choone.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Now the Jita people can hear Peter's testimony about Jesus after God healed a lame man (Acts 4:10-12).

Emwe bhoone aamwi na Abhaisirayeeri abhandi bhoone, enikena mumenye kwa echimari ati, unu emereguuyu imbere yemwe ni muwanga, kwa obhuturo obhwa risiina erya Yeesu Kirisito Omunajareeti. Niwe unu emwe mwabhambire ku‑musarabha, nawe Nyamuwanga :aamusuuruye okusooka mu‑bhafuuye. Na niwe unu Ebhikaame Ebhyeru ebhyayika inguru yaaye ati, ‘Ribhuyi rinu emwe abhombasi :mwaremere, niryo ryabha ribhuyi rinene erya orufuka.’ Gutari-wo omweruro ku‑wundi wonewone! Okubha ritari-wo risiina rindi mu‑chaaro choone erya obhuturo obhwa okuchichungura eswe abhaana bhaanu!

All of you together with all the people of Israel, I want you to know truly that this man who stands before you is well by the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He is the one you killed on the cross, but God raised him from the dead. And the Holy Scriptures speak about him, 'The stone which you builders rejected, has become the cornerstone.' There is no salvation by any other! For there is no other name in the whole world having power to save us!

Now the Jita people can understand the simple, beautiful gospel message in Acts 16:31.

Ikirisya Raatabhugenyi Yeesu, niwo uja okuchunguka.

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

Now Jita people can enjoy the promise in Acts 2:38.

Peetero ^naabhabhwira ati, "Bhuri umwi wemwe ate ebhibhiibhi bhyaye, na abhatiijwe kw‑isiina erya Yeesu Kirisito, korereki afwirwe echigongo ebhibhiibhi bhyaye, emwe omuja okuyanwa echiyanwa echa Mwoyo Mweru."

Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." 

Now about the root beer...

Root beer is not available here in Musoma. In fact, we hadn't tasted root beer in over two years. But last time we went to Mwanza (the nearest "big" city which is 3 hours away) we found a store selling three cans of A&W root beer (manufactured in United Arab Emirates). So we bought all three and split them among three missionary families. We were saving our can for the opportune moment.

When I came home from work and announced that the Jita people now have the book of Acts in their own heart language, we celebrated. We broke out our can of root beer and each of us savored one sip. It was delicious! Now we're praying that the Jita people will savor God's Word and delight in Jesus.

Gerth Buckets

The Gerths use a lot of buckets!! Here's why we need so many buckets...

Birthday, Tanzania-style (or, Jeannette is 23 again)

Well, Jeannette's birthday this year was VERY different from any other birthday she's ever had.

Jeannette wrangled a fierce monitor lizard (no, actually it was roadkill, but at least she touched it!)

Her Bible Study friends surprised her with a birthday cake.

She enjoyed time with friends...

She had lunch with friends and played with her food.

The kids and I baked her a yummy cake, if I do say so myself.

And she ended the day chasing our dinner around the yard.

Just kidding, we didn't really eat it.

Wishing many more Happy Birthdays to my wise, wonderful, witty wife!!

Gerths going bananas

Yep, the Gerths are going bananas!

We have banana trees in our backyard. Each tree only produces one bunch of bananas and then dies. When one tree dies, it always begins one or two other shoots.

Then we start to see mini bananas...

Getting bigger...

Finally, when the bunch is so big it almost causes the tree to collapse, we harvest them...

and put them in a cardboard box to ripen.

Then it's time to enjoy our bananas!!!!