2 Peter and Jude in time for Christmas

We finished the final checks of 2 Peter and Jude in the Jita language. Praise the Lord! We're so thankful that we were able to finish them before Christmas break.

These little books are incredibly difficult to translate. The authors use complex metaphors to describe false teachers in order to warn the believers against them. They compare the false teachers to irrational animals, blots and blemishes, waterless springs, mists driven by a storm, hidden reefs, waterless clouds, fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted, wild waves of the sea, and wandering stars. It was quite a challenge to find the best way to communicate the power of these metaphors in the Jita language.

But at the same time, it was a joy to translate beautiful truths about "the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet 1:11) and "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials" (2 Pet 2:9) and "according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet 3:13).

Of course, there's also the magnificent doxology at the end of Jude.

Jude 1:25
Omwene niwe Nyamuwanga era, niwe Omuchungusi weeswe okuturira ku‑Yeesu Kirisito Raatabhugenyi weeswe. Nyamuwanga akusibhwe muno, kwa okubha omwene ari na rikusyo, obhukuru, amanaga na obhuturo, okwambira kara, woori, nooro akajaanende koone. Aamina.

To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. 

Pray with us that the Jita people will be transformed by God's Word. And pray for us as we continue the hard work of translation.

Happy Reformation Day when "my flesh seems to be on a warpath"

Martin Luther by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel 1884

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!

As you celebrate today, enjoy these encouraging words from Martin Luther in his Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, written around 1538.

When meditating on Galatians 2:20,
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Luther contemplated the depth of his sin and the beauty of the gospel,

Paul declares that Christ began and not we. He loved me, and gave Himself for me. He found in me no right mind and no good will. But the good Lord had mercy upon me. Out of pure kindness He loved me, loved me so that He gave Himself for me, that I should be free from the Law, from sin, devil, and death.
The wickedness, error, darkness, ignorance in my mind and my will were so great, that it was quite impossible for me to be saved by any other means than by the inestimable price of Christ’s death.1

Then, in response to Galatians 5:16,
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Luther rejoiced in the hope that we have because of the Holy Spirit living in us,

When sin rages in our body and we through the Spirit wrestle against it, then we have cause for hope. The lust of the flesh is not altogether extinct in us. It rises up again and again and wrestles with the Spirit. No man is to despair of salvation just because he is aware of the lust of the flesh. Let him be aware of it so long as he does not yield to it. The passion of lust, wrath, and other vices may shake him, but they are not to get him down. Sin may assail him, but he is not to welcome it. Yes, the better Christian a man is, the more he will experience the heat of the conflict. It happens at times that anger, hatred, impatience, carnal desire, fear, sorrow, or some other lust of the flesh so overwhelms a man that he cannot shake them off, though he try ever so hard. What should he do? Should he despair? God forbid. Let him say to himself: “My flesh seems to be on a warpath against the Spirit again. Go to it, flesh, and rage all you want to. But you are not going to have your way. I follow the leading of the Spirit.” When the flesh begins to cut up the only remedy is to take the sword of the Spirit, the word of salvation, and fight against the flesh.2

1. https://www.ccel.org/ccel/luther/galatians.v.html
2. https://www.ccel.org/ccel/luther/galatians.viii.html

God's grace in Ephesians for the Jita people

We finished the final check of the book of Ephesians in the Jita language!!!

I'm still amazed that a guy from the Midwest can sit in an office in Tanzania with a Jita speaker, skyping with a Consultant in the UK, discussing the meaning of Greek words using English and Swahili in order to create a clear and accurate translation in Jita. Amazing! And it's all because of God's grace.

Thankfully, now the Jita people can learn about God's amazing grace from the book of Ephesians.

Abhayefeeso 2:8  

Okubha muchunguuywe kwa obhwitiriranya bhwaye, ku‑njira ya okwikirisya Yeesu. Obhuchungusi obhwo bhutasookere kw‑imwe, tari ni echiyaanwa cha Nyamuwanga kw‑imwe.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

We faced some big challenges in this book. For example, in English Bibles, Ephesians 2:14-16 is one long, elaborate, complex sentence containing 13 interrelated clauses.

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 

We spent a LONG time making sure that Paul's intended meaning was accurately captured in the translation and then we spent a LONG time making sure that the translation flowed clearly and naturally.

Then we had a very difficult time in Ephesians 4:19 and 5:3 differentiating between sensuality, sexual immorality, and impurity. How do we describe these things adequately enough in Swahili so that we can find the appropriate words in Jita?

I think I'm most excited about Ephesians 5:18-21, where Paul exhorts the believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit and then describes what real Christian community looks like when we all walk by the Spirit and are led by the Spirit and filled with the Spirit.

mwijusibhwe Mwoyo Mweru

be filled with the Holy Spirit

Thank you for your prayers and partnership with us in bringing this great news to the Jita people.

Without the comma, they'll be buried alive!

Yesterday we finished our consultant check for the book of Colossians in the Jita language. We're thanking God that this book is now ready for the Jita people.

Here's a quick overview of the adventure.

First, the Jita translators, Magesa and Neema, translated the book of Colossians into Jita from the Swahili Bibles that are available.

Then I checked the book for accuracy and clarity. I found little spelling mistakes like in 1:5 the team had written :mwonguywe to translate "you all heard" but the correct spelling is :mwonguuywe.

I looked for exegetical issues like in 1:14 the first draft sounded like "In Jesus we were redeemed because our sins have been forgiven." We revised it to sound like, "In Jesus we were redeemed, that is, our sins have been forgiven."

I had a big challenge in 1:16, "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him."

We had a difficult time finding the right Jita words for all those spiritual beings. And then we had a difficult time making other passages consistent with that decision. Eph 1:21 has, "rule and authority and power and dominion." 1 Cor 15:24 has, "rule and every authority and power." 1 Pet 3:22 has, "angels, authorities, and powers."

We made a shocking discovery in 2:12, "having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead." As Magesa read the passage out loud, he exclaimed, "it sounds like they're being buried alive!" As we looked closer, all we needed to do was insert a comma at the correct spot and that cleared things up.

Finally, we had the Consultant check, which is a final check performed by a veteran Bible translation expert. He helped us clarify complex verses like  2:20, "If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations." How do we deal with the rhetorical question? What are the elemental spirits of the world? What does it mean to die to those elemental spirits? Thankfully in the end we found a good way to make it accurate and clear.

Here's a taste of Jita for you to enjoy:

Colossians 2:6-7,
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Mbe woori, kwa okubha mwekirisya Kirisito Yeesu ati ni Raatabhugenyi, mugenderere okwikara muri na obhumwi nage. Mwimariirire mu‑mwene, mutuure obhurame bhwemwe mu‑mwene na okurumatana mu‑riikirisya rwa kutyo ꞉mweyigiiye. Ka wone, mubhe abhaanu bhanu abhasiima Nyamuwanga bhuri mwanya.

Thank you for your prayers!! Please keep praying for us and for the Jita people.

Was the Apostle Paul bald or hairy?

It's a serious question.

Right now the Jita team is preparing to print 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, and Titus as a single booklet. On the front cover we thought it would be nice to have an illustration of Paul writing his letters (for now let's put aside the issue of co-authorship or Paul dictating his letters to a scribe).

Suddenly we were faced with a huge decision...was Paul bald or hairy? And then we realized the weight of this decision. Our choice will shape the perspective of the Jita people for years to come. No pressure!

And then we also had to choose the best illustration of oxen treading grain for 1 Tim 5:18 and the pieces of a soldier's armor for 1 Thess 5:8, among other things.

So for Paul, the Jita team immediately declared, "definitely the bald guy." Ok, let's go with it. After all, we do have support from a few artists through the centuries.

Andrea Vanni - Saint Paul - 1400

Bartolomeo Montagna - Saint Paul - 1482

Geminiano Benzoni - San Paolo - 1500

Dionysius - The Apostle Paul - 1502

So I guess Paul was bald :)

Please pray that we can finish the rest of the many steps to get this book ready for publication so that the Jita people can read God's Word in their own language!!!

Cigarette butts and super glue to fix the radiator in the middle of nowhere

We were stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, Kenya. This is not how we thought our day would go.

We had driven to Nairobi to pick up Jeannette at the airport after her trip to America. We made the drive in 10 hours and 57 minutes, which was great time for us. Then, after a few days of shopping and doctor visits in Nairobi, it was time to drive back to Musoma. We were on the road at 6:30am and we made great time out of Nairobi.

Suddenly, the car overheated and smoke and steam poured out from underneath our car. I pulled over on the side of the road and prayed out loud, "God please help our car!"

By the amazing providence of God, a car mechanic appeared out of nowhere and pulled up on a motorcycle in front of us and told us we had a problem with the radiator. Literally, God placed a mechanic right in front of us!!

We thought we were in the middle of nowhere but we turned around and drove back about 50 ft and there was the mechanic's little roadside shop. His "shop" was nothing more than a tiny tin shack and a tool box. He and his buddy immediately went to work dismantling our van. They both had wrenches and screwdrivers going at the same time. Bolts were flying, out came the driver's seat, up came the floor panels, hoses were unhooked, cooling fan was removed, engine coolant was spraying everywhere.

the mechanic's roadside "shop"

Meanwhile I was watching intently to try to learn where everything belonged in case I had to put it all back together again or in case they didn't put something back properly. Jeannette and the kids sat in the back of the van praying and eating snacks. Eventually the radiator was free but it did not come out easily. More pieces of the engine had to be removed to make enough space for the radiator to come out. Finally it was out and they discovered a crack in the plastic housing. {Why is there any plastic on a radiator?!?!?!?}

Then the mechanic pulled out the most hilarious technique I've ever seen. The old "cigarette-butt-super-glue-to-fix-the-radiator" trick. Seriously, he picked up 20 cigarette butts from the ground (he's quite a smoker) and unwrapped them to expose the fiberous material inside. He laid those over the crack and then poured super glue over the whole area. After this hardened, he then applied epoxy to the whole area. While he was fixing the crack, his buddy removed the thermostat that is connected to the radiator. He said the thermostat failed and that's what caused the radiator to crack. Sure, why not, sounds plausible. After 5 minutes the mechanic said "the glue is dry, let's put everything back together."

I was nervous. God please help them put it back together correctly and safely.

They added coolant, checked the levels, and said, "you're good to go, no problem." I handed them a huge pile of Kenyan shillings and we set off on our journey again. The whole ordeal took about three hours. I drove very cautiously and thankfully the temperature gauge stayed where it should be. We made it to our next pit stop and the coolant level was good.

Finally, just before dark, we made it to the Tanzanian border. When we stopped at the border I heard a strange sound coming from underneath the van, similar to when the van died earlier. Miraculously, by the grace of God, we made it through both sides of the border quickly and easily. Now we felt better because at least we were in Tanzania. If the van died completely here, someone could come get us without crossing an international border. We drove very slowly and I stared at the temperature gauge diligently. Going up the steep hills was rough on the engine. It was getting late, it was dark, the kids were starving, they were getting car sick. I just kept praying out loud the entire way. "God please help us! God please keep us safe! God please get us home!"

Finally, at 9:15pm we drove into our driveway. Thank you, God! Almost 15 hours in the car. Yuck! Let's never do that again. But we're so thankful for God's provision and protection along the way.

The next morning I drove the van to the local mechanic and as I pulled into his shop, the temperature gauge spiked to the red line. Phew! Now....to find a new radiator.....

Even sickness will not stop 1 Peter from reaching the Jita people

I was really tempted to despair but God was faithful and he sustained us by his grace.

Back in February, we had a plan to do the consultant check for the book of 1 Peter in Jita because the consultant from America would be visiting Musoma. Sadly, both Jita translators were sick that week so we couldn't do the check.

Then, for the next two months, at least one of the translators was sick almost every day. Malaria, typhoid, fevers, eye infections, severe back pain, sick family members, and even the death of a family member in the village.

Finally, in April we were able to set up a meeting by Skype to do the consultant check.

We had to work through some difficult issues like, when Peter mentions "Gentiles" is he intending the same sense of the word as when Paul used the word in Ephesians or when Luke used the word in Acts? If not, should that difference be reflected in our translation?

In another place, Peter tells the believers to "Greet one another with the kiss of love." Surprisingly, the Jita people have no word for kiss! What should we do?

After many more conversations like these, we finished the book of 1 Peter!!! Now the Jita people can find comfort and hope in the midst of suffering because they know that...

After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:10-11

Here's what it looks like in Jita:

Nyamuwanga wa obhwitiriranya bhwone, ꞉aabhabhirikiiye korereki musangire aamwi nage mw‑ikusyo ryaye rya akajaanende koone, aamwi na Kirisito. Omunyaaka kwa omwanya mutooto era, nawe Nyamuwanga omwene aribhakomeesya, aribhayaana amanaga na okubhakuumisya. Nyamuwanga niwe ari na obhuturo akajaanende koone! Aamina.

Thank you for praying and please keep praying for the Jita people.

Resurrection Legos

Here's a little video we made to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Savior.
Enjoy!

Checking 1 Peter and celebrating birthdays

This is a very exciting week!

Yesterday we celebrated Kara's 11th birthday. Her highlights were passion fruit juice and decorating her own cake (with lots and lots of frosting). We thank God for the joy that Kara brings to our family.

Tomorrow Ben will help the Jita team as they finish the book of 1 Peter in the Jita language. They are doing the Consultant check which is the final step in translating a book. Please pray for health and strength for Ben, Magesa, Neema and the Consultant. Pray that they would all communicate well and that God's Word would be translated clearly, accurately and naturally into the Jita language.

Then on Tuesday we celebrate Luke and Ellie's birthday. They will be turning 9. Please pray with us that all of our children would follow Jesus and love others.

many Jita verses done, many more to go

We're thanking God for all the progress that the Jita team has made recently.

"Done!" means that these books have been checked by me, the Translation Advisor, for accuracy and clarity. Then they were double-checked by a Translation Consultant. Finally, we checked them for naturalness and acceptability by community members in Jita villages. Some of them have been published as individual books, the rest will wait until we publish the whole New Testament.

"In process" means that we are in various stages of drafting, editing, spell-checking, and cross-checking.

"Not started yet" means we still have a ton of work to do. Please pray for us. Pray for the Jita translators: Magesa and Neema. Pray that the Jita community would provide good feedback for the translation. Pray for wisdom and knowledge for me as I check the translation. Pray that the Jita people will be transformed by the Word of God!

fresh beef

Tonight we enjoyed Jeannette's lovely homemade beef stew. Here's how we get our beef...

On Saturday morning at 8am I go to the local butcher and wait for the cow to arrive. It doesn't get any fresher than this!

I bring home the fresh flesh in black plastic bags and then Jeannette does the dirty work. (don't ask what's in the green bowl)

Then we can enjoy beef stew or shepherd's pie or BBQ beef or whatever. We don't think Jenna really understands how we get our meat because she still refers to all meat as chicken :)