Coronavirus can't stop Corinthians

Even though we are bound to our houses, God's Word is not bound! We are continuing to translate the Bible into the Jita language. I've been checking the first draft of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 1:23 says, "but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles." Is Paul using the word "stumbling block" in the same sense as in Romans 9:33 or in Romans 14:13? What is the best way to communicate that meaning in Jita?

We are also doing the final check on 2 Corinthians. We discussed 2:17, "For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word." What does it mean to be a peddler of God's Word? In Tanzania (and in America!), many preachers twist God's Word in order to manipulate people into giving them money. Some preachers will sell "holy water," or "sacred oils," or even "anointed pens" for ridiculously high prices. One preacher refused to start preaching until people in the congregation gave him enough money to buy a new smart phone. Clearly, this idea of peddling God's Word is well-known in Tanzania. After lots of discussion, we made sure that the Jita translation is accurate, clear, and natural. 

Please keep praying for the Jita translators: Magesa and Neema. Pray that God will protect them and their families. And please keep praying for us. I cannot be back to working full-time on the translation until we get back to 100% of our ministry budget. We realize that this is a difficult time for everyone, but with all of the fear and uncertainty, it is even more important that people have God's Word in their own language. If you would like to join our team as a prayer and financial partner, go to our Wycliffe ministry page here:  

www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB

Thank you!!

Corona means crown, but it's not the king

Kara wrote this for a school assignment. It's beautiful! She discovered that corona means crown in Latin and her assignment was about how Christians should think about the coronavirus and how we can encourage others who are struggling with anxiety and fear.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)

After reading Romans 8:15, I am encouraged once again that I have no reason to fear! We have received the Spirit by whom we cry, “Daddy!” God is our heavenly father, and he knows what is going on. He is sovereign, even over coronavirus. He hears us when we cry for help. When I begin to fear again about the coronavirus, I can remember Jesus’ “corona” of thorns. Jesus suffered greater tribulation than we will ever face. Even if we do get the corona of death, in heaven Jesus will give us the “corona” of life! We know that we will see King Jesus face-to-face, and he will have a “corona” on his head.

How the pandemic map reminds me of the gospel

As I watch the news reports of COVID-19 spreading to the ends of the earth, I need to remind myself of the massive hope that we have in Jesus. Our hope is that Jesus will return to earth as king to make everything new, and we will live with him forever. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). We long for the day when COVID-19 and every other disease will be completely eradicated. On that day, "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). Our hearts will overflow with joy because we will see the resurrected, exalted Jesus in all of his majesty and power. With thankful hearts we will all sing, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!" (Psalm 72:18-19).

But until that glorious return of Jesus, we have a mission to spread the good news of his kingdom to the end of the earth. In the Old Testament, God promised to send the Messiah, "as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6). Then in the New Testament, the followers of Jesus are called "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14), and they are commanded to be his "witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). We have the joyful task of shining the light of Jesus by proclaiming the good news of repentance and salvation and eternal life. The message is simple, "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22). Our passion is to see people all over the world believing in Jesus until, "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you" (Psalm 22:27). This is our hope and joy and passion! Even in the midst of a pandemic. Let's pray that God will use this crisis to draw people to himself. Let's use this opportunity to shine the light of the gospel through good works and good news until, "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God" (Psalm 98:3). 

67% and new momentum

This is very exciting! Look at how God is providing! He has brought some new ministry partners onto our team, and he has stirred the hearts of some long-time partners to increase their support. We appreciate each and every one of you.

If you would like to join our team as a prayer and financial partner, check out our Wycliffe website here:
www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB

Is it the Dead Sea or the Salt Sea?

We're in the final stages of preparing the book of Matthew for publication in the Jita language! Now we're working on the map. The translators said that a map would really help our readers to understand the context of the book. I certainly agree. First, we had to choose a map template. Our only templates are for the entire New Testament so they list EVERY location mentioned in the gospels. We only want the locations specifically mentioned in Matthew. Therefore, I had to go through the whole book of Matthew and list out all of the places, and then go through the Jita translation to find their corresponding Jita spellings.

When that was finished, we then had to decide how we want to label the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Neither of them are mentioned in the book of Matthew, but we thought it might be helpful as points of reference. The Mediterranean Sea is called "The Great Sea" or "The Western Sea" in the Old Testament and the Dead Sea is called "The Salt Sea" or "The Eastern Sea." Which names should we use? We ended up choosing the more common names for the sake of our readers.