Zooming with the translators in Tanzania

It was such a joy to have a Zoom call with my fellow translation colleagues in Tanzania! There were translators from every team: Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kabwa, Kwaya, Simbiti, and Zanaki. There were also other Translation Advisors, like me. We were able to share updates with each other about work progress, discuss some best practices in translation, and also encourage each other to persevere in the midst of the Coronavirus restrictions. By the grace of God, the work of Bible translation is moving forward in Tanzania. The Simbiti, Kabwa, and Ikoma teams are in the final stages of finishing the New Testament. Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray for the translators in Tanzania. They face many difficulties like sickness, poor living conditions, and even the death of loved ones, but they press on in the work because they long to have God's Word in their own language!

75% Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

Wow! God has provided 75% of our Wycliffe ministry budget. "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!" We're again humbled and overwhelmed by the abundant grace of God as well as the sacrificial generosity of God's people. We're so thankful for this team of ministry partners who believe in the work of Bible translation and share our passion to make God's Word accessible to the Jita people!

If you would like to join our team, go to our Wycliffe web page here:
https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB

Thanks!

Speaking Swahili at a grocery store and a funeral in Michigan

I was recently in the grocery store searching for tahini (Jeannette makes the best hummus on the planet), and I overheard some other customers speaking a foreign language. I lingered for a while and listened until I could clearly identify the language as Swahili. In my excitement, I greeted the customers in Swahili and they were stunned. Actually, they were surprised and delighted. We chatted for a while in the middle of the aisle, and I discovered that this family had fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo as refugees only a few months before. They shared how difficult it was to adjust to life in America. We exchanged phone numbers and I told them I was available to help if they ever needed it. We're praying that maybe this will be an open door for sharing the gospel.

Then I heard about the tragic death of a sixteen year old girl who died in an accident. Her family had also recently relocated to Michigan after fleeing the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Unfortunately, the funeral was conducted in English so most of the family didn't understand anything. Thankfully, I was able to talk to the grieving family and offer sympathy and comfort in Swahili. After the funeral, the church asked me to translate the eulogy into Swahili so that the family could understand it. I was thankful for the opportunity to communicate truth about God's love and faithfulness, as well as our hope in Jesus as the resurrection and the life. Again, we're praying that God will use these experiences to open doors for sharing the gospel.

Interesting spelling challenge in Jita

Here's a quick video update about an interesting spelling challenge in Jita. This is just one of the many challenges involved in translating God's Word. Pray for God's help as we seek to translate his Word clearly, accurately, and naturally.

Ben is only able to work part-time on the translation because we are not yet at 100% of our Wycliffe ministry budget. Please pray that God will bring more ministry partners to join our team. Thanks!

Here's the link to our Wycliffe ministry page if you would like to sign up as a prayer and financial partner:  https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB

71% and very thankful

Hey everybody! We're so thankful that God has provided 71% of our monthly ministry budget. We appreciate each and every one of our amazing ministry partners. Together we are bringing God's Word to the Jita people of Tanzania!

If you would like to join our team as a prayer and financial partner, you can go to our Wycliffe web page here:
https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB

How do you say "fellowship" in Jita?

Here's a quick video update about checking 1 Corinthians in Jita. Ben was studying 1 Corinthians 1:9, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." It's important to choose the right Jita word for "fellowship" so that we can communicate the rich fullness of that beautiful concept.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. Ben is not able to work full-time on the translation until we get back to 100% of our ministry budget. Until then, we're investing most of our time building our partnership team. 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. We invite you to join our team as a prayer and financial partner. If you would like to join us, go to our Wycliffe ministry page here:
https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB

Why would "stones cry out" on Palm Sunday?

As we prepare to celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, I want to look at a fascinating little verse in the gospel of Luke.

Luke 19:40
Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

What is Jesus talking about?

Let me give you some context. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 about how the king will enter the city. The crowd starts cheering, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" They believe that Jesus is the Messiah-King who will rescue God's people and bring peace. But the Pharisees are absolutely opposed to this idea. They find it offensive to imagine this carpenter-teacher as God's chosen Messiah. Therefore, the Pharisees tell Jesus to rebuke his followers and make them be quiet. Jesus responds, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

What is Jesus talking about?

There are two ways to understand this verse. On the one hand, the Pharisees might think back to Habakkuk 2 about how God will punish the Babylonians for their greed, wickedness, and violence done against Israel.

Habakkuk 2:9-12
Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!

With this interpretation, Jesus is declaring that if people reject his kingship, God will send judgment, which is exactly what Jesus says later on in the passage.

Luke 19:43-44
For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.

On the other hand, the Pharisees could reflect on passages of Scripture about creation singing praises to God for his work of salvation.

Psalm 96:11-13
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Isaiah 44:23
Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.

Isaiah 55:12
For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

All of creation rejoices in the Lord for his magnificent work of redemption. In the triumphal entry, Jesus is on his way to fulfill God's plan of redemption. Jesus is the Messiah-King who will rescue God's people from sin and establish God's kingdom. He deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated for who he is. If the followers of Jesus are silent, then God can cause the stones to cry out in praise and worship.

So here's the point: Jesus is the King and the Savior. He is worthy of all praise and worship. Let's raise our hearts and voices and join the song that we will be singing for all eternity, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:12-13)