How important is a Glossary?

                                            

Consider this...how many Bible study resources do you have access to? 

Maybe you have a study Bible, a concordance, a Bible dictionary, or a commentary. Maybe you have Bible software on your computer. Here in America we are blessed with a wealth of Bible study resources. But the Jita people of Tanzania don't even have the Bible in their own language. 

Thankfully, we're getting very close to publishing the New Testament in the Jita language. And in the back of the New Testament, we will include a Glossary. A Glossary is a collection of important Biblical words and phrases, along with their definitions, organized in alphabetical order. So for example, imagine a Jita person reading Matthew 9:27,

As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”

Maybe this Jita person wants to know more about that term, Son of David. They can look in the Glossary and find an explanation along with some other relevant Bible verses to help them understand the meaning. A Glossary is a great tool for Bible study.

But we have had all kinds of problems with the Jita Glossary. Sometimes our translated text would become corrupted and entire sections of the Glossary would mysteriously jump into other sections. Other times, whole paragraphs would disappear. We had to sift through the archives to try and recreate those sections accurately. It was just one major problem after another. 

Clearly, these were spiritual attacks to prevent us from finishing the New Testament. Think about it, this little Glossary in the back of the Jita New Testament, will be the first Bible study resource ever printed in the Jita language. That's exciting!

Thankfully, by God's grace we finally finished the Glossary. And we saved it and made lots of backup copies :)

Now we're one step closer to printing the Jita New Testament!

Pondering Parallel Passages

 One of the final steps in preparing the Jita New Testament for publication is comparing parallel passages. For example, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus asking his disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" It's important that we translate that sentence consistently in all three places. Thankfully, we have some amazing software that shows us all the parallel passages in the New Testament, but there are hundreds!!! 

It's a very time-consuming process, and it takes a lot of intensive focus. As you can see in the example above, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the question of Jesus with the same exact wording. However, each Gospel writer recorded Peter's response differently. We have to be very careful and pay close attention to each word and each phrase in each passage.

And sometimes, one phrase shows up in a lot of places. 

For example, Jesus' command to love our neighbors shows up in Matthew (3x), Mark (2x), Luke, Romans, Galatians, and James.

Please keep praying for us as we finish up the New Testament in Jita!

Thanksgiving Pie Chart

 Think about this pie chart as you enjoy your Thanksgiving pie.

There are entire people groups who don't have a single verse of Scripture in their language. 

Let's continue to pray that God will send more workers to translate his Word for unreached people groups. Please keep praying for us as we work hard to translate the Bible for the Jita people of Tanzania. 

And as you enjoy your Thanksgiving pie, say "thank you" to God that you have the Bible in your own language.

Simbiti Scripture Celebration

 

We praise God that the Simbiti people of Tanzania now have the complete New Testament published in their language! The Simbiti are another group that Ben worked with in Tanzania. He mainly focused on the Jita translation, but there were times when he was able to assist other teams as well. The Simbiti team recently published their New Testament and then held a celebration to thank God for the arrival of the books. There was music, dancing, speeches, and of course, feasting. 

       

One of the musicians shouted, "The Lord speaks to us in our language, praise the Lord! We now have God's Word in Simbiti!"

When the books were unveiled at the climax of the ceremony, one copy was given to a woman who had been chosen to read a passage out loud. She read Matthew 28:19,

Ku bhuyö ni-igha moghende mokore abhantö bhonswe igho bhabhe abheegha abhaane, ko okobhabhatiisya ku iriina irya Taata, irya Omoona, na irya Umwika Ömöhörëëru.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

We praise God that Simbiti people are repenting of their sins and trusting Jesus for salvation! Now that they have God's Word in their language, we pray that the church of Jesus Christ will grow and that Simbiti Christians will go and make more disciples. 

photos by A.Olson

Are you my Mother?

Do you remember that great children's book called, Are You My Mother?

I thought of it today as I was reviewing the Jita translation of the Gospel of Mark. There's a story in Mark chapter 3 about Jesus' mother and brothers coming to talk to him because they were afraid he'd lost his mind. The Bible says, 

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Jita language uses three different words for "mother," depending on context. When the narrator says, "his mother," the Jita has {nyiramwene}. When the people say, "your mother," the Jita has {nyokomwana}. And when Jesus says, "my mother," the Jita has {maayi}.

We need to check the context very carefully to make sure that we are translating God's Word clearly, accurately, and naturally. Please keep praying for us! 

Phase 1 Done!

 We finished Phase 1 of the Jita New Testament translation project!!!

Phase 1 was translating, revising, testing, and double-checking each individual book of the New Testament. Now, Phase 2 is preparing the entire New Testament for publication. It's a huge task, but we're excited to be one step closer to seeing Jita people holding the complete New Testament in their hands for the first time ever!

Please keep praying for us. As we get closer to finishing the New Testament, the attacks of the enemy have become more intense. The Jita translators are struggling with more and more sickness and the death of loved ones. Pray for strength and protection.

Thank you!

GOAL!!!

 

Praise the Lord we reached our goal!

We are so thankful for the many individuals, families, churches, and businesses who are partnering with us through regular prayer and financial support. By God's grace and your generosity, we have reached the goal of 100% of our monthly support need.

We're struggling to find the right words to express our deep gratitude to each and every one of you who have prayed and sacrificed and given so generously and so faithfully. On behalf of the Jita people, we joyfully say, "Wakondya!" (Thank you!)