A New Destination – Isnag
Bob’s latest trip took him to an area he had never visited before – the land of the Isnag people. There he paired up with another translation consultant to check the Isnag translation of the important book of Romans. It’s good to occasionally work with another consultant to keep each other’s skills sharp and have some extra input for the translator. It was a good learning experience for all involved in the check, and we are confident that as a result the translation for the Isnag people is clearer and more accurate. Pray for the translation team there as they will be continuing to translate and teach more epistles for the small but growing Isnag church.
Isnag Sunday Worship Service
Thankfully there were no travel delays or unexpected “adventures” this trip. After flying into and out of the Isnag region by helicopter, Bob continued on to another part of Asia and was able to fly on our mission’s Kodiak plane into the Tugutil area, landing on the grass airstrip beside the village.
Another step toward finishing the Tugutil New Testament
Checking Tugutil Translation
During his two weeks in Tugutil land, Bob was able to complete another step toward finishing the New Testament. In addition to distributing several copies of the translation of Matthew and Romans, the most recently completed books in the local language, he worked with several different native speakers to improve the translation of Luke. This was done by means of reading the passages of the gospel to them and then listening carefully while they re-told what they had heard, making sure that the translation was communicating clearly. Many improvements to the translation were made along the way, and now Luke will soon be ready for a final consultant check so that it can also be printed and distributed to the Tugutil people.
There were also a number of meetings that took place during those two weeks, including church leaders’ and village leaders’ meetings as well as the weekly Sunday services and village Bible studies. It was good to hear and observe the Tugutil leaders’ passion to continue teaching each other God’s Word and lead their village in a godly manner.
Tugutil Outreach Expansion!
Another exciting development is that one of the original Tugutil church’s outreach areas has just started another new outreach of their own. Nearly 20 years ago an outreach was begun in the remote Akelamo area by one couple from our missionary team and one Tugutil couple, not long before our missionary team had to evacuate the area. For many years now the Tugutil couple has led this outreach on their own, and now some of the believers they have discipled are beginning a brand new outreach, teaching several families who live in an even more remote part of the island. We are praising the Lord for the continued growth of his church throughout the land of the Tugutil people.
Outreach leaders reaching out to others even more remote
The next trip for Debbie and I will be relatively short in both time and distance, and thankfully we get to take it together! We will be attending meetings in Washington, D.C. along with representatives from other Bible translation agencies to discuss “the contemporary challenges of Scripture engagement.” The venue for these meetings is the brand new Museum of the Bible, and we are very excited to explore that in our down time!
Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.
– Psalm 119:105
Thanks for reading our update. We appreciate your interest and involvement in our ministry!
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