In our last update we wrote, “Please PRAY for Mahan. He is one of our translation helpers and is also the Bible teacher teaching the believers here in our village. He is in the hospital. Has been sick for a number of days. They don’t know yet what is wrong with him, but a nurse thinks it might be typhoid.”
Mahan spent a number of days in a hospital and then a number of days recuperating down in the lowlands. He had no appetite and didn’t eat for days. But, two days ago he got his appetite back and yesterday was strong enough to return home, although still weak. Thanks for praying for him.
The final stage of getting our NT translation ready for printing is taking a bit longer than we expected. For example, just a couple of days ago we found that a key word that our translation helpers had given us just a few years ago and had worked with all the people it had been checked out with at that time, but upon further checking now we found that it means different things to different people! Gene spent a number of hours yesterday with translation helpers working to find a better word. That word now needs to be checked with translation helpers in the other dialect we work in which is 30 miles of dirt road away.
But, by sometime in June we should have it ready for printing. Please continue to PRAY for us as we determine what words to include in the glossary, the best way to explain chapter verse formats such as this verse and that verse or this verse through this verse and also section headings and cross references. We’re also working on maps of the area where Jesus traveled and also of Paul’s journeys.
Thanks for praying with us through all the years of working to provide a translation of the Word of God and Bible lessons for the Manubu’ people. When the NT is finally ready for printing there will still be years of work to do to provide more OT translation for them, a topical concordance, and other helps for teachers.