Last month I (Adam) told you that we were in the midst of finishing our final consultant check for the Enga New Testament, which included checking the books of 1-2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. I am pleased to report that we finished the check on Monday, October 11. Thankfully, I was able to fly back home to Ukarumpa on Thursday, October 14. It was good timing because only a few days later, Enga Province was put under even tighter COVID restrictions. Even as I write this, I am in communication with the Enga translation team as to how we should proceed with our work, as public transportation is limited and there is a curfew in place requiring people to leave town no later than 3 p.m. Trying to finish up a New Testament translation is difficult enough, but doing so in the COVID era can really try one's patience!
Although we have finished our final consultant check, we still have some work to do to prepare the translation for publication. As we have been working on the translation over the past eight and half years, there is much that we have learned along the way. The translation team members and I are just now reaching the point where we feel like we have a good handle on the Enga translation process. We have learned so much along the way, and we will be taking the next few months to make minor improvements to the translation, especially to the books of John and Acts, which are the only ones that we have not yet reviewed in depth. Thankfully this process will only take a few months, and we are still planning on having our edits finished by April so that we can begin recording the Enga New Testament at that time. In the meantime, please pray that our work will not be hindered by COVID restrictions or other potential roadblocks. Please also pray for patience and endurance.
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| Three young girls singing a song in church before my sermon |
Sermon on the Radio
When I visit Enga I am often asked to preach a sermon in the local church that we attend. I always try to preach in the Enga language. Because my extemporaneous speaking skills in Enga leave much to be desired, I generally write out the sermon in advance so that I have exactly what I want to say in front of me. And because Enga is not my native language, I have to keep things basic and simple.
When I was asked to preach this last time, I felt the Lord leading me to share from Ephesians 5:22-33, which we had just finished checking a few days prior. The topic of the sermon was how men should treat their wives and how women should treat their husbands. It gave me an opportunity to address some common marital problems that are often not spoken about or acknowledged in Enga culture, especially with respect to how men treat their wives. At the end of the sermon I was able to pray for the men and women separately, and ask the Lord to bring healing, especially for the women.
Because this was such an important topic, I decided to record my sermon so that I could post it on the Enga Bible Translation Facebook page for others to hear, which I did later that day. To my surprise, two days later a representative from the local NBC radio station in Enga was at our translation office asking for the sermon so that he broadcast it on the radio. I have since heard from one of the translation team members that the sermon has been played multiple times over the radio. I suppose a foreigner preaching in Enga is a bit of a novelty, so that even a basic, simple sermon like mine is deemed worthy of being played on the radio. I am happy to have it played if it means that some men will reconsider how they treat their wives.
Thank You!
Finally, I just want to express our deepest gratitude to you all for supporting us in this work through your prayers and financial gifts. You are truly a blessing to us, the Enga translation team, and the people of Enga!
