It is not uncommon for unexpected challenges to arise as a translation draws near to completion. We are currently scheduled to begin recording the Enga New Testament in July of this year. In the past, our primary reader has been Martin Harty. While Martin is a fluent reader, he also has a rich voice that is enjoyable to listen to. In fact, why don’t you take a moment to listen to him reading the Lord’s Prayer.
Last November, Martin contacted me to let me know that he was dealing with sudden loss of vision. After visiting an eye doctor, he discovered that his loss of vision was due to high blood pressure, and he began taking medication to correct the problem. After making some initial improvements, his vision took a turn for the worse and he is currently unable to see, requiring someone to lead him by the hand whenever he wants to go anywhere. Although Martin is going through a tremendous trial with his loss of vision, his spirits are remarkably good, and he has a sense of peace which could only come from God. He is currently on a leave of absence from translation work so that he can stay home and hopefully recover in time to take part in the recording of the Enga New Testament in July.
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| Martin Harty recording the Gospel of Luke in 2017 |
Would you please join with us in praying for Martin’s full recovery? His condition is not one of permanent and complete blindness, but the road to recovery has been long and difficult. Please pray that he would be able to get the rest that he needs and that the medication he is taking would be effective in relieving the pressure in his eye that is causing vision loss. Pray that Martin would continue to experience peace and be in good spirits despite the difficult trial that he is going through. Please also pray for protection for the other translators William, Frank, and Rueben, and their families. Ask the Lord to protect them (and us) from anything the enemy may throw at us to prevent us from finishing and recording the Enga New Testament.
Translation Progress
With each new book that a team translates, they learn new things about the translation process that they must go back and apply to the books they previously translated. Although we finished all of the consult-checking for the Enga New Testament back in October, the last few months have been focused on going back and applying what we have learned to the books we had already translated. In particular, we have been focused on John, Acts, Romans, and Revelation. I am thankful to report that I have finished making my notes for all of those books, and the translation team has finished responding to my notes in John and Acts. They are currently halfway through Romans. While most of the changes that we are making are quite minor, there were a couple of places in Romans 4 where I wanted to pull my hair out. I realized that, in our prior translation attempts, we had decided to just move on from a couple of verses that were extremely difficult. But given that this was the last chance to get it right, I painstakingly sought to find the best translation. I am pleased with the result, but I certainly have fewer hairs on my head now after (figuratively) pulling many of them out as I labored over the translation. The next three months will be focused on very minor changes as we do our final read-throughs to prepare for recording in July.
Back to Normal?
Last month I reported that “Omicron is Here.” As expected, Omicron spread rapidly through the community where we live. At this point, however, it seems that everyone who is going to get Omicron has gotten it, and we are experiencing a great sense of relief. Thankfully, we did not have any severe cases in our community, and there is a great sense of hope that things are starting to return to “normal.”
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| Jacob working at the Teen Center for hamburger night |
Because things are beginning to return to “normal,” we are now able to enjoy activities in the community that we have not been able to enjoy for some time, including hamburger night at the Teen Center. Jacob and Bella are both on staff for hamburger night. Each week they are assigned to different tasks including food prep, assembling orders, delivering orders to customers, etc. It is great work experience for them as there are not many opportunities for teens to get practical working experience where we live. While there will always be chaos in this world of sin, we are thankful for this season of life when things feel a bit normal again.
