Between COVID and violence surrounding the recent national election, it has been hard to make it out to the village lately. Although we had only an eight-day window between term 1 and term 2 at the kids' school, and despite the fact that repairs were still being made to our house after the recent earthquake, we decided that we needed to make the trip to strengthen our relationships in the village and also to visit and encourage the Enga translators. We also knew that this was likely the last trip Jacob would be able to make to the village before graduating in June. Our time in the village was unlike past trips as I (Adam) was not traveling into town each day for work. (Due to the political turmoil, the translators were not able to meet together as a team anyway.) Our agenda was simply to spend time with people and strengthen relationships after a long time away, and also to enjoy time together as a family away from our normal routine.
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Jacob with his village brothers Lami and Sani
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Although we had no official work agenda, the Lord's timing was such that we were able to be a part of a meeting to discuss a new preschool that will teach young children how to read in the Enga language. Just this morning Martha and I had another follow-up meeting about how we can provide resources to assist this new school, such as producing basic children's books in the Enga language. I was also approached by Tiusa, a member of the church we attend in the village, who shared his dream of teaching adults how to read in the Enga language, and so I was able to encourage him and discuss ways that we could be of assistance. Later I also had the opportunity to spend time with the pastor of the church, Wilson Linu, and encourage him in his ministry, reminding him of the treasures that await us in God's kingdom.
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Adam with Tiusa and Pastor Wilson at the church we attend
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During our time in the village, we were able to experience God's wonderful provision. One of the things that we had to do during this trip was change out the batteries in our solar-powered electrical system. Because I am not a handyman and have very little knowledge about such things, I was a bit nervous about whether or not I could successfully change out the batteries and have the electrical system back up and running without any problems. On the way to the village, I decided to stop worrying about it and simply trust the Lord. As soon as we arrived, I found out that the son of a former missionary was on a short visit to Enga. He was there installing solar-powered electrical systems! Within minutes of us arriving at our house, he was there to assist me with installing the batteries. God is good! We were also greatly encouraged as we walked down the road after church to see a new health center that was being built. After walking around the new building, we greeted some of the people from the church located on the same piece of property where the health center was. One man at the church told us that he had heard our translation of the book of Matthew, and he just kept going on and on about how good the translation was and what a blessing it was. In fact, multiple people were asking us when the translation would be available. It was encouraging to see that the people were hungry to begin reading our translation of the Enga New Testament.
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The church that oversees the health center we visited
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Another highlight for us was being able to visit translator William Walewale and his family in their village. Due to problems from the recent election, William has not been able to travel to town and has basically been stuck in his village. As we arrived to visit him, we got a call from Maniosa Yakasa, our lead translator, who in many ways has been like a father to us during our time in Enga. Fighting in his area also made it not entirely safe for him to be traveling around, but he had decided to come visit us anyway. When he didn't find us at home, he called me and was then able to join us in William's village for a nice meal together. We were all encouraged by the opportunity to see each other again.
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With Maniosa and William
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This trip was a great reminder for me that our work is bigger than simply translating a book. Yes, our translation of the Enga New Testament will be a great blessing to many people, helping them to understand who Jesus is and how to follow him. However, our ministry is about more than translation. It is about relationships, sharing God's love with others, and encouraging others in their faith. This trip was also a reminder of how God is in control of things. So many things happened in just a short eight-day trip that I could not have anticipated or predicted. Serving the Lord is often just about making yourself available to him so that he can work through you in unexpected ways. We are thankful that we get to be small participants in God's great big plan for the world.
