Back-Translation Complete

As we shelter-in-place here in Alhambra, California, waiting to see when things might open back up, I (Adam) have continued working with the Enga translation team remotely to complete the back-translation of the remaining books of the Enga New Testament. Just two days ago, we made the final edits as we prepared the back-translation for consultant check. To refresh your memory about what back-translation is and why we need to do it, let me remind you about the checking process for Bible translation. As we complete portions of the translation, we must have them checked by an outside consultant. The consultant is an experienced translator who goes through the translation line-by-line with a couple of Enga speakers to make sure that they are understanding the meaning of the text. But because the consultant does not speak Enga, he or she must have access to a very literal English back-translation of the Enga translation. The consultant then works from the English back-translation as he or she asks questions of the Enga speakers about the Enga translation. We have now completed back-translating the remaining books of the Enga New Testament so that they are now ready for consultant check. We praise the Lord for helping us to complete this work, which can be very tedious (but also very beneficial). We now wait for the time when we can have the remaining books of the Enga New Testament checked by a consultant. This is, of course, all up in the air right now as we wait to see how Coronavirus pans out both here in America and in Papua New Guinea (where there are eight confirmed cases).

Biblical Terms Checking
As we wait to see how things will pan out, there is another check that we will be working on, which is the Biblical Terms checking process. This is a process in which we use translation software to make sure that every word in the Greek New Testament is accounted for in the Enga translation. This process is slow-going at first as I work through Matthew verse-by-verse. But the more Enga terms I match up with Greek terms, the easier the work gets as I go along. So far this process has shown that our translation is quite accurate with only minor words here and there that we failed to account for. Of course, as we identify any words that we accidentally overlooked, we make notes to add them into the translation.

Future Plans
Before Coronavirus hit, we had been planning on returning to Papua New Guinea in early July. Now, we are in a holding pattern, waiting to see what will happen. Our heart's desire is to return to Papua New Guinea sooner, rather than later, so please pray with us that we will be able to return before the beginning of the next school year. Pray as well that the Enga translators will remain safe and healthy and that the number of Coronavirus cases in Papua New Guinea will not increase. We appreciate your continued prayer and support of our work. Please know that we continue to move toward our goal of completing the Enga translation, even as we shelter-in-place here in California.

May the peace of Christ be with you!

Dealing with Fear and Anxiety in the midst of Coronavirus

This morning I had an opportunity to preach via phone to a small group of believers. The title of the message was Dealing with Fear and Anxiety in the midst of Coronavirus. You can listed to it at the link below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E00SQFDsacWiMrJjS0lW02U0J3J5O_QE/view

Endurance

March 15th was supposed to be an exciting Sunday where Adam preached the 1:00 service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Adam and I were going to stay in New York City for four days, while the kids stayed with a friend. The day before we were scheduled to leave, we heard the news that we had been nervously anticipating: The governor of New York had banned gatherings of five hundred or more, and so our trip was canceled. A few days later we were supposed to spend a week in San Diego—a family vacation, but also a time to see several very dear friends, and once again, Adam was going to preach at a church. We thought we could pull this one off. Adam would co-preach with the pastor via video, and we would meet friends in an open area of a park. If anything, we could quarantine at the Airbnb right on the coast that someone had gifted us for a week and just go the beach. But the night before we were supposed to go, the governor of California called for a statewide lockdown, and we felt we needed to follow it. Another trip canceled. Another disappointment. The next two days I found myself curled on the couch, watching the news and feeling frozen in time.

We were so looking forward to seeing many more friends and spending more time with family. Our time in the states is precious, and we feel robbed because this rare opportunity is now being taken away from us. Though we are grateful for our apartment, it feels small. We felt stir crazy after just the first week of lockdown, and we will most likely have several more weeks, if not months, to go.

When I finally braved the grocery store, I was shocked by the empty shelves. It had been a while since I had gone to the store, and I guess I thought that once the hoarders calmed down, people would return to shopping as normal. But I was wrong. Despite the many empty shelves, I was able to get almost all the food I needed. I guess there isn’t a run on broccoli and green beans. That day at the grocery store left me feeling sad, but fear came the next day. All of a sudden I began to look at our food supply. We have plenty of food, but what if the grocery stores really do run out? I regretted not buying those pinto beans I saw, and those noodle packets. I should have gotten potatoes. What was I thinking? My kids forgot to eat lunch that day, and I was secretly thankful.

Fear is a funny thing. It is like a small animal living inside your head. If you give it enough food, it will grow. I feed my fear with what if statements. What if my dad, sister, or husband gets sick? What if we can’t get back to PNG before Jacob’s 10th grade year begins? (He hates online school.) What if our support goes down? And of course, what we are all worried about, what if I can’t find toilet paper? I could sit and watch the news all day and grow that fear exponentially, or, I can feed it something else. I can feed it hope, faith, and trust. How do I do that? By looking at all the ways God has orchestrated his timing, and by being thankful for the gifts that have sprouted during this crisis.

This virus could have happened while we were overseas, but it didn’t. I am in awe of God’s timing to allow us to be here to look after my niece while my sister is at work, and to be close to my dad in case he gets sick. I can’t imagine being halfway across the world from my family during something like this. Our furlough was becoming busier and busier, and I wasn’t spending as much time with my niece as I had hoped. But now we will be spending lots of time with her, and I have the opportunity to help her with her reading and math. Our lives were super busy before this, and it seemed like we had something planned for every day. That was hard on the kids. Though I am saddened by so many canceled times with friends, we can also appreciate the slow and calm life for a season. These are gifts that I am grateful for.

Jacob, Bella, and Asher at the park with their cousin Somaya two days before the lockdown order in California

In many ways living in PNG has prepared us for living in social isolation and grocery store shortages. In PNG, no eggs and bread in the store are regular occurrences, and every year the store shuts down for two weeks over Christmas break, and for two more weeks during the annual stock take. We must buy enough food and plan meals to last that whole time. Cooking every night and not going to restaurants is a way of life for us on the mission field. We are used to it. I could complain that once again we were robbed from the wonderful freedom of eating out during furlough, but since it is March, and we have been here since July, our plumper bodies testify to that lie. The funny thing is, just the other day I told Adam I had tasted all the food I wanted to taste. The sense of urgency and thrill of eating out is gone. (But I would be lying if I said I didn’t still love the convenience.)

One day before all this talk about Coronavirus, I was reading the book of James, and the word endurance stood out to me like a neon sign: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” I read a little further and there it was again: “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.” There are a lot of things you can take from those verses, but for me, the word endure continued to stand out. I ended up lingering in the book of James for a while and wondering with a bit of nervousness what it was that God was going to have me endure. I had pretty much forgotten about it until a couple of weeks ago while video chatting with a friend about the spiritual aspects of this virus. All of a sudden it became clear what God was telling me I would have to endure. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be a worldwide pandemic.

So far, enduring hasn’t been that difficult. It has been inconvenient, disappointing, and lonely, but we are safe and healthy, and we have everything we need, including toilet paper—for now. The hard part is trying not to worry about what the future holds. The hard part is hearing your 14-year-old say, “I hope we can go back in July. I don’t want to stay here any longer.” And all you can say is, “I know you do.” It is hard not to imagine worst case scenarios of close family members dying or having long hospital stays. And when I think about this virus possibly hitting Papua New Guinea in full force, it hurts my heart.

Just when I thought I was finally getting somewhere in my spiritual life with trusting God, He reminds me that I still have a long way to go. There is so much in this world that we have come to depend on instead of Christ. Our health care system, our jobs, and our investments to name a few. We lean on the things of this world, but God’s word tells us not to rely on the things of this world, but to depend on Christ alone. Never before has this message rung so true, as we are seeing firsthand how fleeting the things of this world really are.

This pandemic is a test of our faith and a chance for all of us to grow as we patiently endure. I still believe that God is in control. He is our solid rock, and our anchor. He has not moved or changed. He is still with us and will not abandon us. Let us put our hope and trust in Christ alone, because when our jobs are gone, and our hospitals are full, and our bank accounts are empty, the Lord will continue to provide his eternal grace and meet our every need. I am not sure what else any of us will be called to endure, but I do know that God never wastes our pain. I pray that none of us misses what God has for us during this time, and that we receive with open hands all the blessings and lessons He pours out. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may you find the strength and courage to patiently endure, and, as a result, grow deeply in your faith.

Prayer Requests
Please pray for protection over my sister Ruthie who works at Lowe’s, and my father Charles and niece Somaya who live with her. My father is 85 years old. Pray also for my friend and neighbor Roberta who watches Somaya a couple of days each week.

Keep Papua New Guinea in your prayers. So far, we know of only one confirmed case in the country. Pray specifically for our translators: Maniosa, Martin, Nete, Rueben, William, and Frank, and for the community of missionaries and Papua New Guineans who live in Ukarumpa, our missionary base.

Pray for us as a family living and homeschooling in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor. Our only outlet is going for a walk around the neighborhood, during which we constantly tell our kids not to touch anything or go near anyone. Living on the second floor means constantly telling our kids not to jump, wrestle, or dance. We are basically living life telling our kids not to be kids. Pray that we can all patiently endure each other’s presence with joy and thanksgiving.

Textual Criticism

When translating the New Testament, the key question we are always asking ourselves is, HOW do we translate the Greek text into the target language. But there is a secondary question that we must also take into consideration at times, namely, WHICH Greek text do we translate. This secondary question is addressed by the field of Textual Criticism.

The books of the Greek New Testament were all composed within the first century AD. But as copies were made, changes were introduced in a few different ways. First, scribes made errors when they copied the text. For example, Papyrus 66, which was copied around AD 200, is full of basic errors because the scribe who made the copy did not speak Greek and was copying letter-by-letter (rather than word-by-word). Given that early manuscripts had no spaces between words, it would be very easy to skip over text inadvertently, which is exactly what the scribe did. (Fortunately most scribes did speak Greek and did not make errors like this.) Other changes were introduced by heretics, who were seeking to bolster their false doctrines. And still other changes were made in an attempt to “correct” the grammar and style of the text. But whether the changes were accidental or intentional, the vast majority of them were introduced before the year AD 200.

As the Greek New Testament spread throughout the Roman empire, three different types of texts emerged in three different areas: the Western text in the western part of the Roman empire, the Alexandrian text in Egypt, and the Byzantine text in the eastern part of the Roman empire. The Western text often shows signs of paraphrasing the original Greek and exists today more in Latin translation than it does in Greek manuscripts (although there are a few Greek manuscripts of the Western text). The Alexandrian text is often short and terse, having readings that are harder to understand, and it is represented by only a small minority of Greek manuscripts. The Byzantine text is represented in the overwhelming majority of Greek manuscripts, and it is longer than the Alexandrian text with smoother Greek.

One of the most famous editions of the Byzantine text is this 1550 printing by Robert Estienne known as the Royal Edition because of its beauty and intricacy

While it appears that none of these text types preserve much in the way of the false teachings introduced by heretics, it is clear that minor scribal errors and intentional changes to grammar and style are preserved in at least some of the text types. The vast majority of these changes are extremely minor and cannot even be translated into English. And of the changes that can be translated into English, the vast majority are again extremely minor and do not affect the meaning of the text at all. Only a small minority of the differences between the three different text types affect the meaning of the text, but even then, none of the teachings of Jesus and Apostles are obscured by these differences, and so we can have great confidence in Scripture as it has been preserved. Nevertheless, as translators we must choose which text to translate.

One of the most notable examples is the ending to the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:13. The Byzantine text, which is supported by 98.7% of the Greek manuscripts, reads, “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” But the Alexandrian text and the Western text lack this ending to the prayer. So that leaves us with a question: Did Matthew include this ending to the prayer in his gospel or not? That is the question we as Bible translators must ask ourselves. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is too complicated to address in this short email, and even the best of scholars do not agree on the right answer. Translations like the King James Version and New King James Version include the longer ending, while translations like the English Standard Version and New International Version omit it.

Textual Criticism is just one more factor that Bible translators must wrestle with as we seek to translate Scripture into the minority languages of the world. Thankfully, textual differences are so minor that they do not affect the trustworthiness of Scripture. Therefore our confidence in the inspiration of Scripture is not shaken.

John 3:16

John 3:16. It is the most famous of Bible verses, well beloved and eagerly memorized, proudly displayed on posters at public events, a beautiful summary of the saving work of God through Christ. In its most famous translation it reads:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Yet how well do we understand this verse, which so many of us have hidden in our hearts? The crux of the interpretation lies in the little two-letter word so. When most of us hear this word, we think of it as a word of degree, indicating the amount of God’s love for us. In other words, we typically understand this word as do the translators of the Contemporary English Version (CEV) and the New Century Version (NCV), who translate the beginning of this verse as “God loved the world so much.” But the Greek word translated as so in the King James and so much in the CEV and NCV is more commonly an adverb of manner and not of degree. Consider for example the sentence, “I want you to do it just so.” Here the word so is describing the manner in which the speaker wants something to be done. Another way we might communicate the same idea in English would be to say “like this” or “in this way.”

While it is possible that the word so in John 3:16 communicates the degree of God’s love, it is equally possible that the focus is on the manner in which he demonstrated his love, namely by giving his only begotten Son. Actually, since the word can have both meanings, it is quite possible that John the Apostle wanted his readers to consider both senses of the word. But in most English translations, readers only get the sense of degree and miss the sense of manner.

Although it is not nearly as poetic as the traditional King James translation, the New English Translation (NET) captures well the sense of manner that so often gets lost in translation:

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.



A secondary issue in which translations of John 3:16 differ has to do with who is actually speaking these words. Are they the words of Jesus? Or is it the voice of John the Apostle providing further commentary about Jesus’s interaction with Nicodemus? While most translations consider these words to be a quotation of Jesus, translations such as the NET Bible and the Revised Standard Version (RSV) end the words of Jesus in verse 15. The original King James translation did not have quotation marks, nor did it use a red font for the words of Jesus, and so this question is left ambiguous in the King James. Similarly, the Greek manuscripts provide no indication of where exactly quotations end.

There are interesting arguments to support the idea that verses 16 to 21 are actually commentary from the Apostle John rather than the words of Jesus. First, there is some phraseology that is never spoken by Jesus, but is used by the Apostle John in other places, such as only begotten Son, do the truth, and who believes in him. Second, there is an abrupt shift of tense from present to past. Verses 1 to 15 are in the present tense, while verses 16 to 21 are in the past tense. This gives the sense of an outside observer looking back in time to what had happened in the past and providing explanation.

Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter whether Jesus spoke these words or whether John did; in either case it is still the inspired word of God. But it is interesting to ponder through whom God chose to communicate these words; and in translation it is necessary to make a decision if the target language employs quotation marks or other devices to indicate the conclusion of quoted speech.

John 3:16 is an excellent example of how translation can be more difficult than it might appear at first. One would think that a verse as well known as John 3:16 would be quite easy to translate; yet there are nuances that often escape the attention of the English reader, but which must be decided when translating into another language. This verse proved to be particularly difficult to translate into Enga, particularly as it relates to the little two-letter word so. Ultimately we translated John 3:16 in this way:

God loved all the people of the world; by means of that, he gave his one [and] only Son. He gave [him], saying [that] any person who shall put trust in the Son of him, that [person] shall not die and become lost, but rather he shall receive the life that exists forever.

And, by the way, we did end the quotation of the words of Jesus in verse 15, but there are certainly good arguments to extend the quotation through the end of verse 21.

54 Baptisms!

On December 20, I received an email from one of my Engan co-translators, Nete Talian. He told me that during the Christmas break, when the translators have some time off to be with their families, he had been conducting evangelistic meetings in the village of Immi among the Dyuapini tribe. These meetings were being held in the market area just in front of our village house. Nete told me that he was conducting these meetings preaching in the Enga language and reading the Bible to the people from our Enga translation. Not only that, but he had been showing films including the Enga Jesus Film, a film against tribal fighting, and another promoting Aids awareness. He also played the Enga public service announcement that we wrote condemning the practice of falsely accusing women of sorcery and then torturing them.

As a result of these evangelistic meetings, as well as prior efforts to share the gospel with the people in Immi, fifty-four members of the Dyuapini tribe, the tribe we live among, received baptism in the week before Christmas. Leading the way was a man named Manus, who is a leader among the Dyuapini tribe. (Manus is the one wearing a blue suit in the picture below.) Knowing that Manus is a leader, I have prayed for him to become a Christian, and so I was delighted to see him leading the way among those who were baptized. Praise the Lord that fifty-four people have made a public demonstration of their faith in Christ and have been cleansed and forgiven of their sins!

The goal of our translation work is to make the Scriptures available to the Enga people so that they themselves can do the work of the ministry, and that is exactly what happened this past month in Immi. Please pray for these believers that they will be strong in their newfound faith. Pray for my coworker Nete as he tirelessly works to share the gospel. And pray especially for Manus that he will be a capable and blameless leader in the church and that others will follow his lead.

54 members of the Dyuapini tribe preparing for baptism

Translation Progress
We are moving ever closer to our goal of completing the New Testament. During our furlough, I have continued to chip away at the work of checking the last books of the New Testament. Since our return in July, I have completed my advisor check of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians, which brought to completion my advisor checks for the New Testament. I have also completed the back-translation into English of Romans, 1 Corinthians, and the first five chapters of 2 Corinthians. Please pray for endurance as I hope to complete the back-translations of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians over the coming months. That will bring to completion the process of doing back-translations. Then we will be prepared to do the consultant check of Romans through 2 Thessalonians, which is the last major hurdle before completing the New Testament.

We are applying along with two other language groups to receive funding to finish the New Testament. This will allow us to fly in consultants for the consultant checks as there are currently very few consultants in Papua New Guinea. It may also provide funding for literacy and Scripture use projects, so please pray that we will indeed receive this additional funding. 

Nothing says California like In-N-Out

Back in California
On December 22, after a three-week cross-country trip, we arrived in Alhambra, California, where we are staying in a two-bedroom apartment that is part of Atherton Baptist Homes. This apartment is made available to us as missionaries already furnished and at a reduced rent, so we praise the Lord for his provision, and we thank all of you who prayed that God would provide housing for us in California.  We will be here in California until the end of June 2020, at which point we plan to return to Papua New Guinea for a three-year term. We would love to see our friends in California while we are here, so don’t be shy in reaching out and contacting us. Please keep us in your prayers as we transition to life in California. Even though we have lived here before, we are in a new place, and California does not feel like home to our kids. We also miss our home and our friends in Papua New Guinea and the feeling of being settled rather than living in a temporary housing situation.

Christmas in the Waiting

As I (Martha) write this newsletter, Christmas music is playing in the background, and I can hear kids playing football in the backyard. Adam’s sisters and their families have joined us here in Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, and we are relishing the rare and precious sounds of cousins playing together and enjoying the conversations around the table after meals.

As much as I want to focus on Thanksgiving, I must admit that my mind is being thrust forward into Christmas and the journey we have ahead of us. In just a few days, on the fifth of December, we will pull out of the driveway with a fully loaded van headed across the country toward Los Angeles. I can’t help but think of Mary and Joseph and their long journey to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph arrived at their destination with nowhere to stay. For a long while we thought we might be in the same situation, but God has answered our prayers and provided a place at Atherton Baptist Homes in Alhambra, a retirement community that was established for retired missionaries and that sometimes provides missionaries on furlough a place to stay. It is a huge relief to know where we are staying, and we sincerely thank all those who prayed for us.

We leave Pittsburgh with mixed emotions. We are excited to see our family and friends on the other side of the country, but we are saddened to say goodbye to Adam’s parents and this lovely area. We will miss many things about our stay here: morning chats over bacon and eggs, laying out on the lawn with Asher and Bella watching the birds, sewing with my mother-in-law, going on family walks in the neighborhood, driving through beautiful woods, and my father-in-law’s delicious steaks. And for those who are wondering, we did get our snow, and we will miss that too.

Sledding on a homemade sled

We are so incredibly grateful for Bob and Heather Boyd (Adam’s parents) who have been loving and patient while allowing us to stay with them. It is no easy thing to have a family of five invade your home. They have put up with a lot of noise, messes, and lack of privacy, and they have done it all with grace and kindness. What a blessing it has been for our kids to spend this time with their grandparents! We are so thankful for all their help with cooking, cleaning, shopping, and for all the time they spent teaching the kids new skills. They will be greatly missed!

We are also thankful for all those at Ingomar United Methodist Church, for making us feel welcome. We will miss Pastor David Streets greeting us at the door every Sunday and asking us how we are doing.

We leave the Pittsburgh area on the fifth of the month and arrive in LA on the twenty-second. Traveling through the month of December is going to make for an interesting Christmas season. We typically have very strict traditions that involve Advent readings, the Jesse tree, Christmas caroling, putting up certain decorations, and reading special books. With all the traveling and visiting that we will be doing, we won’t be able to do most of these things, and I find myself asking, where does my Christmas come from? Does it come from baking cookies and putting up ornaments, or does it come from experiencing a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ? If I am honest it is both, but over the years we have steered our hearts and traditions closer to the latter and it has been a blessing.

The concept of waiting seems to be something God is teaching me these days. This is going to sound terrible, but I have not been a person who has spent a lot of time in prayer before making decisions. I always hear people say, “Let me pray about that first,” but until recently, I have not been someone who says that, let alone does that. Stopping to pray about something involves waiting, and I am not very good at waiting. For me, waiting means the idea in my head won’t stop spinning, it can mean sleepless nights and inconveniencing other people because they have to wait. A good friend recently shared with me how she is waiting and doesn’t want to move ahead and go before the Lord. It made me think of all the times in my life when I might have avoided struggles or had something better, if I had just waited on the Lord instead of going ahead on my own. Over the past few months I decided to finally try out this praying-before-making-a-decision idea and waiting instead of moving forward, and you know what? It works! God actually works things out when I choose to get out of the way. If we had not chosen to wait, we would be paying double the amount of rent in California, and I would be begging you all for furniture in this newsletter.

That is what the season of Advent is all about, waiting and expecting God to do the miracle, and believing and trusting that he actually will. The nation of Israel waited centuries for their Messiah, but they never gave up hope or stopped believing. During this season we walk with Mary and Joseph on their journey and wait expectantly to celebrate the birth of Christ, and we are reminded and encouraged to continue waiting expectantly for his Second Coming. May you find your Christmas in the waiting, and may you believe and trust that “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Prayer Requests
Please pray for our trip to LA. We are excited to see and visit with many friends and family members. One of the hardest things about being a missionary family is that our kids do not get to grow up with family. At some point they will have to come back and live in the U.S., and we want them to feel like they have strong ties with their family. These visits are very precious to us. Pray that relationships will be developed and strengthened.

Pray for safety and protection as we travel.

Pray for Jacob as he finishes up school. It looks like he will have to finish up on the road, so pray for increased concentration and motivation.