Author: Bill & Donna Davis

Translating Luke

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SO MANY VERSES…
There’s a problem with translation ministry. Sometimes it’s hard to write a fresh-sounding update since it takes so long to get a lengthy book like Luke (1,150 verses, to be exact) done! So it seems like we’re doing the same thing… for weeks at a time. Nothing “new” to tell you.
And in a sense, we are doing the same thing: translating. Day after day. Verse after verse after verse.
So we need prayer for perseverance, patience, a high level of concentration. We need to stick at it, doing the “same old thing” day after day, week after week.
But in another sense, each day brings new challenges…
How to translate difficult concepts like…
  …deny yourself?
  …take up your cross and follow Christ?
What do you do when even the scholars argue over the meaning of a Greek word?
So we also need prayer for the fresh, new and unexpected challenges that turn up almost every time we sit down to work. We need wisdom and insight from the Hold Spirit in order to get the job done.
God’s Word… the most important message in the universe. So needed, so full of hope. So we take the job pretty seriously!
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY…
So please pray for us as we “do the same thing” day after day. And please pray as we “do something different” each day.
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Reaching Palawanos together with you,
-Bill and Donna

Nili’s Heart

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THANK YOU FOR PRAYING…

Here’s a final update on Nili.

Yesterday we learned from the doctor that Nili’s echocardiogram showed two defective heart valves. This is apparently a long-standing condition, which resulted in her enlarged heart and caused her recent symptoms.
She is on several medicines now, which have her blood pressure and heartbeat stabilized. Because of that, her breathing is normal again. So she and Odi went home today. Nili was missing their five children, as you can imagine.
She’s feeling a lot better than she was last week, and we’re thankful for that. She is supposed to avoid heavy work, which is difficult in the Palawano farming lifestyle. And according to the doctor, her condition could become serious and even life-threatening at any time in the future.
She will return to Puerto in a month to see the doctor as a follow-up. It remains to be seen how much she can travel to be involved in the translation project, but she should be able to continue working in the clinic in the village.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY…
Please pray for healing for Nili, for physical strength and health, as well as encouragement from the Lord and wisdom as she adjusts to a new level of physical activity.
Reaching Palawanos together with you,
-Bill and Donna

Pray for Nili

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MEDICAL EMERGENCY…
Nili (pronounced “nee-lee”) Mistero is a 31 year-old Palawano mother of five that we’ve known since she was 4 years old. She was one of our daughter Elisa’s best friends growing up. Now she’s our main clinic worker and also one of our key translation helpers.
She was just brought to Puerto today because she was very sick. She had to be carried for 3 hours in a homemade stretcher over the mountains, and then had to ride a shuttle van for 6 hours. That trip is not even fun when a person feels well!
Our doctor friend here in town examined her and immediately had her admitted to the hospital. Her breathing was very fast and her right lung sounded full. Her blood pressure was dangerously high. At the hospital, another doctor came in and took over. They suspected pneumonia at first, but she had no fever. Then an xray showed an extremely enlarged heart, about double the size you would expect in her tiny chest cavity. This means there has been a serious underlying problem for quite some time, which has only just now manifested these symptoms. The doctor said you don’t develop an enlarged heart overnight.
So they have her on oxygen and are running other tests like thyroid level, etc., to determine what the underlying causes are and how to treat it all. They’re already warning us that is will probably not be quick or easy to see her brought back to good health.
PLEASE PRAY…
Please pray for healing for Nili, wisdom for the doctors and pray for her husband Odi and their family.
Reaching Palawanos together with you,
-Bill and Donna

Palawano Profile: Lini

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MEET LINI We first met Lini in 1983. Our family had just moved into our new bamboo house in the Palawano tribe.

Donna and I was new missionaries in our mid 20’s. Elisa had just turned 4. Bethy was not quite 8 weeks old. We were embarking on the adventure of reaching the Palawanos.

Lini was 3 and a half years olf.be

just took DOWN MEMORY LANE… We just took DOWN MEMORY LANE… We just took DOWN MEMORY LANE… We just took

Resumed Translation

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SETTLED IN TOWN AND WORKING ON LUKE
We’re up and running with translation again. It’s good to be “back in the saddle,” although we’re in a new location now, working from the city.
God has been so good in making this transition go so smoothly. We have felt his hand and are thankful for everyone’s prayers.
In just over two weeks we were moved into the house (including some rewiring and other basic repairs that needed to be done.) Both of us had to spend some time at various government offices renewing licenses and such. But even with all that, Bill is already back at work (in his new office) translating Luke! It’s a great feeling.
We have 4 of our Palawano men scheduled to come up to Puerto the end of this month. They will spend a week working full-time with Bill on revising large sections of Luke. Donna will use one of the men for several hours each day to do recording, another important step in the translation procedure. We have a consultant check of Ephesians and 1 Peter scheduled for late March, and are hoping to get Luke ready for a check in June.
God has already provided much of what was needed for us getting moved to Puerto. There are still some logistics (scheduling workers) and expenses related to setting up the quarters for our Palawano translation helpers. And we still need to pay the balance of the cost of the vehicle we are buying.
God also answered prayer in that we immediately found a church home here in town. We know many were praying about this. We’ve felt very welcome there. Our main ministry focus even while here in town will be the Palawano translation. But we are glad to find a place for worship and fellowship and we hope to be a blessing there, as well. We already see the beginning of some special friendships there.
CONTINUE TO PRAY…
Pray for the remaining details for our getting set up here, including the expenses mentioned above. But most of all, please pray as we get back into translation that we will get momentum going and make good progress, Lord willing faster than ever! Pray that we can work out the scheduling of the various Palawanos we will bring to Puerto in rotation to work with us.
Note that the server hosting our web site continues to be down. Bill is already working on a new version of the site that will be hosted on a different servers… Stay tuned!!
Reaching Palawanos together with you,
-Bill and Donna

New Plans

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QUICK UPDATE…
We’ve been having a great time in the USA seeing family (our girls especially!), friends and supporters. Both of us have had also chances to speak in churches and Bible studies, sharing about the Palawano work.
UNREST IN THE PHILIPPINES…
The political situation in the Philippines continues to be a concern. Things seem to have calmed down on Palawan for the moment at least, but in the larger scheme of things, the problem remains of those who want to create a separate state in the southern Philippines, including parts of Palawan. This situation might affect many missionary and church efforts and may eventually result in persecution for Filipino and tribal Christians.
OUR PLANS…
When we return to the Philippines in January, our goal, as always, will be to complete the Palawano New Testament translation as quickly as possible and get it in the hands of the Palawano church.
Since being home the Lord has given both of us a strong sense of his leading that to accomplish this goal with the least delay and disruption, we should move to town and finish the translation from there. So we will be shifting our home and base of operations to town. Our Palawano translation helpers will continue to work with us, as we bring them to town in some sort of scheduled rotation.
CONTINUE TO PRAY…
Pray with us about the logistics and costs of this move and all the adjustments it will require in our day-to-day scheduling of translation work. Pray we can get settled quickly in town and see good progress in the translation. Praise the Lord with us that he has already provided a house for us to rent!
Reaching Palawanos together with you,

-Bill and Donna