UPDATE ON TRANSLATION…
We praise God for the progress going on with the translation lately. Bill finished the first draft of the final chapters of Luke last week before the four Palawano men arrived. While they were here, he went over those chapters with them, as well as various revision steps on the earlier chapters. Six full days of work, but encouraging both in terms of how much was accomplished as well as how well the translation is communicating. Donna worked with Susing some each day and got some good oral drafting recorded on a number of chapters.
Now, until the next batch of translation helpers come up, we are reworking some of the middle parts of Luke while Bill is drafting 1-2 Timothy.
HEALTH UPDATE…
It’s been two years since we were dealing (unsuccessfully!) with Bill’s kidney stones. So he just followed up with a doctor and the ultrasounds show that the stones are still there and they have grown larger. There is the original one on the left side, and the two pieces of the one on the right (it split but did not shatter or pass through). They cause mild discomfort sometimes, but so far nothing worse.
UPDATE ON PIDI
Many of you have been praying for Pidi and asking about him. It looks like he will be coming up this week for surgery on his melanoma. Most likely he will lose most or all of his foot, but he is willing since the pain is so bad now. What is needed is a second Palawano companion to come up with him while traveling and taking turns sitting with him in the hospital.
PLEASE PRAY…
Every update we ask for your prayers for the translation work. It is so vital that the Lord keep us focused and healthy, full of energy and wisdom. It can be tiring work, and of course our enemy does not want to see God’s Word completed for the Palawanos. Pray especially that God would give Bill insight into his Word and into the Palawano language as he drafts 1-2 Timothy, so God’s message will come through clearly!
Please also pray that Bill’s kidney stones would not cause too much discomfort or a health crisis. We’re asking God to allow them to “behave” until some time in the future when we can afford the time and expense of dealing with them once and for all.
Pray for a second companion for Pidi and for his surgery and recovery. Pray, too, that we can easily find a donor for any blood he might need (in the system here, you do not buy blood from the hospital, you have to go find a willing donor with the correct blood type.)
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Reaching Palawanos together with you,
-Bill and Donna
Translation Work: Luke
WORKING ON LUKE…
Yes, we are still working on Luke. But since it’s the third largest book in the New Testament, weighing in a 1,150 verses, it is no quick-and-easy task! But we thank the Lord we are making good progress and moving steadily toward the goal of finishing the book.
We have four Palawano men coming up today for a week of translation work. Bill will be getting the men to help him in reviewing and revising large sections of Luke which he recently drafted. Donna will be working with one of the men doing the recording (“oral drafting”) step of material Bill and the men revised last time. This oral drafting step is very important to getting natural language and flow in the translation.
PLEASE PRAY…
Please pray for health, strength and mental energy, for us and the men. This can be very tiring work and of course we have an enemy who hates to see progress made in translating God’s Word!
We hope to finish some really large sections of the book this week, so pray for steady, as well as fruitful, progress. Specifically, pray that we will find the perfect renderings of various concepts, that the oral drafting will produce long smoothly-spoken sections, and that the themes and “main points” of each passage will come through clearly so God’s message impacts the future readers as He intends it to.
Please continue to pray for those who were affected by the flooding.
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