I’m back home! I’m so thankful for my time in Indonesia, but so happy to be home again also. And thanks so much for your prayers. You can see the three pictures included in this update if you pull up this episode at dailybiblereading.info.
According to my plan for 2015, I have been rebroadcasting last year’s podcasts. In the rebroadcasting process, I have normally updated just the initial welcome message. I find that I am often disappointed in the recording quality found in last year’s recordings— especially those that were recorded in Indonesia. But during this last trip to Indonesia, it was impossible for me to improve the recordings. All that to say this: Thanks to you who are patient in listening even when the recording quality is not great.
During my trip, I gave three recording devices to a young woman named Novi from my church in Jakarta. Novi will be making recordings of some books of our Plain Indonesian New Testament, and she will be helping others in the church to make recordings. Then we will be posting those recordings at our organization’s web site. Please pray for Novi and the others making recordings of God’s Word, and please pray that these can be distributed to village people who need them. Many village people cannot read.
Daniel
I didn’t update you on my trip to North Sumatra. Daniel, Balazi, and I were in Medan from the 16th through the 20th of March. When we left, we asked God to arrange our schedule, and He did. One of our main reasons for going there was to encourage students of the Paulus seminary to take our on-line Bible translation course. Our favorite seminary there did not disappoint us. After our short presentation at their chapel, the academic dean announced that she wants all of their theological/pastoral students to take our course, and she asked all of their professors to take the course.
After that experience, we decided it would be a good idea to make a follow-up visit to the three other seminaries where we made presentations in October last year. In each case, we were well received and without our suggesting it, someone in leadership encouraged the students to take our course.
Not all those who signed up on paper during our visit have actually joined the on-line course. Currently we have 30 students involved. I am particularly encouraged because two well-qualified professors from the Baptist seminary affirmed that they would like to help us in translating the Old Testament. They and three of their best graduating students are now taking our course.
Balazi and me, with two seminary teachers and two of the graduating students
We now have four people who are drafting portions of the Old Testament, and that number will soon double or triple. My experience has shown me that I cannot keep up with only two people drafting. Please pray that our team will develop more effective methods to manage drafts of Old Testament chapters, including editing them and checking them.
In this paragraph, due to the sensitive nature of what I am sharing, I will use code words and hope that you can understand what I mean. For a long time, I have wanted to meet someone who is truly effective in evangelistic ministry in Indonesia. It isn’t easy to meet those who work undercover in highly contextual ways, and whose work is producing lasting fruit. A leader of one movement contacted us. He had attended one of our presentations last year, and now he wanted some presentation slides about our translation which he could share with those whom he leads in his organization. He had already ordered a box of our New Testaments to give to them. I took a picture of his copy. Note that he has been reading it and marking it! Imagine my joy at hearing him share gems he has found in God’s Word!
This experience shows me that God is doing wonderful things all over the world. Some of the most exciting stories won’t be broadcast until we get to heaven.
Let’s keep on reading and listening to God’s Word! Be encouraged: If you have followed the DBRP for the first 90 days, it is likely that you will be able to follow through and complete the whole Bible. I’m praying for you!
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