Like having a locked treasure chest with no key, an evangelist from the Kuria language group in Tanzania had scripture in his language for years, but he never knew how to get into it. It turns out the key was easily found, he needed to be shown where to look.

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Two older men (mzee in Swahili) from the Ikoma language could not be held back at a the recent word-collection workshop. Their people have been accused as having no god, and of worshiping animals. But these two men had a higher calling than their neighbors could have ever imagined. 

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Tanzanian churches are attended by people from various language groups, and because the Bible is in the national language of Swahili, prayer is always in Swahili. During a recent orthography workshop, when an elderly pastor from the Zanaki language was asked which language he used when he prayed alone, the pastor thought for a moment and answered, "Swahili. I always use Swahili. I don't think I have ever prayed in Zanaki. Yes, I am sure I never have in my whole life." 

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It was near the end of an intense workshop. I had been working with a team from the Ikizu language group to develop a writing system for their language. One of the Ikizu men sat down next to me during a break. He informed me, "You will come visit us in our village the last weekend of May. We will be glad to have you come for three days."

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Kijuu is a Rangi Bible translator. He went to his uncle's funeral in a Rangi village last week. He first collected his young cousin from school in Dodoma and then escorted her to her home village for her father's funeral. Kijuu carried with him a single copy of three chapters of a recent draft of the Gospel of Mark in the Rangi language to show his relatives.
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