On Saturday, 6 November, we had the great pleasure of celebrating the publication of 7 new Scripture portions in the Burunge language (Acts, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James and Revelation). A group of more than 30 people gathered at sunrise in Dodoma to travel to the village of Goima for the dedication.  Approximately 140 kilometers of dirt road and three and a half hours later, we all arrived safely. Read more...

Recently, the Burunge team has been working on a revision of Ruth, the very first book of Scripture translated into Burunge. We thought it would be helpful to make some revisions before reprinting because the translators have grown quite a bit in their abilities since it was first translated.

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In Acts 27-28, the apostle Paul sails for Italy and encounters trouble at sea. The two Burunge (Tanzania) translators had done an excellent job of translating this passage, but when the translation consultant asked them to describe the scenes in their own words it became apparent that maritime terms-lifeboats, running aground, taking soundings-were foreign. But so were more ‘common' concepts like ocean (a body of water too big to see across), island, or harbor. Thanks to some creative drawings on the white board and internet photos, the concepts became understandable to the translators. As a result, a clear explanation and a few supporting illustrations should help the Burunge readers better understand this part of Paul's journey.

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More than 40 Burunge pastors had been invited to a workshop in Mirambo, Tanzania, to help write a Bible study for the books of Ruth and Jonah in their own Burunge language. When the leaders of the workshop arrived they found that none of the pastors from outside of Mirambo had arrived. In fact, only the host pastor was there. This scene turned from one of excitement to wondering what would be done with all the food that purchased for the workshop.

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At 4:30 PM, we heard a plane overhead coming in for landing. My colleague called the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) office and excitedly asked, "Is that the shuttle flight coming in from Nairobi?"  The answer must have been yes because I heard squeals of joy all the way down in my office.

           

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