Month: October 2009

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Nessiel Ndjibogoto

Nessiel is the man who leads the organization I will be working with. A few years ago he told us an interesting story about his life. His mother had carried four pregnancies to term and lost the baby at birth or shortly thereafter. Her fifth pregnancy was Nessiel. So when he was born she named him Nessiel, which in her language means “He won’t last”.

A few years ago Nessiel went to visit his now aged mother. She told him that now that he had given her grandchildren it was time to reconsider his name! Nessiel responded by telling her that he was involved in Bible translation in the languages of Chad of which there are over 120. He told his mother that man might call that task “It won’t get done”. So he wanted to keep his name to show that God’s evaluation of a situation are not the same as man’s.

(This was originally posted on a different site. It was republished here in March 2012.)

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Chad trip

I (Ed) will be in Chad from October 20 through November 1 plus a travel day on each end. Chad is a country in Central Africa with plenty of challenges. I will be in N’Djamena (pronounced n-jah-MAY-nah) and Moundou (pronouced moon-due).

Here is a map.

I will be working with a Chadian Christian organization which does Bible translation. Wycliffe is partnering with them. They have a great vision, good skills and the confidence of the churches in Chad. What they lack is the capacity to manage their budget well. They also want help with managing funding which Wycliffe sends them to the legal standards required. My job will be to work with them to develop a plan for both of those and to make a recommendation to Wycliffe concerning future partnership with this national organization.

Pray for good interactions, for transparency and for clarity. I will be doing almost all of my work in French, so clarity is an important thing. While I can say anything, I sometimes struggle to say it with the right nuance and tone.

I’ll post more as I am able. I am not at all sure what internet connection, if any, I will have in Moundou.

For more information on Chad and the national organization I will be working with see:
http://www.wycliffe.net/ContactUs/tabid/71/Default.aspxentity=CDN
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1068700.stm
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_2876.htm

(This was originally posted on a different site. It was republished here in March 2012.)

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Bagamba and Maziga

Bagamba works with us in Congo. He is specialist in all things socio-linguistic. That is a big word to describe something very important to our work. He does research to answer questions such as:

  • How many languages are there and where is each one?
  • Are languages in Congo disappearing?
  • Are the Bible translations being used?
  • What is hindering the use of the translations?

Photos from top: Lab tech drawing Maziga’s blood, Ed and Bagamba at our place, Maziga doing a puzzle in our living room.

Bagamba is on his way to an international meeting of others doing the same kind of research around the world. His eight-year-old daughter, Maziga, has had persistent and undiagnosed stomach pain. So he brought her as far as Nairobi to see if the more advanced medical services here can diagnose the problem.

They are both staying with us; Bagamba for a few days and Maziga until September 23. So we are parenting again. Or are we grandparenting for the first time? Maziga is a very gifted girl. She loves puzzles, so she and Dayle get along famously over a 1000 piece puzzle!! Maziga put together all the water and the castle. Phenomenal, at 8 yrs old. So methodical and patient with the puzzle. Maziga and Dayle might also do some baking.

Saturday September 12: We got the results of the first round of tests and Maziga saw the doctor a second time. Her stomach problems are parasites which are easily treated. Great news. More tests still coming…

Monday September 14: For over six months, Maziga has been having what are either fainting spells or mild siezures. She has had treatment and has been siezure free for over two months. The neurologist ordered an EEG because she had never had one. So we found photos on the Internest of an EEG being done, showed them to her and explained what would happen. Maziga sat through the EEG like a trouper with Dayle there for support. It came out normal. The neurologist believes that she will just grow out of the siezures/fainting spells.

One of Bagamba’s research projects is trying to get information on the use of the Bibles translated into local languages. He has developed a research instrument and trained data collectors. They are gathering information and that will accelerate in November. Personally, I am really looking forward to getting the results early next year. Making decisions is a lot easier when one has good information. Right now we don’t really know how widely the translations are being used, in what ways and what is hindering their use. We want to do all we can to get the Bible into the languages and hearts of as many as possible. After all, God intended his Word for everyone.

Sunday September 20: Bagamba arrives back from his conference late this afternoon after traveling since about 6 PM yesterday. He will be dog tired. After church, we took Maziga out for a little treat and then Dayle took her “window shopping” in an outdoor crafts market called the Masaai Market. She is looking forward to her dad coming back.

I (Ed) am the “Tickle Monster”. Maziga loves a little tickling even reminding me if I have not tickled her yet that day. Our dog, Oreo, get jealous and tries to get in between us.

(This was originally posted on a different site. It was republished here in March 2012.)

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Expectations

On my way to Chad I had to overnight in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the morning I looked out my room window and saw this. I assumed that the building was a mosque. Only when looking at the photo closely later did I see the crosses on the top, not crescent moons, so this is an Orthodox Church. Ethiopia has large number of Christians and the orthodox church has a very long history here dating from 330 AD. Its even has its own web site http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/.

In fact, no more than nine countries in the world have more Christians (of all persuasions) than Ethiopia, and a large number are evangelical. In Chad, on the other hand, Christianity is relatively new having come early in the 20th century. Also, most Christians are in the south, whereas most people in the north of Chad follow Islam.

(This was first posted on a different site. It was republished here in March 2012.)