Postscript

Yesterday, the first New Testaments translated into the Nomaande language were dedicated by the community that speaks Nomaande. We, that is my little media team, were present for their special celebration.  The lady in this photograph was an usher at the event.  It was so neat to see the excitement on her face when she held the New Testament in her own language for the first time.

It was my first time going to an event like this.  Music, special dances, special speakers, presentations–it was a full day including a big meal at the end. We took many photographs and some video clips of all the different aspects of the event.

Above: The directors of SIL Cameroon and CABTAL (two organizations involved in this translation) holding the New Testament in Nomaande.

Below: A few shots of those of us who were gathering photos and video footage at the event and around it.

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I came across three interesting and provocative videos that provide some insights on the public view of Africa, the African story, charity, aide, trade and job creation.  Living in Africa and interacting with our African colleagues is changing and enhancing our views on these subjects.  If you don’t live here, these videos may provide you with a little glimpse into some of what we’ve been learning and may change your perspectives, too.

This video is of Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda talking about the effects of media coverage on the Western view of Africa and the issues of poverty elimination vs. wealth creation in the African context.

In this video the former finance minister of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala talks about aid versus trade in Africa.

In this video Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns of the dangers of a single story.  She shares how people in the West often don’t understand the diversity of the African experience because they are only exposed to a narrow view, or singular story, of Africa.

Find more TED videos about Africa

Read an article about a recent survey of Kenyans showing 86% are happy.

Read a CNN article and watch a CNN video on showing Africa’s best.

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A study of the arts of particular cultures can accompany Bible translation projects when an Arts staff member is available.  Arts workers, specialists and consultants study dance, drama, music, handicrafts, methods of story-telling, proverbs, poetry–all the art expressions of a culture.  Their study can create a foundation for working with a community to create art expressions that tell the gospel story–scripture songs, Bible story dramas, etc.  These tools help communities gain a greater understanding of scripture, and help them to remember key scripture stories and principles.

Learn more about using the arts in Bible translation.

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My friend, Eddie Arthur, shared this video on his blog, and I thought you may enjoy it as well.

Happy Easter!

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We’ve had some fun playing a few games together on some free evenings. A group favorite is Ligretto (aka–Dutch Blitz).

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We went to Karen Community Church today with co-workers, Simon and Lynn. They are not new to Africa, but they are new to the Nairobi area. The town of Karen is southwest of Nairobi named after Karen Blixen (Out of Africa). We enjoyed a mixture of songs in English and Swahili (see the worship team practicing before service in the video below). The pastor’s sermon was on prayers of faith by ordinary people using the text, James 5:13-18. It was good to reflect again how God answers our prayers.

We went out with Simon and Lynn for desert after church and enjoyed a delicious mango, passion fruit crumble topped with homemade vanilla ice-cream. Wonderful. On our way home we made a stop at another shopping center that we hadn’t yet been to. We found an ATM, and we were finally able to get some Kenyan money. We’ve been without it since we arrived.

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Here’s another Christmas video card from the Andersons. Enjoy!

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Kent and Valerie Anderson, part of Wycliffe’s staff in the UK, produce a Christmas video card each year. We thought you might enjoy what they put together this year.

Thank you, Jesus for coming. We eagerly await your return.

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