I have began to comb over the Proverbs then Psalms verse by verse
referring to both JPS (Jewish Pub. Soc.) and KJV in parallel with a
recent Hebrew dictionary keyed to the strong numbers in KJV. This to
trim out some of the filler added by the newer versions which I must
have used for Psalms, as I'm rewording almost every verse, and always
more succint, easier to render, and to read. Am also ventilating the
verses to make them more visually appealing, easier to read with a
phrase or thought per line, instead of letting the lines break at odd
intervals. (I've had to leave some that way, but am restructuring most.)
Job has been recently done with those two versions in the same way, but
I need to check Song and Eccles as both of those were done on the Palm
Top in trips to and from FtD, thus probably in RSV, but that's not as
deviant as many.
I was out on bike to Antanemira as hadn’t visited there in about 6
weeks what with being brought low for much of that time. I’d gotten out
on bike twice before that trip but each with Lil’ Johnny on his trainer
bike though the training wheels have long been off. He led and at every
patch of sand would make sounds like a motorcycle revving up as he tried
to force his little bike through and sometimes make it and sometimes
spill with a big grin and no loss of resolve. We biked out to
Andranosinike, the first deep crick on our path that must be descended
into and across its sands before making the steep rise out, then on into
the spiney forest for another km or so to give his little legs a good
spin. He loves it but needs a bigger bike he’s growing so fast.
So then I made that solo trip to see my good friend who used to be
called “kepeke” (crippled), the leader of the church of Antanemira,
which he also built by himself, that is—he the building and the Lord the
body of believers, of which he was the first. I took a spill in the road
about 6 km shy of the Fañoroke River, trying to climb up an abrupt ridge
out of a sand draw I was caught in, the front tire couldn’t grab on that
smoothe rock hard latterite ridge and it threw me forward. I did a roll
out ok but my right foot must have hit a rock just below the ankle bone
traumatizing the bone and the skin. When I realized this I rode to the
nearest shady famata tree—the day was blazing hot, and thanked the Lord
for the free antiseptic in the finger leaves of the famata, I rested
there and had some letchies and a mango to replenish my reserves and
continued. At Antanemira I poured a little honey on the wound and ankle
as Dehomana and I caught up on each other and business and the life of
the church. He said it had grown to about a dozen regular attendees with
6 baptized members coming out of the woods (literally) and four being
trained. He asked me for the Tandroy versions of all the Christmas hymns
I’d translated as well as the Tdy orders of worship thru Christmas—which
I’d already done through Advent. He fed me some of the new crop of
Raketanosy, the first prickly pear I’ve seen of the new season, and I
returned home. I was served a pail of hot water to soak out the redness
which was forming around the edges of the wound, but that didn’t help
the inner trauma, so the next day edema had set up in my foot beginning
around the ankle and spreading through the foot and up the right leg. I
limped for a couple of days and Tafy would not let me think about taking
the trip to ftd with Boto, our regular bus (14 hours), but as He turned
it out, the ALT project vehicle rescheduled their trip back to FtD for
today and Tafy arranged a ride with them through the boss in FtD (they
normally return on Friday). It took only 4 hours. I left Tafy in good
health still heavily involved with fund raisers for the parsonage and
now that that’s complete, for an amplifier for the church audio system,
and then…. Lil’ John had developed a croupy then barky cough which
aconite relieved but I was still worried about him this morning. I tried
calling all morning to see how things were but the phone system to
Tsihombe is down. I talked to FtD and to Beloha but couldn’t get anyone
using the Tsb tower. Pray that that will open again.
I've had such massive virus attacks on my computers that I need a
good backup be that overseas. [He sent me the bible files. Art] Kids
put a local music DVD in laptop after laptop to get it to work, (without
letting me know, as I'd forbid all) but the virus destroyed the system
and we had to reformat and load new systems in 3 machines. Fortunately
my main machine is passworded incl. admin and the virus was kept out of
the administrator office. The malady being that no application could be
opened without gaining permission of the "Adim" the virus had taken
control and made everything out of bounds. After rebuilding all I put
passwords on all admin accounts. The Evil one tries every road.
The books of Job through Song are not finally final. They have still
to go out for another round. I just delivered two packets of the set to
the home-binder, he puts the pages in a press with a stiff cover etc. I
spent last night and this morning folding to A5 size (that's also the
size of my page) so that the edge being glued to the binding is not one
sheet but the folded side of an A4 sheet (letter size) in which the
pages are arranged as: Recto: 4, 1, Verso: 2, 3 etc. That's to give the
books good strength that the pages not pull out. Then I'll see who's
available in each of the four compass points of Tsihombe (the
geographical center of Androy), and people will again say, "give that to
us" once they've heard a few chapters.
But where are His agents to get out the NT which every one also
wanted? It's like no one will take the time to read it in/to the
village/rs. Just had an sms this morning from Ampanihy where about 50
copies were dropped off but he says he's only sold 3, I responded that
that meant he didn't have any people mazoto [eager or energetic] to take
a copy out to the villages and just do a reading. But if the Spirit
won't move them neither can I. A significant problem in Androy of course
is that while almost every village has a literate person not too far
away that person doesn't have the heart for his people or doesn't see
the need for the NT in Tandroy.
Jos has been taking all of the routes in Androy, the first to every
stop on the route to and including Tulear, where the pastor in charge of
Evangelism received 10 cartons (28 each) and then ordered 4 more, to
distribute to all of the parish groups in that Synod. He then went up
the Betroka road as far as Isoanala distributing in all the main towns,
and found enthusiasm everywhere; then looped over to Bekily and down
thru Belindo and to Bekitrao then Behabobo and back to Tranoroa which
he'd missed on his Tulear trip. He's just back from the Amboasary -
Tsivory route and is headed to Antaritarike via Ambahy south west of
Ambovombe into Tsihombe district. He just beeped my phone a minute ago
so will pause to see what's up--itw as just that he hasn't had a single
bus to pick him up (and his load of NT's) since early morning when he
notified me.
Keep Jos in your prayers, the distribution of the books after he's
sensitized the people, and read to them in each center, that they in
turn will do the same thing in their outlying parishes.
The family has been in good health, Tafy in charge and holding the
funds for the rebuilding of the Parsonage Kitchen which was caving in
(built of Tsb rock). Funds are mostly from offerings each Sunday or the
Women selling baked goods etc. She goes down there twice a day to
oversee and check in with the Pastor.
Linofie has been happy to get back to School and is proud to be in
T1 (first grade)--too early in my opinion, he only 5! But they don't
seem to move too fast. We still work on our English numbers, alpabet,
reading etc, each night. And his favorite, the book he packed first, of
all that he packed for this trip, was his Bible Story book.

Thanks for your prayers, ours also with you,

Steve

_______________________________________________________________________________

Donations to support the work of translating the Bible into Tandroy:

Finances sent to The Renewal International will be receipted and used as
requested for the furtherance of God's church in Madagascar.

Renewal International, 3540 Harriet Avenue, Shoreview, MN 55126. Checks
made out to Renewal International are tax-deductible. Under memo
indicate specific mission in mind, if any.