Quotes and Anecdotes on Bible Translation

Press play to start the music, and scroll on fellow adventurers!

Some notable quotes on Wycliffe Benin, pulled from interviews shot for the documentary that was made, and from footage taken on March 1st. I am so humbled to be involved with an organization that leaves such a positive impact everywhere it touches!

     "What Wycliffe is doing in Benin is truly important. Today, we see that it is becoming easier to touch lost souls in their own languages, and that is important for the Lord's church. That's why we give ourselves, body and soul, to do everything in our power to help Wycliffe advance its work in Benin."

--Pastor David Mensah, friend of Wycliffe Benin

     "When we read God's word in our maternal languages, we see that Christ was incarnated not only in our cultures, but in our everyday lives."

--Daniel Dedji, Director of Wycliffe Benin

     "...in 2006 we did a study to find the literacy rate of faithful church attendees.... And that revealed that more than 80% of faithful church attendees in Cotonou and the surrounding area are illiterate.... That means that these Christians are only able to listen to God's word on Sunday, and then it's another week before they hear it again. When that's the case, it's hard to have a well-rooted body of believers.... That is why Wycliffe makes literacy its field and its battle horse, and that's why literacy training is instrumental in all of our projects."

--Carole Houndjo, Language Project Coordinator at Wycliffe Benin

     "We plan to continue our holistic projects, because our objective is not to always be motivating people by pushing them from behind. No, it is to give them all the information and skills that they need, so that they themselves, they are free."

--Yvon Kohunfo, in charge of projects at Wycliffe Benin

     "When a rich man has a dream, he gets up the next day to make it happen himself. When a poor man has a dream, the next day he kneels down to pray and fast for its realization."

--Reverend Tohoubi Camille, friend of Wycliffe Benin

     Lastly, at Christmas time, our dear friends Nancy and Terry were kind enough to let me "check out" a sizable stack of books from their collection. I was glad to be armed with some new reading material, and a good number of the books I borrowed are about travel and linguistics, which have been very interesting to read.

One of the books is called The Multilingual God (2012). It is a book of stories about Bible translation from all over the world, eloquently complied in to one very impressive collection by Steve Fortosis. Since I am working with an organization that deals specifically with Bible translation, this one has been particularly fun to read, and it's making me more aware of the enormous range of questions that can arise when translating a text as complicated as the Biblical scriptures. It's helping me to better understand the dedication of the translation teams here in Benin, many of whom have been working for upwards of 10 years so that their people can read God's words in their "heart language."

As I was reading, I wrote down stories and anecdotes that I found particularly interesting, and now I'll share them here. All of the following passages are either direct quotes or paraphrased passages from The Multilingual God, telling stories from real Bible Translation projects all over the world. Enjoy!

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     "When translating Luke 11:11, Neil Anderson read aloud to the Folopa: 'Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?'

     They stared at Neil blankly. 'Why not give him a snake?' they asked. After all, a snake was a rare treat that could feed a whole family. But a fish in Folopa territory was very small and would barely qualify as a snack."

*

     "To enter the home of an acquaintance in a Zanaki village, one calls out loudly at the doorway. The only people who knock on the doorpost are thieves who do not want to be identified. If they hear stirring inside, they immediately sneak away. Thus [Revelation 3:20] was actually implying that Jesus was no more than a thief.

     An appropriate translation of Revelation 3:20 in Zanaki might be: 'Behold, I stand at the door and call out. If anyone hears my voice and invites me inside, I will enter and eat with him and he with me.'"

*

     "When it came to translating Christ's feeding of the five thousand in John 6 into the Samo language, the translator had to be very specific about even the type of grass the crowds sat upon.... This could be important simply because, if the wrong type of grass is named, the Samo might become distracted and incredulous, knowing, for example, that people would never sit down on a particular type of grass."

*

     "Saying that Jesus 'told them plainly' (John 11:14) does not communicate clearly in the Chewa language. Chewas would say, 'Jesus smashed the matter' (like a gourd)."

*

     "The Chacabo Indians of northern Bolivia have an unusual way of declaring mastery or excellence. A man known for his running ability is called habali ibo (an owner of running). Lunguists... wondered how to express 'God is love,' since in the framework of the Chacabo language, 'love' cannot meaningfully function as a noun. They decided to use the ownership concept. 'God is love' became 'God is the owner of loving.' Being interpreted, this implies, 'God is [the] supreme expert at loving'."

Other translations of "God is love":

St. Lucian Creole -- "Love is the character of God."

Jur Modo -- "God is what is in the middle of love."

Manding -- "If you say God, you say love."

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     "... for the Cuicatec Indians of Mexico, the word for worship... comes from the same root as that for a dog wagging its tail, implying the idea of worship as 'wagging the tail before God.' It is not the kind of idea we normally associate with worship in Western usage... but for the Cuicatecs the phrase indicates unwavering loyalty and intimate devotion. After all, isn't the dog a perfect example of such an attitude? Whenever a dog glimpses his master, he almost jumps out of his skin with excitement. His ears perk, his tail wags, and he stumbles all over himself just trying to please, trying to honor this being who feeds him, walks him, and occasionally gives him a doggie treat. That's worship."

*

     "When Nogo, language assistant in the Usarufa language, heard in his language that Jesus told the wind and water to be quiet, he was incredulous. He cried, 'No! No! Wind and water don't obey.'

     Translators thought they'd used the wrong word and began reviewing it with Nogo. Finally he realized that it was true as expressed. Jesus had actually calmed nature's fury with a word. Many times in days to come, Nogo would be heard saying to a fellow tribesman, 'Have you heard of how this Jesus made the wind obey?'" 

*

     In the Folopa language of New Guinea, the term for God is Bete of Betes. This literally means "the source of sources."

*

     "God's all-sufficiency is clearly pictured in a Chewa equivalent for 'land of milk and honey.' It reads literally, 'the land of "what can a child cry for?"'"

*

     "When John Lind was translating Luke for the Sierra Popoluca Indians, an Indian came to the term taciacputpa, 'to be saved.'

     'What does this word really mean?' he asked John.

     John decided to answer with a question of his own. 'How do you use that word?'

     The Popoluca gave an example. 'If a man were in jail for a crime he had committed and another man paid money to the proper authorities for the prisoner's release, this would be taciacputpa.'

     Lind went on to explain that this is essentially what Jesus did for humanity.... [He] came and paid out debt and saved us by dying in our place. The Indian verified that Lind was definitely using the correct expression for 'to be saved.'"

*

     "Once they understood it, the crucifixion of Jesus had a much more profound impact on the Folopa than it does on violence hardened Westerners. At one point the Folopa watched a film about Jesus' life. Though they had been told the portrayal was a pretense by actors, the women erupted with excruciating wails of grief when they saw Jesus being nailed to the cross. They couldn't help reacting this way, because Jesus was someone they were coming to trust and truly love."

*

If you were wondering whether the English Bible has any parallel examples of translation acrobatics, Jesus' teachings on worry in Matthew 6 give us an example. Did you know that in verse 27, which most of us know as "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" the original Greek actually reads, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single cubit to your height?" This is an adjustment that doesn't change the meaning of the verse (i.e. Worrying doesn't accomplish anything important) but helps the verse to speak to western readers, for whom longevity is often a more resonating concern than stature. But translators go to even greater lengths to make sure that the new translation is faithful to the original intentions of the author.

I hope these stories were as interesting and fun to read for you as they were for me!

God of the Dust

I don't know what's hanging from that tree on the left,
but I like it every time I walk past it. (Taken not far from my house)

(When I watched this video, I thought, "This has

gotta be from the 90s". I was wrong--2003!

Can you believe that was 12 years ago?? Anyway...)

Three times last week, God asked me to do one simple thing. No, the sky didn't open up and God's voice didn't boom down at me in any audible way. It was totally silent. It felt like an idea coming into my mind, to go and have a conversation with a co-worker, and I realized it was the Spirit's nudge saying, "Go and talk to that person." You know what I'm talking about, right? And when you believe it's God who speaks, it seems like following through with it should be a no-brainer. I mean, come on, is there anything easier than just talking? So I'd love to say I gave the correct response all three times. That was not the case.

On Monday, God asked me to go and talk to a specific person in the office, and to pray with them, and I didn't. I stayed put. I continued with my work. I moved on with my day. It's not like it was scary or anything. All of my co-workers are Christians! I knew I could do it, and it would be great! Apparently, I was just not interested in interrupting my day for 5 minutes to go and do it.

But on Tuesday I felt called to go and pray with the same person, and I knew I could not put it off again. I went to the person's office and said, "I feel like I'm supposed to pray with you," because I didn't know what else to say. They invited me in, we meditated on a chapter in Isaiah, and we prayed. Afterwards we both felt happy and spiritually recharged.

On another day later in the week, I was feeling tired. I was really looking forward to getting home, making some cous-cous, and talking to a friend on Skype before bed. And then I felt that darned nudge again. And this time, I felt compelled to talk to a person who, let's just say, I wouldn't normally seek out on my own. I was feeling stubborn, and I was really tempted to ignore it. But I couldn't shake off the feeling, so I went to look for them, and we shared an interesting conversation and prayed.

That was it. Nothing earth-shattering, just what God asked.

The next day, I was reflecting on these events and was reminded of the parable of the talents that Jesus tells in Matthew 25. Here is the beginning of it:

“Again, the kingdom of God will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more talents. So also, the one with two talents gained two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money." (Matthew 25:14-19)

It occurred to me that we can replace any reference to money in this parable with the idea of responsibility.

Let's say God called one man to move far away and plant a church in a foreign country.
God called a second person to start a Bible study with the other women in her dorm.
To the third, he said, "Do you see that man over there? Go and talk to him."

The first man obeyed, and trusted in God to be his support and guide as he carried out this exciting call from God. Although daunted by the task ahead, he moved with his wife and children to Romania, and  after a number of years, they had successfully planted a church that brought many to faith.

"Well done, good and faithful servant!"

The woman also obeyed. She started a Bible study in her dorm, which had a spotty turnout at first, but gradually grew to a tight-knit group of 7 women by the end of the semester. At the end of the year several women expressed their gratitude to the group's leader for following through on her idea to start a Bible study, and were thankful to have found a close and supportive group of friends.

"Well done, good and faithful servant!"

The third person barely even recognized God's voice. He watched the stranger for a moment, surprised at the bizarre whim that had come over him, and quickly dismissed the idea from his wandering mind. That would be awkward, he thought to himself. I don't even know that guy... So he continued with his day as if nothing had happened and quickly forgot about the man.

. . . .

More often than not, when we are in the third person's situation and we ignore God's voice, we are not even aware of our quiet disobedience. It doesn't put a single wrinkle in our day. We might not even realize it was God's voice that called us. Or, like the servant with one talent, we think these small responsibilities that God gives us are so ridiculously insignificant that He probably won't notice one way or the other whether it gets done anyway. After all, what is one conversation in the grand scheme of things? It was really more of a suggestion, so we are free to ignore it.

Truthfully, God will probably not come crashing through the third man's front door to teach him a thing or two. I'm not saying he can't, but that's usually not his style. He is not a God of retaliation, but a God who responds, and if the man were to hear him, God would not mince words:

"You were just lazy! When I asked you to go, you stayed put. When I asked you to speak, you were silent."

Ouch.

Let's not be confused. God takes our obedience very seriously. And at the same time, God doesn't need us to fulfill any of his plans. If we don't obey, God doesn't scratch his head and say, "Oh, fiddlesticks, what am I going to do now?"

"Can a man be of benefit to God?
Can even a wise man benefit him?
...What would he gain if your ways were blameless?"
(Job 22:2-3)

So what's the big deal? The big deal is that God wants our help. He desires our obedience so that we can enjoy a life working alongside the best boss in the universe. And somehow, in the course of our tiny human lives, we've gotten the idea in our tiny human heads that under any circumstance it's okay to say, "Thanks for asking, God, but I have other tiny human things to do right now." We think that God only cares about the big, "exciting" callings that he gives to people who aren't us, so instead we resolve to stay comfortable and save our energy until he asks us to do something that really matters. What we usually don't realize is that if we can't manage to complete the smallest tasks God gives us, the wise Master will never see fit to "put us in charge of many things" (Matthew 25:21, 23). And because of this, we miss out on the adventure he has in store for people who are prepared to take him seriously.

How many times has God desired to work through his servant Kate, only to get stuck with Monday Kate? Monday Kate is passive and unwilling to be interrupted. Monday Kate has "other things to do", and there is no place for that in God's kingdom.

Tuesday Kate needed to be reminded twice, but finally did what God was asking of her. Tuesday Kate is far from perfect, but she is blessed to be able to participate in God's kingdom, and is learning how to serve better every day. I would rather be Tuesday Kate any day.

If He were God over all the forces of nature, over the stars and galaxies, and over life and death itself...

...and not also the God of the dust, of small whispers, of mundane activities, and of "inconsequential" conversations,

then he would not be God.

To think that one side matters more than the other, that God is only at work in the big stuff, and that he only cares about the people with "more important" callings, is to bury a enormous chunk of who He is, much like the servant buried his talent in the ground. That's a surefire way to miss out on plenty of adventures that are in store for those who are not too proud to listen to the God of the dust just as attentively as the God of the universe. The question is never whether God is speaking, but whether his kids are ready to listen and follow through with even the smallest calling.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
(1 Kings 19:11-13)

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It would be interesting to hear stories from others, about a time when you felt called to do something small. Did you get to see any unexpected results come out of that? Share your story in the comments, or anywhere, really.

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(Click here for an interesting commentary on Matthew 25 from BlueLetterBible.org. The parable of the talents is at letter "B". I've really gained a lot from reading the their passage studies, and I would highly recommend them!)

My weekend was great, thanks!

(Do people actually play the songs while they read these posts? I'm curious.)

Hello everyone.

     Have I mentioned that I love my job? Well I do. When a day feels just a little too long and taxing, it's possible that this important detail can get momentarily lost under a wave of stress.

     But last Sunday, March 1st, was a great reminder of just how much I really, really love my job.

     And it all started with me skidding into my office at 2:30pm, totally frantic because I thought I was running 15 minutes behind and our video wasn't even ready to present at the event that started in one hour. 45 minutes prior, while lingering with my host family after church, I had received a text from my multimedia colleague, Paulin, saying that we had been asked to make a tiny change in our video, which could easily take an hour or two to re-export, and then we had to get there with the video and our filming equipment to shoot the event, which started at 3:30. Translation: there was literally not enough time.

     As quickly as I could, I excused myself from the after-church social conglomerate, caught a zem back to my apartment, changed clothes, grabbed the camera bag and some gaff tape (because I was so flustered that I honestly didn't know what else to grab, but you can never go wrong with gaff tape), was lent 500 francs by the store keepers on the corner who know me (I love them) because I was completely out of small change to pay the zem driver, and caught another zem to the Wycliffe office.

     Although I thought we were running horribly late, Paulin, to his credit, was totally un-phased and remained cool as a cucumber, which helped a lot by reminding me that my perception of this time crunch was 10% real-life and 90% my cultural upbringing that prioritizes punctuality right up there next to eyesight. I credit Paulin's calm, and some helpful advice from the director Daniel, and literally none of my own coping strategies, with helping me to see this clearly and let go of that burden of stress on the spot. :)

     (I'm reminded of a quote I saw being passed around on Facebook a few weeks ago, that says, "Not once does the bible say 'worry about it,' 'stress over it,' or 'figure it out.' But over and over it clearly says, 'trust God.'" Maybe by the time I leave Africa this truth will finally find its way through my stubborn skull)

     Long story short, we didn't end up finishing the small adjustment, and took off for the event location with the video as-is, but it was fine--Wycliffe Benin had a fundraiser to put on! The job at hand for Paulin and I was filming and photographing the event, so we zoomed over to the conference center to get all set up. When we got there, the place was buzzing with our Wycliffe co-workers preparing reception snacks, organizing the merchandise table, putting out name plates for special guests, and setting up the projector.

     "And then what happened, Kate??" Yeah, we totally started on time (No thanks to my worrying. Funny how that works...). Once everyone had arrived, there must have been 250 people!

     Wycliffe Benin had invited a group of special guests to sit in front and offer wonderful testimonies of the work they have seen Wycliffe doing in their country through the development of local languages and Bible translation. We have video of each of them speaking, and in a subsequent blog post, I hope to write down some highlights from their comments to share with you! In the meantime, here are some photo highlights, courtesy of the Wycliffe Benin Multimedia Department.

One of the very entertaining MCs at the fundraiser

Pauline and Mariette selling Wycliffe Benin merchandise

Paulin (in the photo above) and I tag-teamed the filming/photos as usual--but
for the first time, we have official Wycliffe Benin Multimedia Service vests!

A group played some fantastic traditional music on the stage

Papa Tebe and Mathieu

And the worship team was wonderful :)

I have a new game.
It's called "Spot the Baby Who's Spotted the Yovo Taking His Picture"!
There are actually 2 in this one. ;)

Do you want to know how much we were able to raise? From this night alone, in donations and pledges combined, we raised approximately 8,000,000 Francs, which is the equivalent of...

$13,504 USD!

Whoa! That's awesome! GLOOOIIIRE A DIEU! (That's something that people often shout in church. It is French for "GLOOOOORY TO GOD!")

I asked our friend Igor for an update on how fundraising is going so I could give you an idea of where we're at. Here's what I got:

• For the construction of the outer wall last year, we raised $18,490. That part is finished.
• For 2015, Wycliffe Benin is trying to raise a total of $207,627 to finish the administrative block and training room, of which we now have over $14,000, but Igor said they are getting new donations every day.
• I also learned in the course of preparing for this event that the land itself on which we are building the headquarters was given to Wycliffe Benin as a gift by friends of the organization. People are also able to donate cement to help with construction.
• God is blessing this project in so many ways!

Please continue to keep this project in your prayers. Here are some specific ways you can pray for us:

• For the Spirit to continue to inspire our fundraising team with new ideas to continue this process.
• For strength and safety for the construction team.
• For all personnel involved to rely continually on God's providence to take care of each need as it arises.

And finally, if you were interested in donating to support this project, you still can. Here is the link to the donation page again. If you have any questions, always feel free to ask.

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This is a totally unrelated but fun tidbit: For those who don't follow me on Facebook or Instagram (if you don't have Instagram, you couldn't see my photos before, but you can now), my oldest host sister offered to braid my hair! Unfortunately I can't keep them in for much longer, because it's already been a few weeks (T_T), but I really enjoyed trying something totally new, and I'm glad I did it! Here's a couple photos:

Me and the hair expert :) (It's not all my real hair)

Unless the Lord Builds the House

     First, I'd like to point out that I updated my list of ongoing prayer requests on the left, and added the link to my Instagram page on the right. I am pretty sure you don't need to have an Instagram account to see my photos. Sometimes you'll find bonus pictures there that I don't always post on my blog, so if you're interested in seeing even more pictures, take a look! Otherwise, press play for mood music and read on.

    In my previous post I mentioned that Wycliffe Benin is looking forward to a huge fundraising event on March 1st (Scroll to the second part of this post for specific prayer requests and other information related to that). The whole office's activities are geared towards this day--preparing and printing programs, handing out donation cards cards, scheduling speakers, sending invitations, contacting donors, and talking up the event in churches. I meant to finish this post last week so that you could know more about the event and join me in praying for its success, but like most everyone here I have been more busy than usual in the past few weeks, so you'll have to excuse the last minute nature of this info! I'd be kidding everyone if I said it hasn't been a bit hectic around here. But it's a holy kind of hectic! (Feel free to quote me on that later)

     In the media studio, we've been working on a 10-minute "documentary" to show on March 1st. It will include interviews with Wycliffe Benin personnel, church members, and supporters, (all Beninese) who talk about the work Wycliffe Benin does, and its impact in local churches and communities. It will be really exciting to show everyone this compilation of dialogues that all talk about the positive work God is doing through this organization--we're praying that God would use this video to uplift and encourage all of it's viewers who are rooting for the progress of Bible translation in Benin, even Wycliffe's own personnel. Perhaps I will be able to post some quotes from the interviews in a future blog entry.
     For Paulin and me (a.k.a. the "Wycliffe Benin Multimedia Department", in case you forgot), the past few weeks have consisted of scheduling and conducting a number of last minute video interviews, transcribing every interview (a very interesting and fun exercise if I do say so, but maybe that's just my language nerd talking), researching microphones, recording a radio ad, and sorting through B-roll footage and old photos.
     When not doing any of those things, I get to translate material (from English to French) related to Wycliffe's Discover trip this summer. The trip begins in June, and the trip leaders have started convening on Google Hangouts every couple weeks to prepare for it. We share our phone conferences with leaders of the Discover group that's going to Papua New Guinea. I'm excited to be learning from the other leaders and begin exchanging with the soon-to-be participants. Prayers are definitely appreciated for all the leaders and participants as we get ready for our respective trips. :)

     Meanwhile, back at the ranch (in my apartment), I have new shelves! Oh my gosh, that sounds so boring when I write it out, but GUYS they're seriously SO USEFUL, both in getting some of my things up off the floor for the first time, and in helping me master my infinitesimal kitchen-counter space (which I'm getting pretty good at, believe it or not!).

With the instructor and students at the
Grace of God language center

     In my free time, there are English lessons. Like my co-worker Yvon, many Beninese people are very enthusiastic about learning English, and love taking advantage of opportunities to practice their skills with a native speaker. On most Tuesday nights, there is an English Bible study that meets at the home of my friend Elisabeth (who attends the same church as me). There are usually 4 or 5 of us together each week. We start our time together by reading and discussing a passage, bringing up any words that are harder to understand, and finish with a vocabulary lesson. On a couple Sundays, I've also had the opportunity to visit an English class at the "Grace of God Language Center". Many of those who attend classes there are motivated to learn English for professional reasons, to interact with international partners. It's been cool to meet and work with such driven students, and I've been very impressed with their speaking ability!
     On Sunday nights, it's English class with my host family. They often host visitors like me who are living for a short time in Cotonou, and foreigners coming on Wycliffe business don't always speak very much French. So in the interest of language practice, we meet together on their back patio in the yard, where there is a blackboard, once a week. Sometimes we make lists of useful vocabulary. Other times, I "forget" how to speak any French at all, and we pretend I am a visitor arriving in Benin for the first time, and they have to show me to my room! They must offer to carry my "suitcase", taking care to point out the "fan" and the "curtains", and stressing the importance of the "mosquito net" to their new and clueless Anglophone tenant. They did splendidly! And role playing always makes merry :)

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In case the other song ended, I got you covered for part two ;)

     As promised, since I've been talking your ear off about this upcoming event with Wycliffe Benin (yup, the one on March 1st), this is the part where I tell you what exactly is going on!
So here's the sitch:
     Wycliffe Benin is in the process of constructing a national headquarters. Right now, we work from one of several office spaces where they've rented, but unfortunately our needs and abilities frequently seem to exceed the current capacity of our work space. Hence the need for a more permanent place for Wycliffe Benin to operate from.

(R to L) Me, Carole, Igor, Blaise, the pastor, Mathew,
Olivier, Daniel, Reine, Mariette, Léa

     When I arrived in Benin in September, the future headquarters was a cornfield. We made a trip to the site one day to pray over the land before beginning construction. Does the photo on the right look familiar? This must have been my first full week in the office. That white stone we're standing around was there to mark the area where the headquarters would go. You'll see it in a couple pictures further down, too.

RIP to all that corn...

     By October, we were ready to start construction. But before we even laid the first brick, the Wycliffe Benin personnel, a number of pastors that we work alongside, and even the construction workers, all met together on the land to pray over the entire project. It was an amazing event to participate in, and so great to see so many people come out to praise God for that milestone. It is inspiring to see how everyone involved so wholeheartedly give this project to God, the master of all builders. I find this verse particularly fitting:

Unless the LORD builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the LORD guards the city,

The watchman keeps awake in vain.

Psalm 127:1

     After the time of prayer and worship, several pastors and the Director of Wycliffe Benin each laid a brick in the foundation of the wall that will surround the future headquarters.

Pastors pray for the placing of the first brick

That same white marker stone on the day
they laid the first brick

Wycliffe Benin Director Daniel Dedji hands one of the first bricks
to Leon, the head of construction, to place in the wall's foundation

Wycliffe personnel with some of the attendees.
The two "yovos" in the group are Paul and Peg from Wycliffe Associates
who were in Benin to help get the project rolling.

Anyway, the construction will be completed in 3 parts: the outer wall, which has was already completed at the end of 2014 (wohoo!!); the administrative block and training room, which will be built in 2015; and the hospitality block and refectory, to be built in 2016.

     We at Wycliffe Benin would LOVE for you all to join us in praying for this project, and for the event on March 1st. Here are some specific ways you can pray with us:

• Praise God for all that had already been accomplished in his name through the efforts surrounding this project! The outer wall is already completely finished!
• For health and energy for WB personnel and those involved in the construction.
• For a successful fundraising event this Sunday, that it would be a day of celebration of the ways God has already provided, and a day of joyful testimony of His work through WB.
• For us at WB to continue to surrender our plans into God's very capable hands.
• For energy for WB staff--like I mentioned, we've all been sort of swamped as of late.
• That all the plans that the enemy makes against us would turn out as nothing more than a totally embarrassing fiasco for him and his peeps.

     As always, thank you for your prayers, and I hope this list is a helpful guide :)

     Finally, for anyone who may be interested in supporting this project financially, here is the link to the donation page for the construction of the Wycliffe Benin headquarters. Even if you don't feel called to give in this way, I hope you will still join me in praying for their fundraising efforts, because this is a project well worthy of your partnership, whatever that may look like.

     May God bless you abundantly and keep you safe!

Here's the Plan

Here is a quick update on my plans from now until I finish up my internship with Wycliffe Benin in August of this year. Although I dread the thought of leaving Benin, I also believe God has made his plan clear: He opened the door for me to come to Benin for a definite amount of time, 10 months, and unless he calls me to do otherwise, I'm going to stick to that.

That being said, I am very excited to have the opportunity to come home for a month in May/June in order to attend my brother David's wedding (wohoo! marriage!). I am looking forward to celebrating that happy day surrounded by family, and reconnecting with many dear friends. My excitement is surpassed perhaps only by my co-workers and host sisters--the Beninese are really enthusiastic about weddings! I will enjoy sharing the details with them :D

My flight home for May falls 8-and-a-half months after my arrival. However, I also knew that God had called me here for 10 months. On the one hand, it seemed like a trivial thing--it's only 1.5 months shorter! But it just didn't sit right with me, so after some prayer, I expressed this thought to my trip coordinator from Wycliffe USA, John. He was very understanding of my conviction to follow exactly what I believed to be God's instructions, and asked me if I'd be interested in returning to Benin as a leader for one of Wycliffe's summer trips called "Discover". College students/young adults from both the USA and Benin will be coming to Wycliffe Benin for a taste of what Bible translation work is like. I was energized at this idea, and said I would love to help welcome this group as part of the leadership team. What an awesome opportunity!

So in short, here's the plan:

mid-May - bopping back to Minnesota

late June - back to Benin to help lead Dsicover trip

early August - return home to Minnesota

I have gotten a few questions about this (and thank you for your thoughtfulness in asking!!), but I am still not certain whether I need to do any additional fundraising for this slight change of plans. That should become clear in the next month.

As always (although perhaps I haven't done a great job of inviting this) if you have any questions at all about how things are here in Cotonou, what I've been up to, cultural minutia etc. that I haven't addressed in a blog post, please feel free to post them in the comments section below. Who knows--you might inspire my next post! Plus, I always enjoy hearing from you people :)

You can continue to pray for us here at Wycliffe Benin, for the ongoing Bible translation projects in the Aja, Saxwe, M'belime, and Idaasha languages, as well as for a BIG event coming up on March 1st (at the National Conference Center of Benin, no less!). Wycliffe Benin is hosting an important fundraiser to help finance the construction of their new headquarters, and we at the office are all praying for God's help to make the event a success that points all the glory back to Him. Please join us in covering this day in prayer!

You can also pray for me, for discernment on the next steps God may want me to take after the end of my internship in August. As of now, I have ideas, but not a concrete plan. Through this decision process, I am continually reminded to trust God and listen for what he wants me to do next.

As always, merci mille fois (thank you so much) for your prayers and words of support! Please let me know if you have any prayer requests as well.

Enjoying a frolic on the beach with expat friends

In all your ways acknowledge Him

In keeping with the soundtrack tradition, play the song below before you scroll!

On my street. My house is at the end on the right (hidden behind the white one)

“When God asks you to go, that's okay. Whatever that means you have to give up or miss out on, that's okay. Whatever you are afraid of or anxious about, whatever causes you to feel bitter, whatever you look back at longingly, that's okay.... Take a moment and thank God that he doesn't seek to change his plan to fit our wants and needs, but instead seeks to change us for the better."

I typed the above excerpt in a sticky-note on my computer desktop on May 22, 2014, a few days after I learned that I was going to Benin. At the time I knew I couldn't even imagine all that God had in store for this journey. And whaddaya know, I was right. I'm learning that road you walk with God begins the moment you perceive God's voice and choose to follow it away from the complacent, stationary life, and then continues on from there until you choose to step off of it. But there are no shortcuts.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding."

Proverbs 3:5

Sometimes I think these words gets over-used, to the point that we don't even read the verse anymore when someone references it. But the number of times my understanding and God's way have pointed in two opposite directions have proved their relevance. It's relatively easy to trust God when he takes us on exciting and fun adventures.

But when I face difficulties and emotional lows here, there's nothing "funny" or "adventurous" about it. In frustrating moments, I'm often tempted to act and speak in ways that are less than what God calls us to.

On January 7th, in my journal: "When my desire to follow the world is screaming much louder than my desire to follow God, my conviction that following God is still the [right] choice needs to be there."

If you're familiar with Proverbs 3:5, you've probably met its conjoined twin:

"In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:6

What an encouragement to know that when we make God the Lord of everything we do--not just the Lord of our Bible study and worship, but Lord of our grocery shopping and Lord of family discussions, too--He is ready to meet us where we are, to be our gentle shepherd, and to lead us back to the path we wandered away from, where he delights to walk with us, and we with him. When we practice listening directly to God in every chapter of the day, we don't need to worry about extraneous voices telling us what we should do, or what God expects from us. I have a story to show what I'm talking about.

One day I was with Paulin filming a bridal shower. We were invited to share a meal with all the guests afterwards. The main dish was a West African specialty called "pâte", which literally means "paste". It is the grey-est food I have ever seen. But it's not as bad as it sounds! I frequently enjoy it with my host family or at work for lunch. Anyway, when someone brought us our food, she gave a plate of pâte and vegetables to Paulin, and to me she gave a box of crackers, and apologized, "We weren't sure what you would like to eat, since you don't eat pâte." We were surprised, because no one there had actually asked me whether I liked pâte! The assumption was that white people don't eat traditional Beninese food. It was kind of them to consider my needs, but Paulin helped me to politely explain that I do eat pâte. Relieved, they kindly brought me a plate identical to his.

Here's my point. As it turns out, what other people think God says or wants, or what I hope God says or wants, is certainly not the same as what God actually says and what He actually wants. So it's good to consult Him directly. He appreciates that. :)

And now for something completely different

For the second part of this post, you'll have to finish or stop the song that played for the first part of this post, and play this one instead. Then scroll down and enjoy this series of totally unrelated photos that illustrate some other fun shenanigans around Cotonou :)

(I know they're singing about volcanoes in central America, but just ignore that)

Last year my host sister Lowi completed her internship, which is one of the final stages of a university education in Benin. After their internship, Beninese students deliver a presentation (a "soutenance") about their internship experience, and what they learned. Lowi and her partner spent a lot of time preparing, and then Lowi invited many family and friends to support her for her soutenance, and I got to be the photographer :)

Lowi and her partner presenting (Sorry, the room was a little dark)

Luckily, Lowi and her partner passed. They were both so relieved and happy, and I can understand why!

Lowi and Sejes after she passed. Smiles all around!

 Elisabeth and I came back to the "swimmable" beach another time. It's a fun change of scenery. This time, I took a hike out on the rocks that block the waves, and encountered some fishermen. Very interesting to see.

The massive rock wall that protects the beach from huge waves

A fisherman on the rocks by the beach

 While I was working in the kitchen one day, one of my other host sisters came up the stairs and found me doing my dishes. "Where is your camera? I want to take your picture!" It was a really sweet gesture.

My sister Justine insisted on taking my picture while I was in the kitchen :)

A young boy carefully observes the yovo in her natural environment
(a.k.a. me in my office)

Enjoying the local fruit--the mangoes are amazing!!

One day I decided to bring a book to the beach to relax. I had been reading in the shade for at least an hour when I heard a distinct *chink-chink* sound coming from very close by. I looked up to see that kid on the right standing less than three feet in front of me! He was holding what appeared to be an empty tomato sauce can. I was so surprised that I began to laugh. His friends came over and struck poses next to him. They were pretty good! No one cracked a smile. I caved and gave them some change in exchange for the laughs and this picture.

Boys acting as human statues at the beach.