Latest News

Visit with Pastor Mattewos

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Farnell (McFarnell)) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:09:18 PDT

On Sunday, September 6th, I visited the church I attended regularly in the late 1970s. At that time Pastor Mattewos was single, and few people attended the church. Mattewos spent many hours in prayer and many hours visiting in homes to build up trust so that he could effectively share the Good News about Jesus. In 1982, he married Etaferahu. Through the years they have remained among my closest friends. This photo was taken of them, their three sons, and me in their home, where I enjoyed a lovely meal and visit after the church service. That church has since added several extensions to the original building and has planted many other churches in Addis Ababa and throughout Ethiopia. Mattewos now administers educational centers in several places where needy youngsters are fed, cared for and educated. May God give each of us perseverance in prayer, relationships, and service so that we may enjoy the fruit He will bring in His time for His glory.

In Addis Ababa

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Farnell (McFarnell)) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:02:37 PDT

Donna and I are still in Addis Ababa. Two of our Ethiopian colleagues plan to drive up here from Alduba (Banna area) September 15th to renew insurance on a pickup truck. They will take Donna and me, along with as much of our stuff as we can fit in, back to Alduba. It will be much less expensive for them and for us than if we hired a truck to take us down. Meanwhile Kafa translators Mattewos and Gezahegn, who lost their advisor to leukemia last year, have given me their translation of the book of Ruth to look over. I hope to meet with them toward the end of next week to do a consultant check on that book. Please pray for the Lord's enabling as this will be my first formal work as a consultant. I feel very inadequate. They have given me a back translation (i.e., they have written the Amharic equivalent of each word or phrase under the Kafa word or phrase). This helps me know what they have said, since I don't know the Kafa language.

God has been so gracious to me. I never would have chosen to stay in Addis Ababa for a whole month, but I see that it was His plan so that I could adjust to the time change and all the changes that have taken place in SIM Ethiopia since I was last here. Please continue to pray for a close walk with the Lord for me, and that I will be an open channel for the expression of His love. Thank youǃ

Banna Literacy

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:24:21 PDT

Praise:

1) David (Dawit), the very capable Banna Christian who used to be on our translation team, has been chosen as Literacy Coordinator for the Banna churches. Praise God for this. David is well-qualified for this responsibility, and it means that the church leaders’ confidence in him as a spiritual leader has been restored.

2) Gideon Kiongo, with Partners in Literacy Ministry based in Kenya, has helped us with tutor training several times. He will spend another 10 or 12 days in Alduba toward the end of October to help get a literacy program started.

3) A meeting has been scheduled for October 12th with the tutors and church leaders in order to finalize which people each tutor will teach to read. They will agree on times and locations for the lessons. Then each tutor will receive the needed primers, flashcards and gelboards.

Prayer Needs:

1) That the tutors will enthusiastically carry out their responsibilities, and that those whom they are to teach will be motivated and consistent in receiving the tutoring.

2) That the tutors will teach a few lessons prior to Gideon’s arrival so that they can ask for help with the questions that come up.

3) That David will faithfully carry out his responsibilities as Literacy Coordinator, maintaining a close walk with the Lord and good relationships with His people.

4) That all of the Banna church leaders will grow in their vision for a reading church – one whose members daily commune with God through prayer and Bible study in their heart language.

Hope for Literacy ... and Some Good Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 13:08:42 PDT

The Banna Christians in Alduba are holding special meetings this weekend. One of the Banna church leaders who has a vision for Banna literacy will be sharing that vision with those who are gathered. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will speak through him, moving those who have received tutor training to truly want to teach others to read.

We missionaries realize that God has to put the desire and the burden in their hearts. IF the church as a whole is willing to choose and hire a literacy coordinator, Gideon, the Kenyan believer who has helped us with the tutor trainings, is willing to come and work with that person to get a Banna literacy program going. Since money is always an issue, we will help with the salary of the coordinator at least for the first year - and also provide what is needed for Gideon to come and work with him.

Prayer Requests:

1. That the reviewers (chosen and trained to read our Banna Scripture translation and offer suggestions for improvement) will actually have read the whole of Matthew's Gospel in Banna in time for these meetings;
2. That the reviewers will make good, clear suggestions for improvement of the translation;
3. That God will direct the church leaders in choosing the right person to be Banna literacy coordinator;
4. That the discussions about literacy at the meetings will make a difference and result in cooperation by those who have received tutor training;
5. That the timing and logistics for Gideon's coming will be worked out, and his family's needs will be met while he is away from them;
6. That any problems with the primers will become evident and be worked out so that the tools for teaching literacy are adequate.

Praise:
1. That there is still hope for Banna literacy, and that the team has not given up;
2. That Gideon is willing to come and stay for several months to help us get a literacy program going;
3. That some of the church leaders have a vision for Banna literacy;
4. That God is bigger than the obstacles;
5. That God has provided gel boards for the people to use in learning to read and write - and for the young people in Peoples Church of Fresno who raised the funds for them, and the people who gave;
6. That I am working on the CARLA draft of Revelation, the last book I need to do for the Banna New Testament. (But please remember that this is only a very rough draft. We still have several years of editing and revising to do before the New Testament can be published.)

I was feeling sad that I had forgotten to take my camera on my last trip to Ethiopia, but a friend directed me to a website that has much better pictures of the people groups I work among than I could take. There are some good photos of wild animals, too. Check it out at http://www.gabrielopenshaw.com/EthiopiaMain.html

Off to Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:22:30 PDT

Praise:

1) FOR GOD'S PROVISION: Tickets are in hand for my travel to Ethiopia March 1st. Donna, Ayke and Getu will come to Addis Ababa from Alduba (Banna area) so that we can check our translation of Matthew and 1 Corinthians with Consultant Mary Breeze.

2) FOR HELPFUL FRIENDS: Hans Schaumberger, a Wycliffe missionary from Germany, has agreed to train Ayke and me in using the program "Adapt It". We will use the CARLA drafts I've done as our source texts, and "Adapt It" will help us get an even better (more idiomatic) draft that will be easier for Getu and Ayke to revise.

Gideon Kiongo, with Literacy Evangelism Fellowship in Kenya, was in Alduba last week to lead another training using our primers with the new spelling. Now we have several Banna people who are equipped to teach others to read using the primers.

The young people in Peoples Church of Fresno have raised enough money to buy another 100 gel boards (These can be used by literacy students to practice writing. They can write and erase many times over.) and to help pay for printing of more primers.

So many of you continue to partner with me by your prayers and support. I thank God for each one of you.

Prayer Needs: (The first 4 are the same as for my last trip. The last one is more personal.)

1) FOR MY TRAVEL: Please pray for safety, and that I will be a good representative of Jesus Christ in all my travels and relationships with people.

2) FOR GOOD TEAMWORK: Please pray that I will be a blessing to the rest of the Banna translation team. Pray that we will communicate clearly with each other and enjoy the unity that only God's Spirit can give.

3) FOR MY MOTHER: Pray that she will sense God's presence and have all of her needs met.

4) FOR BANNA LITERACY: Please continue to pray for the Banna church leaders to have a vision for teaching their people to read in their heart language.

5) FOR MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH: Pray that I grow in faith so that I am responsible without being anxious, and that I walk in intimacy with the living God.

Update from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Farnell (McFarnell)) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 22:47:19 PST

I am writing from Alduba, among the Banna people in Ethiopia. Heavy rain kept me from getting here on Saturday, Oct. 26th, as originally planned. I was able to fly to Jinka (the capital city of the area) on Sunday, Oct. 27th, and reached Alduba on Monday, Oct. 28th, despite another day of heavy rain. Praise God that the Banna had good crops this year after several years of inadequate rain.

Praise God for enabling Donna, Getu, Ayke and me to finish going through our translation of Matthew's Gospel together. We now have that ready for a consultant check, which is planned for February.

We are currently working on 2 Corinthians. It is more difficult for us than Matthew, but we are having some good discussions along the way. I count it a privilege whenever the opportunity comes for spiritual input into the lives of our Banna translators. They seem eager to grow in their understanding of God's Word. I am pleased that Ayke frequently refers to some of the translation principles he learned at the training course he attended in September-October.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our health, unity and Holy Spirit-inspired wisdom as we work on the translation of God's Word for the Banna people.

Off to Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 12:54:55 PDT

Praise:

1) FOR PROGRESS ON BANNA MATTHEW: The Banna translation team in Alduba and I have sent drafts of Matthew's Gospel back and forth twice, and this will be the first book we look at together when I arrive there October 28th (Lord willing).

2) FOR MY VISA: This was my first time to handle the acquiring of a visa without help from the SIM Travel Department. Praise God that all went smoothly and I have my visa and tickets in hand. (My travel dates were postponed a couple of weeks so the rest of the team could participate in a translation workshop on Genesis the last 2 weeks of October.)

3) FOR "ADAPT IT": Andy Black, who had trained me in using CARLA to get Banna drafts of Scripture from the Aari translation, suggested I use the CARLA-produced Banna draft as my "source text" instead of the Aari. This works much better and will be easier for the Banna translators to work with.

4) FOR GEL BOARDS: The young people in Peoples Church of Fresno raised money to buy 100 gel boards. These can be used by literacy students to practice writing. They can write and erase many times over.

Prayer Needs:

1) FOR MY TRAVEL: Please pray for safety, and that I will be a good representative of Jesus Christ in all my travels and relationships with people.

2) FOR GOOD TEAMWORK: Please pray that I will be a blessing to the rest of the Banna translation team. Pray that we will communicate clearly with each other and enjoy the unity that only God's Spirit can give.

3) FOR MY MOTHER: Her eyesight is not as good as it was last time I left her. Please pray that help will be there when she needs it. Pray that she will sense God's presence and find all of her needs are met.

4) FOR BANNA LITERACY: Please continue to pray for the Banna church leaders to have a vision for teaching their people to read in their heart language.

Thank you so much for partnering with me by your prayers.

Praise & Prayer Requests

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 16:34:00 PDT

Praise:

1) THE NEW BANNA PRIMERS ARE IN ALDUBA: I don't think they are being used yet because we need to do some training of those who will teach. (New spelling system requires new training.) The Gospel of Mark, a study book on Mark, and a hymnal are at the printing press ready to be printed in the new spelling. Once people have books to read in the new spelling, those who knew how to read the old spelling should be able to quickly get used to the new system.

2) CARLA DRAFTS: In the past month I sent CARLA drafts of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians to the translation team. They have sent me revisions of the CARLA draft of Matthew chapters 8-28, and I have reviewed those through chapter 25, inserting my comments and suggestions.

3) ADAPT IT: I have tried out "Adapt It", the new-to-me program that takes a different approach from CARLA. I think it will be helpful for us, but so far I have only done one chapter of Luke. It is slow-going at first, but it will go faster as more data is stored in the "Adapt It" lexicon.

Prayer Needs:

1) I am booked to leave for Ethiopia October 12th, but I am waiting to hear whether the team wants me to postpone my trip a couple of weeks. There is a workshop on Genesis that would be good for the team to attend the last 2 weeks of October. This will mean that I miss Thanksgiving with my family, but every day can be Thanksgiving when we pay attention to God's goodness to us and give Him thanks. Please pray that He will control the timing of my trip and work out the tickets and other travel details.

2) Please pray for Mother's health. She has not felt well much of the time this summer. Please ask God to show me what I can do to make these later years of her life easier. Pray that He will encourage her. Ask Him to give us direction for any changes that need to be made in our living and working situation.

3) Please continue to pray for the Banna church leaders, especially our "review committee" to have a burden for getting God's Word into the hands of the Banna people in their heart language, and for teaching them to read it.

Thank you so much for your partnership by prayer!

Praise for Primers

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Wed, 24 May 2006 12:55:54 PDT

Praise God with me:
1. My colleague Donna Clawson is in the USA for a month to visit family and get some needed medical attention.
2. She was able to take all 3 revised Banna primers to our printing press in Addis Ababa, so the printed primers should be available for teaching people to read by the end of June.
3. She took the computer that wasn't working to Addis Ababa for repair. Apparently the bumps in the road knocked something back into place, because when they opened it up at the repair shop, it worked fine!
4. Banna Translators Getu and Ayke have collected over 100 Banna proverbs, which are also being printed in a series of 3 books.
5. I hope to finish a CARLA draft of Banna Genesis this week.
6. God has blessed me with a new grand-niece, born to nephew David and Michelle Farnell on May 22nd. Mother & baby are fine, for which we give praise to God.

Praise for Baby Jack's Safe Arrival

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:25:10 PDT

I had asked you to pray for a safe delivery and healthy baby for my colleagues, Trent and Tabby Cox. Here is their announcement:

John Angus Cox (named for Trent and Tabby's fathers respectively) was bornat 12:52 pm on 04/17/06.Baby Jack weighed 7 lbs 4 oz.Mom is doing fine. Tabby had 14 hrs labor and pushed baby Jack out in lessthan 30 minutes. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Praise God!

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Farnell (McFarnell)) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 23:08:40 PST

Dear all,

Praise God we finished going through Acts today (Thursday, March 2nd).
Tomorrow we plan to check spelling in more files (like the teaching guide
for the primers, Luke, 1 Corinthians). Please be in prayer for my flight to
Addis Saturday (Friday night your time). Most of all, praise God for His
faithfulness in enabling us to rewrite the primers and finish Acts.

Thanks to all who have been praying.

More from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Farnell (McFarnell)) — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 08:49:19 PST

Praise:

1) FOR COMPLETION OF THE BANNA PRIMER REWRITE: We only had to rewrite 53 lessons, then make a few changes in the remaining 40 lessons to make the Banna primers useful for teaching people to read in the new spelling system. We finished this on Friday, February 17.

2) FOR OUR FIRST GOOD RAIN: Late yesterday afternoon it started raining and continued through the night. Praise God for this sign of His mercy, and please continue to pray for adequate rain for the whole horn of East Africa.

Prayer Needs:

1) We began revising the translation of Acts this morning. Please ask God to guide us by His Spirit. We need patience and humility to really listen to each other. Pray that we will communicate well with each other and prayerfully seek the very best wording for each text.

2) Please continue to pray that my flight back to Addis Ababa, scheduled for March 4th, will go as planned so that I can catch my flight to the USA on March 6th. Please also continue to pray for my mother's well-being, and for the safe arrival of colleagues Trent & Tabby Cox's first baby in late April.

Praise and Requests from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Farnell (McFarnell)) — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 08:40:29 PST

Praise:

1) FOR SAFE TRAVEL: My flights to Ethiopia were uneventful. Praise God
for Pastor Joe and Kay Tira who picked me up at 3:15 a.m. in Longview to
get me to the airport by 4:30! I arrived in Addis Ababa about 8:30 p.m. on
Friday, February 3, spent the night at our SIM Guest House, and left for
the airport again the next morning at 6 a.m. After checking in for my
flight to Jinka (southern Ethiopia) and waiting more than an hour, I
learned the flight was postponed a day. I arrived safely in Jinka on
Sunday morning about 9:30, where colleague Trent Cox met me and took me
into Metser to visit former Aari translator Fikadu and family, who had
lost their oldest daughter on Thanksgiving Day. I had a good visit with
Fikadu, Duba and many other friends. Praise God for this special blessing,
and for Trent's willingness to take me after spending the night in Jinka
waiting for my plane to arrive. Mid-afternoon we left there and drove 3
hours the opposite direction to Alduba, where I am working with the Banna
translation team for a month.

2) FOR PROGRESS ON THE AARI OLD TESTAMENT: Duba and Fikadu serve as
reviewers of the Aari translation, along with 32 others. They have been
given the translation of Jonah and Micah to read. Praise God that Duba and
Fikadu have opportunity to make suggestions for improvement in the
translation.

3) PROGRESS ON THE BANNA PRIMERS: Banna team members Donna, Getu, Ayke
and I are making good progress as we rewrite the Banna primers to fit the
new spelling system. We are up to Lesson 32. We had hoped that after the
first 15 or 20 lessons we could use the rest of the primer stories as
originally written, just changing the spelling. This didn't happen because
the spelling systems are so different. We will probably have to rewrite at
least 60 lessons, and end up with 100 lessons total instead of the
original 90.

4) THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING HIM: I feel so blessed to be a part of God's
work in Ethiopia as well as a part of His ministry at home. He so
faithfully meets my needs and blesses me through His people.

Prayer Needs:

1) Please continue to pray for God's blessing on the Aari Bible
translation and literacy effort. Ask Him to meet the needs of Duba and
Fikadu and their families, and to bless their pastoral ministry among
their own people. Pray for translators Degu and Leon; ask God to give them
understanding and diligence as they work on the Aari Old Testament.

2) Please pray that we will make the Banna primers the very best they can
be - effective for teaching people to read, with interesting stories and
accurate accounts from Scripture.

3) Pray that we will also find time to revise the translation of Acts so
that it is clear, accurate and in natural Banna.

4) Pray that my flight back to Addis Ababa, scheduled for March 4th, will
go as planned so that I can catch my flight back to the USA on March 6th.

5) Please continue to pray for my mother's well-being, and for the safe
arrival of colleagues Trent & Tabby Cox's first baby in late April.

Meeting December 10, 2005, about Banna Spelling

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 14:49:33 PST

The Banna Christians (and maybe some officials) met with the translation team on Saturday, December 10th, to discuss the various options for a spelling system. I expected them to choose the same system the Aari leaders had chosen, which would not show vowel length at all. Instead, they chose a system used by another neighboring people group (unrelated language), which shows vowel length by adding a second character to syllables with long vowels. Since they already have to decide from context on consonant length and tone, it is good they won't have to guess at vowel length as well.

Upon first hearing the news, I was concerned that the Christians may have chosen this system because one of my colleagues expressed a preference for it. I thought, "If that's the case, they may still dislike the system and ask to change it after we've rewritten the primer and published several more books." That worried me.

I read from my Aari New Testament each evening, and that evening I came to Mark 15:6-15. I saw that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to Pilate for judgment out of envy, and Pilate knew it. I saw that the chief priests influenced the crowd to ask for Barabbas' release and Jesus' crucifixion. (Crowds are often willing to be "stirred up" for evil.) And I saw that Pilate, knowing full well that Jesus was innocent, handed him over to be crucified anyway because he wanted to please the crowd. I said, "Lord, it was all politics. I hate politics!" But then He reminded me that all these things happened according to His plan. If the crowd had not been swayed by the chief priests, or if Pilate had stood firm for justice, we wouldn't have a Savior!

"Okay," I said. "I don't know whether the decision re. the Banna spelling was politically motivated or not, but I know You are sovereign. Many people were praying for Your will to be done in the meeting, and I am going to trust You that it was."

We will need to rewrite the primers for teaching people to read. And the books we've published will need to be reprinted in the new spelling. That's okay. Please praise God with me for the decision that was made, and pray that the Banna Christians and the officials who read Banna will enthusiastically participate in a literacy effort. There is much work to be done. Pray for strength and perseverance for all concerned.

Thank you again for your part in all this by your prayers.

Good News for Banna and Gurage

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 16:50:15 PDT

Praise:

1) This morning I sent more of the Jesus video script to the Banna translation team by email. I am about halfway through now.
2) Colleagues Trent & Tabby Cox, working among the Banna people, just shared the good news that they are expecting their first child in April. Praise God for this answer to prayer, and please pray for a healthy baby, carried to term without problems. Pray that he/she will come to know God early in life and be for His glory.
3) The Gurage New Testament I was privileged to help produce is used in an evangelistic radio ministry in the Gurage language. Here are some responses to that program as quoted in the August/September 2005 "Prayer Waves" update:

From Addis Ababa:
I listen to your programs regularly and very attentively. They give us substance for life. Your Gurageyna (Gurage language) program has wonderful impact, especially for those who do not speak Amharic (the national language). They explain many things to new believers who just turned to Christianity. Pray that the listeners will be strengthened in their walk with Jesus.

From Gurage Zone, southwest Ethiopia:

a) In my area, Muslims who are reluctant to hear the Gospel now have started to listen to your program. Pray that God will change their hearts by the message they are hearing.

b) Every evening the Muslims who are in my area listen to your program and in the daytime they are telling it to their brothers. Knowingly and unknowingly, they have become preachers of the Gospel. Pray that God will use the word they are speaking to change themselves.

c) Many times I talked with my friend about the Lord Jesus Christ, but he is not willing to accept Jesus as his Savior. However, every evening he listens to your program. Please pray that God will reveal the truth of eternal life to him.

Pray:

1) Banna team members Donna, Getu and Ayke are planning a meeting with church and community leaders for November 12th to discuss spelling. They will present the various options for spelling the Banna language and ask the leaders to decide which system they want to use. Please ask God to give understanding and insight to all involved so that they will make a wise decision.

2) Mother was ill for 2 weeks in October with an undiagnosed virus/infection. Praise God that she is feeling better, and please ask Him to restore her strength.

3) Pray for wisdom for me as I constantly make choices regarding priorities. Only the things at the top of the list get done.

Safely Home

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:34:43 PDT

My niece Christina and I arrived home safely Monday evening, September 26th. Praise God with us for His protection and blessing throughout our time in Ethiopia. Praise Him also for:
1) Completed revised drafts of Luke and 1 Corinthians in the Banna language;
2) Completion of 74 "loops" (out of a total 451 loops) of the script for the Jesus video in Banna;
3) That our families, including my mother, coped well during our absence.

Please pray:
1) For God's continued direction for Christina as she seeks His will re. her plans for education and future ministry;
2) For recovery from jetlag. We both need to write letters about our trip. I need to work on the remaining "loops" for the Jesus video and catch up on various responsibilities at home ... and at present I feel like I've been run over by a truck;
3) For the Banna translation/literacy team as they work to encourage literacy, prepare more literacy materials, and revise the CARLA draft of Acts I sent them a couple of months ago;
4) For Degu, Leon and Kobus as they begin work together on the Aari Scriptures. Please also continue to pray for God's encouragement and provision for Duba and Fikadu, and for their ministry to the churches in their area.

More from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:47:52 PDT

Praise: My niece Christina has enjoyed caring for the Smiths' boys,
and my colleagues have been very thoughtful to arrange for her to visit
several Ethiopian homes and see how they make their food, etc. One of
the guards has taught her to play two local instruments. Maybe next
week she will get to visit the countryside since both boys will be in school.

Prayer Needed: Evangelist Matthew has returned with is wife and
daughter to their home area. A neuro-surgeon is due back in Addis
Ababa in early October, and they will return when they are able to
get an appointment with him. Please continue to pray for the whole
family. The daughter cries with pain a good part of the time.

Please also continue to pray for former Aari translators Fikadu and
Duba as they minister in the churches in their area. Pray for the new
translators Degu and Leon as they get into the work.

Progress: Donna, Getu, Ayke and I finished our revision of Luke's
Gospel in Banna September 12th. We had hoped it would only take
a week, and it took two weeks. That's okay. We are more committed
to doing it right than to doing it quickly. We have now revised the first
13 chapters of 1 Corinthians. We have also been able to update the
program we use for our lexicon, and the one we use to convert from
Latin (English) script to the Ethiopic script (which looks something like
Hebrew). Praise God for His enabling in all of this.

More Praise: We met with Kobus, the man who has taken over the
Aari translation and literacy work, on September 16th. He is
introducing a different spelling system for the Aari language. He gave
us some good advice as to how we may go about explaining the options
to the Banna church leaders so that they can make an informed decision
as to how they want to spell the Banna language. He also expressed
willingness to help us train reviewers for the Banna Scripture translation.
This takes a very heavy burden off of me, and I am grateful.

Update from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 12:09:30 PDT

Praise: My niece Christina and I arrived safely in Addis Ababa, with all our luggage, on August 26th. She is now with the Smith family, taking care of Josiah (6) and Caleb (4) while their dad teaches at our SIM school and their mom finishes up Amharic language school. The boys adore her, and she is a blessing to everyone who meets her. The Aari call their mother's sisters "mother". I tell everyone she is my child – my sister's daughter.

Disappointment: A letter from former Aari translator Fikadu tells me that he and Duba have not been included on the new Aari translation team, even though some church leaders had understood that they would be. Their local church district (one of the seven Aari-speaking districts) has appointed them as pastor-evangelists for the 20 churches in that district. Pray that they will be as faithful in this ministry as they were in the translation work. Since they will not receive a wage for this, ask God to provide for their material needs. Please also ask Him to encourage them with a strong sense of His presence.

Progress: Donna, Getu and I are working on Luke. We spent the first two days fixing punctuation and settling some questions about grammar. Today we did a thorough check of Luke 17 and the first half of chapter 18. Praise God for good progress, and pray for His continued enabling.

More Praise: On July 23rd, five of the Banna Christians began discussing how God had blessed their people, causing the church to grow and providing jobs for several of their number. They said, "How long are we going to depend on people from outside to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our people? Let's ask all the Christians to come together and discuss how we can reach our own people for Christ." They called a meeting for the weekend of August 13th, and God poured out His Spirit: First those who gathered (more than 150 people) acknowledged their sin in not caring enough to share their faith with their own people. They asked God for forgiveness. Then they organized themselves into teams. Each team was assigned a village to visit at least once a month and share the Good News. They will spend Saturday in prayer for that village, and visit it on Sunday. An offering was taken totalling more than US $1000, along with 71 sheep/goats, 18 cows/bulls, 5 chickens, 34 articles of clothing, 2 watches, 1 gold ring, 3 gourds of honey, and 3 sacks of corn. Monthly gifts were pledged by 85 people totalling more than US $150 per month. I'm told that this is in addition to their regular tithe. When we consider that the per capita income in Ethiopia averages about $120 per year, and the Banna would get much less than that, this is remarkable. I have been assured that they will include our Bible-content primers in their outreach. This gives me great hope that our translation and literacy ministry among the Banna and Hamer people will be effective. Praise God with me for this great work of His Spirit, and please pray earnestly that He will encourage and enable all who have committed themselves to this work. Ask God to give us missionaries wisdom and humility to cooperate in this work rather than doing "our own thing".

Aari Translation Team

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 09:11:02 PDT

Praise God for the Aari translation team being formed under Kobus' leadership: Duba, Fikadu, Degu and Leon. Praise God that Duba and Fikadu, who worked faithfully with me for 17 years, have been asked to continue as part of the team. Degu also worked with us part-time and has good experience in translation. Leon has completed a degree at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa so should be able to help the team with exegesis by consulting the various helps available in English.

Please pray:

1) for Holy Spirit-inspired unity among the team members;
2) for God's anointing and enabling as they translate the Scriptures;
3) for an effective literacy effort resulting in 100% literacy among the Aari;
4) that the Aari believers will take God's Word seriously and study it as their daily bread.

Praise for Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 12:16:31 PDT

Even though giving up the Aari work was hard, God has blessed by enabling me to make unprecedented progress on the Banna translation since I came home the end of March. In April I completed a CARLA draft of 2 Corinthians, and today I completed a CARLA draft of Acts. The Banna team is working on revising the draft of 2 Corinthians at present.

Colleague Donna Clawson has been in Addis Ababa for 2 weeks. She took with her 2 study books on the Gospel of Mark to be printed. Let's pray that God will use these to get the Banna people studying His Word in their heart language.

You may remember that last August we only had 7 people in Alduba qualified to teach others to read in the Banna language. Now there are 13. Praise God! Please pray that each of these will teach at least one other. If we can double the number of readers/teachers every 6 or 8 months, soon the whole Banna population will be reading!

God gave me the privilege of sharing with a fine group of young people (4th and 5th graders at Peoples Church in Fresno, California) in May. Please pray that they will truly seek His plan for their lives and impact the world for Him.

I've started work on Genesis. Please pray for a good CARLA draft of this very important book.

Safely Home

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 16:51:17 PST

I arrived safely back in Longview, Washington, the evening of March 28th.

Aari translators Duba, Fikadu and I praise God for enabling us to complete the translation of Joshua and Judges into the Aari language.

I believe God has directed me to hand the Aari translation and literacy work over to Kobus Van Aswegen of Word for the World. This will enable me to contribute more to the Banna translation effort, and to minister more adequately to my mother's needs. Please ask God to prosper the Aari work under Kobus' leadership. Pray for His blessing and encouragement for Duba and Fikadu, who worked with me so faithful for seventeen years.

Progress Report from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 20:34:49 PST

God blessed my time in Alduba with the Banna translation team. We finished revising Luke through chapter 16. I had hoped we could finish the whole book, but we all agreed we would rather do it right than do it quickly.

Now Aari translators Duba, Fikadu and I are working on Aari Joshua and Judges. We had a bit of a scare earlier in the week when Duba was feeling quite ill, but after many tests and a doctor's examination, it was decided there was nothing to be worried about. Duba is now feeling much better.

The future of Aari literacy is still uncertain. Please pray for God's perfect will concerning that.

Off to Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 10:46:05 PST

I leave Longview this afternoon and fly tomorrow morning, arriving in Addis Ababa Wednesday evening. I value your prayers for my travel from Addis Ababa to southwest Ethiopia next Saturday, February 12th. We are still trying to arrange transport for colleague Donna and myself from the airport in Jinka to Alduba (about 47 miles) where the Banna team lives. I also hope to meet with Aari church leaders in Jinka shortly after arrival there. Pray for God's clear direction concerning the future of Aari literacy.

Thank you!

New Year's Greeting

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 13:39:43 PST

May we each grow in our relationship with God and with others in 2005.

Praise God with me for:
1. God's blessing on each of us throughout 2004.
2. Completion of the CARLA draft of Banna Luke, which I emailed to colleague Donna Clawson on Dec. 29th, then again on Jan. 3rd because the first email went into cyberspace without reaching Donna. : (
3. I am booked to fly to Ethiopia Feb. 8th and return to the USA Mar. 28th.
4. Today marks my 32nd anniversary with SIM. I arrived in Ethiopia for the first time Jan. 4, 1973. Praise God for 32 wonderful years of ministry in the joy of His presence.

Pray with me for:
1. Health and strength to faithfully fulfill all my responsibilities (translation and literacy in Aari and Banna, ministering to Mother's needs, investing in relationships for His kingdom).
2. Wisdom regarding which book to work on next in Banna. I am going through our translation of 1 Corinthians now, adding CARLA rules to make the CARLA drafts more accurate.
3. Preparation of heart for the Aari church leaders and me, so that we can meet together in February and agree on the best plan for Aari literacy.

Christmas Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Ford) — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 11:20:40 PST

I enjoy designing my own Christmas cards even though the commercial ones are prettier, but it always takes longer than planned. That, along with minor car problems and should-be-but-isn't routine medical business, has occupied most of my time the past couple of weeks. I hope to mail the Christmas cards today.

I have completed a CARLA draft in Banna of Luke 11-18 and sent it to my colleague Donna for the Banna translators to revise.

Here is my biggest prayer request:

Please pray for the church leaders in the Aari area:
1) that they will truly know God (John 17:3);
2) that they will understand His priorities;
3) that God will give them a strong vision for literacy-evangelism and discipling;
4) that He will give them and me one heart.

This is what is needed for an effective Aari literacy program to become a reality. Praise God that the Banna literacy has made a small beginning. Ask Him to bless it and multiply it.

Have a blessed Christmas.

May we each take time to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.