Ituma Tobeen I have no idea how to spell it, but it means 'Good Night' in Nankina.
A while ago some friends of ours asked about the Nankina language project and how it was coming, and my wife remembered that. A few days ago some Papua New Guineans from that area were visiting a some friends that we were visiting and we found out who they were, so we invited them for dinner. Turns out, they leave on a plane tomorrow, so our meeting was timely.
From left to right meet:
Wienare - the Nankina language project leader
Tomas - a friend from the Ngaing language
Hubert - a mentor from Ngaing language who helps with Nankina.
Barbara - an Australian translator who is the ex-pat mentor for Ngaing and a friend to the Nankina group
Not knowing the history myself it turns out this was a very interesting night.
Several years ago, the Spaldings, a couple from my wife's home church worked on a translation for the Nankina people. After they left, the project went untended for a while, until Wienare got the fire to pick it back up.
Wienare is one of those guys who is really on fire for the work God has for his people.
We asked him about his people group.
3000 people - that's a large language group
His home village - Guarawon has 1200 people in it.
He has started literacy training, Bible translation, schooling, their village even has a medical centre.
The short version of his story is that he worked with the Spaldings, and attended TTC. the SAME training course I'm volunteering at right now. He learned English and how to translate and took that fire and went back to his village.
And from there, they've progressed to finishing Mark and have much of Genesis done, as well as literacy training curriculum and worship songs in their tok ples.
Ahvy - that means 'thank you very much' in their language.
One story they told was how in their village there was a cruel murdering man, who came to hear the Word of God in his own language. He had read in Tok Pisin, and heard in English the same things, but it didn't register. After he heard for the first time in his language, the fire of God went into his stomach, and he changed, and is now following God and leading the community.
It is one of many miracles God's Word has performed when people hear it in their own language.
Wienare has a lot of work ahead of him. This is a sort of stray language group that doesn't have an ex-pat translator assigned, but God put the fire and the ability in a national man, and the task is huge for him, and his wife and 5 children.... but he is excited and able.
I asked him what the needs were, and how we can pray.
He paused because the list of needs was very long, and gave us the short version
-the house they have is finally a semi-permanent house, but there is not enough room for translators to work inside and there is need for more room for literacy workshops.
-they have need of a water system, right now they go out to a rain barrel to get water
-they have need of another solar panel
-they need more workers, for the literacy work to take hold.
On top of all that, I learned many new things about Barbara as well. It took her ten years to get to Papua New Guinea. 10!!
So many people get discouraged after 2 or 3. But she kept going on... and we're thankful because she is a powerhouse of translation work. Not only does she lead her Ngaing work, but is sort of a helper for the Nankinas as well. And advocate.
The themes of the evening were:
-excitement for the miraculous work God is doing... even without an ex-pat affiliated.
-endurance and determination because the work is long
For us as support workers, it was great to get to spend time with these people, eat a good meal (that my wife prepared), and hear about what they are doing, it helps us connect what we do, to what they do.
I was glad to be able to lend a few words on technical aspects to them as well.
I can tell, only a week into it, that this month is going to be one to remember. God is showing us some neat stuff as far as directly working with translation.
Did you know that the homework assignment for TTC2 course is to translate huge parts of Genesis, and that students can't return for the third course until they've completed it!
This course is one of the kinds that gets things done.. actual translation is happening into tok ples!
God ... He will do this work without us, we are privileged to be along for the ride.
Pray for Wienare and the Nankina and their needs.
