In this village translation project there are three ways to communicate to the outside world.
The most used one is their internet connection, because it is also reliable.
I'm out here mainly because recently it's been having issues.
Which are fixed now.
Today I stepped outside my comfort zone and had to install new batteries for a solar system. Not being an electrician I was unsure what to do. So I spent every break I had, reading up on things, talking with co-workers/friends back in our main HQ asking them questions, reading manuals, and coming up with plans.
Because it was a battery system, I figured people would be without power so I approached it like I used to approach server down times.
I made my plan, I documented it, I even cut out cardboard cutouts to show where everything went.
When it came time to do the actual work, it went very quickly, and it worked the first time.
I was very happy because I've never done this before. I was originally going to rely on my friend pictured above who was the one who had done it before. But his real job is linguistics and translation and I didn't want to steal him away from that for longer than I had to
My buddy B.E. (let's call him B.E. because he brings good things to light), has to know a little about everything. He's the man in charge.
He has to know a little about electricity, a little about networks, a little about computers and hard drives, a little about construction, I'm so amazed by all the things he has to know to keep his project running. And to learn them, he meet with experts we have who have come to support Bible Translation.
So when someone comes to help him who can take one of those jobs off his shoulders, and give him more time to spend on what he's a real expert about (linguistics) then he is happy.
Today, I saw him on fire. He was all jazzed up! Because the Bible Checking workshop began! He was doing what he came to do. All the electricianing, carpentry, plumbing, networking etc, was all built up so he could do that.
To see the team working and doing that, was impressive. To know that they trusted me to get work done while they were doing that was satisfying.
Today was a day where a team worked well together, people doing what they were good at, and then sometimes, doing something they weren't so good at, but with the help of others they succeeded!
This to me is what support work is all about. Supporting others, offloading them with your skills so they can use their skills!
