Agta/Ayta & Friends Translation Workshop

Last week, I went up to the village to 'help' celebrate my niece's fifth birthday. Of course the guests were her classmates in kindergarten class and so the house was full of cutee four and five-year olds. I actually went up to Mapayao village to try to finish a translation task that I have been procrastinating on for these last few months. It was a commentary on 1Corinthians. I gave myself up to September to finish it but September came and went yet I still had two chapters to do, so I went to the mountains in hopes that I would be able to find some motivation when I am face to face with the 'boss.' (Hehe) Well, it worked. I finished the whole book and even got it checked by the end of two days. So it's all good! PTL! I couldn't have moved on with the next if I still have that job (Of course, it wasn't a job I had to do. It was a book I've loved studying and writing about!) weighing on my mind.

That was because, this week, I needed to be somewhere else to conduct a Bible Translation workshop for a group of indigenous languages here in the north. Today is the third day and I believe that we are meeting our goals quite successfully, thanks to my very dynamic and flexible staff as well as the assistance of the people in the Center where we are holding the seminar. I was quite apprehensive to lead this workshop without 'back-up' (meaning, mentors/bosses) but God is Good! As I've said we're on our third successful day! There are five languages represented in this workshop: There are 4 from Ayta Abellen of Tarlac and Pampanga (used to be from Mt. Pinatubo); 9 Agtas of Palanan, Isabela; 5 from the Casiguran Island, two from a language in Kalinga, and two from Kalanguya.

Continue to pray for these dear people as they struggle to translate the Christmas Story in Matthew 2 and learn translation principles at the same time. Pray also for the workshop staff as we try to impart what limited knowledge we have about Bible translation... all to the glory of our Jesus, whose birth a lunatic murderer used as a license to butcher children but whose death bought us a chance at eternal life. For all that I am worth, which is nothing, I give back all the glory to Him who turned me into something that can be of use to further His Kingdom through the translation of His Word into languages that are yet to have it.