the dream continues

Fulani girl

A couple of years ago I was given the 2 minutes to share who I am and what I was preparing to do.  A day or two ago I ran across a scribble of what I was going to say in that 2 minutes.  It read:

My name is Dena Moore and I’m a missionary recruit with Pioneer Bible Translators whose purpose is to take God’s word to the world in every language.  I dream about living among a people group who does not know God because they do not yet have the scriptures in their language.  I look forward to the day that we will share the Word that has been translated into the language of their heart.  I would love the opportunity to share the vision of PBT with you and talk about how you might help.

I am pleased to say that some years later I am serving as a missionary in East Africa with Pioneer Bible Translators living those dreams of working with the least reached of the world.  The words I spoke that night stand true today.  The dream continues.  I would love to share the vision and how you could help.  Contact me for more information.

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Body Bags

In learning a new language one is bound to make a few mistakes. All languages do not have the same word order or word construction. In English we put our adjectives before the noun. In Swahili the noun comes first. When speaking English you have separate words for nouns and verbs. In Swahili the verb must agree with both the subject and object as well at indicating tense. In Swahili there are 18 noun classes instead of genders. The nouns and adjectives change depending on plurality. It can all be a little confusing.

I had not been to the office in two weeks and needed to go for several reasons. One of the missionaries here allows me to stay with her when I go into town. It is nice and quiet there. She has a washing machine and will take me to shops if I need to go. Just getting around town to pick up supplies can be frustrating when you don’t know the way. Campus had gotten pretty noisy and I had a migraine so I packed everything I would need for a couple of days plus a lot of dirty laundry and prepared to go to the PBT compound.

I called a taxi which is not cheap but right now is the safest option for me. I had a bucket of empty water bottles to take with me so that I could refill them with filtered water. I also had two bags which I left in the room until the taxi arrived. When the taxi arrived I was standing at the road. I put the bucket in the car and turned to the driver and proudly said “Nina mwili mifuko.” He looked very confused so I said it again. I was trying to say “Nina mifuko miwili.” I was trying to say “I have two bags” and ask him to please wait. What I actually said was “I have body bags.” Bless his sweet heart, he asked “how far?” in English and followed me to help carry the bags.

I guess everyone makes a few mistakes in the beginning at least that is what I keep telling myself.

breaking news

This week has been one of the busiest, most exciting, chaotic weeks that I have experienced since returning to college four years ago.  In the fall of 2007, I returned to school to pursue a degree in Bible and Ministry through the Center for Advanced Ministry Training at Harding University.  This program is designed for the nontraditional student who is seeking to pursue a life in ministry of various types.  Some of the students in my class became pulpit preachers and associate ministers.  One student founded a faith-based rehab center for women while others became youth ministers.  Some went on to graduate school and some of us became missionaries.  The CAMT program was challenging.  I took 8 to 9 classes a semester to complete my degree (with honors) in just two years.

While I was at Harding I learned about the need for Bible Translation.  I felt God’s hand gently guiding me to join the Pioneer Bible Translators team taking His enduring word to the Bible-less people of the world.  When I finished at Harding I went to the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics for training in linguistics.  Along the way I took additional training through PBT.  Some of the most fun I had during the training came during the Bush Mechanics and Primary Health Care classes.

When I finished training I returned to Arkansas to develop partnerships with churches and individuals who would prayerfully and financially support the work I am doing.  I have also made application for a residency permit and work visa in the country where I will live in East Africa.

This brings me to this week.  While I could still use some one time gifts to cover things like housing set up, my monthly pledged funding is now at 100%.  I went back to Dallas this week and saw my International Health Care Doctor.  She filled the antimalarial drugs and other things that I will need to take care of myself while there.  We discussed the immunizations I still need.  When I got back to Arkansas I was elated to find that my physician here could get me in the same day I called.  He will be able to administer the vaccinations.  The highlight of the week however, was that I got to buy a plane ticket!!

Of course with all the highs there are some lows too.  This week I also had a routine teeth cleaning done and the dentist found two cavities.  I will have to have those filled next week.  Then my car started crying for attention.  I took it in to be checked and found that it needs a part replaced that will cost several hundred dollars.  Even with these frustrations I feel like we have made major progress.

Provided that my immigration papers arrive I will be stepping on a plane headed for Africa 24 August 2011, to fulfill the role God has called me to do.  I will be sharing the Good News with people who may have never heard it before.

He left the 99 to find the 1

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? — Matthew 18:12

Mistranslated this rhetorical question might indicate that one is stupid to worry about  one who is lost when there are 99 others who need your attention.  However, a rhetorical question is not a speech act that is looking or asking for information but rather it is making a point.  Here Christ is saying that a good Shepard WILL go look for that one who is lost.  A rhetorical question is using question form to give an example and usually depends on context. Since some 70% of the questions used in the Bible are rhetorical you can see one of the reasons why I strongly encourage you to look at the context of anything you study.  You can see from this one example how important translation techniques are.  If you have a language that employs no rhetorical questions, like some of those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, how would you explain what this verse is saying?  How would you even translate it?

This week in Analytical Grammar we are studying constructions of special sentences.  Special sentences or clauses can include commands and questions.  Within questions there are different clause types, for example there is content, alternative and tag questions.  Some questions are closed or yes/no while other questions are open or content questions.  Learning how to identify and utilize the various constructions will be vital in translation of a language into the Bible.

To see a discussion of an imperative clause or a command visit my post The Greatest Commandment.

The Greatest Commandment

The pharisees were ardent nationalists, opposed to Roman rule.  In chapter 22 of Matthew we see a conversation between them and Jesus where they try to trap Jesus in his own words.  First they soften him up with flattery, then spring their question; “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?”  The pharisees think they have the perfect question.  If Jesus says “no” the Herodians will report him to the Roman governor.  If he says “yes” the pharisees will denounce him as disloyal. 

Then the same day the Sadducees come him with a question about marriage.  They think they are equally clever, but Jesus silenced them as well.  The Pharisees returned with the question of “which is the greatest commandment in the law?”  In Matthew 22:37-39 we see Jesus’ answer.  That is what I have chosen to translate this week.

Matthew 22:37-39

Koine Greek

37 ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτῷ· ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ1 σου. 38 αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μεγάλη καὶ πρώτη ἐντολή. 39 δευτέρα ὁμοία αὐτῇ· ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον2 σου ὡς σεαυτόν.

DSV

37 And He (Jesus) said to him, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your understanding.”  38  This is the greatest and first commandment.  39  The second is like it, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Message

The Pharisees were following rules and regulations they had determined would please God.  There were over 600 laws to follow and the religious teachers couldn’t even determine which was the most important.  Jesus said the greatest commandment was to LOVE, love God then people.  I wonder if many of us are not living in the same trap that the Pharisees were living in following rules and regulations without knowing what is the most important. 

Clearly, according to this verse, our focus needs to be on God, his love for us and our love for Him.  We are to love Him with our whole being.  Our love for Him should supercede everything else in our lives.  We should follow that with love for other people.  I used the word neighbor in this translation but it can also mean one who is near to you.  Who are you near to or close to?  And what about the neighbor who you never talk to, how could you show them love? 

These are not suggestions they are commandments.  Love God.  Love your neighbor.

Called to be blessed

Last week I translated 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 and talked about how I believe that we were all called by God.  Jump back and read those verses.  They tell us that we were all called to be saved.  Whatever your circumstances, wherever you are in life, you are called by God into His grace.  This week I was looking at 1 Peter 3 and found a similar verse along those same lines and thought I would share it in my translation.  The next paragraph is the Greek verses and following that will be my translation.  Following the DSV (Dena Standard Version) you will find what I think it is saying to us.

1 Peter 3:8-9

Greek

8 Τὸ δὲ τέλος πάντες ὁμόφρονες, συμπαθεῖς, φιλάδελφοι, εὔσπλαγχνοι, ταπεινόφρονες, 9 μὴ ἀποδιδόντες κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ ἢ λοιδορίαν ἀντὶ λοιδορίας, τοὐναντίον δὲ εὐλογοῦντες, ὅτι εἰς τοῦτο ἐκλήθητε ἵνα εὐλογίαν κληρονομήσητε.

DSV

8 And finally, all those who are of one mind, be sympathetic with brotherly love, be tender-hearted and humble.  9  Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult but on the contrary invoke blessings, because into these you were called in order that you might inherit a blessing.

Message

In this passage Peter is addressing all his readers, slaves, wives, husbands, everyone, to develop virtues that are appropriate and will enhance relationships with others.  When we show sympathy we are identifying with both joys and sorrows of another person.  Being sympathetic is a Christian’s privilege and responsibility.  We are told in  1 Corinthians that when one part of the body suffers we all suffer.  When you see someone who is troubled what do you do?  Sometimes just asking what you can do to help is enough.  When it is obvious that someone is having a bad day talk to them kindly and give them a reason to smile.  By the same token remember that people need to share their joys too.  Grandparents need to tell people how precious their grandkids are and sometimes the single person (who probably goes home to an empty house or apartment) just needs to say what a wonderful day it has been.  So be sympathetic and share in the joys and sorrows of life.

Be humble as Christ was humble.  He took the very nature of a servant.  He was royalty and yet allowed himself to be born a peasant.  He walked dusty roads instead of riding gilded chariots.  He was gentle and forgiving to thieves, prostitutes and murderers.  He would talk to anyone.  He washed feet that had been traveling dusty roads and dirty market streets.  He willingly, lovingly, humbling approached tasks that many of us would refuse.  Christ is our best example.

Finally in these short verses we see again that we were called, but this time we are told that we were called to a blessing.  This is not just the blessing of a new pair of shoes or even a beautiful day, but the blessing of salvation.  This is the ultimate blessing, the promise of a bright tomorrow where the joy and sunshine never end.  Will you accept your call and take your blessing? 

If you have questions about any of my posts please contact me.  I will be happy to discuss them with you.

Called to be saved

This week’s passage is 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

13 Ἡμεῖς δὲ ὀφείλομεν εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ θεῷ πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ κυρίου, ὅτι εἵλατο1 ὑμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐν ἁγιασμῷ2 πνεύματος καὶ πίστει ἀληθείας, 14 εἰς ὃ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὑμᾶς διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἡμῶν, εἰς περιποίησιν3 δόξης τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

13 But we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the Holy Spirit and true faith   14 And into this He called you, through our good news, into work concerning the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I see these verses very simply.  Thessalonians is directed to the church at Thessalonica but applies to Christians today.  Paul is thanking God for the brethren there and telling them that they are among the chosen.  You, each and every one of you, were called by the Lord to be saved.  He chose to save you from the very beginning.

We often think that the people who are called are just the “special” people like preachers or missionaries.  We forget that God calls each of us to Him.  According to these verses not only have we been called to be saved but we are called into work that will glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.  That doesn’t mean that you have to become some sort of clergy that just means that you need to live a life that reflects the love and grace that we have been shown by God. 

Wherever you are in life you have been called.  You may be a cashier at the local discount store or the CEO of a major corporation, you may be single, married or divorced, you may have lived a “clean” life or you may be an addict, no matter where you are in your life you are called to be saved.  Accept God and answer your call.

John 3:16-18

John 3:16 has gotten a lot of press in the recent months.  Often we read that one verse and stop.  We do not look at the verses that precede and follow it.  Anytime you look at a verse I would encourage you to look at the whole context, what is being said and why.  So here is what I have for you this week, I have translated John 3:16-18. 

16 οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ¹ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. 17 οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ’ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ. 18 ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται· ὁ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται, ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς¹ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ.

16 For God so loved the world that he sent his only son, that all who believe in Him shall not be lost but shall have eternal life.  17 For God did not send His son to the world so that He might judge the world but so that the world might be saved through Him.  18 Those who believe in Him shall not be condemned but the ones who do not believe are already condemned because they do not have trust in the name of the only son of God.

You will notice that I have used a couple of words here that are not in most translations but I think they convey the meaning in a more accurate way.  Part of translation is making sure the reader understands the message. 

Many translations will say …that all who believe in Him shall not perish… This is really saying more than that.  It is saying that believers will experience death as life in heaven with God, non-believers however are lost.  I also used the word condemned instead of judged in verse 18.  In Greek you will find that many words have multiple meanings.  This is one of those times when several different words can be used in place of each other. 

This passage is saying that because God loved us so much He made the ultimate sacrifice of sending His only son to live among us and suffer a cruel death that we might have forgiveness of our sins.  To receive that forgiveness we must believe and trust in Him.  We as believers must put our faith in one that we have only heard stories of.

John 21:15-18

(This is the first posting of the DSV or the Dena Standard Version.  This is my translation from the original Koine Greek passages into common English.  Every week or two on Thursdays I will post just a verse or two that I have translated and give a short explanation of what it means to me.  Hope that it can be of some help to you.)

John 21:15-18

15Then when they had finished their noon meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  He said “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.”  He (Jesus) said to him (Peter) “tend my sheep.”

16 He said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  He said to him “yes Lord you know that I love you.”  He said to him “Sheppard my sheep.”

17 He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was saddened that he asked him a third time “Do you love me?”  And he said to him “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “tend my flock.”

18 Truly, truly I say to you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted to go, but when you become old you will earnestly reach out your hands and another will lead you where you do not want to go.

My explanation:

There are a couple of things here that need to be understood before looking at this passage.  When Jesus says “more than these” he is probably asking Peter if he loves him more than the other apostles who are presumably at the meal.  So with that in mind, you can see that Jesus is giving Peter a specific charge to care for the flock.  The flock is the Christian follower.

Now let’s talk about why Jesus felt the need to ask the same question three times.  Well, when you read the Greek it is not exactly the same question.  This passage is one of those that causes me to love Greek.  In Greek there are several different words that mean love.  In English we only have one word for love.  So this passage in English sounds like Jesus is asking the same thing three different times.  In my very simple English and understanding here is what happened:

Jesus said “Peter to you agape me?”  Agape is a self sacrificial love.  Jesus was asking Peter how deep his love was.  But Peter’s response was “well, yes, Lord I pheleo you.”  Pheleo is affection or a type of brotherly love.  This is a love that you would have for any close friend.  Jesus even tells Peter why he wants to know how much he loves him by telling him to take care of his sheep or his followers.  It is one thing to say you love Jesus it is another to serve him.  So Jesus asked again, “do you agape me?”  And again Peter just doesn’t seem to get it because he said “Yes Lord, I pheleo you.” 

 If you are truly a follower of Christ you must love Him with an agape love.  You must love Him with a deep abiding love and understand that showing that love includes showing that love to other followers, to other people.  We must do more than just fell that warm fuzzy feeling in our hearts.  We must serve Him.