Change is in the air! And soon, we will be, too! July 24, we will fly from Nairobi, Kenya to Bunia, D.R. Congo to begin a new phase of our life and work. Last night our church home-group sent us off with prayers and a lovely card. In the next two weeks, we’ll be saying good-bye to friends and colleagues, as well as packing up our belongings to send by road in a container. It will be a big transition for us. We are confident that it is the right move to make and the right time to do it. We are excited about being closer to Congolese friends and colleagues. But there is still a grief process involved in moving from a place that has been home for 6 years for Jennings, and for 13 years for Douglas. Our work involves a lot of moves and transitions, but they do not necessarily get easier.
Developments for the Tembo team: Last month, Jennings made a trip to Goma, D.R. Congo to work with the Tembo translation team. They finished checking the book of Matthew! The translators and the Tembo community were all excited and encouraged by this progress. They, too, are facing a time of transition as their head translator, Masumbuko Shabani, leaves for a 2-year study program in Bunia. Please pray for strength and courage for the two remaining translators, Ndeshi and Mwanjale, that they may continue to work well. In addition to losing an experienced colleague, they are also facing rising prices in the city of Goma. School fees recently doubled, and the translators are not always able to pay them. Then their children are sent home, which is discouraging to them. Please pray for God’s provision and peace for these translators.
What we’ll be doing in Bunia: For the first three months, we will be house-sitting, which will give us time to look for our own place. The housing market in Bunia is very tight—and expensive—due to the large number of United Nations and development agencies based there. Please pray for us as we look for good, affordable housing. Jennings will continue to work with the Tembo translation team as they move forward in the New Testament. Douglas will be doing strategic research, working closely with colleague Bagamba Araali. Here is how he describes how his past work relates to his upcoming role:
“In the 1990s, I worked with other surveyors to prepare the way for language projects in eastern Zaïre (now DRC). We investigated how well speakers of these languages knew other languages; we looked into dialectal variation; we assessed the readiness of the local community for language work. These same questions are relevant today, as we and the Congolese church plan new translation and literacy programs. I am looking forward to joining my colleague Bagamba in Bunia so that we can work together in identifying the crucial issues, formulating research questions to address them, and devising research instruments to answer the questions.
We are looking into how people in the DRC use the various languages they speak and hear in daily life. Written Scriptures in their ethnic language will probably be only a part of what is needed to assure spiritual growth and the advance of God's Kingdom in their communities. The rest of the package will include materials in trade languages such as Swahili, as well as recordings, radio broadcasts, and stories and songs passed along in oral form in their languages. Our research will help shape program plans concerning the languages and media to use to transmit Scripture.
In the fourteen years since I left Bunia, Bagamba and I have both learned a lot and interacted often with other language assessment specialists. The Congolese scene has changed as well in that time. We thank God for the opportunity to use our skills and knowledge to serve minority language communities so that they can use their languages in new ways and more fully take hold of God's Word in the midst of the challenges they face.”
We appreciate your prayers and support so much! We would love to hear what you’re up to and how we can be praying for you.
Douglas and Jennings
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