Douglas and Jennings Boone Update

Dear friends,
It seems we just wrote a September newsletter, but October is already flying by… and in a few days we will be flying, as well! This time we are going in different directions. Here’s the scoop (photos at the bottom of the page):

From Jennings:
From Oct. 22-29, I (Jennings) will be in Ibambi, D.R. Congo, helping the Budu translation team finish up the book of Matthew for publication, along with our Translation Coordinator Dave Bradley. I’ve worked with this team before, on Genesis, but this is the first time I’ve been able to visit their home area. Then, from Oct. 31-Nov. 10, I’ll make a trip to Goma to work with the Tembo translation team on the book of Mark. It will be great to see this team again and to see how they are getting on without their head translator Masumbuko Shabani, who has just started studies at Université Shalom here in Bunia.

Please pray that these checking sessions will go well, that the teams will be encouraged, that the translation will be good quality, and that the local communities will be blessed by them. Please also pray that I will stay healthy.
I had a rare opportunity this month to develop as a translation consultant. Our most experienced consultant, Liz Raymond, has been in town to work with the Ndruna translation team on Acts and some of the Epistles. She let me sit in on her checking sessions with them, to observe how she works. One of the key steps in becoming a fully qualified consultant is observing experienced consultants, and being observed by them. I appreciated Liz’ positive attitude with the team, and how she encouraged them to use the Greek/French interlinear New Testament, maps and translation aids. As a bonus, she let me prepare and check the book of Philemon (short but dense) and the fourth chapter of Philippians with them, while she observed. My first experience with Epistles, and with non-narrative Scripture… exciting! She gave me very encouraging feedback, as well.
I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to grow as a consultant!

From Douglas:
Bagamba Araali and I are about to travel to Penang, Malaysia for Language Assessment Community meetings. The centerpiece is six days of sessions (Nov 3-10) that for the first time in five years bring together language assessment personnel from around the world. I'll lead two sessions: one for experienced surveyors on planning the scope and methods of a proposed language survey; and one for new surveyors on analyzing qualitative data. I'll also team up with Bagamba to lead a plenary session on working well in cross-cultural teams.

We'll both stay an extra day (Nov 11) for meetings with other language assessment personnel from across Africa -- the first since March 2008! We're also going early for other "satellite" events. Bagamba is looking forward to two days of meetings with other sociolinguistics consultants (Nov 1-2). I leave a week earlier than Bagamba because I'm one of the facilitators for a "survey report writing workshop" Oct 26-Nov 2: I'll help a small group of surveyors polish their reports on language research that they've done. The value of our research is realized when the findings are clearly explained to those who make decisions about language programs (often including Bible translation), and to the wider community.
Please pray for our preparations, as we both have been very busy with other things. We are very happy that Bagamba received his visa without a lot of difficulty.

Office work: In addition to their sociolinguistic work, Douglas and Bagamba have found themselves overseeing construction work on a church-owned compound that currently houses three Congolese translation projects, and where our group will soon also have offices. Workmen are building a security wall, installing new plumbing, cleaning out the attic which had housed bats for several years, and making various repairs. They have also built pillars to support a container that will hold all our furniture and stuff until we have a permanent place to live. For Douglas and Bagamba, this has meant frequent trips to this office to check on progress, talking with the denomination's vice-president, Pastor Mbanza, and coordinating technicians and workmen. We will be glad to have an office to work in when the work is completed! In the meantime, it has been a challenge to balance all their various responsibilities while preparing for the conference in Malaysia.
Please pray this office would be used to give God glory, and for good relationships among the groups sharing it.

A few highlights from our first months in Bunia:
- Learning to make yogurt, granola and bread
- Finding a good tailor to sew dresses and shirts from African cloth
- Discovering which roadside boutiques have flour, cheese, oats, chocolate, dishwashing liquid, butter and other hard-to-find items
- Buying fresh passion fruit, pineapple, avocados, chickens, etc., from vendors who come right to your door

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