Ronnie Sim 14 November 2016 at 11:36
On the last weekend of October, we three left Lusaka. I left first, later on Friday evening, flying to Dubai, then Glasgow. Simon Zekewos left on Saturday morning on a 4 hour flight home to Addis Abeba. Mufaya then felt free to catch the afternoon bus back home to Kaoma town. I left first and was last home. But we separated with the satisfaction that comes of a good fortnight together.
The Nkoya Old Testament was put on the path towards printing the full Bible! Simon did a great job! He knows the software, and introduced Mufaya to a lot of good checking procedures.
Sometime during 2017 we will hand the manuscript over to Bible Society of Zambia, hoping that a few short months later it will be flown back into Lusaka as the Nkoya Bible.
The New Testament, Kulimama Kwakupya, was published in 2008; the Old, Kulimama Kwamwaka, is in its final stages.
Above: Simon burns incense from Ethiopia to give Mufaya experience in a Bible practice he doesn’t know first-hand.
Below: Simon and Mufaya work together on some software checks, cleaing up the Nkoya manuscript. We project Mufaya’s work onto the wall so that we can all see it – and the changes we make – at the same time.
When the two return in one cover, it will be the Nkoya Bible … The Nkoya people are still talking about what to call it—“Bible” needs a word or two in Nkoya.
The people have been waiting for a long time. Translation began away back in the 1930s, a New Testament appeared in
the 1950s. But, it fell out of use in the years after Independence. A new version of the New Testament began in the 1980s, was finally published in 2008.
The present Nkoya king is elderly, and recently he said he wanted to hold the Nkoya Bible in his hands before he died.
In September, at the Translation Committee’s AGM, a woman said she longed for the day when God’s Word would be preached in ShiNkoya from Genesis to Revelation, from Shitatiko to Kuholoko kwa Yeshu Kilistu.
Can you commit to pray with us for this last lap? It is a long road through finding and correcting every last error.
Mufaya is working now, continuing through the checks we began in October. When he makes significant progress, we will plan dates for me to return—we have ringed February, or a little earlier or later. Before mid-year Simon will also go back to start closing the checking process with Mufaya.
You can catch up on daily blogs in the Out of Africa addition at: www.beclargs.org/Outreach.html
Meanwhile, 14-25th November, Olivia Razafinjatoniary is working in Kaoma on Isaiah—a book of Israel’s “high theology”. Then Mufaya is back into the checking procedures. When we get nearer the further stages we’ll spell them out. For now, please, please, please, commit to praying for these last months. Pray that 2017 will be the year when the Nkoya community dedicate their Word of God, while their king is still with us, and to satisfy the woman who can’t wait until that Word is preached in Nkoya from Genesis to Revelation.
Ronnie & Margaret
46 Gateside Street,
Largs, KA30 9HS UK
Tel:: 01475-68-9966
Emails: ronnie_sim@sil.org
margaret_sim@sil.org
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Out of Africa 