• Translation work:

We recently calculated that our goal of translating for the Kwong the entire New Testament, Genesis, Psalms and Isaiah involves 524 chapters. The business of calculating how much we have already translated is a bit more difficult given that we have translated hundreds of shorter passages for the Kingdom of God materials, and that all we have translated is not of equal quality. Nevertheless, it seems clear that we have, over the years, translated something over 100 of these chapters, or close to 20% of the total. On July 14th we finished the book of Luke and have revised 16 chapters of Genesis. We anticipate picking up the pace of translation as many years of "interruptions" (albeit very useful ones) - writing the Kingdom of God materials, getting married, doing an administrative stint, starting the radio station, and most recently, building the new clinic - come (hopefully) to an end.

• Children's work:

In many ways, this most recent addition to our portfolio of ministry is the one in which we see the most actual and potential fruit.  Considering that not many years ago such a ministry wasn't even on the radar screen, and that Mark "didn't do kids", this is somewhat remarkable. (Click here for more on kids.) But the most amazing thing of this ministry is a spin-off of it - the production of what is turning out to be an entire oral tradition of the Old Testament (over 50 stories to date from Joseph to Saul). These stories, which even most pastors have never heard, but which paint such a comprehensive picture of the wisdom, power, and goodness of the God of Israel, are being broadcast every week on the Voice of Chageen. It is particularly important that these stories be learned in oral form because it is doubtful they will ever be properly translated in written form into Kwong. (And even if they were, only very few people compared to those who are hearing it on the radio would ever actually read it. Reading is just too painful a chore - even for the literate ones.)  

• Women's discipleship:

Diane was pleased to discover on our return from the States last October 2008 that the women's discipleship group had continued to meet in her absence each Thursday morning. This, perhaps more than anything else, is a sign that there is real spiritual maturity developing in these women. About 10 women are meeting regularly now.  Most can't read, but they are learning to walk with God in a way they never have previously. Diane's goal - and she seems to be succeeding at it - is to make these women (who include several Catholics) into a new generation of leaders among their fellow women. 

• Pastoral development:

We have been discouraged for many years by the lack of interest by many Kwong pastors in the Kingdom of God materials we spent so many years developing. This is due on the one hand it seems, to the difficulty they have in reading. But more fundamentally, it is due to an unwillingness to do something "new" - like become a student again and do the hard work of Bible study. It is much easier to keep repeating the same tired old harangue to your parishioners. Maybe it is because the parishioners are voting with their feet, but during these last months, there has been a significant new openness not just to using the KoG materials, but also to hearing what Mark has to say about a whole range of issues. This is surely an answer to your prayers.  It is no fun being, as we seem to have been, irrelevant to the very church leaders we are meant to serve.

• Radio Station:

The best news here is that there is no news. Lightning has not destroyed the equipment, the staff have good attitudes, every radio in Kwongland is tuned into us every night we are on the air, we are a pillar of the community, and the gospel is being disseminated with a thoroughness, clarity, and winsomeness that we could never have imagined. 

Presently we are considering adding a French broadcast which will air on Tuesdays. This will appeal to the young bucks in the village (French is way more hip than Kwong) as well as to neighboring tribes which don't understand Kwong. We are working with Trans World Radio to procure the programming for this broadcast, but have been having trouble getting what we need. 

• Evangelical Clinic:

By the time most of you actually read this, the new clinic building will be finished and Lambert, our male nurse, and his assistant Jeremy will be working in it. 

Our next task is to find a young man with suitable credentials whom we can train to replace Lambert in these coming years. This is not easy. Anyone who works for us will have to, in effect, take a vow of poverty. There is just not enough cash flow at the clinic to pay a competitive salary. Finding such a person in the West, even among non-Christians, is no big deal. There are thousands of idealist young people of all stripes who see the futility of wealth and would jump at such a chance to serve selflessly. But for Chadian young men coming out of poverty, it is pretty much a forgone conclusion that anyone with the intelligence to be a medical professional deserves to make a salary commensurate with his or her intelligence. There is simply no notion, even among Chadian Christians, of selflessly serving beneath one's market value. Nevertheless, we are looking for just such a person to train and prepare for the day when Lambert retires for good. Please pray with us to find such a man. (Lambert does serve selflessly, but at 61 years old, he is both wiser and otherwise wealthier than any of the young chaps. That's him with the billion-dollar smile vaccinating mothers and babies in February.)