To the Niellim people...
April 10, 2000 - To the Niellim people who will forever have a place in my heart
Mark and I bowed in prayer. It was just minutes before I would give the 15-minute presentation I had rehearsed, and then the committee of three professors would cross examine me for an hour and a half. This is what they call The Defense. Nervousness began to gnaw at my stomach.
As we prayed, my thoughts turned from the thesis and the defense to the Niellim people. This thesis represented the culmination of two and a half years of Niellim friendships. The tears welled up inside as I prayed for Sosthenese, the Chadian who is learning the Niellim language in order to translate the Bible; for Michael, who is evangelizing and planting churches; for "R" and "F" the young Niellim converts now working with Sosthenese on Bible translation; for "Timothy," wherever he may be, that he would connect with the other believers; for the chief, that he would put his trust in God and Christ. The tears flowed freely.
The
previous three months had been a laborious academic pursuit. In late February
the realization hit me that this thesis would never be an earth-shattering
discovery or revelation to the linguistic world and that the extent of its
usefulness to the Niellim and to Bible translation was yet uncertain. "Cohesion
and Salience in Niellim Narratives: A look at discourse particles and
participant reference" wouldn't that really warm their hearts? That
day in late February I wondered, "Is it worth it? It is only two little
letters M.A. What is the use of those letters? Surely, bringing the gospel to
the Niellim is more important than this masters degree." Amid such doubts
and questions about the value of the thesis, the Niellim remained my motivation
and focus. The thesis was a constant reminder to me of these people, a catalyst
for prayer. I dedicated the work to them. "To the Niellim people who will
forever have a place in my heart."
Turning in the final copy to Don Myrick - Czar of theses for
The University Of Texas at Arlington