Be kind to one another

During our trip in the village, my wife was driving the vehicle to go pick up somethings and hit a neighbours dog. This dog they say is 20 years old and is really tired. Even to wake up from the road or even to eat it takes all the time. My wife just figured out that all dogs will be smart but she remembered to hunk. Right after she passed, she heard a sharp cry from the poor animal. Apparently, the front tire passed on the dog's tail. We pleaded with the neighbors to get some money even to have a veterinary doctor take care of the dogs but they said it is not necessary. The woman even said that this might help the poor dog to die but we really feel sorry for the poor dog. Anyway, we thought they will be very mad at us but instead they were so friendly. We give Glory to God in everything.
Here is the dog owner and the dog.

Overcoming life issues

While we were up country this Christmas 2016, I met a childhood friend (Henry) that we have been out of touch for several years and he is struggling with some issues in life. The good thing is that he came quite close to me and also opened up. We got engaged in discussing these things and I started challenging him on one major aspect. These were hard because although everyone knows about it in the community, no one will there talk about it. I challenged him to consider to stop smoking weed and he agreed and appreciated me for saying what no one has ever told him to do. The following day, someone who owed him paid with a huge quantity of weed! This is an enormous temptation. I encouraged him to bring this matter to God. To tell God that it is more than Him and that even though he wants to stop it, he is really struggling and God will surely make a way. I told him to throw it away or burn it but I do not yet know what he will do with it. He promised me that by the time I come, back I will see a change in his life. I reminded him the Scriptures on Matthew 11:28-31 "Come to me all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loats and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light"
This Scripture challenged and changed my life several years ago, pray that it will speak to the life of my friend Henry.

Christmas 2016

It was good for us to spend a week up country away from our Bamenda base. We spent quality time with my mother and visited several people and shared the joy of Christmas together with them. As you can see, we left the village with our vehicle overloaded with lots of goodies. It is good to be back again.

Lamnso' Bible & Dictionary Dedication

November 18th was a very historic and long awaited day in Nso' land with the Nso' community welcoming the word of God in their heart language Lamnsoʼ alongside their dictionary. The Dictionary (Ŋwáʼ Nsav) is a very useful tool for language and culture learning while the Bible (Ŋwáʼ Nyùy) is the most important God-breathed tool useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that every Nso' person may be thoroughly equipped for every good work and glorify God in their way of life (from 2 Timothy 3:16). Now every Nso' man will understand God better in the language of the heart. The Nso' man is encouraged to not only own the Bible but to make the Word of God a standard for his or her life. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Jì yè dzə̀ kikaʼày kém, a dzə̀ sá rán ye yí kaʼày dzə́ə yem) Psalm 119:105. I am very honored to be a Nso' person.

Advanced ParaTExt Training for CIT

For several years now, I have been involved in training ParaTExt users but I realised that there was a disconnect. Translation consultants do not make use of most of the advanced features in ParaTExt as they work with the teams. When the projects are nearing completion, teams will have to rush over their work and that becomes very stressful. Even when I train the translators to use the tools and their consultants do not use them, they will only end up forgetting. So this time, I have decided to begin the training with the consultants because they can work with the translators to make sure that this is implemented. All the participants told me that this is exactly what they wanted. Some even expressed that why did we take so long to bring this training. They have started using some of the features already.
Pray for me as I look forward to training several translators to use these tools.

Personnel Forum, Installation & Commisionning

October 24 to 28 was a very busy time for the over 80 CABTAL staff serving all over Cameroon who gathered in Bamenda to have a time retreat, reflect and plan for the next two years. Our retreat had the theme "... as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" It was very timely for me to reflect on my personal life and Ministry at CABTAL. It was an opportunity for me to cross examining where the Lord has brought me from, where I am now and look into the future as well. The Lord is good and wants me to serve Him faithfully and He will reward me bountifully.

One important activity that happened in the course of the week was the presentation of the new CABTAL leadership team and the installation of the Bamenda regional director and national leaders based in Bamenda. By the special grace of God, I am one of those leaders. It was quite a blessing for me to kneel before the crowd in congress to be commissioned into the serve that the Lord has entrusted me with. The Full Gospel Superintendant Rev. Mbiiwan read from two Scritpures: Psalm 121 which says "I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you fall;your protector is always awake. The protector of Israel never dozes or sleeps. The Lord will guard you; he is by your side to protect you. The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon during the night. The Lord will protect you from all danger; he will keep you safe. He will protect you as you come and go now and forever"
Another Scripture was 2Timothy 2:2: "Take the teachings that you heard me proclaim in the presence of many witnesses, and entrust them to reliable people, who will be able to teach others also"
These verses spoke so much to me and I was so humbled.

ParaTExt 8 trainers workshop in Thailand

It was really good to work with a team of 57 from all over the world meeting for 8 days at Duangtawan Hotel in Chiang Mai - Thailand to discuss, share ideas and train on the very new software ParaTExt. ParaTExt is a very useful program for doing the work of Bible Translation. With ParaTExt, you can keyboard, use various tools, check keyterms, use interlinear to generate a back translation and do checking of your Scripture to ensure there is consistency. This program has come of age and continues to improve. It is a very important program that makes the work of translators and translation consultants to be real fun. What this means is that Language Technology Support people like me has got a lot in their plates to handle. However, I know that God is going to make all that we are cultivating, planting and watering to grow so that others might come to live a life that glorifies Jesus who is our persnal Lord and saviour. I also meet some really good friends here - linguistics students at Payap University. They are Nu Nu, Mis and Naing.

Connections that Matter

Today I was wondering how to get around the city of Chiang Mai by myself and I immediately started looking through Google Maps. A friend's friend whom I have never met called asking how I was planning to spend my Saturday. After I told her my plans, she said if I won't mind to go by motorbike, she could send her friend to take me out. I jumped for the opportunity. Not very long, Naing Kheng showed up at the hotel and we took off. Naing is a very nice man from Myanmar (Burma) studying linguitics at Payap University. It was really good spending that time with him (especially as he could speak Thai and I don't) and seeing how God do connect people together. You can imagine how we all felt more connected to each other at the end when we realized that we are both Connect to Him.