Postscript

photo by Søren Kjeldgaard

In May I sent a small team to Mozambique to gather some stories about how God is at work through Bible translation.  I planned the trip over a few months with the director there.  One of the stories he suggested the team gather was on the Lyndon family.  Since 1996 Chris and Ada Lyndon served among the Koti people of Mozambique.  In 2008 they made what they thought would be a short trip back to their home in the UK; however, while they were there, Ada was diagnosed with cancer.  She never returned to Mozambique.

We were able to send Chris on his first trip back to the Koti since his wife’s death, along with a writer (Craig) and a photographer (Soren) who went along to hear and document his story.  Soren beautifully captured a moment in the picture above from when Chris first arrived in the town where the Koti translation project is–his Mozambican colleagues had clutched him in an embrace.  Craig has written a moving article about experiencing a moment of Chris’s grief with him.  Find it here.

I was personally moved by Chris’s story because I, along with my family, are part of that exclusive and growing club of people with loved ones with cancer.  My father was diagnosed more than 2 years ago with an aggressive brain cancer. The journey is fraught with mountains and valleys.   Our grief already ebbs and flows; however, my father is still with us.  His time on earth is not yet complete.  It’s in these times of pain that I’ve felt the closest and farthest away from God.  My emotions can just get more raw, especially about my dad–sadness, joy, anger…everything somehow feels more acute.  Sometimes I feel God right with me, and other times I feel like I’m alone.  All of this, I think, is just the way our emotions impact how we feel in our relationships at a moment.

For years my dad has been compiling a book of family history starting with what he researched about our first ancestors that arrived in the US.  The last few years, he worked tirelessly on compiling all that he could remember of his own experience including detailing some of his most difficult struggles.  He ended the book saying that what he discovered throughout his life was that no matter what happened, how you felt, where you were, God is always there.  And, I’ll add– everywhere God is, is holy.

Read Craig’s article: The Holy Ground of Grief

How have you experienced God during times of grief?

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We left Johannesburg this morning at 5am with intentions of only driving to a town called Beaufort West, and then completing our journey to Cape Town on Wednesday.  We arrived in Beaufort West around 3pm.  Cape Town was just another 5-5.5 hours from there, so we though…why not drive the rest of the way!  Well, we called a guest house in Cape Town to see if they had room for us and if they’d let us in after 8pm.  They said yes; we drove the whole way…er, I should say, Jeff drove the whole way while I kept track of where we were on the journey and supplied music and snacks.  The drive took us about 15.5 hours.  We’re exhausted, but we’re looking forward to beginning our apartment search and getting our office here set up.

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While Jeff has been busy repairing computers, I’ve been consulting with Wycliffe South Africa on rebranding.  They are wanting to raise their profile in order to involve more people in this part of the world in Bible translation.  My part has been helping them think through what materials they need, how they want them to look, and helping them connect with a design firm that is doing the work.  We started with their logo and then getting them a presence on some social media sites.  Soon they will also be getting a whole new set of basic materials.   We’re all hoping that their new materials will come together in time for a few events they have this fall.

What do you think of their new look?

Wycliffe has many organizations around the world.  Take a look at the list.

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Jeff and I had the opportunity to visit a small town about an hour and a half from Durban with a local church ministry team.  This team provides encouragement, spiritual guidance and medical advice to people with HIV/AIDS and those that are in some other way affected by the disease.

It has been reported that millions of people in South Africa are infected, and the infection rate is the highest in the world.  This area has one of the highest infection rates in the country.  One of the pastors of the church we visited said that they wanted to respond, but didn’t know how.  A doctor at the church spearheaded a program to meet the needs of those infected by HIV and AIDS in the community.  It started as a small hospice program.  Soon they found that many patients were not dying but were recovering enough to return to work and daily life.  The ministry changed its focus. While the hospice remains open, each week follow up is done with patients not in the hospice.  Volunteers check on each patient’s well being (including a medical questionnaire) and conduct a Bible study with the patient and anyone else the patient invites to participate. We each went with small groups to check on a few patients.  To us the people we visited did not look ill.  The antiviral drugs that many people take, while not a cure, do allow people to have healthier, longer lives.  People that live longer can continue to care for their families, contribute to the larger society through their work and interact with their communities in a meaningful way.

We were in a Zulu area, so many of the people we visited only spoke Zulu.  The Bible study and much of the rest of the content of our visit was done in the Zulu language.  Seeing the Zulu Bible in use reminded me that this is what we desire to see in all the language communities where Scriptures are being translated.  The Scriptures in a language the community understands best being used not only in church but also to address relevant current needs, even providing encouragement to those struggling with affects of HIV/AIDS.  A woman in the photo above committed her life to Christ after the Bible study was complete.

Zulu is one of the 11 national languages of South Africa.

What about the families where parents have died from AIDS?  The church also responded by starting a ministry for child-headed homes.  They offer child-care for younger siblings and assistance with studies for the child heading the home. This is a critical care component giving children who lead their families the opportunity to complete their education. However, the life of a child who has suddenly been thrust into adulthood, is not easy.  Learn more about child-headed homes.

Learn more about how Wycliffe is addressing HIV/AIDS.

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Ruth is conducting a children’s program about missions.
Photo courtesy of Wycliffe South Africa.

We’re on the road with Wycliffe South Africa assisting them with one of several events they are doing around South Africa to raise awareness for Bible translation and missions.  Ruth, a volunteer from Germany, is conducting a children’s program for Wycliffe SA that teaches children about missions.  The church we’re visiting now has additionally invited Wycliffe SA to share with their youth, young adults and share in their Sunday morning service.  We’ll be participating in the activities planned with the youth and young adults.

This is a beautiful part of the country with rolling hills, farms, water falls, and quaint shops and restaurants.  In the early 1900s it was home to a Beor concentration camp.  During the Anglo Beor War, Afrikaans (or Afrikaner) women and children were put in these camps by the British.  Even now some people of Afrikaans decent can tell the stories of their relatives that died or were rescued from one of these camps.

This area is also in the South African province that has the highest percentage of reported HIV/AIDS infections.  We’re planning to visit a community near here where the church has a ministry to those affected by this disease.

We’ll be staying with some church members, and along with helping out Wycliffe South Africa, all this is part of our orientation to South Africa.

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