Fall Beans'Talk 2025

Download a printable copy of the Fall 2025 Beans'Talk.

Missing a word for that?

What do translators do when there is no word for something? Do you know what they did when the Bible was first translated into Eng lish and they got stuck looking for a word? Of ten, they coined new words! For example, they couldn’t come up with a word for angel, so they just borrowed the word from Greek into English and then taught what it meant. Simi larly, sometimes we borrow a word from Span ish when Quechua doesn’t have any creative way to say something.

There are many English words which occur for the very first time in a Bible translation. Be lieve it or not, they include words like female, beautiful, consume, crime, appetite, puberty, excellent and liberty!*

*Stanley Malless and Jeffrey McQuain. Coined by God: Words and Phrases that First Appear in English Transla tions of the Bible W.W.Norton, 2005.

One year in

The month of October marks one year since the C4 Quechua translation project began. C4 stands for 4 Central Quechua language areas. It has been a steep learning curve for the men involved. They didn’t really know what they were getting themselves into! They were nomi nated by their denominations to do the work. Most didn’t know how to read in Quechua. Some had never preached or prayed in Quechua. That just wasn’t a pattern that had ever been modeled for them. Besides, there’s a lot of cultural pressure to use Spanish to show that you are educated.

Each language area is represented by two men. Plus, there are Wilmer and Walter, who worked with Mark for years. They handle workshop lo gistics and guide the group through the pro cess. This group of ten men has been a safe place to practice reading and praying in Quechua. As they rotate giving devotionals each morning, the new men have gradually started teaching in Quechua, too.

So, what do they have to say now that they’re a year into the process? Here are some of their comments.

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Mark & Patti October 2025 Prayer Requests

* At the last minute, bags packed for Peru, we learned that our passports didn't have the required six months remaining on them to be able to enter the country (a new rule for us!). In spite of having to work from home, Mark and the Panao Quechua team made great progress. They not only made it through the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel and the first 13 chapters of 2 Samuel with members of the community, but they had fun in the process. Lots of laughter and good conversation. They even finished before the two weeks were up.

* October 6-24th Mark will be working remotely with the project that's made up of 4 related central Quechua languages. Mark is busy preparing computer-generated drafts for each of them. They hope to finish adapting Exodus and start on Leviticus, and continue working on outstanding issues in books they've already worked on.

Mark & Patti September 2025 Update

Our bags were packed, we were ready to go!

Like John Denver's song, we were ready to leave on a jet plane. Then, out of the blue Delta informed us that our passports were not valid. What?!

It turns out that Peru, like some other countries, now requires a full six months left on one's passport in order to be admitted into the country. It doesn't matter if you only plan to stay a few weeks. It was so unexpected that we found ourselves grinning. Wow! God has so many ways to redirect and guide his children. This one was pretty obvious!

Thankfully, we haven't lost anything in the process except being with the Panatawa Quechua team in person. We have cameras and mics set up so Mark can work with them virtually.

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