Download the March-April 2023 Beans'talk with photos.

Face to face

For two years now, Mark has been meeting weekly to mentor Antonio Pop, a Guatemalan believer whose first language is Tz’utujil. Antonio was a key translator working on getting the Bible into his language. The translation is about to go to press, so they are excited! Antonio has been to seminary. He was chosen by those who know him best as someone who should be mentored to become a translation consultant.

Up until now, all the training and practice Mark and Antonio have done together has been virtual. This week Mark and Antonio meet in person for the first time.

Training the next generation

As you read this, Mark is already in Peru. The two weeks of March 13-24, Mark and a number of other experienced consultants will be working with a cohort of 19 younger consultants-in-training from all over Latin America, including Antonio. This is taking place in greater Lima. A translation consultant carefully goes over the translation to check for accuracy and to help the team do the best job they can.

Checking a translation together

After their two weeks on the coast, Mark and Antonio will travel up to the mountains to work with the Panao Quechua team. The plan is to join them and take part in a “comprehension check” with members of the community. The books they hope to check are Leviticus, Obadiah and Haggai.

Ahead of that check, the Panao team has been busy wrapping up their responses to the notes that Mark and Antonio have already generated for those three books. Once everyone is happy, this comprehension check is the next step.

A couple things didn’t happen

1. The recording of the Margos Quechua Old Testament did not happen or even get started. In addition to not finding a full complement of people to do the recording, travel at the time was tenuous in Peru due to civil unrest.

2. Mark didn’t go to Australia after all. Not only was he recovering from another bout of Covid, but just before I took off, Emily, Blake and both boys all tested positive for it. I went ahead, thinking they might need a nurse and grandma on hand if the boys felt better before the adults. It was such a treat to see them. Everyone was well by week two.

Note to all you “anonymous” folk

If you were one of the anonymous donors who sent in a gift in the past couple of months, thank you! There appear to have been several of you, so we’ll take a moment to say THANKS.

Praise and Prayer Requests

* Pray for the seminar for consultants-in-training happening as you read this — for clear presentations, good understanding, smooth relationships, and spiritual encouragement for each of the people attending — both the experienced and the newbies.

* Pray that the food Mark eats won’t cause any gut issues since he doesn’t have much of an immune system. Pray for his overall health and safe return on April 3rd.

* Praise for so many talented people using their gifts for Bible translation. Praise for people like Lloyd who has made Quechua Scripture available on iPhones in addition to Android. Praise, too, for Zhong and Michael, working on cutting edge projects to help computers produce cross-language texts with application to Bible translation. Praise for Andy Black who keeps perfecting a package of linguistic software and helping Mark to use it for Quechua. For each of these projects, Mark has a tiny role supplying data, giving feedback and checking things out.

Choosing to trust God in all things,

Mark and Patti Bean