Beans' Talk January 2014

Download the January 2014 Beans' Talk with photos here.

Two gifts to mention

The work we do couldn’t be done without outside support. Some of you have financially supported us for years. But, what about the ten men working with us who represent the five Quechua languages we’re translating for? Who covers their expenses?

#1 - The Seed Company picks up the tab. They cover the full-time salary of the three men who’ve worked with us every day in Huanuco as well as a stipend for those who help in translation part time. The Seed Company also covers other expenses the guys incur, like their transportation to and from workshops, food consumed during workshops, and lodging when we have to pay for it. The Seed Company gets all their funds from the donations of generous people. We haven’t publicly (in a Beans’talk) thanked The Seed Company for a long time. Thank you, Seed Company!

Bean's Talk December 2013

Download the December 2013 Beans' Talk here.

More traveling adventures

When we ask for prayer for traveling mercies, we really mean it. “Traveling adventures” could be a subtitle to our lives. I wish we’d had our camera handy traveling to this work-shop. What would we show you?

Photo #1: a long line of cars paralyzed at a dead stop on the narrow mountain road.

Photo #2: the two of us pulling very heavy suitcases full of equipment and books, gingerly walking a narrow strip between a steep drop-off on one side and freshly poured asphalt on the other (the reason for the closed road.) After a good half hour’s work, someone rescued us when we reached part of the road that didn’t have asphalt poured yet.

Bean's Talk November 2013

Download the PDF of the November 2013 Beans Talk with photos here.

Everyday translation problems

Every day Mark tells me about interesting and seemingly unsolvable translation problems. One morning I realized I should plan ahead and start a Beans’talk, so I asked him what he was working on. Answer: revising 2 Corinthians chapter 9.

In that chapter Paul encourages the believers to be generous in their collection for Christians in Jerusalem. He concludes in verse 15 by giving thank to God for his gift to us:

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Bean's Talk October 2013

Download the October 2013 Beans' Talk here.

Sending out disciples

During the last workshop, Mark was asked to speak at the 22nd anniversary of a Quechua radio program that has a large loyal follow-ing. As the time drew near to travel there, it became obvious that Mark was in no shape to go. (Remember the stomach bug I mentioned last month? It got Mark, too.)

With churning guts, Mark called the guys in and walked them through Psalm 19 in order for them to teach it in his place. Then he gave them a stack of printed copies of the psalm to hand out to the crowd, sent them out and went to bed.

The Beans' Talk September 2013

Download the September 2013 Beans'Talk here.

Check out the attached Beans'talk to read and see a bit of what we've been up to the past few weeks.

Counting on your prayers.

Patti for Mark, too

Beans' Talk August 2013

Ooff! We just finished another translation workshop with one group revising the OT and another group revising the NT. We are taking the weekend off to recuperate. So, was it all work? Not quite.

Read about the field trip to try out a new-fangled mechanical contraption that delighted the guys, photo included. We've also written out a classic Quechua joke. We're glad the guys have fun together when at these workshops.

 Click here to download the PDF of the August 2013 Beans' Talk.

Bean Family June 2013 Prayer Requests

- Praise for the wonderful whirlwind trip Patti had in May to meet the Beans' two youngest grandchildren and pop in on each of their four children. She also stopped to visit her sister & wounded-warrior nephew as well as attend the dinner of her 40th high school reunion. The trip was a great gift.

- The training in using Quechua materials scheduled for school teachers the first and second of May was postponed and happened without Patti. That's actually better! Meanwhile, there are more other opportunities to work with pastors in the Huamlies area to help them read better in Quechua. Pray for the team that goes out: Bernardo and Leoncio.

Beans Talk May 2013

Download a copy of the May 2013 Beans' Talk here.

Keeping languages untangled

We’re still in Huaraz with its beautiful snowcaps. We took this picture right outside our door the other morning.

One day last week, one of the men’s wives came to visit. In the course of the visit, she asked a simple question:

Caycho arunquicu?

Beans Talk April 2013

Download the PDF of this letter with photos here.

The ubiquitous moto-taxi

Meet the moto-taxi. You couldn’t find a single one of these when we first arrived in Huánuco. Now, they are everywhere.

For about $0.50 to $0.60 (depending on the exchange rate) you can get a ride anywhere around town on this side of the river. While we prefer to walk most places, a moto-taxi is the way to get home after shopping at the market or visiting the bank.

Recently two incidents happened with moto-taxis. Now, that you’ve been properly introduced, we’ll tell you the stories.

Beans' Talk March 2012

Download a PDF of this letter with photos here.

Pointing out the obvious

I remember in first grade when my teacher taught us how to pluralize by adding a magic “s” or an “es” to a noun. All of us already knew how to speak correctly with plurals. But, we probably couldn’t have explained why we spoke the way we did until the teacher pointed it out to us. That is a tiny peek into what’s been going on these past few weeks during the discourse for translation workshop. Of course, they have been learning at a much different level than first grade!