In the village

Rodney just returned from visiting Bible translator Bill Crest in his village allocation. It took about 1.5 days to get there via bus, truck and hiking. The return trip by SIL plane by the way was 1/2 hour. It was a great experience to get close to the people that we are there to serve.

I met Bill's fellow translators, ate in their houses, watched a man collect ant eggs for food, hiked in rice paddies, ate a ton of mountain red rice, drank a lot of coffee, added a 12V truck battery to Bill's solar power electrical system, spoke at a local church and played with Filipino children.

It has been a long time since I have been in the village, and it reminded me of just why we are here. I spent several days with the folks who are waiting for the Scriptures in their language. By our western standards these people have nothing, materially speaking. But they warmly welcomed me and freely shared of what they did have. They were glad to butcher a chicken and share heaps of rice and coffee as they honored me as their special guest. I traded gifts with two of the men: my knife, flashlight and a hat for a hand-made broom and rice paddy hat. I treasure these items as they are a reminder of time spent with these men in their homes.

The trip was energizing, so much so that I put Joy on the plane to go and visit the same village two days later.

I (Joy) was grateful for the chance to make an afternoon visit to the village, Bill and his translation team. I flew in with our good friends Steve & Kelli (Steve is the SIL pilot and did an awesome job landing us safely on the tiny airstrip). It made me appreciate what many of our translators deal with on a daily basis as they live among and work with Filipinos to translate the Bible (only enough electricity for 20 watts*, no indoor plumbing, no stores). It was a great opportunity for these two stay-at-home moms to get a fresh vision for the work our families do here.

*One of the photos shows Bill looking at the new micro hydro-dam which will allow him to have 80 watts of electricity.