We are at that time of year when everything is lush and green, a restful feast for the eyes. I think we all feel in need of rest as our work is quite intense at the moment.
Tim has been pushing through to try and get all the details in place for our language projects to continue to receive funding in our next financial year starting October 1st. It is a big, complex job that takes a lot of interaction and planning and detailed work, it is also behind schedule which adds to the challenge. In fact, because of deadline issues, some of our language projects are likely to be unfunded for a few months. Without the funding being covered we will not be able to pay the local translators' salaries. If you would like to prayerfully consider a contribution to covering some of that gap in funding, even in a small way, please do get in touch so we can talk about how to do that.
We had an encouraging meeting of nearly all the organisations that are engaged in Bible Translation in Nigeria,18 different organisations were represented! Many of them have now committed to sharing detailed information about which languages they are working in. This is a first step towards a unified approach to tackling the approximately 200 vital, vibrant languages in Nigeria that still do not have any scriptures or ongoing translation work.
One outcome of this is that I (Ali) now have stacks of data to plow through, understand and enter into our information systems so that we can all have a better idea of the true scope of the remaining needs for scripture translation in Nigeria.
Dan is working hard on his challenging subjects this year and so far, he seems to be doing well keeping up with the understanding and workload required. He also has a significant part in the 'senior play' that his class will perform in early December. It is a Ghanaian play called 'Anowa' which looks quite intriguing.
We praise God that Ali's Mum's transition to being back at home with Dad has gone well. She and Dad are settling into new routines but Mum is struggling a bit with getting to sleep at night. Apart from that, it seems to be progressing well in her recovery and is continuing to regain movement on her affected side.
We have had sad news from Tim's Mum's side of the family. Tim's Granny (Joyce Firmiger) passed away in early September. We are so grateful that we were able to visit her in her care home while we were in the UK. She had been ill for some time and passed away peacefully with both of her children by her side. We praise God that she is now free from pain and suffering and is safe with her Saviour! Her funeral will be Monday 27th September. Thank you so much for your prayers for us, we need them! Praise: --The situation in Jos seems to have settled down and tensions have reduced. -- God is our hope and our refuge and salvation!
Prayer: -- That we can honour God in our work while remembering that it is really his work! -- For patience and grace and joy every day.
