Get all the details about January’s consultant checking, a translation blooper, and much more!
 

Craig and Katy Bennett

Serving the Bible-less in Vanuatu
 
Translation Progress-It’s Looking Good!
Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you so much for your prayers for our consultant checking of Genesis 1:1-12:9. In a world where everything works on “island time” we were amazed to see that each step of our tight schedule went as planned, with a few opportunities for us to start work earlier than anticipated. It took a lot of long hours and hard work, but we got through all of the material. Praise God with us for a successful checking session! Please continue to pray as we make decisions about spelling and formatting. Please also pray for provision of funds for printing and wisdom about how to group the Scripture portions for publication.

Now we are in the midst of VISTA module 5. We had a lot of delays getting all of our 
translators here, but at long last they all made it. Praise God that despite several plane breakdowns all of our translators made it to the module. Sadly, one soon had to leave to be with his mother in what is expected to be her final days. Please pray for Aram and his family during this time.

Craig is particularly pleased about the progress that the translators are making in his Hebrew course this module. Even the one student who was resistant to learning and using Hebrew is doing well. Please be in prayer for continued progress in learning, understanding, and using the Hebrew language. 

During this module our students are translating portions of Deuteronomy. Many of the evil things the Israelites were doing have strong correlations to kastom (traditional religion) practices still occurring here in Vanuatu. This portion of Scripture translation has been particularly eye-opening and challenging for our translators. The translators would appreciate your prayers as they try to look with fresh eyes at the kastom practices happening all around them. As leaders both in their churches and in their communities, our translators see the responsibility that comes with their new understanding and would appreciate your prayers. Most of the translators have been very open to re-evaluating their cultural practices through the lens of Scripture, but a few are resistant/struggling to see how some of their traditions are idol/ancestor worship and are dishonoring to God. Please pray for them.
Our consultant, Martha, asks questions of Jessie, Craig’s village sister-in-law, to make sure our Apma translation is accurate and understandable.
Translation Blooper!
During the checking process we discovered (and corrected) that in our Hano language translation of Genesis 3:13 Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate it (the serpent).” If only Eve really had eaten the serpent instead of the fruit!
Brothers!

Elijah and Josiah are both healthy and growing. Elijah turned 4 in January and started his second year of kindy (preschool/kindergarten) on February 8. While we were on Pentecost for consultant checking back in January Elijah gashed his forehead on a rock while playing in the waterfall. It is healing well, but you can see the scar just inside of his left eyebrow.

Josiah is now 7 months old and on the move. He started crawling well on Christmas Eve and hasn’t stopped since! He can now pull himself up to a standing position and is beginning to cruise around on the furniture. Josiah still doesn’t have much interest in solid food, but he’s starting to find some things he likes, particularly strawberry applesauce.

Thank you to all of you who pray for our boys, it means so much to us. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Please pray specifically for Elijah as his feelings of missing his grandparents and other family members grow as he gets older. Please pray for Josiah as he learns and grows in the midst of 2 (or more!) languages. Please ask God to help both of our boys embrace their 2 homes and cultures, both Vanuatu and the US. Above all, please pray that they would find their identity Christ.
A Card Shower for Craig
 
On May 25 Craig will be turning 30! I would really like to make this birthday special for him and I am hoping that you will help. Would you be willing to send a birthday card, letter, or note to Craig here in Vanuatu? I will collect all of the cards and present them to him on his birthday. An international stamp for a letter is only $1.20, so this won’t be expensive.This is a surprise, so please don’t spill the beans!

Please mail cards to:
Katy Bennett
PO Box 275
Luganville, Santo
VANUATU, SOUTH PACIFIC
 
It takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for us to receive mail, so the sooner you send your card, the better. Thank you so much for helping me make this birthday special!
 
Important Dates
March 11: VISTA module 5 ends
March 14: Most of the translators will attempt to travel home this day; contingent upon working aircraft; Translator Dick Bule will have surgery to repair a hernia
March 22: Our partners, the Thompsons, return from vacation in Australia; our partners, the Kopkes, return from spending time in the US with Jordan’s dad who is wrestling with leukemia
March 23-25: Team Vanuatu staff meeting
 
The Word for the Month
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 NIV
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God.”

This passage in particular has been convicting and transforming for our translators. Please pray through this passage, that the people of Vanuatu would heed its words and turn to God.
 
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Check out our Facebook page for ministry updates, prayer requests, praises, family news, fun facts, missionary bloopers and more!
 
Pioneer Bible Translators exists to disciple the Bible-less, mobilizing God’s people to provide enduring access to God’s word. Our vision is to see transformed lives through God’s word in every langauge.
 
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