I am always excited when I get updates from Bob Ulfers, a Bible translator in the Karang language of Cameroon. He’s a gifted writer and always has a great story about what God is doing in his part of the world. Technology is revolutionizing how people can now receive God’s Word. Bob sent this report in April 2011:

The cell phone industry has hit the bush country. “Talking Place” is a hill about three miles southeast of our small village of Sorombeo. We drive, motorcycle, or ride our bikes to that rocky spot to get a cell phone signal.

On occasion, a curious family of baboons looks down from the hill at our laptop screens. They bark at us and break branches to let us know they were there first. But now more and more people are crowding them out, talking and consulting with people in far away places.

Interestingly, at that same spot we find ancient remnants of a village, which, according to folklore, was created for rejected people accused of sorcery. After the arrival of the cell tower, people rapidly got into the new magic of memory cards. “Giga” is now in the Karang vocabulary!

I quickly learned how to put the Karang Scripture recordings and Scripture songs onto cell memory cards. Consequently, our audio ministry is shifting from audio-cassettes to these cards. (A warning: used cards have lots of computer viruses!) With the book of Ephesians now published in Karang, I hope to clean up the recording studio once more and make that powerful book available to all those new cell phone users. I have also learned how to put the JESUS film and literacy videos on phones. (Used with permission.)

Carol’s reports

Book editing project
For almost two years on and off, I have worked with translation advisor John Nystrom, trying to be of help editing and advising him as he wrote a book for Wycliffe USA. At the end of April, he sent them his book. He was assigned an editor to continue shaping it for their needs and hopes to see it published in the near future. I am blessed to have had a part in this project!

Work doubled! Writers needed!
Up until now, my main assignments have been to serve as editor of Rev. 7 and edit other publications produced at JAARS, such as an aviation magazine, donor thank-you letters, the annual report, brochures, Web articles, funding project updates, and more. Now that one of my colleagues has retired, I have taken on some of her duties. We could use at least another two qualified writers/editors to cope with the demand. Will you pray and pass on the word to young people that missions need excellent writers.

In March I had fun teaching a mini-writing course to seven JAARS staff. One woman surprised herself and me in composing a top-notch story and has now joined our writing team—for a few months at least.

Fundraising
A few years ago I was asked to write an appeal letter for a vehicle needed in a remote, rugged region in Africa. Because I had always felt “asking for money” was not in God’s plan for my financial support, I balked. But I was the only one available at the time to do the job. I prayed,researched, and consulted with my colleagues. When God brought in the $25,000 needed within a month’s time, I was stunned and thought, “Well, making the public aware of such needs is apparently another way through which God gladly chooses to provide.” JAARS has always been a fundraising organization, dating to its founding by Cameron Townsend in 1948. In fiscal year 2010 we raised $2,710,857 to support Bible translation worldwide. That included $1,215,439 for three airplanes, and $1,495,418 for JAARS operations and field projects.

Neal’s report

Many important documents needed for IT workshops in Africa must be translated from English into French. Neal and three other team members worked on translating course materials for an IT Connect workshop held in Burkina Faso March to April this year. IT specialists from many African countries met to learn more and get acquainted. Here’s a thank-you card Neal received from the group (bottom center). A similar course was offered in Cameroon in March.