Ronny's Discovery part3

My other main task on this trip was to do field research for my linguistics degree. Soon after we arrived in Vane, I sat down with our project leader, Mr. Mununkum, and asked if there was something I could study that would help not only my project, but also the translation project. Mr. Mununkum laughed and said that he never threw away anything to do with the Avatime language, so he would be glad to have anything I researched. He gave me a couple of topic ideas and sent me on my way. 

It was clear to both me and Mr. Mununkum that God had arranged for Dorcas and me to be at this particular project. Mr. Mununkum has a master’s in linguistics and was eager to answer my questions and find out what I’d learned that day. Although Mr. Mununkum was born and raised in Ghana and clearly had a lot more expertise about linguistics and Bible translation than I did, he did not hesitate to bring me in as a person who had something to contribute. 

One day, we took a taxi to another town. As we went along, Mr. Mununkum played tour guide and told us about various interesting things alongside the road. He pointed out a structure that I hadn't seen before: it seemed like a thatched roof hut, but there were only support beams, not the expected mud walls. Mr. Mununkum called it a cottage, but admitted that he didn’t know the Avatime word for it. Although he had asked before, his consultants hadn't known. 

Our taxi driver said, “That building over there? That’s a [lekat∫a].” From the backseat, I perked up, grabbed my ever-present notebook, and wrote it down. Because of my topic, I immediately followed by asking, “What do you call more than one [lekat∫a]?” and wrote down that word, too. I was excited to have a couple of new words, but I didn't think too much about it. 

That night, Mr. Mununkum pulled out his ever-present notebook and asked if I would share the data with him. Although Mr. Mununkum would have justified in treating me as young or unqualified, he treated me like one of the team. I am blessed to have gotten to know him and I appreciate how he let us join in his work – work that began before we arrived and is continuing long after we have gone.
I am so thankful to have been able to serve the Avatime project. I trust that we will be connected for years to come. As Paul said to the Philippians in chapter 1, verses 4 through 6, I can now say to the Avatime project: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 

The work faced by Mr. Mununkum and his team is no small task. They are looking at years of labor. However, they continue the work because they know that the goal is worth the work. For a short time, I was able to further the work. I want to continue to help them in whatever small way I can. Please join me in prayer for the project. 

“Dear Lord, thank You for allowing me to share my heart about the Avatime Bible translation project. Please pour resources and talent into the project. Give them all the encouragement that they need to continue working. God, You started this work and we claim Your promise for completion. In Your Son’s name, Amen.”