Northern Translation Brief 07 Oct 2010

Our Dear Partners,

Thank you for your prayers for us during past critical weeks. We made good progress checking the Naskapi Old Testament lessons with our translation consultant Watson. He was able to bring us through about 800 of the 965 verses we had prepared for checking. He left his remaining questions with us so that we can finish up what remains and then he can approve the rest by e-mail.

Also, the first Naskapi/McGill Naskapi 1 course is finished: Bill trained 13 Naskapi young adults in basic Naskapi literacy, typing their language on computers, and lots and lots of reading practice. For most of these it is just the beginning of a new world of reading and writing in their mother tongue, which also opens up to them all the scripture resources that we have been working on over the years. They all applied themselves and did very well.

For the next three weeks, we will be traveling to two conferences, one on the west coast in Bellingham, Washington, where we will meet with other translators who work in North America. Then the other conference on the east coast at St. John’s Newfoundland, where we will meet with academic linguists, literacy specialists and resource persons who serve the Algonquian language family. Then we go back home to Schefferville by October 28.

We are grateful in advance for any prayers for travel mercies and safety during the next three weeks on the (rail)road, highway and in the air.

Thank you for your partnership and interest in bringing God’s word to our grateful Naskapi friends.

Serving with you, Bill and Norma Jean

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