February 2005

Dear Praying Friends,

KASHINAWA BIBLE INSTITUTE

On January 23 the Kashinawas started a new epoch by holding their Kashinawa Bible Institute in its new permanent location, rather than meeting in a different village each year. A large gift from a dear friend of many years got the building project started by paying for the wood, roofing and tools necessary for construction. So far it consists of one long building with three classrooms and an office and a separate dining pavilion, all built with sawn lumber and galvanized corrugated roofing. When we left after Christmas, there were 4 sleeping houses of native palm construction for the students and staff, and they were planning to add a cookhouse and more sleeping facilities before classes began. We share the joy of our dear brethren in seeing their dream becoming a reality.

Dick, who is an architect at heart, drew the building plans. Then three men left their own villages for five months and did all the major construction of the classrooms and office building. A great deal of time and effort was involved in transporting all the heavy materials by canoe from Esperanza, where the lumber had been sawn and the other supplies flown in. This is a far cry from calling your local lumberyard and asking for a delivery. Out here even the sawmill motor had to be replaced while we waited for wood! But the Lord kept us naive to the problems and extra cost which came up as the project progressed and now we are very joyful to see the vast majority of the work completed and the buildings now in use.

The courses are taught in Kashinawa by the Kashinawa pastors who have attended a three year Bible Institute sponsored by the Swiss Mission in Peru. They are using their newly revised New Testaments in their courses. For the first time they also expected two Kashinawas who live four days down river in Brazil to attend the Institute.

TRANSLATION PROGRESS

When we came to Peru four years ago, we had only planned to revise the New Testament for the Kashinawa of Peru. It is a joy to now see this edition in the hands of the people and also a second edition for the Brazilian Kaxinawá presently at the Brazilian Bible Society ready for printing in Korea. It will still be a while before it arrives back, but we have done all we can do but pray and wait for the Lord to use this His Word to reach the many groups of "Kaxinawá" who live on four or five rivers in Brazil. Most of these have had little exposure to the Gospel. There are a number of Peruvian Kashinawas presently feeling ready to go to Brazil and evangelize their people on the distant rivers. We have been told that there are many readers there although few believers in these distant areas.

Now we are working on selected portions which make up 40% of the Old Testament. These have been determined as the most helpful for understanding the New Testament. Before leaving Nueva Luz just after Christmas, we had completed all the selected portions through I Samuel, and as this letter arrives, we expect to be in Lima working with a translation consultant to have these books approved. This will mean we are about one third done with the OT portions and it will seem probable that we can complete the remaining two thirds in the two years left in our six year term with the Kashinawas.

OUR PRAISES

• That the Lord has kept us strong and able to keep putting in full 8 hour days on translation for 5 days a week.
• Our translations helpers have been very faithful and dear Roberto and Waldemar are deeply committed to suffering for Christ in order to get God's Word into the language of their people. I wish each of you could hear how they pray for strength and wisdom, thank the Lord for their salvation, and seek opportunities to share their faith with their people. They both had been pastoring churches before beginning to work with us almost four years ago, and they are the two who had asked us to come back and help them with the revision.

HOW YOU CAN PRAY