The Natives Are Restless, Part 1

Before we get to the restless natives part, here is the final act of the cargo pod project.

Painted and waiting to be reassembled.

Pretty easy to mount, as the pods only weigh 37 lbs each. Obviously, not much room, but they they allow the plane to carry passengers, while such things as gas and oil are transported in the external pods.

The final product on display at JAARS Day.  Hopefully FAA approval will arrive pretty soon.  Then we can start manufacturing them so they can be used to actually support translators on the field.

 

 

 

 

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"The Natives Are Restless, Part 1"

There are two topics that will generate a lot of discussion and interest among folk here at Wycliffe/JAARS - "the Integration" and "the Translation."  Today the translation.

It was a strange (but refreshing) feeling to be sitting around the hangar with a bunch of airplane mechanics discussing nuances of Bible translation. (That certainly was not a scenario I could conger up from any of my military experiences.)  

Actually, Bible translation doesn't come up every day, even around the Wycliffe/JAARS aircraft maintenance facility. But lately it has been a hot button topic throughout the international Bible translation community, not just Wycliffe.  It revolves around how to best translate the phrase "Son of God" into Arabic.  For a more thorough treatment of the topic hit the Christianity Today link for the article "The Son and the Crescent." The gist of the debate is the decision of some translators to not translate the phrase "Son of God" literally, because it is misunderstood by Muslims in a way that offends them and is theologically inaccurate. 

Most everyone here has an opinion on the topic and often feel pretty strongly about it.  The discussion is further confused, because, while a leading Wycliffe translator is the focus of the article, Wycliffe/SIL has yet to take a corporate position on the subject.  I suspect this will work itself out fairly soon, but it does reveal the length that Wycliffe goes through to apply scholarly review to the translations they do.

It also shows how everyone at JAARS feels connected to the translation effort, even though it is happening thousands of miles away in scores of locations.  Almost everyone here has spent time on the field and has many friends whose work they are supporting.  People working here in Waxhaw know and appreciate the impact that they are making for the Bible translation team.

iXs,
       The Rev