This is what it's all about...

Remember what I wrote yesterday about the adventure Janet and I had in getting these books on the plane?! Yeah, well, here's a story we got back about it by email this morning from those on the receiving end of things. This is why I do what I do... though I don't often get the privilege of being a part so specifically in getting the books to the recipients like this!

"At 4:30 PM, we heard a plane overhead, coming in for landing. My colleague Marcia called the Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) office and excitedly asked, "Is that the shuttle flight coming in from Nairobi??" The answer must have been yes because I heard squeals of joy, all the way down in my office!

A little while later, I heard a knock on my door. "They're here! They're here!!! We're having a prayer time of thanksgiving!" So I jumped up from my chair and even from down the hallway, I could see the face of Pastor Kenee, a Burunge translator. His face was radiant, glowing with the joy of the Lord. All smiles, he was holding a brand new copy of the book of Mark in the Burunge language. This is the first Gospel to be published in the Burunge language, and the first Gospel for Wycliffe to publish in the whole country of Tanzania!!!

I teared up as we prayed, very touched by this momentous occasion. A few moments later, the other Burunge translator, Pastor Doe, came rushing in. He was at home when the Gospels arrived and had just received the news. When the book was placed in his hands, he immediately kissed it, raised it up in the air, and gave a shout of praise.

I don't know if I can capture in words the joy that filled the air, but maybe a picture can express what I cannot. You will see Pastor Kenee plane-side, receiving a box of the printed Gospels from the hands of the MAF pilot.

The Gospel of Mark will be dedicated in a special ceremony this next Sunday, July 8^th. I've decided to read through the book of Mark this week, reading it with fresh eyes, as if I were hearing the news about Jesus for the very first time. What about you? Do you have a favorite verse or passage from Mark? Perhaps this Sunday you might read an excerpt in your church, in your Sunday School, or with your family as you join with believers (and non-believers who will also attend the big occasion) receiving these words for the very first time!!"