Holding it in His Hands

Just as we were leaving the book storage unit, I saw two still-sealed boxes sitting beside the door.  On them was the name of another one of the minority people groups in our area and the letters OT.  “Is that really the Old Testament finished and printed for that people group?” I asked the lady in disbelief. “We just got those the other day; I haven’t even got to open the boxes yet; but let’s see,” she responded taking out her exato knife.  The labels were correct and I grabbed one copy to take back to some friends who I know study that language and work with that people group.

I took this precious copy of the Word and had the opportunity to place it, the first copy safely in the country, into the hands of the man who has spent the last eight years working on it.  Both he and his wife sat marveling at the finished product, passing it back and forth, gazing at a few pages, flipping through it, and stopping to stroke the cover.  In Africa, you hear of whole villages holding week long parties to celebrate the finished Word. While our feelings of awe and amazement are equal to such a huge celebration, it is illegal. Here, the party is just five of us sitting in a living room breaking out the Tim Horton’s hot chocolate sent from home and saying prayers filled with joy and gratitude for this Bible’s safe arrival in country.