September 1976

Hi.

Greetings in Jesus' name from Nagpur, India.

Apart from getting old I am fine. I am really getting a bit on the skinny side these days. But that should be nothing to complain about, since many people pay a lot of money to achieve exactly that.

Recently I took ill for a few days, but since it is only the good that die young ... I have no fears.

Our weather is nice these days. It got up to about 44.5 degrees during the summer months but now, during the rainy season, it has dropped down to about 89 degrees and at night it usually sneaks down to about 25 degrees which is nice for getting a good night's rest - provided your conscience doesn't object. The humidity is naturally quite high, but if we would get everything our way it would be heaven - so some think. The rainy season is a bad time for traveling though. In 1973 during the rainy season we ventured forth to the village and got stuck in a little town for seven days. when the bus finally decided to give it a try I felt like the dove that Noah sent out of the ark to check on the water level. But not having wings I had the strange premonition that I might end up with seaweed wrapped around my head rather then return with an olive twig in my mouth. Well thanks to providential care and goodness I did neither.

Yet I learnt my lesson, and so I am staying in Nagpur during the rainy season. I found a nice place to live here in Nagpur. It is small (though not so small that I have to go out when the sun shines in because there isn't room enough for both of us ...), but it is very cozy. I have a nice big desk, a nice bed and a coffee pot that is like the widow's Kruse of oil - before she ran out of pots to pour it into. What more can anybody possibly want?

I admit the neighborhood bets a bit noisy at time, but that can't be helped. Across the street from me lives a twelve year old boy who learnt how to whistle between his teeth - which I feel like removing ... and he is so worried that he will forget how to do it that he whistles - all the day long. Then there are the dogs, the cows, the goats, the crows ... I dare not forget the rooster who timing is out, which I feel like 'adjusting'... Then there are the vendors who walk through the street calling out their wares with loud and frequently very 'unmelodious' voices. The people across have also a radio which seems to be their pride and joy and - the reason for a nervous break for me. Added to this are two or three beggars (the government is really clamping down on them) who wail their way from door to door ...

I am afraid if I keep this up you will send me the air fare to visit the Holy Land and - have a spell on the 'wailing wall' myself. In spite of all these things the work is progressing nicely.

We just completed the first draft of the book of Mark into Mawchi. Praise the Lord! The Lord has blessed me with two good Christian co-translators, Devdas and Rekya, without whose help the work would never have progressed as quickly as it did. They both worked very hard and at no time did I ever have to push them. If any pushing was to be done it was them pushing me. We had our ups and downs which frequently occur when people from different cultures work together, but nothing serious. So I would like to thank all of you who have prayed for us, encouraged us and have given financial assistance to us.

I trust that this letter will prove an encouragement to you that your labors too were not in vain. But the end is not yet in sight. It will take us about a month or so to get it ready for the printers. This is only a rough guess. So don't be disappointed if it takes longer. After Mark we hope to start with the book of Acts. At the same time also we would like to prepare some literacy materials like a Mawchi-Marathi dictionary, primers and stories. This should take us about up to Christmas. After that - so I dream - we would like to do an Old Testament panorama consisting of about 10% of the whole Old Testament. Anyhow let's see what the Lord has in mind.

I am also giving a series of studies on the book of Genesis to a group of university students here in Nagpur. We came across this passage where it says that God took a rib from Adam to form his wife Eve. But first He put him to sleep. Somebody, wisely or other-wisely, remarked that Adam's first sleep was - probably his last rest ... Some people are still arguing as to the validity of that observation ...

Well with this I must close.

Please continue to pray for us.

Thanks again for all your help.

Lovingly in Christ

Frank.