Rentz Report
February 13 2023
12th February
Dear Paula and Pati and Team,
Greetings from the sunny Solomon Islands! In spite of the devastating floods around the Coromandel Peninsula at the end of January, a friend from church was able to chauffeur me to Auckland airport without any difficulty on the 31st. After overnighting in Nadi, I reached Honiara safely on the morning of 1 February, warmly welcomed by our new SITAG (Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group) Director and his wife.
In my last communication, at the beginning of December, I asked you to pray for my (online) practice consultant checking for a language group in South Asia. THANKS for those prayers! My supervising consultants have signed off on my completion of the TCDW (Translation Consultant Development Workshop) and have recommended that I continue with additional practice checking sessions as a CiT (Consultant in Training) before achieving full consultant status.
Our SITAG family gathered 6th-10th February here in Honiara for a time of fellowship and building up -- and fun and games! Praise God for this chance to reconnect with our SITAG family and for meeting the new teams who joined SITAG in the past three years.
Rejoice with us that 15 young adults from across the country arrived in Honiara on 3 Feb for orientation to ICC (Islands Christian College, AKA Islands Bible Ministries). Our SITAG Director has traveled extrensively throughout the country, meeting with church leaders in places where Scripture translation is needed. The churches have sent these potential translators to begin biblical studies – the same course which Äiwoo translator Luke completed in 2021. Ask God to guide and equip these students as they seek to fulfil His call on their lives to serve the Bible translation movement in the Solomon Islands.
Tomorrow two workshops will begin training 46 facilitators from across the country for Trauma Healing Workshops: one for children’s workshops and one for youth. Pray for Cynthia as she coordinates the training and ask God to equip these trainees to lead these workshops in their home provinces.
Later this month I’ll reconnect with translators Edmund and Luke and the reviewers at Reefs. Pray that the reviewers can complete their review of the remaining chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. At my last meeting with the Archbishop of the ACOM (Anglican Church of Melanesia), who happens to be a native of Reef Islands, he recommended a small team be formed to coordinate the Äiwoo translation work. Ask God to raise up the right people for this team and guide them in choosing a translator-trainee to attend SITAG’s Translation Principles Workshop in Honiara in April.
On the Home Front…
Praise God for some wonderful times with Liz and Aidan and Emily at Christmas in Tauranga and during the summer holidays at Ngarimu Bay. (See beach photos here.) And thank Him for providing good friends to look after the property in Ngarimu Bay while I’m away until 19th April. Pray for all in the upper North Island who are threatened by cyclone Gabrielle (updates available here).
Thinking back one year ago today… I praise Him for the special day we as a family enjoyed in our new home in Ngarimu Bay on 12 February, the day following our shift from Tauranga. Liz and Aidan & Emily joined us for the day, helping unpack boxes, then relaxing at the beach together in the afternoon… our last day together, packed with happy memories to cherish forever.
Thanks for your friendship, your thoughts and prayers, and all the support offered this past year during our time of grief.
With love and gratitude,
Gifts marked Preference for the Wycliffe Ministry of John Rentz (which are tax deductible in the USA) can be sent to:
• TMS-Global, PO Box 936559 • Atlanta, GA 31193-6559 • USA: www.tms-global.org
• Wycliffe Bible Translators • 11221 John Wycliffe Blvd #1 • Orlando, FL 32832, USA: https://www.wycliffe.org/
• Wycliffe Bible Translators • PO Box 276005 • Manukau City, Auckland 2241 • NZ: https://www.wycliffenz.org/