Translation Troubles

I know you're all on pins and needles to hear the latest on our current mission trip.

After Swaziland/eSwatini, we moved over to Queenstown for a week.  One memorable part was stopping in Kokstad for the night.  We chose a hotel called:

                                         NO FRILLS GUEST HOUSE

So now we have clearly defined what frills are.  Shower, rubbish receptacles, heat, rugs...to name a few.  It was about $30 for the three of us (two rooms), or over $100 for a place only a little better.

WOW, was it cold!  It was below zero Celsius outside, and pretty nearly that cold inside.  It was rather fun warming each other up.  We went to bed by 8 PM, and didn't dare stick our toes out on the cold tiles til 7 AM when we jumped up and ran around packing in haste.

We continued on to Queenstown, where Paul had a full week of preaching to schools, a ministry, and a few churches.  

We enjoyed staying with Pastor Michael Watson and his family.  I love the following picture.  I poked my head in to Josh's room one morning, to see if he was awake yet, and he was not only awake but entertaining guests!  

I so enjoyed the three kids there, Caleb, 6, Alexandra, almost 3, and baby Joe.  Paul had great preaching opportunities, in very well behaved schools.  

On Saturday we moved on to East London where we are staying with Luaan and Suzanne Goosen who have a ministry to many, but particularly the Amazioni people.  So yesterday Luaan brought Paul to speak to a little tin church, where his sermon was translated to Xhosa.  From there, we went to a deaf, Xhosa church.  Luaan had to give a couple a ride to their home, so he dropped us off first, and there we were.  Three of us, with no Xhosa skills, and precious little sign language, "alone" with about 15 deaf people.  

Paul set up.  Then he decided to try draw a little.  I had heard of Google translate but had never tried it on my phone, and this seemed like the perfect time to try it.  The trouble is, my phone doesn't type very well, so I have to push about 3 times to get each letter. It was slow going, but the results were wonderful!  They were so excited about my little messages like:

ebusweni bakhe kukho ukuzaliseka kwenjabulo

which means:

In His presence there is fulness of joy

My phone got passed around from person to person, supplementing Paul's charades and drawings in the front.  

The people asked Luaan when he came back if I knew how to write in Xhosa.  :- )   I have a new respect for technology.  

What a sweet meeting.  Luaan translated into Xhosa, then a mostly deaf lady read his lips and signed for the rest of the people.  And the end, they ALL came forward to have special prayer.  Please pray for these vulnerable people.  Luaan says they get persecuted for their faith.  

Someday "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."  Isaiah 35:5