Saturday began with a breakfast my father-in-law would appreciate—pancakes. It is amazing what delicacies Neil can cook up from his cabinets. No maple syrup here, but plenty of honey and fruit jam. We ended the week with a major push to complete our technical projects. The weather was a helpful mix of cloudy overcast and intermittent light rain that kept the roof and our Folopa crew at a good working temperature. After a couple days working out the appropriate technical solutions, Saturday was spent executing the plan. By lunch time, Oliver and Boaz were on a roll and declined to come off the roof, so Neil delivered lunch to them—including a few pancakes, which they love. They continued to work nonstop until late afternoon. At this point the solar panel installation is 95% complete. Just a few more fasteners will finish the task.

Heath and I started the day preparing some of the hardware to complete the solar panel installation so it would be ready when the guys arrived. Then we turned our attention to installing 12 volt LED lighting in the Training Center building next door to Neil’s house. This building started its life as the expat men’s dorm (or "snoring house" as my wife calls it) during the Folopa New Testament dedication six years ago. After the visitors left, it became a multi-purpose community center. It hosts any community events that are not directly connected to the church or the school. Also, sometime in the past few years “the Bible house,” a one-room building that was across the footpath balanced precariously over the precipice where most of the New Testament was translated, succumbed to the erosion of torrential rains and tumbled to oblivion. The Folopa retrieved the debris and have repurposed it throughout the community. But with the Bible house gone, the translation team will now work at the Training Center. Since we were working in a community building, a large part of the community decided to join us. The group included church leaders helping us as we worked and dozens of children of all ages watching the only show in town. Electricity is a mystery to them, as it is for most of us, so they watched every move we made with interest. We mounted the lights to the rafters in one corner of the building to light the translation work area around a hardwood table Neil crafted by hand many years ago. We also wired a 220 volt outlet to power the computer they use for translation. As the sun was setting, we flipped the switch to test the lights. To everyone’s astonishment, including mine, they worked!

At the end of the day, I climbed on the roof to see the progress on the solar panel installation and take a few photos. Oliver and Boaz did a great job adapting available materials to the task. Even though these panels are made to withstand harsh conditions, the tropical sun eventually wins most of these battles. The roof installation includes a space to allow air to circulate under the panels to provide some relief from the heat of the steel roofing. They really did a great job.

Sunday will be a day of rest and worship. The first bell rang early to signal the time for morning prayer. A few minutes ago, the second bell rang to signal the time for everyone to head off to bathe. The water sources are down in the valleys, so this is a hike for them. Before long, the third bell will ring to signal time to start heading toward church. Later, a fourth and fifth bell will ring to indicate they are really getting ready to start. Neil will be preaching this morning from 1 John 1. This morning, Neil read from the Folopa New Testament and back-translated their words into English for us. It was interesting to hear the Folopa idioms and expressions of these familiar words. It is a message we all need. My prayer as we start the day is that the Folopa will not only hear God’s voice speaking their language, but that His Word will continue to transform their lives—for now and for eternity.

Monday will be computer training day for the Folopa translation team.

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