Here’s a summary of the New Testaments, Bibles, and Scripture portions I have typeset since starting in the UK Typesetting Services Dept. in 2000.

Click on a language or country name to find out more about Bible translation in that region. Some of the links lead to a section below called Typesetting Highlights, which gives some background about the language project in question, and describes my work with the translators as we finalised the publication.

*Language and/or country name cannot be shown for security reasons.

It’s a tremendous privilege to feel that, as one team put it, I have acted as ‘midwife’ in bringing to birth God’s message of love in printed form for over four million people; and in so doing have assisted in the final phase of over 400 man/woman-years of dedicated labour!

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Typesetting Highlights

The Mbuko New Testament

Cameroon, Central Africa — Richard and Sue Gravina

Between October and December 2009 I worked with Richard Gravina on the Mbuko New Testament.* Our start was delayed for a week because I had swine flu; and we also suffered a spate of computer problems. But despite these setbacks we made good progress, and were able to make the pre-Christmas deadline.

Richard and his wife Sue have been working for many years among the Mbuko of northern Cameroon in Central Africa. Here’s how he describes the Mbuko people:

“The Mbuko are a group of around 15,000, living in the northern part of Cameroon in central Africa. Up until 1978 there were no Christians among the Mbuko. But at that time, a few Mbuko put their trust in Jesus through contact with neighbouring groups. From then on their numbers increased rapidly. By 1990 a church had been formed in each of the Mbuko villages. Now most of the Mbuko would call themselves Christian, particularly amongst the younger age groups. As new Christians, they need to find out for the first time how to do everyday things, such as getting married, burying their dead, organising the church and so on.

“The leaders are learning how to apply Christian teaching to the Mbuko culture. Without the Bible to refer to, this is very difficult. The Mbuko are in the wonderful position of needing God’s Word, wanting God’s Word, and being about to receive God’s Word. It will be exciting to see the impact it has when the Mbuko have the New Testament in their hands and in their language!”

The dedication of the Mbuko NT is tentatively planned for December 2010.

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The Chumburung Bible

Ghana, West Africa — Keir and Gillian Hansford

Between March and August 2009 I worked with long-time Wycliffe members Keir and Gillian Hansford on the Chumburung Bible. Keir and Gillian are both past retirement age, and have spent most of their working lives bringing God’s message of love to the approx. 70,000 Chumburung people of northern Ghana.

In 1989 the Chumburung New Testament was dedicated. At that time there were 72 congregations, belonging to 13 denominations. Since then the number of congregations has doubled. In 1999 Keir and Gillian and a team of 6 Chumburung translators began work on the translation of the Old Testament. This was finished in 2008, and in 2009 Keir and Gillian worked with me to typeset the whole Bible.

Over 60 people in listening groups were converted when the New Testament on tape was played. The Jesus film was shown in preparation for the eagerly awaited complete printed Bible. The dedication is planned for September 2010.

A particular challenge for me during the typesetting was the many and varied maps, charts, and diagrams the Hansfords had prepared. If anything in the Old Testament is hard to visualise, the Hansfords have a labelled picture or diagram of it! Like the description of Ezekiel’s temple in Ezk. 40–46. Finalising the pictures and adding labels (in Chumburung) was time-consuming but fascinating.

In our original schedule we’d planned to finish the final layout by the end of June, but that had to be extended to the end of August due to back problems that kept me in bed for three months. Praise God, despite both illness and computer glitches, we managed to meet the August deadline.

The dedication of the Chumburung Bible is tentatively planned for September 2010. We look forward to the day when the Chumburung people will be able to read the whole of God’s Word in the only language that speaks to their hearts.

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