The year we left Burkina Faso (1998) we had programmed ahead to have all of the Bible translated. We had also discussed all the suggestions for change that had been sent in by the group of readers, and made changes where necessary. Everything was on diskettes. But we knew there was still work ahead of us and we were not sure how that was going to all work together.
Our last couple of weeks in Bobo - before we returned to the States for official retiral - we moved out of our home, disposed of all our worldly goods and moved into the mission guest house next to Maranatha campus. We set up shop in the living area since no one else was staying there, and finished off all the last printing for a hard copy, making sure there were no mistakes in the final diskettes. We got the diskettes ready to be sent to our supervisor in Ivory Coast. We knew there would be suggestions for change or perhaps mistakes in spelling of some words, but it was as far as we could go.
We had our van loaded for travel to Ouagadougou to spend a couple days there before departure by plane for the U.S.A. At midnight we finished the last jot and tittle of our printing and copying, had a few hours sleep and took off early the next morning. Those last days in Bobo were full of interruptions with people coming to greet, bringing us gifts to take with us and praying for us. We received so many gifts that we ended up having to take an extra piece on the plane to contain everything! We breathed a sigh of work well done when we got on that plane for Paris and then on to the States.
Our home assignment began as we settled in a Nyack apartment and both went on separate tours to represent the Alliance in our churches. At some point that year the national office of the Alliance contacted us and asked if we would be willing to return to Africa for a year, this time to run the mission guest house in San Pedro, Ivory Coast. It seemed like the Lord's plan for us, as we would be on the continent of Africa and able to OK suggested changes in the Bible manuscript, plus working on the Apocryphal books with our Catholic translator, as these had not yet been finalized. Our consultant, Dr. Zogbo, and our manuscript advisor, Margaret Bohoussou, both lived in Ivory Coast and so that would be convenient for finalizing the Catholic and Protestant manuscripts of the Bobo Bible. (The only difference in the two was the addition of the Apocryphal books in the Catholic edition.) So we said "yes" and thus we entered an interesting new chapter in our missionary life. More about that year later, but a few details of our work in finishing the Bible there in San Pedro.
We realized that God had planned this all ahead of us, as both of our translators were in the city of Abidjan - four hours from where we lived in San Pedro - for biblical studies in connection with their ministries in their respective churches. Our manuscript lady, an Irish missionary with a great mind for details! - lived in Abidjan also that summer. At one point we had the two translators come to San Pedro and worked with us on some manuscript details. I had keyed in the Apocryphal books for the Catholic edition, putting in some tonal marks that were needed, and sent the corrected manuscript to our Catholic translator, who somehow had erased all tone marks when he checked the diskettes and sent them back to me. So I had to do that job of tonal marks all over again. During that year we were also able to consult with our manuscript editor and really finalize the translation. Later on she (Margaret) inserted all the cross references, helped us to choose the pictures to include and took care of all details for printing in Nairobi! We breathed a sign of relief when all this happened before we headed back to the States to resume our life of retirement.
Thinking it might be a year or so before we would see our printed Bible, we were disappointed when time went on and no Bible appeared. A couple years went by and Dad and I were preparing to go on a six weeks tour in Alliance churches in Florida. Two days before the postman delivered a large package to us - our copy of the first books of the completed Bobo Bible from the press in Nairobi. Our job was now to carefully proofread and correct that manuscript! Have you any idea how big a task that is - proofing the entire Bible. I was the one who had to do the work, so Dad said he would drive to Florida and I would sit and correct the manuscript as we rode along. And as the miles rolled along, I kept correcting and turning pages and correcting some more. We did this all through our Florida tour as we travelled from church to church. This was accomplished and sent back to Nairobi and now we awaited the news that the printing was finished. But a couple more years went by.
Again in God's plan for the Bobo Bible, we were asked to go to Mali for a year in 2004-2005 for Dad to assume the directorship of that field. The Bobo Bible was far from our minds as we began that busy year in Mali. But one day a phone call came from Ouagadougou, from the Bible Society office in that city. They had received the first couple copies of the completed Bobo Bible. Dad immediately got us seats on the next plane to Ouaga so we could actually hold in our hands the fruit of many years of hard work! What a thrill that was! In hindsight, we could see God's hand upon this Bible project. It was a demanding work and one where we sometimes sensed the enemy of God trying to destroy this project. But it was worth it all when we held in our hands those first Bobo Bibles!
So great that you put this journey down in writing for posterity, Mom! I remember many of these happenings very clearly, and others I didn't know about. I deeply admire you for doing this translation and know for sure that there are FEW in this world who would be able or willing to take on such a daunting task. But what a reward you will have - both here on earth and in heaven!
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