A Legacy in Bible Translation

In the summer of 1955, with very little money in his pocket, Daniel Ebert III boarded a cargo ship with his wife and three young children. It would take 3 weeks to arrive in the Philippines. Once there, they would hike and canoe many more miles to get to their final destination on the island of Palawan.

The Palawanos were a people cut off from the rest of the world who wore loincloths, lived in self-built nipa huts, hunted with poisonous blow darts, and didn’t have a written language. Daniel was there to develop an alphabet, create a dictionary, and, ultimately, translate the New Testament into the Palawano language.

Shortly after arriving, Daniel stood at the foot of the ladder leading up to his hut. A group of locals slowly surrounded him and began engaging in what appeared to be a serious conversation. Yet no one felt like they were being fully understood. “We have heard,” said the leader, “that you have come to write the New Testament in our language, and we want you to list our names so we will be sure to get one before they are all taken. We know it will take a long time to finish such a big Book—maybe even a month or two—but please list our names!”

The hut where Harold’s mom grew up

Daniel sighed, trying to formulate an answer. But how do you explain to people who think two months is a long, long time, that the translation of a New Testament into an unwritten language usually takes fifteen to twenty years! Finally, he looked around the circle of men and said, “My friends, with the help of God you will plant and harvest no less than ten times before the Book will be finished.”

Astonished, their leader replied, “No matter how many harvests pass, we know that one day you will finish. Perhaps some of us will die before then, but we who are here, will come to be listed for the Book when it is done.”

It would take nine years to complete.

The Palawano New Testament

Daniel was Harold’s grandpop. Now, just like God called his grandparents, He is calling us to serve in Bible translation.

What are we doing now?

We just returned from Waxhaw, North Carolina, where we finished 4 weeks of pre-field training at JAARS, a mission organization that partners with Wycliffe in Bible translation. One of their objectives is to provide training to serve in remote areas of the world. Our classes at JAARS covered several topics including cross-cultural living, spiritual vitality, and teammate relationships.

During this time, A'zalea and Andrew participated in Missionary Kid Station where they learned about life in another culture and what healthy goodbyes look like. Throughout this training we have been reminded of the importance of people and relationships over projects and agendas.

What are our next steps?

A major part of Harold’s translation consultant training is learning with a cohort of other apprentices. March 16–31 Harold and his cohort will be traveling to Kenya to observe and participate in a Bible translation workshop for two predominantly oral language communities. The workshop is designed to introduce the translators to the book of Deuteronomy and to oral strategies that will help them internalize smaller sections of Scripture before they draft each passage. This will help ensure the translation effectively communicates to their oral audience.

Picnic at the park

A few months ago Wycliffe asked us to consider four different countries as possible locations of service. We've had ongoing discussions with our leadership about each to determine where our family could best serve. There are a lot of moving pieces, but right now it looks like Madang province in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a high possibility. We're trying to hold that loosely while conversations continue to happen with the Bible translation organization on the ground. Once our location is officially finalized, our next step is to apply for visas.

We’re grateful that our monthly budget and our launch expenses are fully funded at this time. We praise God for His generous provision through many of you. Your continued partnership is a joy to us.

“We thank our God every time we remember you.” Philippians 1:3

How to Pray

As you think of us, would you pray for the 3 Gs?

• Grace – We need grace with each other during transition and as we acclimate to a new people group and culture.
• Grit – We desire perseverance and resilience through difficulty.
• Gratitude – We want grateful hearts in all things, even when they turn out differently than expected.

Thank you for your prayer support. We wouldn’t want to go without your partnership in prayer.

Because many are still waiting, Harold, Justine, A’zalea, & Andrew