Serving The Northern Embera People Of Colombia And Panama
May 2005

Dear Family and Friends,

We've had a busy few months and it's time to catch you up on our lives. We are glad to report that progress has been made in the translation work among the Northern Embera people. There are a number of big changes and events coming up. Please read and join us in praying about them, remembering that we serve a God who listens to and answers our prayers.

God has been teaching us an important truth again these past few months: if we give generously, he will give even more generously. We both had been feeling led to start giving more in tithes and offerings, so we took the step of faith and increased our giving although it seemed like we couldn't afford to. Since then, we have had adequate provision each month, both through normal channels and in unexpected ways. I think of the afternoon last month when there was a knock on the door. It was a friend, delivering us an envelope with money from some people who chose not to identify themselves. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it is about taking God up on his promise (Malachi 3:10-12; 2 Corinthians 9:7-10). We are excited to see God not only providing for us but giving us opportunities to help others as we see needs.

Family News

We're happy to announce Kirsten's graduation from high school on June 9. Chaz's dad and Helga's parents will be here for that happy occasion. Kirsten will leave Panama June 15 for Midland, Michigan, where she'll live for the summer with Chaz's parents. Until then, she's working hard at finishing up her senior year with challenging classes, yearbook, worship band, and Little Women (she plays Beth). Please pray for her as she looks for work this summer and settles into school in the fall. Kirsten will be attending the University of Michigan. It was exciting to watch God work out the details of her Michigan residency and financial aid. We're very proud of Kirsten's hard work all these years in school and of her plans for the future. Click on images to display larger photos.

Chaz and Helga will attend a family wedding in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in early June, thanks to the loving help of family. This will be a great opportunity for us to get better acquainted with the U-M campus and surroundings, so we can picture where Kirsten will be. Then we will race back to Panama to welcome family for Kirsten's graduation!

Danny and Laura are not graduating from high school yet, and we are thankful for that! They are plenty busy, though. Danny's big event right now is his starring role in his school's production of Hamlet. He's been working hard on it, especially on choreographing the sword fights. Note picture at left. Laura and Helga continue with homeschooling. We plan to enter Laura in 3rd grade in August in the same school Danny attends.

We ask for prayer as we are moving from our present house due to circumstances beyond our control. We have found a place and plan to move the second half of June. Our mailing address and e-mail addresses will remain the same. We're sorry to leave this beautiful house, which has been perfect for our work. Please pray that we can settle in quickly without losing momentum.

In early March we attended a dedication of the translation of the New Testament into the Guaymi language. The road into the Guaymi campground made us appreciate our 4-wheel drive! The camp was well-populated with Guaymies from various church denominations -- women in their colorful dresses and men with their trademark shoulder bags. The service started with all the pastors present going up front to take a copy of the New Testament and pray over it. One man testified of all the years they had to use the Spanish Bible and how excited he is now to have God's Word in his own language. Bill Bivin, the Wycliffe translator, summarized the history of the translation work and introduced some guests, including the missions director of one of his supporting churches. This man had been praying and giving for years so the Bivins could live in Panama and translate the Guaymi Scriptures, and now he was actually standing before the Guaymi people. It brought to mind so many of you, who are standing with us and the Emberas with your gifts and prayers. Thank you!

Embera news

In the past couple of months Bienvenido has completed a rough draft of the Gospel of Luke and Abundio and Chaz have checked through an older version of the Gospel of John. Our partner from New Tribes Mission, Doug Schermerhorn, has returned from his furlough and is now starting to draft 1 Thessalonians with Abundio.

Because of pressure from various quarters, a Northern Embera alphabet must be chosen very soon. The church sees this as their opportunity to finally get official sanction for the alphabet they have used for thirty years. Please pray that this situation would work out for God's glory. There have already been some small victories we did not expect.

There was an Embera church conference over Holy Week, held out in Darien Province. We were not involved in the conference besides praying for it but share these excerpts from the report of a missionary who did attend:

We had received over $4,500 in outside donations to go to the flood victims [remember the floods that caused so much damage last November], so I had already picked up a $1,400 medical order. We also used some of the funds to make sure the people would be able to get to the conference to take advantage of the fellowship as well as the medicines. Elidia, Abundio's daughter, did all the dispatching of the meds and did a very decent job. She's been getting some training from a health promoter from the village upriver. Elidia sat there for hours on end, with people coming and going each afternoon.

Throughout the conference, people came forward and were saved. Two men came back to the Lord after walking away for many years. 11 or 12 people were baptized on Sunday. I couldn't see how many were in the line, so am kinda guessing! The Gospel message was preached very clearly during the night meetings, and that was good because they usually ended up going till 11 pm!!! Some people shared and many sang specials.

One thing that really encouraged me was when Eufemio, a church leader [facing us in photo above] got up and gave a strong challenge to the other leaders to pray for each other by name each day, that God would give growth to each church, and that the leaders would be faithful to God during this next year.

In April, I (Chaz) had the privilege of attending a Translation Consultants' Development Orientation, held at Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) facilities in Oaxaca, Mexico. There were 17 potential consultants in attendance with about half working in Mexico and the rest from Canada, Panama, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Others joined us in the afternoons so we could practice consulting with Bible translation teams that have some material ready for checking.

In the morning meetings discussed various topics translation consultants must deal with in order to help translation teams. These included Biblical languages, textual criticism (using textual evidence to determine to the greatest extent possible what the original Biblical manuscripts are like), computer helps, translation theories, the philosophy and politics driving new English Bible versions, and working with teams whose principle translators are not from western cultures.

In addition to being translation checkers, consultants must be good listeners for translators who may be frustrated, discouraged or feeling alone. One has to come prepared to suggest solutions for difficult passages, handle sticky situations and do some training in the short amount of time he has with the translation team. Consultants are also expected to improve their personal and professional skills through seminars, academic programs and self-directed study. I find my weakest area is Hebrew and the best way to shore that up is through personal use of a textbook and by reading articles on the discourse grammar (grammatical devices that hold texts together). The number of computer helps becoming available is simply beyond my grasp. And there is always room for improvement in one's private life.

I am definitely considering consulting when our work with the Northern Emberas is done but I do not have to wait until then to use my consulting skills to assure that the Northern Embera Scriptures have the best possible quality and are read publicly and privately.

Financial update

As you remember from our past letters, our financial situation at the end of 2004 was very difficult, but thanks to God's provision through your generous giving, we were able to pull out of debt and get back on our feet. So far this year our financial needs have been met each month and we've been able to pay for some extras, like dental work on Laura and registration for the coming school year for her and Danny. With Kirsten going off to college, we will of course have extra expenses as well as with our upcoming move to a new house. Your gifts to us each month, however, help us stay here and get the translation done. Thank you for being on the team!

In Christ's love,
Chaz and Helga, Kirsten, Danny and Laura Mortensen

P.S. Please send us your e-mail address if you have one but are not currently receiving our e-updates. They come out more often than the printed letters.

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