Is having your own room a good thing? - Coronavirus Impact

I once had a call from an Aboriginal lady who had arrived on her university campus for a course, but was the only woman there that night. She was genuinely afraid to sleep in a room on her own. (Thankfully she prayed and got to sleep ok, because I wasn't willing to drive 3 hours to get her, and another 3 hours to take her back the next day!) We usually think that getting our own room is a luxury, whereas Aboriginal people tend to think it's awful! So when translating John 14, where many English versions have something like "In my Father's house are many rooms," we wanted to make sure that people didn't think God was going to be mean to Jesus' followers and force them to have their own rooms for eternity! Jesus' point is that there will be ample room for all his followers, not that we will be in isolation.

As a result of this desire to be close to others, and numerous other factors, Aboriginal homes typically have lots of people living together. And with nearly everyone being sent back to their communities and no longer being allowed out, overcrowding is an even bigger issue than usual. Furthermore, knowledge about germs and hygiene is often limited, and health clinics in remote communities are often understaffed. Hence, should Coronavirus get into a remote community, it will likely spread very rapidly. And unfortunately, many Aboriginal people will be especially vulnerable due to other pre-existing health conditions.

Give thanks that there has been no community transmission in the NT and that entry into Aboriginal communities is now restricted, and please pray that Coronavirus stays out! Also pray that the Christians in those communities will be a light to those around them. Of the few Aboriginal people I have spoken to recently, two Christian women talked about how they had been sharing the good news of Jesus with those around them, and how important that was right now. Also pray for provision of groceries and other supplies. Some homeland communities have been struggling to get enough food because of panic buying and quantity restrictions in towns. And even in Darwin, one of the women I spoke to was wondering how they can get toilet paper - they have not stocked up, and neither has anyone else in their community, and as soon as it appears on the shelves, it's gone. 

My work goes on

As many across the world face suffering and loss, I am fortunate that I have plenty of work that I can do from home. In fact, when the upcoming training, translation workshop and conference were first cancelled, I was a little relieved that I'd have more time to work on the Plain English Version* (PEV)! I've still got lots of books to revise, and terms to adjust, and pictures to find for the PEV Mini-Bible. And should all of that get done before restrictions are lifted, there are still a few big books of the New Testament and most of the Old Testament to be translated for future publications!

Please pray that my colleague and I will work well together remotely.

Please also pray that we will find ways to get in contact with Aboriginal people, if we have more questions about the translation of the PEV Mini-Bible that we need to check.

*The Plain English Version is a translation of the Bible that is designed for people who speak an Aboriginal language as their mother-tongue and don't speak Standard English.