Alexis and I with the first Proof Copies
This is the story of how an out of print New Testament came back to life.
It all started when Dr. David Odden, professor at the University of Ohio posted a selection of his works on the web. As a linguist and scholar of the Kikerewe language, Odden has spent years studying Bantu languages, including years in on Ukerewe island. During his time there in the 1980s, Dr. Odden compiled a dictionary, linguistic materials and a full Xerox copy of the Kikerewe New Testament for his later study.
Little did he know how God would be using him in our lives.
I contacted Dr. Odden in September of 2015, expressing my appreciation for the
linguistic works he had posted online, and relaying that my wife and I had
heard that LBT was seeking to send someone to the area in the coming years.
He replied by sending his entire life-work in Kikerewe. The Dictionary, linguistic works and an crumbling Xerox copy of the Kikerewe New Testament, hand copied in 1980. This was a remarkable find. The LBT surveyors who had recently been to the island could not find a copy of the New Testament available, as it had been out of print since 1945.
Immediately, we began work restoring the New Testament sent
to us by Dr. Odden. Pages needed to be straightened; dust marks removed with
Photoshop; black space needed to be cropped out, and print formatting needed to
be applied to the 571 pages. I was so excited for the work, that I worked
continuously at it for 4 days until it was completed.
It was though God was empowering me for the task. I thought to
myself, “If only I had this much vigor for my homework”. I still wonder if it
was a special empowerment. God desires fervently to bring salvation to these
people, I know it for I see the way He is working in the situation.
Who would’ve guessed that a 1980s Xerox by a secular university professor would revive and restore the New Testament for these Bible-less people?
Dr. David Odden - Professor of Linguistics
This is an illustration of the Before and After of the project.
Conversion of the Files into PDF took over 3 hours!
Cover design was done using Photoshop
The cover has some significance for those who are curious.
The front: The gospel (cross) shines as a light to a dark land
The spine: The land becomes filled with the light of Christ
Pictures of Jesus Death and Resurrection at the opening of the book of Matthew
The Romans Road is next to the table of Contents in the Interior
My favorite page - The Opening page after the Title Page shows John 3:16 and John 1:12
