Behind the scenes

So much happens "behind the scenes" here in Kosovo that it's difficult to keep up. Here's one example.

Over the past year, and with no fanfare at all, my partner Wes Dingman has worked diligently to help produce the first Study Bible in the Albanian language that is a translation.

A couple years ago, Wes made contact with Vladimir Dervishi (his photo is on the right). Vladimir is the Allbanian scholar who translated the New Testament into his native tongue from the original Greek. He's working on the Old Testament, being half-way through Job. The Bible most often used before this wasn’t a translation from Greek and Hebrew, but a translation made from Italian, and of dubious quality. Vladimir's project was ambitious. He had permission from the Ryrie Study Bible folks to produce an actual translation, complete with all that Ryrie has to offer. As large as producing a translation is, it's much larger to integrate the new text with the thousands of citations and references that come from Ryrie.

Through the internet, Wes and Vladimir have become friends. Wes had a degree in Albanian, and he has a lot of experience with translating and publishing literature. I think Wes also realized how big a task this is, and how important will be to the churches here. He offered to help Vladimir. Wes and Vladimir have become partners in this Study Bible venture.

Well, I said "venture." That's a misnomer. For Wes, this is all a labor of love. It's also something that had to be done, literally, one keystroke at a time. Wes has had some help with proofreading, but most all of what's been done has fallen on his shoulders. With the permission of CNS, most of his time in ministry this past year has been devoted to this.

Here's where Wes' attention to detail; the amount of concentration needed to pull this off is beyond the strength of mere mortals. While something like this would have driven me crazy, it's right in Wes' arena. God has placed the right person in the right place at the right time.

There's even pathos. Wes is racing against the clock. Valdimir is critically ill with a cancerous brain tumor that will likely soon take his life. It is Valdimir's wish to see this done before he dies. Wes is getting closer to finishing every day, but there's still a lot to do. Please remember Valdimir in your prayers.

This project will reach the entire nation. For the first time, believers in Kosovo, Albania, and Macedonia will be able to study Scripture deeply in their native tongue. May God be praised!

I've already witnessed an echo effect. This endeavor is giving rise to other ones. It is exciting; I feel like I'm seeing history in the making. Come to think of it, things were just like this in most the churches I've served. Those things which have the biggest impact are often "behind the scenes."