The flight attendant looked at me, wondering why my eyes were watering. I asked for a soft drink, and continued reading Sleeping Coconuts. Macho or not, I think a few tears is a normal reaction to being freshly reminded of such intense disaster affecting close friends.
Our friends, John and Bonnie Nystrom, wrote a book about their adventures in Bible translation. Apparently, Bible translation in Papua New Guinea is not for whimps. This is a story of God’s grace, and His awesome ability to once again bring great good out of terrible tragedy. You might think that Bible translation sounds like a lot of detailed language work, with day after day of language learning, translating, and checking your work. It is, actually. It also involves a lot of support work (like I do). But there is also a serious element of spiritual warfare and a need for the kind of endurance that only God can empower you with.
This book is about real life with real people (most of whom Lori and I know) and real victory in Jesus Christ. I heartily recommend it. You can get a copy of Sleeping Coconuts from Amazon in paperback or Kindle format at mpj.cx/buyscb.