We have been finished with language classes for about a month. Our final presentations have been postponed indefinitely. So now Kali and I are getting used to life after language class which includes me working from our home in Medan. Of course with the self-isolation orders and social distancing measures being taken this isn’t exactly the regular routine that we will eventually be getting used to, but we must get used to it for the time being. This time has allowed me to focus on the Indonesian Hymnal, study, and look forward to the projects that are waiting at the other end of the isolation.
The plan was always to do a majority of work from my home study here in Medan. The self-isolation and social distancing efforts to slow the spread of covid-19 have provided ample time to focus on the Indonesian Hymnal project. Right now we are working through some of the nitty-gritty editing and formatting. At the moment there are two major editing and formatting projects that I am working on.
First is the proofing of all hymns that have already been translated and set to music. This is mainly checking for typos, and making sure the division of syllables is correct. If you think that doing this in Indonesian makes it more difficult for me. You’d be correct. It is not exactly how I imagined keeping up with my language learning, but it no doubt helps.
This task requires rudimentary knowledge of the Finale music program and knowledge of Indonesian. I have just enough knowledge in both to start working through it. Once the self isolation mandates ease up a bit I will be meeting with a local pastor in the Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church (GKLI) to double check and proof all the hymns again.
The second big task that I am working on is formatting the Psalms for the hymnal. The GKLI hymnal committee was adamant that the Psalms be included in this hymnal, all of them. So I am busy editing the Teks Alkitab Terjemahan Baru from the Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia (The New Translation of the Text of the Bible from the Indonesian Bible Institute). Thankfully much of this work has already been done by previous workers in Indonesia. We already have an electronic document with the text of all 150 Psalms, which I am formatting to the specifications of the new hymnal. It’s tedious and sometimes I wish someone else was doing it, but it is an important job for me because it helps to keep the GKLI hymnal committee focused on translation and obtaining all the necessary copyrights.
This is obviously not how I imagined ministry would look after language learning, but like most people around the world today, we must adapt and adjust expectations. It is important for me to remember that this new hymnal is important to the ministry of the GKLI. All the tediousness and editing will pay off as the GKLI uses this new hymnal as a tool to educate their members and bring people into the worship life of Christ’s church.
Nevertheless, I look forward to when the self isolation comes to an end and opportunities to teach at conferences and meetings return. The pastors and elders of the GKLI have a lot of questions about prayer so that might be in the future. The GKLI leadership would like to better understand the Augsburg Confession. So that is another possible topic of a future meeting or conference. This time of Isolation has provided ample time for study in both of these areas.
I also look forward to being able to work with Bishop Esra Sinaga and Pastor Eben Ezer Aruan on developing a Christian education podcast which will be able to reach the congregations in the smaller villages around Sumatra. These will be a series of podcasts focused on the Small Catechism and taught at about a confirmation class level. I will be working with Pastor Eben Ezer Aruan to produce each episode and with Bishop Esra Sinaga on the best way to disseminate each podcast.