The travel restrictions in Indonesia loosened up a bit in August and September. I took advantage of that and traveled from Medan to Jakarta to work with our theological translator, Pastor Eben Ezer Aruan, on some of the new translations for the BIL. His translations are already quite good, but we both want these translations to be the best they can be. So we reviewed his translations and enhanced them a bit.
We developed a process. We sing Pastor Eben Ezer’s translation and smooth out any places that are difficult to sing. We then review the rhyming pattern and see where that can be improved. Then finally sing the hymn through once or twice to make sure everything still fits together. Using this process we have been able to get through six to eight hymns a day.
I also recently had the privilege of visiting the GKLI offices in Sihabonghabong, Indonesia. We were able to get most of the GKLI Hymnal Committee together and review the first draft of several portions of the BIL: the GKLI liturgy, the historic liturgy, Matins, Vespers, general petitions and thanksgivings, Luther’s Small Catechism, the Psalms, and the lectionary. We completed much of the needed proof reading and divided the hymns so members of the committee can complete a proof read before our next meeting.
This work is tedious and sometimes boring, but it is absolutely necessary. The GKLI desires to publish a quality hymnal that will strengthen the church for many years. They have asked for help and what a blessing for us to be able to respond. So we are working together to create a work that will endure for generations. I believe that we are on track to accomplish this goal.
Another blessing of this meeting was the opportunity to strengthen my Indonesian. There was no translator at these meetings which spanned over two days. I was able to lead about 8 hours of the meetings and discussions in Bahasa Indonesia. The meetings were not the most challenging part, because I was prepared for that. I prepared vocabulary, sentences, idioms, etc. The most challenging part was the meals. Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner full of Indonesian. It was challenging, exhausting,—I was ready for bed by 7:00 p.m. each night—and also tremendously encouraging. The societal and governmental response to covid-19 has made prolonged conversation in Indonesian difficult to find. But these meetings in Sihabonghabong revealed that even these difficulties did not keep my language from continuing to develop. Certainly there is much more to learn, but Kali and I both continue in the right direction, however slowly that might be.