In my early teens I asked God to give me a job worth spending the time and energy it would require. He answered beyond my wildest dreams.

What a privilege to study the language of a people group for whom God has put His own love in my heart, and in the process learn their culture, build deep relationships, and grow in my own understanding of truth. What a privilege to help bring God’s Word to people who have never had it in their heart language. I coordinated the translation of the New Testament into two Ethiopian languages. For several years I coordinated the translation of the Old Testament into one of those (Aari), and used a computer program called CARLA to get a rough draft of Scripture in a third language (Banna). (Click here for details about CARLA.) God graciously enabled me to complete rough drafts of the entire New Testament, Genesis, and Ruth in the Banna language while also ministering to my mother’s needs in Longview, Washington.

He took Mother home in January, 2008, and in August 2009 I returned to Ethiopia to continue working with the Banna translation team. The Banna New Testament was published this year (2015), and the Dedication is planned for August. The Jesus video is now available in the Banna language. We also want to make the Banna Scriptures available in audio form and to encourage Banna literacy.

I have become very excited about literacy evangelism. It has been used in Korea to reach over a million street children, in India to plant more than 10,000 cell/house churches between 1984 and 2001, and in many other countries with tremendous success. I’ve helped prepare Bible-content primers in two languages of southern Ethiopia. Now is the time to reach people for Christ and at the same time improve their health, life-expectancy, and standard of living by teaching them to read using these primers. Click here for details.

Thanks to my nephew Matthew Farnell for setting up this web site for me.