Igreja Evangelica Presbyteriana iha Timor Leste

Tomorrow the Igreja Evangelica Presbiteriana iha Timor Leste will be holding their synod meeting. It will be held over two days - Tuesday 29th to Wednesday 30th November, 2011. This is a very important synod for the work of the gospel and our brothers and sisters in Timor-Leste would appreciate our prayers. For more information about the synod, please have a look at Rev. Rob Duncanson's blog. Rob will be attending the synod as an observer, representing the Presbyterian Church of Australia. Keep an eye on his blog over the next few days!

Outreach by the Roadside

This correspondence from Rev Arlindo Marcal probably doesn’t need any explanation with it – but I can’t help wondering what it would be like in Australia if gospel literature was so easily distributed and so readily accepted.

I was travelling from Dili to Maliana yesterday. On the way we passed through some Mambae subdistricts such as Hatolia.  I had three boxes of ‘Miguel’ book in my car.

We met many kids along the road and decided to distribute the books. We were able to distribute all three boxes. Kids liked it - when they saw us, they immediately ran to the car for the book. What they liked most was, as we explained to them, that the book has Mambae and English.

May God bless our project.           

                                  

Every child, I so strongly believe, deserves to read books is his own mother tongue – even more so the greatest book of all – the Bible! Please continue to pray for the translation of the Bible into the Tetun language and to also pray for opportunities in the future that the Bible can also be translated into Mambae. Pray for the Mambae-speaking people of Timor-Leste, that they may have a real thirst for the knowledge of God.

(PS - I've included some Wikipedia links for those of you who want to improve your knowledge of Timorese geography)

The Daughters of Joanna and Susanna

And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

Luke 8:3

The foreign mission movement, for a long time, was heavily supported by women. In small groups, at least around the English-speaking world, women would come together to pray and raise funds for missionaries spreading the gospel across the globe. They would give of their time, their money and their energy for His work. They were the Daughters of Joanna and Susanna.

They are still around today.

Raising funds by producing and selling
 a cookbook was once very popular

I have met them - a lot of them. Sadly, they are often undervalued in too many churches. They work quietly with what they have. Sometimes they give of their time and their knitting wool. Sometimes they bake cakes. They write letters to people serving overseas. They sent cheques. Many of them are old, have raise families and have served the Lord for decades. But they would never think of retiring from that service.

One faithful woman I know creates greeting cards and gives the proceeds to the work of the gospel overseas. Another woman makes handmade soap for His work. They are the Daughters of Joanna and Susanna. I thank God wholeheartedly for them.

Do you know any Daughters of Joanna and Susanna? Can you share their stories?

Gathered to his People

Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.       Genesis 25: 8

For those of us who have been following the blog diary of Pastor Douglas Duncan, witnessing his struggle with cancer and his inspiring faith, following his journey, reading his poems, we rejoice that he has now been 'gathered to his people' too. There is great sorrow in death but when a godly man dies, there is also rejoicing. His son has added a final entry to Doug's Diary pointing out the glorious news that Doug is now at the wedding banquet of the Lamb! How good is that!!

I knew Doug when he was living and working in Tasmania. He was, among many, many other things, captaining the Boys' Brigade.

My prayers and thoughts go out to his family.

Guess who's on holiday?

What a blessing to just have some time to relax and play! I was at Wordle having some fun. More serious posts coming soon...

Adam was a white man?

This week I read a class of 10 year olds my book, Mundu Ne'ebe Maromak Halo. They were very interested, but it wasn't until we got to this page that the real discussions took place:

"Wasn't Adam a white man?" asked one of the children. "It doesn't say in the Bible that he was a white man," I replied, "or black." They needed a moment to digest this and I went on to explain that the Bible doesn't tell us what Adam looked like at all. What the Bible does tell us is that from Adam and Eve came all the peoples of the world.

And then one of the children had an "Aha! moment" - those moments that every teacher knows is the reason they love being a teacher:

"That means we are all related!".

And the little pale skinned boy with freckles looked at his dark-skinned friend and grinned.

We are all related. Oh yes, we are!!

From Mandurah, With Love

I have never been to Mandurah in Western Australia, but I would like to go some time. And if I go, I would visit my friends at Peel Presbyterian Church. Not only did they buy a stack of my books but sent a love gift also. I am a little in awe of the fact that a congregation on the other side of the country, who have never met me, are praying for me and encouraging me. Maromak diak. God is good.

As plans are set in place for the publication of the next book, our great God is setting in place the means to publish it.

Radio interview

I was interviewed by Jenny Baxter of ultra106five, a Christian radio station in Hobart, Tasmania. You can hear the interview here.

Katoliku ka presbiterianu - ita sarani! Ita adore Maromak ida!

I will translate my title here for my non tetun-speaking friends: Catholic or Presbyterian - we are Christians. We all love the one God! I know for many Timorese it is heart-breaking when Catholics and Protestants cannot live together. But the Church doesn't belong to men, it belongs to the Living Christ. Please may I bring this article to your attention and ask you to pray for our friends in Timor-Leste.

Activity of another religion destabilize existence of Catholic Church *Suara Timor Lorosa’e, July 21, 2011 language source: Tetun

Many people are concerned about the existence of new religion in the country as it will threaten the existence of Catholic Church in the country. MPs from Fretilin yesterday met with Bishop for Dili Diocese, Monsignor Alberto Ricardo da Silva, talking about this issue, said MP Francisco Miranda Branco. "We are concerned about the new religions in the country, therefore we met with Bishop da Silva to talk about this issue," MP Branco said. It is important for the Catholic Church leaders to better strengthen their relationship with the state in dealing with issue

Her needle for the King

We are very excited to share with you that a new illustrator has come aboard Grasa Mesak. Jeana Blackert is a Geelong-based textile artist whose beautiful, poignant embroidery illustrations are perfect for the tender parable of the Prodigal Son. It is a big commitment for any artist to complete an entire children's picture book, but it is an even bigger challenge for a textile artist working in such a labour intense medium. But Jeana is also a committed Christian and for her this truly will be a labour of love for her King.

Please pray for Jeana as she does preparatory work for this project and don't forget to check out her website.

Some images from 'Miguel Nia Jardin'

We thought we would share some images from the book with you. If you don't already have a copy, please consider buying one, as we cannot publish another book for the children of Timor-Leste unless we raise the funds to do so. We sell the books in Australia for AU$10.00 which includes postage. Postage is not included for international sales, I am sorry.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy, or feel you may be able to sell multiple copies for us, please email us at grasa DOT mesak AT gmail DOT com (replacing 'AT' with '@' and 'DOT' with '.').

My son and I planted corn seeds in the ground with the intention of drowning them and photographing their demise. But monsoonal rains did it for us with perfect timing!

Scanned line drawings with photo collages. Corel PhotoPaint was the program I used for manipulating and cutting out the photos. The pages were put together in Corel Draw which I think works quite well for this type of publication.

I wanted to get a sort of tumbling downward feel to this. The line drawings have a touch of coloured pencil. The tree is the old mango that grew in our garden in Darwin and the snake is courtesy of my sister-in-law's father.

A book begins ... with an idea

Every book must start somewhere. Sometimes it begins with a casual suggestion. In this case, my brother suggested, 'Why not a parable?' Why indeed not? I put the idea to our friends in Timor-Leste. And at this stage it looks like the next book may be about the Prodigal Son. It is a case of...watch this space.
And watch closely, because I will not be writing it. Rather, it will be written in Timor-Leste. Most likely by one of the pastors of the Igreja Evangelica Presbiteriana ba Timor-Leste. They know their people. They know their culture. They can teach their children far better than I. It was never my intention to remain writing these books, although I am more than happy to continue the illustrating at this stage and certainly the publishing. But to be publishing books written by faithful men and women of the church in Timor - that was always my vision.

Please uphold this new venture in your prayers.

Ministry and the Body of Christ #3

'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.'

All things? Does that include where we are living, what church we are worshipping at? The good people of Geelong are spoilt for choice in their city with several churches faithfully proclaiming God's Word. We did not know, on leaving Darwin, where we would be worshipping in Geelong, to what congregation He was sending us. Naturally, I wanted a church that would support me in my ministry. But that wasn't the issue, was it? We have six young children who would like to make friends their own age - but joining a church because of the number of children in the congregation is not mentioned in the Scriptures. In fact, the idea of choosing a church by how it can serve you is to completely miss the point. Should we not be joining a church so that we can be better equipped to serve and worship the King? I think so - so we had to let Him who sent us here, send us where He willed.

So He sent us to Reformed Presbyterian Church, less than 2km from our front door, a dynamic congregation across the generations, with - yes! - lots of young children. Where the Word of God is faithfully preached every Sunday.

'Okay, Jo,' you may ask, 'where does your minsitry fit into all this?' Would you believe me if I told you that today I met a couple in this church who had a deep interest in Timor-Leste  and were passionate about the work of the gospel? Would you believe me if I told you they actually read this blog? Yes, maybe you would, if you believed that this was not mine but God's ministry. Yes, maybe you would if you knew that all things work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose. Ah, I love talking about His Providence!

The Joy of Books

A move from one end of the country to the other is always a big one, but especially when you move with eight people - and all their books. The removalists grumbled about the number of heavy book boxes they had to carry. They wanted to know if I was a teacher, because teachers always seem to have lots of books. I love books and it is probably more than being a teacher. For me it's genetic. It's in my blood, inherited from my father. For me, books are special. They contain all our stories, our knowledges, our heart - put down as words on paper for future generations. In some cultures, such as Indigenous Australian cultures, this is shared orally, passed down from generation to generation. In my culture, the word is printed, rather than spoken.

But our prayer is that throughout the world, the Word be both printed and spoken. It is so important that the Bible be translated into the languages of the world, and secondary to that, Christian literature be available in peoples' languages. And the Word of God must be spoken, shared in season and out, preached to the people, proclaimed from the hill tops.

The photo on the right is a part of one I have already shared with you, dear reader. But I wanted to share it again. Here is a little girl after my own heart, clutching her precious book. Welcome, little one, to the family of bibliophiles around the world. This may be your first book. I hope it won't be your last....

The Joy of Reading

Recently a small group of men from the PCA (Presbyterian Church of Australia) went to Timor Leste. High up in the mountains outside Dili they found this young man who read 'Miguel Nia Jardin' fluently in both Tetun and Mambae. In fact, according to Rev Robert Benn, he read it 'like a BBC commentator would read!!' Rev Rob Duncanson took the photo.

This is what it's all about!

Here are some photos of the book distribution in Timor-Leste that we wanted to share with you...

Children in the Paulus congregation, Subdistrict Remeixio, District Aileu

Distributing books in Caisabe, Outskirts of Dili

Boys of the Samaria congregation, Subdistrict Remeixio, District Aileu

More children from the Samaria congregation

Busy reading, Samaria congregation

Book handover in Samaria - Rev Arlindo Marcal with Rev Mario de Jesus

Our Country, Us Mob

We have left the Northern Territory and journeyed south and are currently house-hunting in Victoria. It is a true test of faith to be in limbo like this - trusting that our Heavenly Father knows and cares about our needs. Having a home, a part of the world that we claim as ours, marking our territory with our belongings, is very important to us humans. But sometimes, perhaps, too important. Sometimes we are struck with the realisation that this is not home, could never be home. We are all just travellers, passing through. Our country, our REAL country, is further than Outback. Our country is Way Beyond The Blue. And there is no comfortable 3 or 4 bedroom homes all with build-ins, waiting for us there. Oh no! There we have mansions. Mansions build to speck. 2000 years in the making. How good is that.


I learned a lot in the Northern Territory. One of the things I learned was how the Indigenous people view family. For teachers it was sometimes confusing, because a child would as likely be picked up from school by an auntie of other family member, as their actual parent. Children are looked after and valued by the whole community, and one's sisters children are as one's own.

Perhaps this is like the Body of Christ. We are all family. We are all one Mob. We all belong to that same Country. Is it suprising, therefore, that we can spend some much time and energy producing literature for the children of our brothers and sisters in Timor-Leste? Of course not. Because that is what we do.

Because we love each other.

Us Mob.

GPS

Yesterday was my last Sunday in Darwin and my family and I said our goodbyes to many dear friends that we have met in our 5 years in the Top End (of Australia). On Saturday we head 4 000 km south to make a new home in Geelong. In this day of almost instant communication, it's hard to imagine such a huge communication void - but the outback of Australia is a desert in more ways than one. Phone reception is in the occassional towns on the way. We won't have much chance of internet either. So this blog may go quiet for a little while.

My friends in Timor-Leste can certainly appreciate that. Communication is available (sometimes) in the capital, Dili, but in the rural areas phone reception and certainly internet access are scarce as hen's teeth.

It is a blessing for me, as for them, that God's Providential Support (GPS) is available everywhere on the planet. He always knows exactly where we are and what we need and hears our prayers.

So please include my family and me in your prayers next week and of course continue prayers for our brothers and sisters in Timor-Leste - particularly those in the remote rural areas.

White unto harvest

One of the most exciting aspects of 'Miguel Nia Jardin' is that it has a Mambae text. There are 5 to 7 districts in Timor-leste which speak Mambae  - Same, Aileu, Ainaro, Ermera, part of Dili, part of Manatuto and part of Liquisa.

This map from Wikipedia, while in German, does highlight the extend in which Mambae is spoken in the country. Please pray for the Presbyterian Church of Timor-Leste as they reach out to their people in these districts.

Money Matters

Navigating throught the murky waters of international money transfers became plain sailing thanks to the wonderful team at Winnellie Commonwealth Bank branch:  Stewart and Veronica, thank you!

I am thrilled to be posting copies of the book to people all over Australia. This project cannot happen without the financial support, interest and prayers of all of you.

The books should arrive in Timor tomorrow. I will try and track their adventures on this blog......

The Book is Printed!

Eight cartons of books!

Yesterday I went to the printers to collect the 1000 copies of the book that will be sold in Australia. The other 4000 will be on a boat to Dili on Wednesday.

If you want to buy a copy/copies, please contact us. We do need to sell copies in order to supply the books free of charge to our brothers and sisters in Timor-Leste.

It is thrilling to be able to see and hold in one's hand the product of months of work and planning. It is even more thrilling for me to hear of the plans of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Timor-Leste to use this resource for the futherance of His Kingdom.  Please, please, please pray for them as they bring the message of hope to their friends, families and communities, as well as promoting literacy and Christian literature, not for personal gain or national pride, but that the Name of Jesus be glorified, and His Kingdom advanced in that country.

Ministry and the Body of Christ #2

And so....I waited.

And then one day, Rev Robert Benn, former moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, came to town and talked to the the good folk at Darwin Presbyterian Church. He told us of the work that was being done by God's people in Timor-Leste and how these people desperately needed our help. He spoke compellingly and from the heart. Ah, may the Church always have such men who move mountains by speaking from their hearts as well as their heads. Yes, he moved mountains. Well, the mountainous island of Timor! Straight into the hearts of more than one person there!

Ministry and the Body of Christ

Whether you are involved in a ministry like Grasa Mesak, working overseas in some far away country or pastoring the congregation down the road, I guess you do not work and minister outside the Body of Christ. For those overseas, like in Timor-Leste, the prayers of faithful friends are cherished. For those even more isolated, there is also the knowledge that men and women of Christ have walked before them. We read the words of the apostles and many, many godly men and women through the ages, and we know we are part of a Kingdom that extends across the globe and back through time.

For me, there are so many people that I have met along my walk - people that God has put in my path because He wanted me walking in the direction of His choosing, by His abundant grace. One of these people was Phil Zamagias, former Flying Bible Man, who, at a difficult time in my life reminded me to wait on the Lord. I had no idea what God was preparing for me - a ministry that would use all the skills He had given me. Skills that had just been waiting dormant until now.

Wait on the Lord. It is a message I want to, in turn, pass on to all those who wonder what it is that God would have them do. Wait on the Lord. In His own time, He gives us the tasks that He wishes us to do. Sometimes we may feel so strongly there is something else, something more. Maybe there is. Wait on the Lord.

Thanks, Phil, for reminding me of that. Even if you don't remember the conversation. Many people in the Northern Territory were blessed by God through Phil during his time here. But my friends, Phil, in his best Arnie voice, dons his dark glasses and says "I'll be back!"

Teaching children about Timor-Leste

I am currently in the middle of a unit of work at Marrara Christian College where I am doing my practicum, teaching the children about Timor-Leste. They are learning about the people, place and culture as well as some basic words and phrases in Tetun. Their enthusiasm is wonderful to behold, and they go home and tell their parents all about it!
This unit of work is aimed at middle primary but can be modified for any primary classes. If anyone would like a copy of the material I have put together, let me know at: grasa DOT mesak AT gmail DOT com (replacing 'AT' with '@' and 'DOT' with '.')

Checking the Proofs

Yesterday I was at the printer's checking and signing the proofs for Miguel Nia Jardin. I wasn't expecting the printers to have the proofs ready so quickly. Fantastic stuff! They hope to be printing it on Friday, all being well. The printer and I are on the same page (excuse the pun) regarding the pursuit of quality. He is concerned with providing the right quality of paper to make the photo collages as sharp and clear as they can be. I am concerned that all aspects of the the production of this book be the best that they can be.

I would like to think it is not just about me, about my professional pride, but more about Him for whom the book is written, Him of whom the book speaks. A beautifully produced book about the Gospel message says more about how much we value that message than something rushed and careless. It actually costs very little extra to produce a book well than to print on cheaper paper and do a shoddy job. The difference is not so much in the money spend, but the care taken – the time spend! The book has taken months and months to produce – from writing, to organising translations, illustrating, designing, organising printing. But when it is a labour of love, these hours are as nothing. A thought to ponder on, perhaps, for all those involved in ministry, whatever it may be - all those hours given to Him: I have all eternity to recoup them, do I not?

Gone to press

Today, thanks to the donors who gave us enough for a small deposit, the book has gone to the printers. I have taken all the files for Miguel Nia Jardin to Hollands Print Solutions, who will print 5000 copies in glorious full colour for me! I am very excited, needless to say, and also have a lot of confidence that the printers will do a good job. They are the old fashioned family type of business - remember them? The kind that would always treat their customers like visiting dignitaries?

Hollands Print Solutions,  Palmerston, NT

When the book is printed, we plan to ship 4000 copies to Timor, and sell the remaining 1000 copies to raise money for printing and shipping costs.

Books AND rice!

According to the World Bank in 2009, the GDP (PPP), or  gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita, of Timor-Leste stood at 805, compared to Australia at 39,231. Although statistics over the past decade have improved a great deal, Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Although education was, for the vast majority, voted a national priority, the fact stands that for the average Timorese family, buying rice comes far ahead of buying books.

I want my books to be freely available to the people I write them for, but this is only possible through the generosity of those who can afford to help. I plan to print 5000 copies of Miguel Nia Jardin, ship 4000 copies to Timor and sell 1000 copies in Australia (and overseas). I plan to sell the books here at $10 each (includes postage for orders within Australia) - all the proceeds will go directly to printing and shipping costs and the distribution costs within Timor.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy, or feel you may be able to sell multiple copies for us, please email us at grasa DOT mesak AT gmail DOT com (replacing 'AT' with '@' and 'DOT' with '.').

Book #3 - Miguel Nia Jardin

My son Michael is 8 years old. He collects seeds and loves growing plants. Michael lives in the tropics where tropical plants thrive - but the geranium seeds sprouted, flourished a promise of green but then promptly withered and died. Michael was disappointed....but the seed of a story had been planted!

Miguel Nia Jardin is the story of a little boy who plants some corn seeds but a heavy monsoon rain washes his little crop away. Naturally he is disappointed, but his mother tells him a story. A wonderful story about a beautiful garden and a man called Adam and a woman called Eve. Miguel Nia Jardin tells the story of paradise lost, but the promise of paradise regained through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The gospel story is a story of comfort, a story for all people. No parent likes to see their child suffering loss, sorrow or pain  - but the Bible promises us in the Book of Revelation, that one day there will be no more tears. Miguel Nia Jardin concludes with that beautiful passage of hope.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this publication is the translations. Not only is it translated into Tetun, but Miguel Nia Jardin also includes Mambai text. After Tetun, which is the national language, Mambai is the most common language in Timor Leste. To gain a clearer understanding of the extend to which Mambai is spoken in Timor Leste, have a look here.  There is very little, if any, literature available in Mambai, but I pray that one day there will be a complete Bible translation available in that language.

The Tetun text of the book was translated by Rev Arlindo Marcal, who is the moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Timor Leste. The Mambai text was translated by Rev Carlos Marcal, of whom I have mentioned previously here.

The illustrations to the book are a combination of black and white line drawings and photographic collages. This was an exciting, rather novel approach for me and I want to thank the many people who made it possible, with modelling for photos or graciously sharing their own photos. As for my son Michael, not only did he inspire the story, but he was an excellent and expressive model for all my drawings.

Mother Tongues in Timor

This press release on Friday came from the Komisaun Nasional Edukasaun:

PRESS RELEASE
18 February, 2011

International Mother Language Day will be observed in Timor-Leste this year with the launch of a national debate on the “Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Policy for Timor-Leste”.

The policy was drafted by the Language in Education Working Group of the National Education Commission of Timor-Leste, with technical assistance provided by international Language-in-Education experts, Dr Carol Benson (Stockholm University) and Professor Joe Lo Bianco (Melbourne University) and a team of education specialists from Australia and the Ministry of Education of Portugal. It aims to:
Help children from all ethno-linguistic backgrounds to have access to the benefits of literacy and education;
 Assist the Government of Timor-Leste to meet the educational objectives defined in the National Education Strategic Plan and the Millennium Development Goals;
Preserve cultural and linguistic diversity as a means to achieving national unity, Peace and equitable development, as stipulated in the Constitution of the RDTL.
“50 years of research by UNESCO and other international organizations has demonstrated clearly that children acquire basic literacy skills best when the language of instruction in schools is the students’ home language or mother tongue”, says National Education Commission Chair, Ms Kirsty Sword Gusmão. “A strong early foundation in a child’s first language also facilitates learning of the official languages, in Timor-Leste’s case Tetum and Portuguese”, she adds.

Much progress has been made in Timor-Leste over the last 10 years since independence to deliver educational services to the nation’s children, with hundreds of new schools having been built, others rehabilitated and nation-wide teacher training being provided to the country’s educators. Nevertheless, much remains to be done to address high student drop-out rates and to ensure that school curriculum and learning materials are relevant to the lives and ethno-linguistic circumstances of students, many of whom speak one of some 20 indigenous languages at home and have minimal fluency in either of the official languages.

“The Ministry of Education is to be warmly congratulated for having supported this important policy initiative”, says UNICEF’s Representative in Timor-Leste, Mr Jun Kukita. “Language is at the heart of education. Mother tongue-based multilingual education is recognised internationally as an effective way of helping children to learn, whilst at the same time contributing to linguistic preservation, a strong sense of national identity, and enhanced community participation in the educational experiences of students”.

The launch of the national debate will take place at the Hotel Timor, Dili, at 11 am on Monday 21 February. For further information, please contact Mr Agustinho Caet (Language in Education Advisor, Ministry of Education) on +670-753 6739.

It will put you in the picture a little when, over the next few days, I share with you details of book #3.

Tetun for beginners #3

A note to explain the title of the second book:

Mundu is world. You can see the Portugese influence here, can't you?

Ne'ebé is which. The pronoun ne'e is that, this or it.

Maromak is the Tetun word for God.

Halo is the verb to make. Tetun is easy, my teacher told me. Verbs never change form. After struggling with the French language for years as a teenager, I must agree that verbs that stay right where they are certainly is a blessing!

Book #2 - Mundu ne'ebé Maromak halo

God made the world. The children look around them and everything that they can see has been made by God. Grandmother tells them the story of creation....

This is my second book - Mundu ne'ebé Maromak halo – or The World that God made. It represents a dramatically steep learning curve for me, because I decided to publish this book 'properly'. I had to learn what it means to become a publisher. I had to learn all about ISBNs and how to use them. I needed to know the legal requirements for published matter and I had to learn to talk to printers. By the grace of God, the cheapest quote I had was from a local man who had a vast deal of experience in printing for Timor Leste and could advise me on many aspects of the job, including choosing suitable paper.

I decided to print under the imprint Grasa Mesak, which I have already translated for you here. The print run was very small, just 500 copies, but was funded exclusively by a very special group of people: the tiny congregation of Seaford Presbyterian Church. Their support was invaluable!

God made the birds and fish.....

The book was translated by Samuel Marcal, the man who translated the first of my books. It concludes with a Tetun translation of Psalm 8. The illustrations were done entirely on my computer using Corel Painter - a program that imitates artist's media and methods. It was tremendous fun but took a lot of hard work.

I was very blessed in that I was able to take the entire print run to Timor myself, thanks to the generousity of friends and family. It was wonderful to be able to meet some of the people to whom I had only previously communicated by email. I also met some very friendly children who patiently talked with me, despite my slow and awkward Tetun. It was much harder to understand the adults, who spoke too fast, but in Timor, so many people will respond to the minimal amount of dialogue. Everywhere I went, people would smile and respond to 'Bondia!'

In Dili, I handed out copies of the books to children in Sunday School. In Liquica, a young boy delighted me by reading my book to me in Tetun. In Gleno Town, a group of little boys were itching to peek into the box I brought.....full of books.

A girl in Dili reads her new book

Boys in Gleno Town examining
'Mundu ne'ebé Maromak halo'

Tetun for beginners #2

Timotio Nia Istoria is translated as Timothy's Story.
Nia is the attributive possessive pronoun. It follows the personal pronoun.
Ha'u is the pronoun I or me.
Thus, my book is ha'u nia livru.

Tetun for Beginners #1

If you have wondered about our imprint, our name, Grasa Mesak, and want to know what it means, please let me translate:

Grasa means grace.
Mesak means only or alone.
Thus Grasa Mesak is translated as Grace Alone. Or if you prefer it in Latin, Sola Gratia.

Interrupted by Carlos

I was busy telling you the story of my books and how they came about - until I was rudely interrupted by Carlos.

Who's Carlos?

Not the Rev Carlos Marcal, who is one of the men who translated my most recent book, and also one of the men responsible for the translation of the Bible into Tetun Prasa. Oh no, Rev Carlos is a polite and godly man whose work is a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Timor Leste.

No, this particular Carlos was Tropical Cyclone Carlos, who came to visit Darwin, caused a lot of rain, flooding, fallen trees and general mess. We lost power for 12 hours and had no internet connection for a couple of days so I was unable to ensure everyone that Carlos's bark was worse than his bite. Or rather, that our great God, who controls the wind and the waves, has, in His mercy, left Darwin soggy, but by and large, safe.

Book #1 - Timotio Nia Istoria

Kindergarten children at Gleno Town with new books!

In the New Testament there is a young pastor who has been faithfully taught the Word of God by his mother and his grandmother. The young man's name is, of course, Timothy, and those two godly women in his life are still remembered today, 2000 years on.

All over the world, and throughout generations, women of God have taught their children and grandchildren the story of God's plan for our lives. It is this wonderful oral tradition that is celebrated in 'Timotio Nia Istoria'. Timotio's grandmother tells the children the story of Christmas, of the birth of a Child who becomes our Saviour. As she tells the story, young Timotio becomes increasingly aware that this story is personal - it is his story too.

For many children, this was the first book
they had ever owned.

This book, my first, was completed in a relatively short period of time. A group of men from Australia were travelling to Timor and it seemed good that they take copies of this book with them as gifts. The men were Rev Robert Benn, Rev Gary Ware and Rev Rob Duncanson. You can read all about that trip here. Gary's blog presents a richly detailed daily account of their time in Timor - certainly recommended reading!

The book was funded by the Education Committee of the GAA of the Presbyterian Church of Australia - and I thank them for that.

In an interesting cultural aside, the book features traditional Timorese motifs on some of the pages. At the time of illustrating the book, the Museum and Art gallery of the Northern Territory was holding a fantastic exhibition of traditional arts and crafts from Timor Leste. (For all you arts and crafts lovers, the exhibition was this one)

Crazy idea . . . but a good one!

Bondia friends. As I organise the printing of my third book, I feel it is time to tell the story of this ministry.

It all began...when the formal Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, Rev Robert Benn, came to Darwin to talk to us about the newly formed Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Timor Leste. Like many Australians, my knowledge about Timor Leste was dreadfully inadequate. They were little more than an item on the news. We saw the horrific images, we heard the stories of their fight for independence but we knew so little about who the people really were. We didn't even know what language they spoke. Sure, we knew that they suffered in WWII as a result of helping our soldiers, but even this history failed to become part of our popular culture like the tales of Kokoda and the people from Papua.

Maybe because of this ignorance, because so much research had to go into the basic things like literacy, languages and resources, it wasn't until several months later, in December 2008, that I decided that the only way I could send children's Christian literature in a language that both the children and their parents could read, was to send books in Tetun, the national language. As there were no such books in the world, they had to be produced from scratch and translated into Tetun. I threw the idea at Robert Benn and his reply came back...: "Crazy idea . . . but a good one!"

And so began...'Timotio Nia Istoria'.