The Afrikers

Welcome!

Published September 29, 2008 Uncategorized 3 Comments

NEW: See our house on Google Maps.
Learn about our ministry at the About page.
Email us at the Contact page.
You can see many more photos of our family at Flickr.

Below is a video that gives a brief three minute introduction to what we are doing in Mozambique:

We are currently in need of monthly financial support. If you would like to give a one-time or monthly gift toward our ministry in Bible translation, visit Wycliffe.org/Give and click on “Give to a missionary ministry.”

Putting together Scripture programs for radio in Nyungwe

Published August 17, 2009 kfu Leave a Comment

Since photos of me working tend to involve boring shots of a bunch of guys sitting around looking at computers, I decided to jazz things up with these bright yellow suns. Pretty!

Photo: David trains Ilidio, Rogerio, and Nelson (top to bottom) in audio recording and editing.

	Welcome to the current Nyungwe office. It’s quite a nice little room although the sparrows chirping outside the window make it slightly noisy for making recordings.
	The Nyungwe translation team now has a nice new computer. In addition to translation they also store Scripture recordings which is what I’m working on here.
	The little silver gadget on the table is an audio recorder. These young men are translation reviewers and have been learning how to record Scripture readings and songs.
	Another silver gadget on the table is a Saber which is an audio player that can be powered by winding the crank. At this meeting I was showing the reviewers how to load audio from the computer onto the Saber.
	On my computer I’m showing them how to mix voice and music to make an introduction to a radio show. They are preparing radio programs with readings from the Nyungwe Bible.
	Nelson is holding a copy of the Gospel of Luke in Nyungwe. One of our goals is to record all translated Scripture so it can be played on the radio and gadgets like the Saber.

These guys are really sharp and excited to learn how to make recordings and edit them on the computer.

Here are some things to pray for:

Pray that we can get Scripture readings on the radio in Tete at an affordable price.
Pray for the six more Sabers that are coming to Tete to be used to play Scripture in churches.
Pray that Nyungwe people would be changed through hearing the good news about Jesus.

Ker Family Update: Water you doing?

Published July 23, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Our Land Rover overheated unexpectedly on our return journey from Nampula. When you leave Nampula, you embark on a 600-kilometer journey in no-man’s land with only two sizeable towns. Back in 2006 we had a series of tire blowouts on this stretch of road including a collapsed jack. While I was opening up the engine I had the comforting voices of two different mechanics helping me on my cellphone. Notice the cellphone tower in the background. Hilary and the kids went off in search of water and were helped by a lady who gracefully carried the water out of a steep gully while Hilary got out of breath just scrambling up the incline. Another thing to notice is the nice smooth road here which is probably why I overheated the engine. “How fast were you going,” asked Brad on the phone. “About 120,” I sheepishly replied. “And how old is the vehicle?” “Ten years old.” So it sounds like my days of flying in the turbocharged Landie might be over. Thankfully no major damage was done to the engine although the piston rings, turbo, water pump and more all have to be replaced. If only the whole road was as smooth as what you see here. About half is paved now but there is a solid 300 kilometers of bone-jarring broken pavement and potholes to navigate between Alto Molocue and Milange where we stayed with our friends the Shrums.

Another incident on this trip involved a “carta” that we were asked to pick up for a Mozambican friend in Mocuba. We managed to find the place where the letter was and it had grown into one suitcase, two 50 kg sacks of corn and a 25 kg sack of rice. I was not in the least surprised. Mozambicans are masters of understatement. Years ago I agreed to take a mother and baby to the hospital only to discover that the father, several siblings, suitcases and a live chicken were included in the statement “mother and baby.” The addition of all this grain on my roof was complicated by the facts that the sacks kept bursting open and it rained in torrents in Milange, so I spent a lot of time tying, wrapping and securing those sacks. Our friends Artur and Eliza were happy to receive the food so I can’t complain.

I’ll update you soon on what we accomplished during my month in Nampula. It’s an exciting project and went really well.