Mazima College Newsletter - Luganda Translation Appeal

Translation into the "Second Official Language" - Luganda

Dear friends and partners,

The writing journey for us is still far from over. Up to date, we have completed the drafting, editing, field-testing, and review of our first English course (How to Understand and Use the Bible in Your Life). We have also started on the second of five phases of translating this same course to Luganda, drafted six lessons for the second course (How to Understand Biblical Narratives), and three lessons on how to preach/share a scripture message.

Luganda is the second most widely spoken language in Uganda. Some people argue that it is the "second official language" after English. This was one of our motivations to quickly start on this translation project. The other motivation is the fact that we have always worked with the peri-urban and (mostly) rural churches and groups to equip the leaders and believers with the foundational skills of how to understand the Bible; many of these believers use their mother tongues in their respective ministries.

The Luganda Project is the first translation project we are undertaking and we trust that as training spreads further out of the Central region, we will embark on other translation projects. It is our hope that by the end of this year we will have a Luganda Facilitator Manual ready for field testing in the coming year. We are working closely with DMS Inspirations Media under the auspices of Mr. Douglas Ssemaganda, a friend and partner of the ministry who offered to undertake the Luganda Translation Project at subsidized rates. We are grateful to God and to them. We are very thankful for the generous gifts made towards translation work so far.

We would like to appeal to you to consider making a special donation towards the Luganda Translation Project. Our target is to raise UGX 2 million that would cover this particular project. For options on how to donate, please click on the Donations button below. For further inquiries, please reply to this newsletter or reach us at admin@mazimacollege.org.

Clockwise: Ivan Skinner, Davis Tugume, Martin Etter, Simon Nyaika, and Ivan Gahiire during a curriculum discussion via Zoom in April 2021

With regard to the second arm of the training in community livelihoods and development that we offer, preparations are on to kick-start new groups to undergo TD (Transformational Development) training in the greater Masaka region. We will be conducting a one-day pre-workshop seminar with partnering churches at the end of November in preparation for the five-day TD1 workshop at a later date. In the afternoon of the same day, we will hold a follow-up meeting with a group of 20 TD practitioners who will share their experiences, success and failure stories, a time to encourage one another on the journey of transforming their communities, one at a time.

We give thanks for:

God’s providence and sustenance since the transition began in August 2019 and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our partners who have faithfully supported the work and the ministry by giving financially or otherwise.
The new tenant who occupied our residential house property in May.

Please pray with us that:

The Lord will provide resources (financial and human) to embark on the renewed journey of the ministry of Mazima College.
The TD workshops will be fruitful.
Our partner churches and institutions will be able to plan for training in these times – especially with the restrictions that require social-distancing.