Remember from my last update where I said “I wish that I had looked up quicker to get more of his celebration walk! I will tell you more about Konamby in my next update?” Well, here it is: the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say, ha!
Celebrate Konamby with us!
Konamby was not the first translator to work with William Butler, but he has a story of faith that I would like to share with you. William and his family moved to Likan in 1979. Konamby started on the team as a checker in 2002. He served as a “checker.” This means that he would attend the checking sessions, and see if the recent translation made sense. He was a very good reader. He understood well, what he was doing and the impact that it would have on the Waran people. He knew then, as he knows now, the importance of a person being able to read God’s word in their heart language.
Fast forward to 2016; Konamby was diagnosed with spinal TB. He was horribly ill. His family wanted him to go to a “glassman” for healing. That is how they “took care of things” in the past. It was all they knew, until the Word of God made its way to them. Some still believe that going to a glassman is the way, even though God is the only way. A glassman is a sorcerer; someone who practices black magic. They are able to determine sources of illnesses, so the people believed that it would help Konamby. My first experience with that was in Mawan when I stayed there during my training in 2014. Most of my village knows the truth, but some think a glassman is the way to go.
Konamby refused the pleas and demands of his family, saying that he believed that God was the ultimate God, and if Konamby were to be healed, it would be by God’s hand. Konamby held fast to his faith, and was flown to Madang to be admitted to the haus sik. He could no longer walk, or do things for himself, but he held true to his faith in the One who could heal him. After 6 months of treatment and lots of prayer, God healed him and he went back to his village.
I want to show you a series of photos of Konamby after being healed. I wish I had a photo of him before he got sick, but I don’t have one to share.
Konamby July 2016
… when he insisted (sweetly) to come to work with the Waran team on the translation project at our office. William and a friend are helping him from the land cruiser to the wheelchair, and then William carried Konamby upstairs to work. THAT is dedication to a worthwhile project!
The copies of the Waran New Testament have not made it to Madang yet, but they have made it to the port in Lae, Papua New Guinea. William is planning to drive to Lae to bring them to Madang himself. Then he will fly to deliver them into the hands of those Waran people who have waited all their lives to receive them – the Word of God in their heart language.
Robin Butler is in America. She was happy to share this precious photo of her holding an advanced copy of the Waran New Testament.
When the books finally make it to Madang, William will fly with them to Likan and take a canoe to Yar, delivering books as they go, to the people who have waited a lifetime to receive the Word of God in their own heart language. What a joy that will be! Konamby will be in the middle of this, I am sure! He will be a leader, teaching his people the ways of God as he has for decades.
The next step is for the Waran people to learn to read and truly understand God’s Word. This will be so much easier for them now, because the Good News is coming to them in the language of their hearts. Some will need to learn to read Waran.
This is the closing of one chapter, and the beginning of another.
Please keep the Waran people and William and Robin Butler in your prayers. This is an interesting space for all of them. William and Robin have devoted their lives to translating the Word of God into the Waran language. The Waran people have either had them in their villages, living daily life with them, or were traveling back and forth continuing the translation work. This is the beginning of a new chapter of life for many.
Please continue to pray for the Waran people, the Butler family, and all of us who you already pray for on a daily basis. We all need your prayers.
Aaaand since I am slow in getting this out to you, (I apologize, I have had internet troubles), I can proudly say that William and Bethaney (their daughter) have already come back from picking up the Waran Bibles!
They just heard from Robin’s brother in law that he will be the pilot who flies William and Bethaney out to Likan to deliver the Bibles. How exciting is that?!? They hope to make it happen next week.
Enjoy these 2 videos from my previous blog post!
They are near and dear to my heart!
Our PBT media team came from America to film the dedication festivities.
This video has William narrating.
