Grandma Sese
Whenever Ross, a Scripture Engagement worker for the Baki people in Vanuatu, and Lyndal, his wife, visited Grandma Sese’s village, she made sure a room was prepared for them to sleep in. As soon as she got wind that they had arrived, she’d stagger across the village square to where they stayed as fast as her arthritic knees could carry her, granddaughters in tow, with meal upon meal—sometimes even carrying fried squid, which she’d speared especially for them on the reef.
Despite Grandma Sese’s difficult life, she powered on. She had been one of the few solid supporters of the Baki translation project over the years. She had helped with community checking, done much of the audio recording of the New Testament, and turned up at every teaching event Ross and Lyndal had conducted over the last three years.
When Ross and Lyndal arrived at her village in October for the dedication of the Baki New Testament, they were surprised that she was nowhere to be seen. Her knees had finally failed her! She hadn’t left her house much in recent months. But, according to Ross, “Those knee joints rallied again on the eve of the dedication and she attended the whole meeting. Beautiful.” Ross supported her—like he was giving away the bride—as she shuffled out to receive her gift and certificate of involvement in the project. Now that was a special moment!
A tinge of sadness pervaded the dedication of the Baki New Testament. Both translators—Timothy, the first one, and then Pastor Kora, who succeeded him—had died. Pastor Kora had recorded, along with a few others, half of the New Testament in audio independently. Ross was surprised when, on dedication day, he demonstrated the use of the audio player and heard Pastor Kora’s voice booming out. Despite the shock, it was a nice reminder and preservation of more than 15 years of Pastor Kora’s untiring work on the translation.
After the dedication, before they left, Ross and Lyndal visited Grandma Sese in her tiny two-room house. One of Grandma Sese’s granddaughters was sprawled out asleep on the mattress on the floor, and the other was engrossed with what Grandma Sese was listening to—the Baki New Testament on her audio player that had just been launched that morning.
You helped make life-giving Scripture accessible for Grandma Sese and her granddaughters by giving to our Media Solutions. Thank you! Consider giving to those who are still waiting.
Ross asks us to pray for Grandma Sese, “for her to instill God’s values, especially the love for his Word, into her granddaughters.” Please also pray that the Baki people would read or listen to the Word they bought and lap up the lavish, life-giving sustenance that the Lord provides for his children.
