While the pandemic has caused a great deal of chaos and disruption in the world, there are some encouragements in the midst of it. In recent days, we had increased correspondence with our friends Dieudonné Sómé and Nebié Badiou in Burkina Faso. They have been able to find a printer to print the “stronger” Simple Truths books for distribution and use there. As we mentioned in an earlier post, the Simple Truths books that we had distributed have been wearing out due to the high amount of usage. 

While preparing for a new press run, Dieudonné has been able to have the Pougouli and Cerma translations rechecked and updated. Because the books have proved so helpful to the churches in Burkina Faso, we now have requests for additional printings of the book in both French and Jula/Dyula for churches in Mali.  

All of the logistics for printing and distribution should be completed this week and printing will begin at the first available opportunity. When the project is completed 5,000 books will be in the hands of church workers in two countries reaching Jula, Cerma, Bwaba, Pougouli, and French readers there. Our friends in Burkina Faso tell us that biblical material in tribal languages is so rarely available that each of the books will be used by multiple readers. That may explain why the first editions are so badly worn. 

The total cost of the project for translation review, printing, and distribution will be an estimated 3,800 USD.