Since returning from Canada, my part on Sweeter Than Honey is done. Thank you for all your encouragement and prayers regarding this book. They are much appreciated.
Below is just some more information about the book for those interested.
Synopsis of Sweeter Than Honey
Bible teachers Peter and Leah Humphreys struggled for years to bring the Good News to the monolingual Manjui people who lived in the remote Chaco desert of northwest Paraguay. Yet, after witnessing a mass response to “believe in God’s Word” among the Manjui in 1988, the Humphreys noticed that the people still held tightly to their animistic beliefs beneath a thin veneer of Christianity.
As they tried to figure out what went wrong, they learned that even with the best efforts and intentions, the Gospel can be confused if it is mixed with another religious worldview.
Sweeter Than Honey is a case study on presenting the Gospel — clearly, accurately and objectively — in the same way that Jesus Himself told it on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. Gleaning lessons from teaching the Manjuis, it highlights the importance of understanding the audience’s culture and worldview in light of the Bible’s message.
Chaco desert in Paraguay
Peter and Leah Humphreys
Progress of Sweeter Than Honey
I spent one week interviewing the Humphreys in Peter's sister's home and looking through their pictures. They graciously shared their story with me despite their busy schedule.Over the next year and a half, I worked on Sweeter Than Honey while Derek and I planned our wedding, got married in Chicago and settled back in Idaho. I finished my draft in February 2006 and submitted it to John.
May 2006: Finalizing the STH manuscript with John, Peter & Leah at the GoodSeed Canada office in Olds, Alberta.
Over six days, we worked on accuracy, balance and a final critique (see this earlier entry for details). The entire printed manuscript was laid out on the table behind us so we could refer to it at a glance. We made many good improvements, especially in terms of doctrinal clarity and in the flow of the story. I thank God for a productive (and fun!) week.What's next?
Well, my part is done. But much still has to happen before the book is published. GoodSeed's Paul Humphreys (and Peter's brother) will be writing commentary inserts to expand on certain topics, such as common problems in evangelism and solutions for those problems. Then the book will go through the processes of editing, layout/design and proofreading.
I am not sure when this will all be completed, but I was told that it will take at least a year. GoodSeed has limited staff working on many projects at once, so patience always comes in handy :). The good news is, the book has an ISBN number, so it is on its way to be published!
More on the Manjui:
I love this recent update from Jeff Hunt, who is currently serving the Manjui church in Paraguay. Jeff is the son of Gordie & Nancy Hunt, the Humphreys' co-workers who are translating the Bible into Manjui. The former witchdoctor mentioned in Jeff's story, La'eenis (or Laanis), is one of the main characters in Sweeter Than Honey. I have gotten to "know" him through writing this book, and I can't wait to meet him in heaven one day!
About Sweeter Than Honey from our old site (with pics of the Manjuis).
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