Sunday, May 2, was a day of special celebration for the Apetina church. But not only for them, also for the Schoen family in the USA. After 61 years of translation work, the first copy of the complete Bible in the Wayana language could be presented to Nuwahe Aptuk, the headman of the Wayana, but also Ivan Schoen’s language helper for all those years.

Due to the pandemic, it was not possible for anyone from the Schoen family to be present at the ceremony. Fortunately, we were able to use modern technology and that way the ‘whole’ family could be present via ZOOM.

We have experienced unique and moving moments together. What a joy and what a gratitude to the Schoen family, but above all to God. In the church we sang a number of songs together for the family in America, who got up early to attend the Apetina church service online. Each of the elders thanked for the loyalty and dedication of Ivan and Doris, as well as for the generosity of the American brothers and sisters who supported this work over all these years.

Due to Nuwahe Aptuk’s poor health, the official handover was at his home. The family was also present, again via ZOOM. A life’s work has been completed. It is a great legacy for generations to come.

The following Monday morning we woke up and saw ‘no service’ on our phone. Now it often happens that during the rainy season we have no range in the morning for a few hours, so we were not to worried yet. A number of ZOOM appointments were scheduled for the first 3 days of the week. Only on Tuesday afternoon we had coverage again. We are depending people. If you experience this, our gratitude for the good connection last Sunday is even bigger.