Download a printable copy of the August 2024 Beans'Talk.

A language tidbit

One interesting feature about the Quechua language family is how efficiently it uses its word roots. Instead of coming up with new words for different verbs, one often adds suffixes to create new words. Take the suffix -tsi for example, which means to cause or to allow (or -chi or -si in neighboring varieties.) So, if you have the verb root wanu- (to die), what do you think wanutsi means? English needs another verb: to kill.

Your turn to figure some out!

So, let’s say you’re learning a Quechua language. How would you translate the following verbs once the -tsi suffix is added to them? (See answers on page 2.)

Root     Meaning                 Add -tsi     New meaning

yacha-  to learn                  yachatsi

rika-     to see                    rikatsi

tantiya- to understand         tantiyatsi

reqi-     to know (someone)  reqitsi

kawa-   to live                     kawatsi

punu-   to sleep                   punutsi

puri-     to walk                    puritsi

Books under the microscope

Mark recently checked the book of Galatians for Sihuas Quechua. They have three epistles left to translate to finish their New Testament! Mark has been spending most of his time helping the Panao Quechua team be ready for an in-person check over the books of Numbers, Deuteronomy and Ruth. Keep reading…

Community check trip to Peru

The last half of August, Mark will be in Peru sitting in on the community check of the books just mentioned. People who were not part of the translation team come in from different villages and listen to the translation. They tell what they understand and answer any clarifying questions. This is a good check on how well the translation is understood and helps the translation team make any needed adjustments.

Supervisor and bodyguard

At the same time, Mark will be supervising two consultants-in-training as they take part in the community check. These two trainees are from Venezuela, and both are women. This last detail is why Patti will be accompanying Mark on this trip as his “bodyguard.” Travel dates are from August 14th to at least the 29th (depending on progress.)

Ups and downs

Last Beans’Talk we were so excited about our grandson Jeremiah’s clean no-cancer bone marrow biopsies. Unfortunately, he had another hospital stay since then. He’s home again, returning twice a week to the hospital for different treatments. That is an improvement from the four visits a week he was doing until recently. This was a tough turn of events. Next week Jeremiah turns 16.

Tell the doctor you need a band-aid

As we’ve mentioned previously, our daughter Emily and husband Blake are in Australia in ministry with international students. After weeks of increasing back pain, Emily took an ambulance to the hospital on June 13th. She discovered she is suffering from osteoporosis and has a couple acute compression fractures, many micro-fractures, stress fractures and general degeneration of her spinal column. After two weeks in the hospital, she was transferred to a rehab facility. She’s still there dealing with pain and trying to stand without assistance. This is a long process and it’s hard for the children to understand why their mommy is not at home. Elijah, age 3, offered this advice: Just tell the doctor to put a band-aid on it so it can get all better!

Praise and Prayer Requests

Praise for continued progress around the world in Bible translation. Pray for our trip to Peru in August: for good communication, profitable checking, encouraging relationships, and good health throughout.

Pray for continued progress towards health and healing for both Jeremiah and granddaughter Adeline. The doctors postponed the procedure to check Adeline’s kidneys until August.

Praise God for the help Emily and Blake’s local church and colleagues have provided. Praise that Blake’s mom arrived to help. Pray particularly for Blake who shoulders so much caring for his wife and three little ones (ages 5, 3, and 6 months). Pray for patience for all, relief from pain, and hearts that choose gratefulness and trust.

Answers to the quiz

To teach, show, explain, introduce, resurrect, put to bed, take someone for a walk (ex: a physical therapist walks a patient, or you walk your dog).

Thank you for your partnership with us. We hope that you are choosing to be still in God’s presence and to wait for him to act (Ps 37:7a). No matter what we face, he is faithful to see us through each day.

Mark and Patti Bean