Ernie’s Blog

Last week a Daily News Record article highlighted a great man from Nepal working on translating and editing a series of Old Testament commentaries here in Harrisonburg, Virginia
(http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=print)

I had the privilege of taking Laknoth to our small group and then meeting him for lunch the following day. We are like-minded in many ways - principally in is desire to equip, train and reach his people using different mediums - like film/video. He has invited me to help him make some productions in Nepal. He claims that were a contextualized video such as “The Good Samaritan” to be produced, he could get the production on national T.V. (in a country of 27 Million people). What a tremendous opportunity and a lot to chew on! Apart from the airfare, Laknoth claims that such a production could be done for $3,000! Amazing!

Below is a copy of the article.

Bible Translation Writer’s ‘Calling’

Author(s): TOM MITCHELL, Daily News-Record Date: February 19, 2007 Section: Front Page
HARRISONBURG - In the past year, Laknoth Manaen has seen lots of change in Nepal, and over the next few months he hopes to bring more. Manaen, a freelance writer who turns 60 on Feb. 28, feels driven to steer his nation’s newly liberated people toward God. The timing, he says, has never been better.
“There is a whole new environment in Nepal,” said Manaen, referring to last year’s coup that toppled the Asian nation’s centuries-old monarchy. “I feel a calling.”
His means of further nudging his nation to a brighter future, says Manaen, involves a project meant to make reading Scripture easier: the translation of the Bible’s Old Testament books from English into the language of Nepali. Manaen’s job is part of a broader plan to bring Scripture to interested eyes.
With the help of Harrisonburg-based Manna Publications, which globally spreads Christian literature, Manaen has spent the last month in the city proofreading the final draft of his translation, which Manna is publishing the text.
While changing the Bible from one tongue to another is no snap, given Nepal’s broad illiteracy, Manaen feels that Manna’s simpler English wording lessens the task. Manaen translated the Old Testament to Nepali using Manna’s English version.
“For many years, Fred’s publication has put out easy to read English, and that caught my eye,” said Manaen, alluding to Manna author-publisher Fred Morris of Harrisonburg.
“In Nepal, most people in rural areas need lots of books that are easy to read. Most all who want to understand the Bible buy it, if they can read it or not.”
For years, more than ignorance blocked Nepal’s path to Christianity, said Manaen. The Asian country’s prominent Hindu faith trumped other religions.
“Back in the 1950s, there were hardly any Christians in Nepal,” said Manaen. “Today, there are more than 600,000.”
Manaen, who is married with two daughters, was born in northeastern India, a grandson of his family’s first Christian. Manaen’s father, like many Christians in India before 1990, was harassed for his faith. Other Christians, said Manaen, were jailed. In the early 1990s, lawmakers in Nepal relaxed religious controls, opting not to enforce anti-Christian laws still on the books.
Buoyed by change, Manaen believes that Nepalese will embrace the Bible, particularly as the country sheds what Manaen sees as Hinduism’s socially oppressive ways. Nepal is ripe for a faith that preaches peace, especially after enduring an 11-year civil war that, according to Manaen, finally ended last spring after claiming 13,000 lives.
“I base my optimism on what I observe,” said Manaen. “New thoughts, new ideas are coming out. There is hope that Christianity will have a big presence there in the future.”
Those close to Manaen agree that his translations will touch lives.
“There are Nepalese all over the world,” said Morris, the publisher. “They’ll be wanting this translation when he’s finished.”
Contact Tom Mitchell at 574-6275 or mitchell@dnronline.com