great controversy book work

in cambodia

3 Comments / travel spreading 1858gc / September 26, 2008


Came by bus on Wednesday morning to Poi Pet, and spent the obligatory one whole day in a hotel. Everything looked about the same from 16 months ago, but glad the road was dry this time so just got dust instead of mud 🙂 Interesting to see that at the border anyway, everything is in Thai baht now instead of partly usd and thb as in the past. One thing that really irritated me, was that the visa officers would not, absolutely would not process my visa application for the 20usd as required. There was one shop on the Thai side selling Cambodian “express visas” for 1,200thb (36usd) which of course i declined, but could not get around the official visa officers. I asked the immigration officers after they stamped my passport if the visa price was still $25, and they assured me it was. When i told them i was forced to pay $25, they put their eyes down and mumbled something about “probably needing money”. Cambodia, you will never get strong doing bad stuff like this.

The bus ride the next morning on Captial Tour was supposed to be from 6:30 – around 1:30, but was from 7 – 3:30. The super-bumpy road to Sisaphon has been asphalted, so is very smooth now, so smooth in fact that the bus can stop 3 times for food instead of the normal one or two….. I was hoping to arrive in Phnom Penh and get to the pastor’s house where i’m staying by 3:30, as a group was waiting for me to introduce the 1858 Great Controversy to them, but didn’t make it until 3:45, after i had to point the way to the moto-taxi driver who had assured me he knew the place…right.

But this morning was nice in going to the Mission. I met a pastor who says someone copied the Vietnamese 1858gc for him, and now he is using that with his Vietnamese contacts – 17 members. Then the Mission receptionist called me in her office, and showed me the list she has for the number of books left in storage, and talked a bit about how they are getting spread around a bit. Then i met the man who is acting as director. He was very supportive, and said i could have the Mission morning devotional next Wed, Thur, Fri – so of course – the Khmer 1858gc will be the studied object 🙂 Also i got permission from the main Mission church leader to give a 2 – 3 minute introduction to the book tomorrow morning during church service.

All your prayers are very much welcomed and needed.

selling tamil great controversy books

4 Comments / travel spreading 1858gc / August 31, 2008


Went to a Tamil-speaking campmeeting this weekend, and was able to sell, by God’s grace, 57 newly-printed 1858 edition Tamil The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels, and Satan and His Angels books 🙂 Yes, of course the pastor and i were hoping for many more, but like he said, this is like a ripple in a pond. When the books get read, and the people get excited to share them with others, they will tell this one and that one and these precious words from God WILL be spread widely.

You’ve got to start somewhere.

Now if they could just change the dance-party atmosphere to something nice where God’s angels wouldn’t have to leave….

million dollar movie

2 Comments / great controversy book work / August 28, 2008


A couple of weeks ago i went up to Kuala Lumpur and met a man who owns an animation studio. That studio makes animated TV shows for various countries, and other design and art work. At that time i did not ask him the actual cost of producing a full-length animated movie, as i (and he) knew i don’t have the money for it, plus he steered the conversation more towards drawing stills first for a manga instead of launching full-body into a movie, which is wise i think. But a friend asked me how much it would cost to make, so i asked him the other day. Here is his reply today:

(Here are) the estimates. I’m calculating based on a 90-minute animation special to be produced for TV or direct-to-video quality. The breakdown is as follows:

  • Animation pre-production, production and post: RM3,219,681.00
  • Music, Voice talents, Sound effects: RM200,000.00
  • Total: RM3,419,681.00

    • The animation pre-production includes all aspects of character design, models, props and background designs, story editing, storyboarding, and animatics (animated board to gauge timing sequence).

    Animation production include all aspects of animation from key poses, in-betweening, pencil linetest for approval, cleaning up, painting, and compositing with background.

    Post production include compositing, visual effects and final transfer to desired media – digital master tape (digibeta), DVD, web streaming, etc.

    All the above is done at Ixxxx. For the music, voice recording, sound effects, mixing and all other sound related sessions will be performed by a third party but under the supervision of our producers.

    We will set milestones and review stages for approval from pre till final delivery so that you can be sure that everything works according to plan. We will discuss about this in details later.

    Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need additional information or if you have any questions.

    (for calculation sake, RM3,419,681.00 = 1,013,212usd)

    malaysian life

    5 Comments / travel spreading 1858gc / July 16, 2008


    It’s hard to imagine that three weeks have already passed since leaving Bangkok.  Most of the first week was spent with a pastor travelling up to Kuala Lumpur (450km) in his car to attend his meetings at a Tamil-speaking church there.  Since then i’ve been spending most of the time with the translator of the book into Chinese, helping make the book extremely faithful to the original.    The pastor is one on my very short list of pastors i have personally spent some time with, that i would like to spend eternity with in heaven.  Not only is he mild-tempered, but humble.  This humbleness is a very very rare commodity among us Seventh-day Adventists – especially among church employees.  Almost everywhere i go the attitude is: “You’re a nobody. What can you possibly know about anything?”  But now i know 6 pastors who i will enjoy spending eternity with.  He asked me deep questions about the prophecies in Revelation, and it was nice to hear that we have similar beliefs on the mark of the beast and the seal of God etc.  I do hope tho, that there are no cars we have to drive in heaven!Malaysia is an Islamic country, so they don’t allow churches to buy land and build a new church.  Fortunately, the British ruled this place for a while, and some churches were built then.  The govt., probably fearing a backlash, doesn’t forcibly close down churches, so here and there you can see a cross on a building.  The new style for churches is to rent or buy space in a shop-lot.  These are long rows of buildings – usually 3 or 4 stories high.  Even then, the native Malays get first shot at purchasing them, but of course many are still available, so that’s where new churches meet for worship.

    The Tamil-speaking church i went to in KL rents the 2nd floor for around 200usd/month.  There were around 100 worshipers in the 20feet by maybe 60feet long room.  While the speaking was all in Tamil, most of the written material on the screen was in English.  It was interesting to note that when asked what language they wanted the study material in, about half said “English”. 

    …

    malaysian lifeRead More »

    future work

    3 Comments / travel spreading 1858gc / April 7, 2008

    What should i be doing?  My visa in Thailand is good until June 11, then…..?

    My first plan last year when i came was that i would teach until May, then soon after that the 1858 Great Controversy book would be translated into Thai, and i could spend most of the last half of the year in Thailand spreading that book.  But now the school where i was teaching is not following God, so i cannot return there until they do, and the Thai 1858gc will not be ready for printing until later, so what to do, where to go?

    Options as i see them now, in order of probability/feasibility – of course i’m always open to the Holy Spirit’s leading 🙂

    1. Go to Myanmar and help spread the 1858gc there.  PROS- Book will be hot off the press and needs promotion. CONS- May not be ready by then.

    2. Go to Malaysia and help the Chinese translator there.  PROS- Being directly with the translator would help the work go faster, and be more faithful to the original.  CONS- Don’t know if the translator even wants help.

    3. Go to Cambodia and help spread the book there.  PROS- Book is already printed and languishing.  CONS- Need someone who can go around to the churches with me and be my interpreter, plus i need a lot of physical and moral stamina to enter this country.

    4. Try to extend visa for Thailand to help translator there.  PROS- Can help get book done, loving atmosphere.  CONS- Feel like time and talents better used elsewhere until book gets translated.

    5. Go to Indonesia and introduce book there.  PROS- Book has not yet been introduced there, and there are many SDAs.  CONS- Have zero contacts there.  NOTE- Book is in Malay which is probably acceptable in Indonesia too, but not sure.

    6. Go to India and work on distribution and especially animated movie of book.  PROS- Really, really want to get this book into animated form, and have 2 really great friends there to work with.  CONS- India just doesn’t seem to be calling me at all at present, and takes even more physical stamina than Cambodia.

    7. Go to Japan.  haha.  Must wait a while longer, but have promised (Lord willing) to make it back there before the end of this year 🙂

    Around the end of the year i hope to go back to Japan after a 3 year absence, then over to Korea for a few weeks, then go see America again after almost a 5 year absence.  In Japan i have many friends and want to encourage the Brothers and Sisters there, and also entreat the non-Christians to accept Jesus before it is forever too late.  Korea has many strong SDAs, and while 5,000 of these 1858gc books were printed there around 4 years ago, i have not heard a peep about distribution, so want to go there and promote this book.  Then in America of course i want to see my relatives, especially my brother and his new family.  There are also some people i wish to introduce this book to, and try to carry on deep studies of this book with those who have already shown an interest.  Hopefully some self-supporting places will be interested in allowing me to come and study this book in earnest with them.

    Aaaaaaah, just the thot of going back to Japan again refreshes me. Just think, perfect food, people who do what they say, no translators, understand everything around you – those who have not been for extended periods in a place where you could not speak the language cannot understand how belittling it feels to not be able to read anything or speak to people you meet.  Thankfully (yes, i know, it is God’s long-range plan) i have been able to find English speakers most everywhere i’ve gone, so have been helped tremendously, but still, it is humbling (maybe that’s why God sent me?!) to not even be able to give a witness for Jesus or have any idea about what is in the food. 

    Father, please look on me tenderly.  Forgive my sins of pride, lust of the eyes, and impatience.  Mold me, shape me, give me trials, but please remember that sometimes i need rest too….or should i just fix my eyes on the heavenly rest?  Bless especially those who have helped me, and may they all have a stronger desire to follow the words in this 2nd greatest book in the world: The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels, and Satan and His Angels.  Your words will not return to you void.  I want to continue having a part in making that prophecy come true.  I love you Jesus, tremendously.  I thank you and praise your name for choosing me.  Show me when to use the rest of my dwindling money to advance your cause.  Use me in any way, absolutely any way you see best.  Please correct me when you see me going astray.  I want to serve you, worship you, talk like you, walk like you, be like you.  Direct me to others who have similar desires.  Please save me.  Amen.

    1858 great controversy translation progress

    5 Comments / great controversy book work / April 6, 2008

    Nearly all the work going on to translate and spread this book is going on in South East Asia and in India.  A email today from Singapore stunned me by saying a lady there has translated this book into Chinese!  I have never even met the person!!!  Now i have to send that to the Chinese translator and verify that it is in fact OK.  From what i can make out, it mostly looks good, but there is a mistake in the book title and chapter 32 title.  Please pray that the Chinese language 1858 Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels, and Satan and His Angels can be completed soon, so it can be spread widely among the Chinese reading population.

    Languages currently being translated:
    1. Tibetan
    2. Myanmar
    3. Chinese
    4. Thai
    5. Romanian
    6. Bhutanese
    7. Mizo
    8. French

    The languages above are listed in order of percentage completion.
    1. The TIbetan book has been translated and proofread, and even printed!  However, the printing had a big error, and the printer agreed to reprint without additional cost.  So the funds have been sent, and just now waiting on the printer to reprint them correctly.

    2. The Myanmar edition has been completely translated and is currently undergoing proofreading.  It has taken a big longer than expected, but is scheduled to be ready to print this summer.

    3. The Chinese edition – wow!  One lady in Malaysia worked on it some, then her hard drive crashed and she lost it all, so i was just hoping that maybe it could be completed before the end of this year.  But then today’s email from Singapore gives me hope that we can use this translation, and just proofread it, and maybe even get to the printer before year-end!  Exciting 🙂

    4. The Thai translation is going more slowly than hoped for, but the translator has put renewed effort into it recently, so i still hope it can get to the printer sometime this early fall.  Last week i sat with the translator a bit, and it was fun to go thru the material together.  Sure brought back memories of when i translated it myself into Japanese 🙂

    5. A Romanian in Thailand is translating this book very carefully.  He and the Thai translator are a husband-wife team.  His questions about the nuances and which pronoun is referring to what really causes me to think deeply about each word – nice!

    6 & 7.  Both language translations have been paid for, and are still in process in northern India.

    8. The French book is being translated by a missionary from Africa who is living in Bangkok.  Does anyone know any French proofreaders?

    Please remember the various translation workers in your prayers, especially for the Thai-Romanian translator team.  Living in Thailand now, and seeing the obstacles Satan has put up in keeping this book from the Thai people, has made me all the more determined to see that it does get done and spread here.

    3 stories spreading 1858gc

    1 Comment / great controversy book work / March 4, 2008

    The following are emails received from 3 people recently who are active in spreading the 1858 Great Controversy book.  Reading them makes my problems seem very, very small.  Please keep all three in your prayers, and may God supply funds as needed 🙂 

    ============following is from northern indian pastor=============

    (My wife) is also busy full time moving up/dn and now I told her to do local net work ministries since her left hand is fractured need to undergo operation but due to tight problem -difficulties we are unable to visit surgeon. 

    There are 20 new Bhutanese members preparing to accept SDA and it gives me great joy that in Buddhist monarch country work of the Lord is moving on though there are lot of obstacles and threat from government really it is a miracle and challenge given by our Lord.
    ==============Following email by southern indian brother============
    the lord has been gracious, and kind ,merciful, my tenure in that house was over
    this 29th feb,our landlord asked us to vaccate we were on on our knees and on the 29th the day we were supposed to pack our bags the landlord called me up and said i want you to stay,i dont think i can get better people than you who will stay in my house.So even as i write this i have tears of joy for his love for me and my family.
    ==============following is email from philippine brother===============
    GOOD EVENING, i here now in luzon area continuing promote the GC book. i’d brought 2000 copies gc ilocano and tagalog version to promote here in north philippines, i was travel long time from mindanao up to visayas then here in luzon now, i have no better place to stay here now, because the apartment that were we stayed last year not already operated by pastor WP. I’d sleep in the church or in the hauz of some SDA brethren who have a generous heart, some night’s i’d sleep in the squater area so very dangerous very crowded many people that i dont know they good or bad. But i always prayed to our heavenly Father for my protection and also to my family that i always far from them. Tomorrow i proceed to north LUZON MISSION because i try to introduce the ilocano version to the mission and church leaders over there.
     
    The cyst in my right hand is not yet operate because, if operate now i could not hold any heavy in my right hand. It is fast growing in my finger, the doctor said that it take in x-ray so that knowing not rooted in my bones. Last week i’d deposit a partial payment to CVM Press for additional printing of 3000 english GC. There is a big crusade at the one colesium in manila, and i’d contact the treasurer of CENTRAL LUZON CONFERENCE so that they use this GC 1858 for there crusade. The speaker of that crusade is pastor DON Schnieder president of North American Division. i request a prayer from you for this promotion of ilocano and tagalog version, that many sda churches needs this prophecy book.
    The angels of God will guard us and this GC books.

    audio for 1858 great controversy working!

    Leave a Comment / great controversy book work / November 29, 2007

    The old version was read by me in my room in Japan, and recorded on a cassette, then done over to computer format, so was not very clear.  Last year, while in Pune India, a man who works at our SDA Western Indian Union for VOP or some other audio ministry found out that i wanted to re-record this book, so invited me to his home where i stayed for 2 days recording this book.  It took him about one year to edit it and send it on a CD, and about 4 months for me to see the need of getting it up on the internet – but today it is done!

    Please check it out at: http://earlysda.com/index.html

    The book is broken out into 4 downloads, with a total file size of around 71mb, so you will probably need a fast connection to get it all.  If anyone cannot download it, please contact me here by leaving a comment, and if necessary, i will be happy to mail it to you on a CD.

    The same man also mixed my recording with a music background, and i plan to get that version ready for the internet soon 🙂  May God bless the man in India who helped so much to get this ready, and may he bless all the listeners too.

    beautiful trip spreading 1858gc

    Leave a Comment / travel spreading 1858gc / October 31, 2007

    From October 20-26 i went up to Chiang Mai, about 700km north of Bangkok, and held some meetings with our brethren and sisters there.  The Thai translator of the 1858 Great Controversy book and her daughter went with me, and after 3 meetings in a lovely small church in the hills near Phrao, they returned to Bangkok, and i went over to Chiang Mai where i stayed 2 more days holding meetings.  It was great to see many people studying the inspired words with a pen and marker, digging deep into the words.  There was a spirit of fanaticsm at one place, but the pastor there humbly accepted it when told of the problem.

    Only 9 chapters are translated now, but i hope the translator was inspired to get the whole thing finished next year.

    There are pics and a video of the trip, look at the bar on the left of this page 🙂

    completed translations/printings

    6 Comments / great controversy book work / September 25, 2007

    Bengali: 2005 – 5,000 

    Cebuano: 2005 – 5,000, 2007 – 3,000

    English: 1996 – 5,000usa, 2001 – 50,000usa,  2005 – 3,000philippines, 2005 – 2,000malaysia, 2006 – 10,000india, 2007 – 3,000philippines

    Georgian: 2007 – 2,000 

    German: 2006 – 5,000

    Hindi: 2005 – 10,000

    Ilocano: 2007 – 3,000

    Ilonggo: 2005 – 3,000

    Japanese: 2001 – 5,000

    Khmer: 2007 – 3,000

    Korean: 2003 – 5,000

    Malagasy: 2006 – 2,500

    Malaysian: 2006 – 2,000

    Nepali: 2003 – 5,000

    Polish: 2001 – 500

    Russian: 2003 – 3,000, 2005 – 10,000

    Sinhala: 2005 – 5,000

    Tagalog: 2006 – 10,000

    Tamil: 2004 – 2,000

    Ukrainian: 2005 – 40,000?

    Vietnamese: 2005 – 1,000 (plans to reprint more before year end 2007)

    1858gc translation/printing update

    6 Comments / great controversy book work / September 25, 2007

    Armenian: The mission president said he would translate it when i met him 10 months ago, but no further contact… 

    Assamese: Should be printing now 

    Azeri: Last contact was around 3 months ago, the book was not quite half translated.

    Burmese: Is nearly completed translated, and the translator has already lined up 2 proofreaders.  This was scheduled to be done by March, but better late and good than either never or fast and sloppy.

    Chinese: Was told last month that an elderly lady in Singapore just finished translating it, but no files have been sent.  A younger lady in Malaysia has started translation.

    English: Pastor in Malaysia wishes to print perhaps 2,000 copies using his own funds.

    French: African lady in Bangkok has just started this translation.

    Lao: Interest is there to translate after the Thai translation is finished.

    Malay: Pastor in Malaysia wishes to print perhaps 2,000 copies using his own funds.

    Punjabi: Has been translated and awaiting printing for several months.  Funds were sent to print, but the program used to type it in the computer is not compatible with the printer’s program, so it has to be retyped. 

    Romanian: The husband of the Thai translator started out very quickly, and is up to chapter 5, but has slowed recently as he starts Thai lessons.

    Tamil: Funds were sent a couple of months ago to print the recently retranslated version, and while the contents have been sent in PDF, still the cover art work has not, so i have not given the final go-ahead to print.

    Thai: I see the translator every day.  She started out well, but has not done much in quite a while.  Translation is done up to chapter 8.

    Tibetan: Should be printing now.

    really big decision

    3 Comments / great controversy book work / August 24, 2007

    Still haven’t firmly decided what to do with the 1858gc anime.  Should i have it made in Flash (2D), for around 40,000usd, or go all the way with Maya (3D), for probably around 130-150,000usd?

    What to do?

    I met David Gates 2 weeks ago, and he and several others gave encouragement about the anime project as a whole, so i really got more impetus to do SOMETHING — but which one would be best??????

    heading up laos way

    12 Comments / travel spreading 1858gc / August 24, 2007

    Should i put this post in “travel spreading 1858gc”, or in “daily rambliniscings”?  I do hope to meet someone in Laos who is interested in this precious book, but the main purpose is to get a 90 visa to stay in Thailand longer.  Hope i can catch a train Saturday evening, and come back on Tuesday.

    Your prayers are requested, for safety of course, and also to meet someone interested in this 2nd best book in the world 🙂

    finished

    1 Comment / travel spreading 1858gc / August 15, 2007

    All finished.  No more travelling to spread the 1858 edition of The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels, and Satan and His Angels.  Danny has found a place he has to call “home” when people ask where he lives.  sigh…….

    It was almost 22 months from October 25, 2005 when i left Japan, to August 14, 2007 when i moved into a little room on the 5th floor of a nondescript apt building around 25km from the heart of Bangkok.

    Since last nite was my first nite there, it still seems like i’m travelling, but i know soon it will feel like, well, feel like,,,,,,,,,, probably where i’ve lived all my life.  ick.  The smells and some of the sights in a huge city are better left on a tv screen than in 3d.  But here i am, and i thank God.  Very much.  I had many, many precious experiences that i would not trade for any other kind of experience that i can imagine.  It has been beyond-words wonderful to meet many people who are on-fire to spread the Three Angels’ Messages, and walk the straight and narrow path.

    Thank you Lord for leading me to so many people, and thank you people, especially true Brothers and Sisters in Christ, for taking an interest in studying God’s words for yourselves, and being interested in spreading these words to others.

    May God use me here in Bangkok, in Thailand, and all thru SE Asia as i live and work here, and Lord, if there is another chance to travel for you, please use me.

    bangkok asi convention

    3 Comments / travel spreading 1858gc / August 12, 2007

    Third day, next to last, and busiest from terms of selling and promoting 1858gc books.

    There were a few people interested, but not the hundreds that i had somehow imagined. But three people bot packs of 10, and then…..

    I went to eat the first all-you-can-eat meal in over 10 days and sat next to a man whose first words were “how can i get a case of those books!!!!!