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January 13th, 2012 - by Elyse
Have you ever seen school children this keen for a copy of a book? What makes it so special? These books of Bible stories are printed in their native language – Tetun. Not Indonesian, not English, Tetun. The language they were born hearing, the language they first learned to speak, the language of their family, their friends, their community. The language that makes sense. Just a few moments after this image was taken, as soon as they each grabbed a book, the children didn’t run off but stood still, immediately reading the book from cover to cover. With a Tetun New Testament on the way, this is an encouraging sight for the translation team. Click here to read the full story about the Tetun translation project as published in Wycliffe Canada’s Word Alive magazine.
Photo: Alan Hood
© Wycliffe Canada 2011
January 5th, 2012 - by Elyse
Making foufou in Benin is not a one person task! This team of women are beating yam pulp with incredible coordination. Foufou is the staple food of many West African nations – and Benin, a slice of Africa between Togo and Nigeria, is no exception. There are approx 52 unique languages spoken in Benin, 29 of these without any Scriptures available in their heart language. And Christians in Benin aren’t waiting for someone else to take this on: they are actively recruiting and financially supporting their own missionaries for the work of Bible translation in their nation. This is a significant testimony to the coordination and team work of the Beninese church. Praise God! Please pray for the work of the church in Benin.
Photo: Heather Pubols
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December 17th, 2011 - by Elyse
There is a saying in Thailand: To be Thai is to be Buddhist. Buddhism is part of the national identity. The majority of Thai’s – over 94% of the population – are devout Buddhists performing prayers and other ceremonies up to 50 times each day. Thai Buddhists, if they’ve ever met a Christian, tend of think of them as lazy since Christians only go to church once a week! Bringing the Good News to all the language communities in Thailand is a unique challenge which requires thoughtful contextualization. The Bible is available in all four major Thai dialects, work is in progress in another 27 languages and at least 10 languages still have a definite need for a translation project. Please pray for the church in Thailand.
Photo: Steve Evans
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December 11th, 2011 - by Elyse
With my papers wrapped in plastic to protect them from the splash of the waves, I climb into the small dugout canoe and paddle twenty-five minutes to a neighboring village. Today I plan to check Mark 6, 7 and 8 with people in the village to make sure that the meaning is clear and that the translation doesn’t cause any misunderstandings…..
This is no unusual scene in the Pacific Islands – gentle waves, sandy beach and a shower of rain leaving a reminder of God’s promise. God has blessed the people of the Pacific with a desire to know Him and throughout the many islands in this vast ocean, Bible translators are hard at work. This photo is from the Solomon Islands archipelago where at least 17 different translation projects are currently in progress – and plenty more eagerly waiting for help to get started. How would you fancy paddling a canoe to work each morning?
Read the rest of this story on thewordislife.net
Photo: Martha Matzke
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December 3rd, 2011 - by Elyse
 This gorgeous little girl lives in a village near Lake Albert in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Once known as Zaire, this huge and troubled nation is still recovering from what some people call “Africa’s World War”. A war fought for power and wealth, much like the European wars of the 20th Century, with Uganda and Rwanda on one side and Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Chad on the other. Many churches in DRC are doing all they can to support Bible translation projects into the languages of their people. Jean Pierre Tuluba, a translator working on his own language, Budu-Nita, talks about the need to persevere with his work in spite of the many challenges. “In the Bible it says that we should not pray to God just to remove the trials, but to face them with perseverance under His grace. That’s what comforts us now. Translating the Bible into my language will help my people know and fear God.” Watch the complete interview on thewordislife.net
Photo: UN Photo/Martine Perret
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November 23rd, 2011 - by Elyse
A mother and her three children, part of the indigenous Hmong group, in Sin Chai, northwestern Viet Nam. This image from a UN photojournalist visually communicates so many things about this family and their culture and lifestyle. Indigenous peoples all over the world, no matter how small in number or how remote their village is – they are valuable. Each language community has its own unique history, beliefs, fears, and hopes. And one day people from all nations and languages will worship God together.
Photo: UN Photo/Kibae Park
November 16th, 2011 - by Elyse
Did you know that almost every weekend over the last year or so language communities in Papua New Guinea have been celebrating the translation of God’s word into their language? Rain or shine, all across the country, each weekend another community celebrates the opportunity to hold the completed New Testament scriptures in their hands for the first time. And not just to hold it, but to understand it. To understand God’s message of love, grace, salvation, and a life lived to the full. Sheltered from the pouring rain, dancers from the Molima language community in the Milne Bay area make music in celebration. Joel, one of the translation team coordinators and a native speaker of Molima, speaks from his own experience the day before this image was taken – “I look forward to this dedication. It is going to bring change actually – when people have the word of God in their heart language. Change of mindset and attitudes, and the way they approach their spiritual life will also change. When they read the word, it will be very clear to them… and the most important thing is what the Word of God is going to do in their own lives. Many people are looking forward to having the Word of God in our own language. We are so excited.”
Photo: Kimberly Brotzler
November 5th, 2011 - by Elyse
This friendly lady is part of the Tibetan ethnic group, but lives in India and speaks a language called Ladakhi. Languages rarely obey the geopolitical lines drawn on a map. The complete Bible was published in Ladakhi in 1948, which currently boasts 117 000 speakers, but Christian Ladakhi are still in the minority. Please pray for the Ladakhi and visit the Joshua Project for more info.
UN Photo/F Charton
October 27th, 2011 - by Elyse
I hope this image reminds you of how very small we are. All our human problems, striving and efforts are like the smoke that drifts out of a volcano and evaporates. And yet God made us and is on a mission to bring us home. We know that the work of human redemption, of the great commission – of bible translation – is God’s work, and we are privileged to be a part of it.
This relatively small active volcano known as Mount Yasur is constantly booming and spilling ash on those who live in the south of the island of Tanna, Vanuatu. I took the 5 images that make up this panorama while visiting two translation projects nearby in 2009. One of those projects has now finished and a celebration day is set for next May! The translation advisers’ house looks directly onto the volcano, a constant reminder of God’s power and our fragility.
Photo: Elyse Patten
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October 13th, 2011 - by Elyse
The sun sets on another day in Hadjer Hadid, Chad. A nation where French and Arabic are the official languages, but the 130 unique ethno-linguistic communities still seek a God that speaks their language. An expat translator working in the Kenga language writes home….
It was amazing on Sunday again—the preacher asked if we had the translation for Philippians 4 and yes, I had our newly revised copy with me. So one of the translators read the Kenga and the sermon continued. A few days later I asked the preacher how it was to have the Scripture read in Kenga. He said he was stunned. He had prepared his sermon well but on hearing it in Kenga, it became so much clearer to him and gave him the words he needed. He understood at that point so much more than when he prepared his sermon [with the French Bible]. Click here for more stories about language development in Chad.
Photo: Zeke du Plessis
October 3rd, 2011 - by Elyse
Much has changed in China since Brother Andrew and others like him smuggled bibles behind the iron curtain. News of the exploding church in China is so undeniable that even the secular western media is reporting on it. The BBC reports that 60 million Christians in China is a conservative estimate – “There are already more Chinese at church on a Sunday than in the whole of Europe. The new converts can be found from peasants in the remote rural villages to the sophisticated young middle class in the booming cities.” According to the BBC – China will soon become the largest Christian country on earth. If that doesn’t inspire you, nothing will. Exciting times ahead.
Photo: Steve Evans
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Monsoon = Wycliffe Global Alliance Asia-Pacific Communications
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