The endless blue horizons and remote villages of the Solomon Islands archipelago are beautiful to see, but can be difficult to traverse, especially if you are trying to get help with translating the Bible into your language. Many local translators, fuelled by the hope that access to God’s word will transform their communities, make long and dangerous sea voyages in small boats like the ones in this photograph. A wild journey across the waves on one of these overcrowded canoes is often the only option for people desperate to get to the next island, and beyond. Moses, a translator from Simbo, regularly travels across the surging seas, his total journey taking a least a week or more, to gain essential support and advice from other teams and consultants in the capital, Honiara. And he isn’t the only one. A Bible translation mentor working in the Solomon Islands wrote a story detailing these great ‘Odysseys’ regularly undertaken by dozens of local translators. Read the full story on wycliffe.net.

Photo & Words: Elyse Patten