Tag Archives: Unreached

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Where is Bible Translation Needed?

Locating the areas of greatest Bible translation need.

It’s one of the first questions that must be answered, and its answer must be constantly reviewed and updated: just where in the world is Bible translation even needed? 

Current estimates by the Wycliffe Global Alliance* suggest that around 340 million peoplespeaking 2,078 languages may have a need for Bible translation to begin. Many of these language groups are small minorities living in areas dominated by different, more prevalent or official languages. Others may in fact be very large people groups but live in areas that are difficult to access.

In particular, Wycliffe has identified three areas of the world that contain the greatest numbers of translation needs. They are Central Africa and Nigeria; Mainland and Southeast Asia; and Indonesia and the Pacific islands.

Make no mistake, though much of the world has already benefitted from Bible translation, it is still needed on a grand scale!

  • The exciting news is that we’re experiencing the greatest acceleration of the global Bible translation movement that the world has ever witnessed! The number of languages still waiting for Scripture is dropping. Pray that this momentum will not slow down and ask God to continue to grow the resources needed to accomplish this work.
  • For Central Africa and Nigeria, pray for unity across organizational partnerships as many local and international groups must work together to accomplish the work of Bible translation. French-speaking personnel are also needed to work in the Francophone region; ask God to send more workers to this area.
  • For Mainland and Southeast Asia, pray for the protection and encouragement of translation personnel who often work in sensitive areas and sometimes in isolation. Prayfor creativity in the distribution of finished Scripture.
  • For Indonesia and the Pacific islands, pray for safety in travel as many translation teams must navigate throughout this large rugged and remote region. Pray for efficiency in gathering language data and wisdom in planning translation programs.

*Wycliffe Global Alliance, partners in Bible translation

Resource: Wycliffe Pray Today Blog

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Answering God’s Call to Begin BT Work

From Start to Finish: Fajak’s Story

The roots of any Bible translation program are firmly planted in God’s calling, and, we believe, also in prayer.

In 1983, it began for the Tira people of Sudan when God called a man named Fajak, and quite separately, two American students. The students signed up to pray for the Tira, a group of 40,000 Sudanese people, through Wycliffe’s Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project. Unknown to them, that same year Fajak Avajani, a Tira man, received a vision from the Lord that instructed him to read Psalm 51.

Fajak was confused. He was not a believer and God’s Word was not available in his language. He sought a member of the local clergy and asked for help. The priest read this passage to him in English, a language Fajak was familiar with:

“Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.”

Upon hearing these words, Fajak was deeply convicted. That moment, he repented of his sins and surrendered his heart to Christ.

In 1986, three years after Fajak’s conversion, a new team of prayer intercessors committed to pray for the Tira people. It was that year—1986—that Fajak was accepted for theological studies at an Episcopal college in southern Sudan, and during that time he attended a workshop presented by two Wycliffe workers. Fajak immediately discerned God’s call upon his life: he was to see the Bible translated into the Tira language, his heart language.

Fajak asked the workshop leaders to come work with him in the Nuba Mountains where the Tira people lived, but political tensions prevented them from doing so. Discouraged, Fajak wondered why God had given him a passion for Bible translation if it wasn’t possible? He began to pray for help.

Fajak worked on his own; he translated songs and church liturgy into Tira, and eventually published a small book. It wasn’t until 1990 that Fajak once again crossed paths with Wycliffe workers. This time the encounter led to his enrollment in linguistic and translation training. In addition, funding was made available for a Tira translation project. Amazingly, it was that same year when a third prayer team—on another continent—had committed to pray for the Tira through the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project. 

In time, the Tira New Testament was drafted, checked, typeset, printed, shipped, and dedicated; all within twelve years. But right up to the last day—the Scripture celebration in 2009—there were challenges to overcome. Clearing the newly printed New Testaments from customs proved to be difficult; customs officials restarted the process three times and Fajak reported going through 21 offices to finally see it done. Fajak said, “I have found out that ending Bible translation is harder than starting it…But the Lord cleared the New Testaments in the end.”

The Tira New Testament was celebrated and dedicated. Three days later, a foundation stone was laid for a new Bible school that would raise up Tira church leaders to serve in villages throughout the Nuba Mountains. Today, the number of Tira Christians has increased from a handful to hundreds, meeting in multiple congregations.

God’s Word is in the Tira language. The Tira church will continue to grow and mature because of it. This foundation will last; ministry and discipleship will follow. Already, the Tira people are reaching out to other communities, now that they know God more fully, and realize the truth found in His Word.

Tira lives are forever changed. This is why we pray, from start to finish.

  • Ask God to move mightily on behalf of the world’s remaining Bibleless peoples. Ask Him to call men and women to involvement in the ministry of Bible translation, just as He did for Fajak.
  • Pray that lives will be won to Christ as God’s Word is translated for every person in the language they know best.
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Prayer Resource: Joshua Project

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18, NLT)

Pray is one of the armors that God wants us to put on every day, every moment in our life. Prayer is the fuel that we need to keep the flame of mission and ministry to keep on going and burning. Prayer is the way to come to God and stand in the gap between God and the world, the unreached people groups – whom cannot stand in His presence because of sins.

 

Joshua Project is one of the medias that you can use for your prayer resources. This website provides details about the unreached people group, tools, resources and lots of information that you need for your personal and church prayer time. Here’s some things about Joshua Project.

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The Kerinci People of Indonesia

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

Introduction / History
Originally from the eastern coast of Sumatera, the Kerinci fled from local Muslim Sultanates in an ancient war and moved into their existing homeland high in the Bukit Barisan Mountains near Mount Kerinci in West Sumatera and Lake Kerinci in Jambi. Although the highlands present challenges for living, intensive agriculture coupled with fishing has been sufficient to sustain sizeable indigenous populations. The Kerinci have been able to resist assimilation with the stronger lowland peoples. They have managed to not only survive but to grow enriched by what they have borrowed from the coastal cultures, but in each case absorbing and reshaping according to their indigenous ethos without losing their own ethnic identity. Today, their isolation is being broken by government-sponsored mass relocations of Jawa, Sunda, and Bali people for plantation projects on their rich soil. In addition, a world-class national park is being developed by the World Wildlife Fund to preserve the rain forest, flora, and fauna. This will draw even more outsiders into this remote area.

(C) PJRN-IPN

What are their lives like?
Most of the Kerinci are farmers. Other than their main crop of rice (grown in both irrigated and unirrigated fields), they also grow potatoes, vegetables, and tobacco. Those who live around the base of the mountains are nomadic farmers. These nomadic farmers grow coffee, cinnamon, and cloves. The primary crops harvested from the jungle are resin and rattan. Most of the people living near Lake Kerinci and some other small lakes are fishermen. Their village homes are built very close together. A village is called a dusun and is inhabited by one clan that has descended from one common female ancestor. In a dusun there are always several long-houses, which are built side by side along the road. The nuclear family is called a tumbi. Once a man marries, he moves out of his family’s home and moves in with his new wife’s family. Normally, if a daughter is married, she is given a new small house attached to the house of her parents. In turn, her daughters will be given houses attached to her house. A mother’s clan is called the kelbu. This kelbu is considered the most important family unit among the Kerinci people. Even though the Kerinci people are matrilineal, the nuclear family is led by the husband, not the wife’s brother (as is common to other matrilineal groups, including the Minang). The mother’s brother avoids involvement in clan issues and only gets involved in problems with his sister’s immediate family. Inheritance is given to the daughters in the family.

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The Kangean People of Indonesia

The Lord is king! 
Let the earth rejoice! 
Let the farthest coastlands be glad.

Psalm 97:1

www.photorays.net

The Kangean people (population 135,000) live on Indonesia’s Kangean Island, located north of Bali. The island holds great tourism potential. Its beaches on the Java Sea are scenic and unspoiled, and the thick East Kangean forest contains many animals and beautiful birds.

Since 1993 the islands have been the site of natural gas drilling. They are connected to East Java via a 430-kilometer pipeline, most of which runs underwater. However, the Kangean are one of the last 200 or so Muslim people groups of over 100,000 with no organised effort to establish a community of believers. 

They use the Kangean language which is close to the Madura language. The major religion is Muslim, no Christians at all in this people group. They don’t have any medias – audio, nor written – of the Gospel. They are the Least-Reached people group in Indonesia.

Bible Translation is needed for this group. They need to know about the Love of God for their life, the Word of Living God can change their life, turn them into God’s worshippers.

Resource:

www.30-days.net

www.joshuaproject.net

Would you pray for the Kangean People?