He sat forward in his chair, elbows propped on his knees, chin resting on clasped hands, eyes glued to the Jesus Film. As Robert listened to the words of Jesus in his heart language, the emotions welling up inside him converged into a single tear that trickled down...
A Bible in his own language had been Victor’s prayer for 39 years. Now this prayer was beginning to be answered.…
Translating God’s Word for an African People Group — but not in Africa “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” The leper’s faith-filled plea hung in the air as the translation team wrestled with how to convey his words in Kinyamulenge. We had been working...
“Empowering others” has become quite a buzzword in missions circles. Missionaries nowadays are trained not to be the solutions to problems but rather to be catalysts for local solutions and local problem solvers. I acceded to this orientation during my training mostly...
Our West African friends Momodou and Laye are brilliant and fun-loving men. In his late fifties, Momodou has a satirical sense of humor, which reminds me of my brother Steve. Laye is much younger, about 30. He’s a sweet and kind gentleman, like my husband Chocho. Both...
Genesis. Luke. Ruth. Acts. Joshua. James. Exodus. Deuteronomy. 1-3 John. Mark. Numbers. Leviticus. Matthew. This is the order in which the Kawah team progressed through their translation project. I know what you’re thinking. Why don’t you just go ahead and say it?...
“Can’t you do this from home?” my friend Cindy asked. Cindy was my maid of honor when Malcolm and I got married. She and her husband have faithfully supported our ministry since our beginning with Pioneer Bible Translators some 30 years ago. Her inquiry came from a...
Baby Steps A Bible translator in Papua New Guinea spends his or her early years becoming a child again. Or so it seems. Most of us arrive here having spent the better part of our lives getting an education. When we move to a rural village, though, we essentially...
It was Friday afternoon at the end of a long week. The air was deadly calm, so thick you could cut it with a knife, as the seven of us sat in a tiny room in a village house in Papua New Guinea. Every day, from early morning until late afternoon and even some evenings,...
Our mother tongue is the language we learned as kids from — you guessed it — our mamas. It is the language in which we think and pray and dream, and it is the language that touches our hearts and evokes emotions. It is the language in which the Word of God resonates...
What happens when a person dies? As any Kono person will tell you, when someone dies, there is the problem of blood. Not the blood of the person who passed away, but a blood sacrifice that is needed to ensure that the soul of the deceased will, indeed, make it to God....
Fibi has had a hard life. As an Apal-speaking woman living in a small village tucked deep inside Papua New Guinea’s tropical rainforest, she is accustomed to the challenges of daily life. Yet it seems that she has experienced more than her share of hardship. Fibi...