Think about this pie chart as you enjoy your Thanksgiving pie.
There are entire people groups who don't have a single verse of Scripture in their language.
We praise God that the Simbiti people of Tanzania now have the complete New Testament published in their language! The Simbiti are another group that Ben worked with in Tanzania. He mainly focused on the Jita translation, but there were times when he was able to assist other teams as well. The Simbiti team recently published their New Testament and then held a celebration to thank God for the arrival of the books. There was music, dancing, speeches, and of course, feasting.
One of the musicians shouted, "The Lord speaks to us in our language, praise the Lord! We now have God's Word in Simbiti!"
When the books were unveiled at the climax of the ceremony, one copy was given to a woman who had been chosen to read a passage out loud. She read Matthew 28:19,
Ku bhuyö ni-igha moghende mokore abhantö bhonswe igho bhabhe abheegha abhaane, ko okobhabhatiisya ku iriina irya Taata, irya Omoona, na irya Umwika Ömöhörëëru.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
We praise God that Simbiti people are repenting of their sins and trusting Jesus for salvation! Now that they have God's Word in their language, we pray that the church of Jesus Christ will grow and that Simbiti Christians will go and make more disciples.
photos by A.Olson
Do you remember that great children's book called, Are You My Mother?
I thought of it today as I was reviewing the Jita translation of the Gospel of Mark. There's a story in Mark chapter 3 about Jesus' mother and brothers coming to talk to him because they were afraid he'd lost his mind. The Bible says,
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
The Jita language uses three different words for "mother," depending on context. When the narrator says, "his mother," the Jita has {nyiramwene}. When the people say, "your mother," the Jita has {nyokomwana}. And when Jesus says, "my mother," the Jita has {maayi}.
We need to check the context very carefully to make sure that we are translating God's Word clearly, accurately, and naturally. Please keep praying for us!
We finished Phase 1 of the Jita New Testament translation project!!!
Phase 1 was translating, revising, testing, and double-checking each individual book of the New Testament. Now, Phase 2 is preparing the entire New Testament for publication. It's a huge task, but we're excited to be one step closer to seeing Jita people holding the complete New Testament in their hands for the first time ever!
Please keep praying for us. As we get closer to finishing the New Testament, the attacks of the enemy have become more intense. The Jita translators are struggling with more and more sickness and the death of loved ones. Pray for strength and protection.
Thank you!
Praise the Lord
we reached our goal!
We are so
thankful for the many individuals, families, churches, and businesses who are
partnering with us through regular prayer and financial support. By God's grace
and your generosity, we have reached the goal of 100% of our monthly support
need.
We're
struggling to find the right words to express our deep gratitude to each and
every one of you who have prayed and sacrificed and given so generously and so
faithfully. On behalf of the Jita people, we joyfully say, "Wakondya!" (Thank
you!)
Our passion is to make God's Word accessible to all Jita people so that pastors can preach from the Bible in Jita, people can read the Bible for themselves, and many will put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and follow him as their Lord.
As many of you know, we are continuing to do the translation work from America, but our ministry budget has increased. We need to be back to 100% of our ministry budget so we can continue working full-time on the Jita translation. As of today, we only need another $382/month to reach our goal. We're so close. Would you please partner with us in bringing God's Word to the Jita people? If you've already joined our team, thank you! We appreciate you! We couldn't do this without you. Please pray with us that God will stir other people's hearts to join this amazing kingdom ministry. And if you haven't joined our team yet, this is the time. Help us reach our goal before July 19 (only four weeks away). We appreciate any commitment amount. You can give monthly, quarterly, or annually. All of it helps us reach our goal. If you decide to join our team, please let us know so we can celebrate God’s provision. We will send out regular updates so that you can see our progress.
Join the team here: www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB
For financial support you can give online at the website above or mail contributions to:
Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862
Checks should be made payable to Wycliffe Bible Translators with a separate note saying “preference for the Wycliffe ministry of Ben and Jeannette Gerth Account # 240064”
Thank you!!
Please keep praying for us as we translate God's Word into the Jita language.
