Lasting Impact

 

Story: Karen Weaver
Photo Credit: Steve & Carol Jean Gallagher

In July 2012, Steve and Carol Jean Gallagher joined the Bariai people in celebrating the arrival of their completed New Testament with Genesis and Exodus. But their joy was turned to shock and distress when their village house was ransacked a few weeks later. The intruders stole most of what was in the house, even the electrical wires and wall switches.

As the Gallaghers processed this turn of events, the question inevitably arose in their minds, “Is God’s Word really having an impact on the people?”

As friends in their home churches prayed, God did what they at first thought was impossible: He enabled them to forgive the offenders and continue practical steps to help the Bariai people engage with the Scriptures.

Carol Jean gave teacher training to Sunday School teachers. She and Steve are thankful that the church leader of the area is encouraging the reading of Scriptures in the local language and even commissioned the Sunday School teachers for their role in instructing the children in Bariai.

God’s Word came alive for the people as they studied biblical truth during a re-teaching of a Scripture application course. Representatives from every village attended and went home better equipped to apply the Scriptures to their daily lives.

Steve and Carol Jean recorded the Bariai Scriptures in audio form. Hearing God’s Word has had a big impact on the people. Some children won’t go to sleep at night until they listen to verses being read on the players. The Scriptures gained more prestige when an influential local leader testified that his life had been changed through listening to them, “Now my life is not all about getting money for this life, but about getting ready for the next.”

With audio players being used in homes daily, the local language Scripture being read in worship services, and children being taught in their mother tongue in elementary school, the outlook is good for the ongoing use of the Bariai translation. The Gallaghers will return to their home country later this year, confident that the Word of God in Bariai will continue to transform lives. Carol Jean said, “The Scriptures we are leaving behind will outlast us, and that’s the key.”

Translation Takes Time

Story: Karen Weaver
Photo Credit: Jessica Thiessen

“Zechariah was trying to trick people with his hand motions!”

Several months after the Ranmo translation team had completed the first draft of Luke 1, they invited a local translator who had not been involved in the drafting and asked him to translate the text back into English, called a back translation. When he did this, he concluded that Zechariah was trying to trick people with his hand motions.

This was not the meaning the team intended to communicate. Having the opportunity to see how other Ranmo speakers would understand the passage allowed the team to make some minor changes in the wording that resulted in a major difference in people’s interpretation of the text.

In addition, the back translation will allow a trained consultant from outside the language area to check the literal translation of the passage. In this way, the team can be assured that it is not only understood by the local people, but also true to the original meaning. Doing both of these things for every passage of the Bible takes time but is one of the many invaluable steps in insuring an accurate translation which has the power to speak God’s truth to the hearts of the people.

 

SALT Brings Light

Story & Photo Credit: Luke Aubrey

In June 2018, the people of Binumaria celebrated the dedication of the New Testament revision and several Old Testament books in their language. The translation team wanted Binumariens to dig into this new Bible together as a community. Upon hearing about the Scripture Application and Leadership training (SALT) course, they along with local church leaders decided to host the two weeks of Bible training.

The course had 109 participants from different churches: Lutheran, SDA (Seventh Day Adventist), Renewal, CLC (Christian Life Centres) and A.O.G (Assemblies of God). Many of them were pastors, evangelists, deacons and church leaders.

During the lesson on forgiveness many in the class repented of wrongdoings, asked for forgiveness and reconciled with God and others. One church leader was so moved by the teaching from God’s Word that he brought his family to the front and they all repented of how they had been living a double life, walking in darkness and light. He said, “God has gripped me and shown me my need to repent.”

One pastor shared, “I now see how I have been trapped in fear by Satan. This is a big weapon of his to keep me from trusting God. I am always afraid to do God’s work because of fear of what others might think. I am afraid to go to the garden alone because of fear of sorcerers who might hurt me when I am by myself. And I am afraid to travel at night by myself because of fear of spirits of dead people who might hold me on the path and harm me. Through the Word I have learned that God doesn’t call us to fear but sets us free from it!”

Another pastor said, “I have been challenged about the teaching on pride. Pride was the downfall of Satan and also of mankind. Often I find myself putting the word “I or me” first. In ministry and in my own life I find myself boasting. This pride I have now learned opens the door wide for all sorts of other sins to come creeping in.”

A mother stated, “As a Christian, whenever trials come I don’t need to retreat. I have learned that I can ask God for His peace. The peace talked about in Philippians 4:4-7.”

An older man declared, “God’s Word, this alone will set me free. I have learned that two men are at war within me. God’s Spirit and my sinful nature. I need to daily feed the Spirit with the Word to be truly set free.”

Others spoke about how the training from the Word in Binumarien was giving them confidence to know how to hold devotions with their own families. Many of the pastors and evangelists shared, “Even though we have been to all sorts of training, this course was a huge blessing. It raised us to the next level.”

Don’t Take My Life!

Story & Photo Credit: Karen Weaver

Anita cried out in despair in her Kamano Kafe language, “Don’t take my life! Don’t take my life!”

She had just fed her children breakfast and sent them off to school. The sun had peeked over the mountains in the Eastern Highlands and it was time for her to go to her garden. Instead she was desperately searching through her house; sadly, the thing she wanted was nowhere to be found.

Several hours later, Anita’s young children returned home from school. She met them in the doorway and asked, “Do any of you know what happened to my Audibible?” She was referring to the small solar-powered device that played the Scriptures in her heart language. Her son confessed, “I took it school with me this morning.”

His mother swiftly scolded him, “That’s my life! You go to school. You are learning to read and write. I can’t! This is the only way I have to hear God’s book. This Audibible is my life!”

Together Anita and her children listened to the life-giving words around their cooking fire that evening. The next morning she again took it to the garden to charge in the sunshine and to play the Kamano Kafe Scriptures while she planted and weeded and harvested. The food she grew was life for their bodies, and the words she listened to were life for their souls.