Kabwa New Testament gets vibrant celebration, strong distribution
“What joy, to see our community use and understand God’s Word for themselves!” Morning rain storms may have kept some away, but a determined crowd packed the small village church for hours of singing, dancing, ceremonies and feasting to mark the completion of the New Testament translated in the Kabwa language…
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New Testament arrives for the Ikoma people of Tanzania
On the edge of the Serengeti, threats of rain could not keep away the crowd as the Ikoma community celebrated completion of a 14-year work to translate the New Testament in their own language. Speeches and preaching, dancing and singing went on for hours. “Even the new songs were in Ikoma!” one guest cheered. A colleague of the translation team added, “This day greatly encourages me that all our labour has not been in vain”…
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Jesus is God and Man – but Not a Pumpkin!
As the Rangi people of central Tanzania work to complete the New Testament in their own language very soon, the labor of extensive “final checks” proves to hold both significant challenges and unexpected rewards. Even while the community held a read-through of the whole NT, Rangi Translators struggled to include important updates and corrections. So they trained one of their Literacy workers to help – and she quickly found something they had all missed…
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Old calendar leads traveler to new translated Scripture
After a bus journey of hundreds of miles and several days, Batila was home. She speaks Pangwa, and in her family’s village she saw a calendar filled with writing in her language. “Are there books in Pangwa?” she asked. Soon she was reading Mark’s Gospel, and buying copies to share with her family on both sides of the country…
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Safwa community tastes God’s Word, wants more
From their first small portions of translated Scripture, a language community can quickly learn to engage with God’s Word. For the Safwa people of Tanzania, their completed New Testament is being printed soon. Especially now, teams of local Scripture Engagement (SE) workers can be very impactful and busy…
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Community engagement sparks three new translation projects
Several language groups in Tanzania will launch New Testament translation projects this year. Others have completed New Testaments in their hands (or final publication stages), and now they hope to locally own and manage an Old Testament project. In response, SIL Tanzania has launched the “Remaining Languages Project”…
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Scripture in Burunge impacts community even in checking stage
The Burunge translation team took their draft of Deuteronomy to a “Community Check,” a crucial and exciting regular activity for the project. It was going well, and one of the Translators had his copy with him as he walked along a road filled with people…
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Scripture translation featured in Mbugwe language film
“Praise God for answers to all the prayers for the Mbugwe JESUS film!” After months of preparation and production, the Translation team have completed a version of the film in their own language, using their Mbugwe translation of Luke’s Gospel and the original film script. The Mbugwe community celebrated, of course, complete with a ‘premiere’ showing and sold-out supply of flash cards loaded with the film, Scripture text, audio and more…
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The Greatest Gift Brings the Greatest Joy
“We now have God’s Word in Simbiti!” cries a dancing man. “Simbiti people say Oye!” They shout it in response, as a growing crowd parades through the village. The long-awaited celebration of a completed New Testament for Tanzania’s Simbiti people has begun. “This day was not easy,” says one of the Translators, “but the people are very happy to see that now the Simbiti New Testament is in their hands…”
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Search for JESUS film voice actors faced many challenges
Their film scripts were ready. Bende and Pimbwe translators needed voice actors from the language communities. They were delayed for months by COVID, then detoured hundreds of kilometres by washed-out road. “When we came,” said one translator, “some candidates wanted to be paid rather than volunteer.” Another added, “some follow another religion, and they were afraid that helping us might betray their own faith…”
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“I see the light of God is here!”
“I’ve been a Christian a long time,” said one Sangu translator. “But working on this translation, it’s like being in a Bible school. It has shown me anew what life with Jesus is about.” At the big celebration of the completed Sangu New Testament another translator said, “I see the people receiving God’s Word… receiving God himself.”
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“We welcome God’s Word with two hands!”
The small church roared with celebration as the first Ndali language New Testaments were opened. Songs and speeches in Ndali thrilled the crowd. “We welcome the Scriptures with two hands,” said a translator as he gestured a giant handshake. “It means a good welcome. This day will be remembered…”
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