This is an update on one group’s language where Bible translation is making a difference.
Thanks for reading!
Donn Hallman
The Lotswa people keep to themselves. One of numerous pygmy groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), they suffer from the prejudices of other language groups in the region, with many being captured and forced into slavery.
Unfortunately, their understandable isolation means the Lotswa rarely benefit from progress happening around them, including language development. But that changed recently when a MAST workshop came to the capital city of Kinshasa.
The Lotswa sent a team of their own who were eager to help translate Scripture into their heart languages. And just as He multiplied the fish and loaves, God multiplied the work of these few faithful servants. After just two weeks, they had completed the translation of the Book of Mark.
The jubilant team returned home with a printed copy of their work, and the next Sunday their pastor stood before their church family and read from the newly translated Scripture. The congregation cheered and danced as he read. This was the first time they had ever heard God’s Word in their own language, and celebration filled the air.
The congregation was further thrilled when they were asked to participate in checking the translation for accuracy. And in the weeks that followed, when the translation team took the Scripture into neighboring church-less villages for community checking, they encountered the same response—pure joy! As a result, new churches have formed in several of these villages.
The Lotswa people are truly grateful for a variety of reasons, one of which is that they now feel validated. Time and again, others had denied them the opportunity to have God’s Word translated into their language. Said one humble translator, “We now have value.”
