Wolrd Religion

Wycliffe Associates is calling for prayer for the people of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru where flood waters have disrupted thousands of lives and homes.

South America: Torrential rains in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, have profoundly changed the lives of thousands of people. In Bolivia, the 2013-2014 rainy season has affected more than 68,000 families. Farmers and ranchers have lost thousands of farm animals, and their crops have been destroyed. Homes have been swept away or covered by flood waters, and many people have died. In Peru, heavy rains and mudslides have seriously hampered travel by roads. Countless people have been displaced from their homes and villages. In Brazil, the Bible translation personnel, who live and work in Porto Velho, have been evacuated and are living elsewhere, while they wait for the floodwaters to subside. Pray that God will stop the rains and floods, and that people can recover and return to their normal lives and work. Pray for God’s comfort for those who have lost family members.

http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/prayer/prayerdetail.asp?id=4076

Land mines is one of the largest issues affecting Angola.  We are not digging up land mines but we are helping with the translation of scripture in that country.

Donn Hallman

714-379-6999

http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/news/pressdetail.asp?id=598

Wycliffe Associates to Help Launch Unprecedented Bible Translation Efforts in Civil War–Ravaged Angola

(Orlando, Florida, USA)—Wycliffe Associates, a global organization that involves people in the acceleration of Bible translation around the world, has announced plans to help launch Bible translation efforts in Angola, a Southern Africa nation that has been devastated by decades of civil war.

“These people have been ravaged by brutality and poverty,” says Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. “They live in daily danger of stumbling onto hidden land mines. But worst of all, many have never even heard a word of Scripture in their own language.”

Following a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002, Angola has 10 million land mines buried across the nation. More than 80,000 people in Angola have been maimed by land mines, according to the United Nations Development Program, and one in eight Angolans live in a community affected by land mines.

These hidden land mines make travel extremely dangerous and slow for Bible translation workers, but even so, they have identified 40 language groups that need Bible translations started.

“Until recently, violence has closed the region to large-scale mission efforts,” says Smith. “God has provided Wycliffe Associates with a brand-new opportunity to help launch Bible translation efforts in a place that is ripe for the gospel.”

Without written words in the language groups that need Bible translation, language workers have begun training mother-tongue Bible translators in telling Bible stories. The translators in training hear the stories of the Bible in a common tongue and are then asked to retell them in their own language.

The language workers have reported witnessing a very positive change in the mother-tongue translators as a result of this training, as members of tribes that were once at odds with one another have laid aside their suspicions and embraced a new unity through their common faith.

Wycliffe Associates is currently raising $120,000 for the support of Bible translation efforts in Angola and has plans to build a translation center, support audio recordings of the Scriptures, and provide technology and other resources.

About Wycliffe Associates

Wycliffe Associates involves people in accelerating the work of Bible translation through their time, talents, and treasure. Because millions of people around the world are still waiting to read the Scriptures in the language of their heart, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as it can to translate every verse of the Bible into every tongue to change every heart. The organization partners with nationals, mother tongue translators, staff, volunteers, and supporters to direct and fund these efforts, as well as provide logistics, networking, and technical support. Through a growing global network, Wycliffe Associates is striving to overcome local limitations of time and resources to achieve the goal of beginning the translation of God’s Word in every remaining language that needs it by 2025.

Last year, the organization mobilized 3,145 volunteers and staff members to accelerate Bible translation in 71 countries. Additional information is available at the organization’s website at www.wycliffeassociates.org or by calling 1-800-THE WORD (1-800-843-9673).

# # #

Nukumanu Language in Papua New Guinea – New Testament completed.

http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/prayer/prayerdetail.asp?id=4052

Papua New Guinea: Bible Translators have completed the New Testament in the Nukumanu language, a community on Tasman Island north of Bougainville. The village celebrated the launching of their New Testament on February 4. This milestone was reached after more than ten years of hard work in the translation process.

The Nukumanu people number over 700 and live on Tasman Island in Papua New Guinea.  Not be confused with Tasmania south of Australia.