First Locally-printed
Bible in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal — The Nepal Bible Society (NepBS) took a big step forward recently with the launch of the first ever locally-printed Nepali Bible.

Previously, the printing of the Bibles was organised by the UBS Asia-Pacific Regional Service Center. Now, according to NepBS Executive Secretary, Nabin Sunuwar, the ability to print Bibles and other Scripture materials within the country will mean that NepBS will be able to serve the Nepali-speaking world more effectively.

The launch ceremony, which took place on July 18, was attended by Pastors and leaders of Christian organisations in the Kathmandu valley. Each was presented with a complimentary copy of the new Nepali Bible, and a set of Scripture Comics – Moses I and II, Abraham, Joseph and Elijah – which were also printed locally.

Senior Pastor Robert Karthak offered dedicational prayers for the Bible and Bible Comics, and NepBS Chairman, Dr. K. B. Rokaya, spoke about the Bible Society's work over the years. (WR 344/17 - 10.99) [PHOTOS]

Filipinos Focus
On 100 Years

MANILA, Philippines; August 10 — There is an air of expectancy and muted excitement among the staff of the Philippine Bible Society (PBS) these days. And it does not only come from the tall new building proudly proclaiming itself the home of the Bible Society.

“Please forgive the chaos, the air conditioning not working properly, the furniture not yet in place . . .” The visitor is implored not to make negative judgements: they are still moving in to this beautifully-built multi-storey high-rise in the Santa Mesa district.

Event of the century

Indeed, the staff not only have to cope with such chaos that an office move entails (the e-mail system was still not functioning) but they also have to maintain their level of work and at the same time prepare for the event of the century: the 100th Anniversary of the PBS scheduled to take place on November 26, 1999.

“There will be a major thanksgiving dinner and our speaker will be the nation’s vice-president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,” says Mark Castro, the new Communications Team Leader, although, confesses Mark, he has hardly been in the job more than a few months. But he is excited:

Dynamic state

“The Bible Society is in a dynamic state at the present. Not only do we have this new building, and a staff committed to the Bible cause, but we are embarking on a year of programs that will have a remarkable impact upon the people of the Philippines,” he said.

Founded under the auspices of the American Bible Society in 1899, the Society has spent the last 100 years outgrowing its United Nations Avenue premises, where the original building still proudly advertises the Word of God, and the shop offers Bibles in eight of the Philippine languages.

But the millennium will truly herald in new ventures for the Bible Society: there is a special Centennial edition of the Tagalog Bible which is to be offered at the subsidised cost of 50 pesos (US$1.50), which is half the cost of the cheapest Bible currently available. Distribution will take place through the churches and church-related organisations to ensure that they only go to those people who can barely afford a daily meal.

Church help sought

“We hope that many churches will pay the 50 pesos and offer these Scriptures free of charge,” Mr Castro said. “Many churches have already indicated their interest in being involved in this project. 100,000 copies of this special-edition Bible will be made available this year, and a further 100,000 will be made available in 2000.”

Another exciting project is being hailed as the PBS legacy to the next generation. This is a new translation of the Bible especially for children into the main language, Tagalog.

It is being illustrated by a local artist in the hope that the illustrations will be nearer to the Asian culture. And every book of the Bible will be included – this is no Bible storybook.

Perry Cartera, the Publishing Manager, who is also responsible for the translation, says that they intend to print 15,000 initially, with 10,000 of these being given by the PBS free to students from poor families between the ages of 10-12 years.

“Although we will be launching the Tagalog Children’s Bible at the November celebration, it will only be in February or March of next year that we will organise a special presentation.

“Then we will invite donors to come and make the presentation themselves to a selection of the students who will receive these Bibles,” Mrs Cartera says.

Another significant event which is timed to occur with the 100th Anniversary celebration is the issue of a special Bible Society commemorative centennial stamp. This will be issued by the national Post Office on November 26, 1999.

“We are preparing to join with Campus Crusade for Christ in a venture showing the Jesus film and distributing the Gospel of Luke,” Mr Castro says.

Millennium Tribute

“There will be a meeting on September 14 here at the PBS, and we hope that some 40 churches and organisations will be represented. We will also be discussing the Millennium Tribute and the Olympic Edition of the Jesus film.”

The Society already has a program of supplying Selections to pastors and church workers for evangelistic activities and mission work.

“People generally make a donation towards the cost - we suggest a minimum of 100 pesos ($3) – but some then think they can ‘buy’ a thousand of these Selections for 100 pesos. This is a misapprehension we will have to correct,” says Mr Castro.

And all this is only the beginning. The ultimate plan is to redevelop the original building in United Nations Avenue, and build a new high-rise where both the offices and the warehouse of the PBS can be housed together, while maintaining the bookstore at the front.

Strategic

It is seen as a strategic location, significant also in the history of this Society, where Bible work first began for this people highly conscious of their history and their place on the world stage. (WR 344/18 - 10.99) [PHOTOS]

When an Illustrator’s Art Left Him

MANILA, Philippines; August 10 — Norman de la Cruz is a well-known illustrator and animator who has spent many years drawing children’s material from Fred Flintstone and Popeye to Biker Mice from Mars and X-men.

“I can usually draft at least 100 illustrations in a day,” he says. “But about a month ago I was unable to draw: I just sat and looked at my pencils. It was as if I had lost all my talent, my bread-winning ability.” And all this happened because he started illustrating the Bible.

Mr de la Cruz is a Roman Catholic with a deep respect for his faith and for the Bible. For several months he had become uncomfortable with his work. His illustrations seemed to feature too much violence.

Prayed for Bible work

“I longed in my heart to be involved in illustrating the Bible,” he said. “So I prayed that God would help me to find work which would involve biblical themes. It was only a few days after that I received a call from one of my close friends and business associates at DPSI, the Apple-Macintosh distributors here in Manila. Was I interested in illustrating a new Children’s Bible being prepared by the Philippine Bible Society (PBS)?”

Mrs Perry Cartera takes up the story: “We wanted to find a good local illustrator so that the book would have a truly Asian flavour; after all, it was being specially translated – not an adaptation, not a compilation of Bible stories, but a genuine translation for children.”

She demonstrated the chronological Gospels, where instead of being done as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, with all the repeated passages, the events in Jesus’s life are placed in a chronological order. For example, it all starts with John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

Then passages are selected from the synoptics and placed in an agreed order so that the Gospels are synergised into one story.

Answer to prayer

“Of course, I accepted this challenge straight away,” says Mr de la Cruz. “After all, it was an answer to prayer. I came in and discussed the type of illustrations and style with Mrs Cartera, but when I asked her what she wanted in the various places created for the drawings, she simply told me to read the Bible and get my ideas from my reading.

“That is when I began to read the Bible. And I started to see things for the first time that I had never before been aware of. There was another strange thing: I was always getting offers of work, but after I began to work on the biblical illustrations, the work stopped coming. I was able to concentrate fully on the biblical material.

Problems with Job

“And things went fairly well until I got to the Book of Job. Then I ran into trouble. I came to the part where Satan asks God to curse Job. I knew I had to illustrate this somehow, but I became stuck. I realised that for most of my life I had been illustrating evil, violence, but here, faced with the originator of all evil, I was powerless to come up with anything. I just sat and stared at my pencils.

“I can draft up to 100 illustrations in a day, but I was truly stuck here, unable to lift a pencil. I wondered if I would ever be able to draw again. That was when it came to me that I needed prayer.

Special project

“I realised we were embarked on a special project God was going to use for his glory and Satan didn't want me to continue. It was also at this point that several other offers of work occurred to tempt me away from the Bible project.

“I got in touch with Perry at the Bible Society and we agreed to meet for some prayer. I now realise that I can only do this work with God’s power.”

Prayer

At this point Mr de la Cruz asked us to pray, and we all joined him in praying that God would bless this work mightily and reach the hearts of many children through this new Bible.

Mrs Cartera has also been moved by this work. She is translating it. When she came to the discussion Jesus had with his disciples on forgiveness she realised that she was carrying unforgiveness in her heart. “I was challenged by the words I was translating,” she says.

“I realised that I could not go on unless I put Christ’s command into practice. So I prayed and I was able to let go of my hurt and unforgiveness. Then I felt free to proceed. I am amazed how God is speaking to us individually in this project.

“You know, I have been a Christian for 20 years, but I had never really discovered the God of the Old Testament until I started working on this translation. I discovered a provider, a father, a God who cares deeply for his people.” (WR 344/19 - 10.99) [PHOTOS]

Youth Workshop Focuses on Bible

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The first step was taken in a four-year program to train young Christians in Bible knowledge and evangelism, with a youth workshop on August 2-4, that attracted 104 participants from across the country.

Funded by the UBS Millennium Program and Opportunity 21, the program’s target is to train 500 young people by the year 2004.

Eager extras

Expecting only 60 participants, organisers were pleased at the enthusiastic response by churches across the country. One of the workshop speakers, UBS consultant Anthony Harrop, commenting on the extra turnout, said : “With difficult communications, and great interest among church leaders for their young people to receive training, how could we say no to those arriving eager but unannounced?”

More tables and chairs were laid out for the extra people during the meetings, which were held in the Anglican church, and accommodation was found for them locally.

Each day, the workshop began energetically with physical exercises, followed by personal and group devotions. Daily sessions focused on the importance of the Bible, both as a key to personal knowledge of God, and as a vital tool in reaching out to other people.

New readers

This was particularly pertinent to the young participants, many of whom had only recently become Christians. Of all the young people attending the workshop, only 35 per cent had read through the New Testament, and only five had read through the whole Bible.

Sessions on the new translation of the Bible, Today’s Khmer Version, released last year, were seen as particularly helpful, because it is much easier to understand than the Old Khmer Bible. Each participant was delighted to receive a copy of this new-translation Bible from the Bible Society in Cambodia.

Speakers at these sessions included Bible Society board members, Paulerk Sar and Barnabas Mam; Executive Secretary, Yos Em Sithan and staff member Vong Bopha; and UBS representatives, Arun Sok Nhep, translator of the new Khmer Bible, and Anthony Harrop, Publishing Services consultant.

Distribution event

The highlight of the workshop was a Scripture distribution. In groups of 20, participants joined with five local churches to take Scriptures to families in the neighbourhood.

Colourful Bible Comics and Portions were eagerly bought, and a few New Testaments were purchased by adults. Many of those who received the Scriptures promised to come to church the following Sunday.

At the end of the workshop, each participant was presented with a big bag of Scriptures to take back to their own church.

Scripture gifts

The bags contained more than 70 Scripture books, including a New Testament, the Gospels, the Books of Genesis, Psalms and Proverbs, the three Life of Christ Bible Comics, a set of five New Reader Portions, and 100 Selections.

These books will be of real help to the churches, especially those in the rural areas where people find it difficult to obtain Scripture material. (WR 344/20 - 10.99) [PHOTOS]

Hope Behind Locked Doors

TAIWAN — Two ladies show great courage as they venture behind Hualien prison's locked doors three times a week.

On the surface, their purpose is to meet with the prisoners – both men and women, including murderers and kidnappers – to help them learn English. But beyond the English classes there is another motive: to introduce these law-breakers to the one who overcame the power and condemnation of the law – the Saviour, Jesus.

Life-changing

“Why do you use the Bible to teach English?” a reporter asked. One of the prisoners answered: because the Bible is a life-changing book, and they all have need of change in their lives.

As well as a little book of readings from the New Testament called The Upper Room, American missionary Judith Estell and German deaconess Monika Gottschild use the Chinese-English diglot Bible published by the Bible Society.

“We realised that the prisoners were unfamiliar with the Old Testament,” they explain. “Even those students in the lower classes can understand the text of Today’s Chinese Version, which is coupled with the Good News Bible.

Conflict resolution

“The Bible is an important book because all our pupils have been in conflict with society’s book of laws. On the other hand, the Bible is God’s good news of love, and it gives the inmates hope for their lives, encouragement in times of sadness, as well as being a good guide for daily living.”

Joseph is a prisoner who is almost grateful to be in prison: he says that if he had not been in prison he doubts if he would have sought God in his freedom.

“I would not have met Jesus Christ and come to accept his love and forgiveness out there,” he says. “I am thankful I have become a Christian here: it is a miracle!”

Rick has seen his life completely turned round. Nothing is so important now for him but to know God. George enjoys the lessons because he feels accepted; it is one place where he can be himself. George still has many questions about the Bible.

Each lesson begins with the Lord’s Prayer – they all know this by heart. Then there is half an hour or so of singing. Many of the songs are based upon Bible texts: “As the deer pants for the water,” or “God will take care of you.”

Number five

One prisoner – in the past a multiple murderer – always chooses number five. It is his number, but also the words have special meaning: “I don’t know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.

“The more I take part in these English classes, the more I think about God and the Bible, and the closer I get to this God,” he says.

Ms Estell and Ms Gottschild (45) have been teaching in Hualien prison for seven years, and they have found their ministry expanding as the prisoners leave to rejoin their families.

“It is like throwing a stone in a pool of water, sending ripples in all directions. We try to keep in touch with former prisoners and encourage them to continue praying and reading their Bibles,” says Ms Estell.

They also put the ex-prisoners in touch with a local church. And they try to involve the whole family in Bible reading, and will provide Bible Society Bible Comics for the children and other devotional materials.

Bridges

“We try to re-build bridges between the prisoners and their relatives,” says Ms Gottschild. “Sometimes, after long lapses of time between visits, it is not easy for them to face each other again. Haydn’s son wanted to attend his father’s graduation but was not sure how to face his father. He asked us to accompany him and help him with the conversation.

“We experience God working through his powerful Word in the lives of these prisoners. For us, listening to their problems, encouraging them, answering their questions about the Bible, helping them to write letters – these are all ways in which we can carry out Jesus’s words in Matthew 25:36: ‘I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (WR 344/21 - 10.99) [PHOTOS]

Chin Christians Mark Centenary
With Special Edition Bible

HAKHA, Myanmar — Celebrations by the Chin Christians of the arrival of Christianity among them 100 years ago drew more than 20,000 Christian visitors. Also, more than 4,000 copies of a specially-revised edition of the Hakha Bible were sold in a single day.

The ‘Chin Evangelical Centenary’ was an event which the Chin Christians had been looking forward to for years: they dreamed about it, talked about it, wrote about it, sang about it and, finally, from April 1-4, they took part in it. Some literally walked for six days, others from further away drove for a week on the rough dirt roads to arrive in time for the celebrations in the Chin State capital, Hakha.

First night

It was on March 15 1899 that a missionary couple, Dr Arthur Carson and his wife Laura, first arrived in Hakha from the United States. On their first night Mrs Carson was so dismayed that she wept bitterly, saying that she would never be able to live the rest of her life among people so ugly and dirty. She eventually changed her mind, however, and when her husband died a few years later, she continued the work alone, staying on to complete 12 years of service. Today some 75 per cent of the Chin people are Christian.

Planning the celebrations raised many difficulties. Due to the country’s economic plight, all prices are very high. A bag of rice, for example, costs 2,800 Kyat whereas a high school teacher earns only about K1,500 a month – a little over US $9.00. Concerns about meeting the costs of the event, however, were allayed by the decision that local Christians of all denominations would pool their resources to mark what is strictly a Baptist-initiated celebration.

The organisers were also concerned by the attitude which the Government displayed to the Centenary. Submitted ten months ahead of the event, their application for permission to hold the celebrations met with the official response that “The arrival of the white men is of no consequence for us whatsoever”.

Permission granted

Preparations went ahead in faith, however, and permission was finally granted just five days before the opening, with the proviso that only 4,500 guests would be permitted.

In the event more than four times that number arrived, making it an occasion of a kind rarely witnessed in Hakha before. Although soldiers were strategically positioned around the town to deal with any disturbances, the celebrations took place in a wholly peaceful and enjoyable spirit.

As its contribution to the celebrations, the Bible Society of Myanmar decided to publish a revision to the Hakha Bible. This was first published in 1978 and had been out of print since 1994. A team of six, headed by the Rev David Van Bik, began work on the project in 1996 and completed it in 1998. The checking and printing was handled by the Bible Society of Indonesia.

Hope for Bibles

The project managers were hoping to ship some 10,000 copies of the revision to Hakha in time for the celebration. In anticipation of the difficulties of doing this, much prayer was undertaken as well as preparation for the various stages of the Bibles’ journey.

With a week to go, the Bibles showed no sign of arriving in Hakha; then, two days before the celebrations were due to begin, 4,680 copies were safely delivered.

Proclaiming on its cover ‘The 100th Anniversary of the Chin Christians 1899-1999’, the Bible was dedicated at a special service held on April 3. More than 30,000 people attended and heard Guam-based UBS Translation Consultant Dr Stephen Hre Kio give the sermon.

Every copy of the new Bibles was sold. The rest of the consignment arrived a month after the celebrations and they, too, are now in the hands of the Chin Christians.

Another cause for celebration during the four days arose from the results of a long-term evangelistic programme which the Chin Christians began some 15 years before the Chin Evangelical Centenary, entitled ‘Chins for Christ Within One Century’ (CCOC).

Some 1,200 evangelists volunteered to take part in the work, travelling the length and breadth of the Chin State – 261,000 square miles in all – and seven lost their lives while doing so. Their efforts and sacrifices have resulted in 22,000 new Christians being welcomed into the churches.

The CCOC is now to be succeeded by a new evangelism program called Chin Mission of the Century (CMC) which aims to take the Gospel further afield – as far as the Buddhist plain-dwellers.

700 baptisms

The centenary celebration itself saw 700 new Christians baptised – all on April 3 – and 65 preachers ordained. Chin cultural dances were performed every night from 7pm to midnight. Some indication of the richness and variety of the culture of the Chin State is given by the fact that a total of 35 languages are spoken within its borders.

At the closing of the celebrations, the Commander General of the Chin State praised and congratulated the Christian organisers for having kept such a large-scale event free of disturbances and unwelcome incidents. (WR 344/22 - 10.99) [PHOTOS]

Church Literacy Class Fuels Faith

All this is due to a church literacy class, which started in February last year, reports Tian Feng, magazine of the China Christian Church.

The class is the result of much hard work by Jinshanqiao Protestant Church in Xuzhou, reopened in 1983, which wanted to help all of its 500 members to read the Bible for themselves.

A third of the congregation had never learned to read and write, and many became frustrated at not being able to read their Bibles or use their hymnals in worship services.

Literacy on hold

For a long time, the church’s plans to start a literacy class were put on hold due to a lack of space, teaching materials, and a teacher. However, with the publication of the Easy Reader series by the China Christian Council, and the construction of a spacious new church building with room for a class, the church's plans have finally come to fruition.

Response

An experienced teacher was found among the congregation, and the response was dramatic: more than 60 illiterate believers signed up on the first morning of registration. Even non-churchgoers expressed a desire to learn to read.

Classes are held weekly, and students have rapidly improved their reading and writing. Their lives have also been affected because the Bible is used as a primary teaching tool.

Eldest pupil

One of the oldest students there is 80-year-old Qin Deying. She was the first to sign up for the class, even though people believed it was of little use for her to study at such an old age. Qin disagreed with them:

“The Lord has allowed that my ears and eyes have not failed me in my old age, so I want to use these gifts to learn as many words as I can, read some of the Bible for myself and understand the Lord’s paths better while I still have time,” said Qin, who is always the first to arrive for class.

Grandson’s help

Her small grandson helps her with her homework every week. When she was hospitalised with a high fever some months ago, she insisted on taking her character books with her so that she could revise from her bed. The staff at the hospital were greatly moved by her dedication.

Now, over a year later, Mrs Qin has learned over 800 words and can read the Bible and sing from her hymn book during worship services.

Changed lives

The lives of all the students have been changed by the literacy class. Many of them have developed a new love and enthusiasm for the church, and they are actively participating in all areas of church work as a way of thanking the church for its gift of literacy.

This energy has spread to all members of the congregation, and there is an atmosphere of excitement in the church.

Best of all, however, is the fact that the literacy class has attracted non-Christians, many of whom are hearing the Word of God for the first time. It is hoped that teaching them to read and write by using the Bible will bring them to a knowledge of Christ. (WR 344/23 - 10.99)

First Bible Books in Australian Deaf Language

One woman said she would be able to ‘see’ God
speaking directly to her in her own language

SYDNEY, Australia — An event took place on August 19 which symbolises change and fresh hope for Australia’s deaf community: it was the official launch of the first two books of the Bible to be published in the sign language of the Australian deaf people, Auslan.

Milestone

The ‘books’ Jonah and Ruth are made available on video, and they not only mark a milestone for Australian Christians with impaired hearing but are also the first significant literature of any kind to be made available in Auslan.

The ceremony was conducted by the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane, who is keenly interested in the project and is patron of the Auslan translation work. He delighted the large audience of church leaders, representatives of the deaf community, and deaf children by communicating the first part of his message in Auslan.

Copies of the videos were presented to a representative of the deaf people of Australia, to a representative of Parliament, and then to representatives of the Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic Churches as well as the Uniting Churches and the Salvation Army.

Drawing on experts throughout Australia, the translation team, who are deaf, translate the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek under the management of the Bible Society in Australia (BSA). The project is being coordinated by BSA Translation Consultant, Dr Dorothy Tunbridge. After several drafts and reviews the translation is filmed at the Sydney studios of Anglican Media. The final productions, which have neither sound nor subtitles, contain glossaries, genealogies, maps illustrations and coloured pictures.

Prefered media

The General Secretary of the BSA, the Rev Philip Oliver, said that the Auslan Bible project began in 1992. The BSA had asked Christian deaf communities if they really wanted the Bible in Auslan. The Society learned that although deaf people recognised the need for English in many aspects of daily life, the majority of deaf adults prefer to communicate in Auslan.

Communication

“It is easier to understand and lip-reading gives only partial understanding in face-to-face communication,” he said. “To those who are deaf written English is a set of symbols on paper which bear no relation to any sensory experience such as the sounds a hearing person hears.”

He said that members of the deaf community convinced the BSA that they wanted to worship God in Auslan and that an Auslan Bible would be understood in a way in which the English Bible had never been understood by deaf people.

“One woman said she would be able to ‘see’ God speaking directly to her in her own language,” he said.

Throughout the proceedings interpreters Peter Bonser and Michelle McQuire conveyed what was being said in either spoken English or Auslan.

Auslan frowned on

Auslan translators Kevin Beath and Betty Bonser told their personal stories of growing up in an education system which discouraged the use of Auslan. Mr Beath who became deaf at the age of seven, was taught Auslan by his parents. It was frowned upon by his teachers, however, and only enjoyed the status of an ‘underground’ language for deaf people. It did not gain official recognition until 1987.

The vice Chairman of the Auslan National Committee, Pastor Rod Chapman, said that he wanted all churches to use the videos.

“Deaf people’s ears are their eyes,” he said. “Please allow deaf people access to these videos so that they can understand the Scriptures better.”

This is not the first time that the Scriptures have been translated into a sign language – other similar schemes are under way in the United States, England, Japan, Mexico and Romania. It is, however, an Australian first and a watershed for the Australian deaf community.

The publication of Jonah and Ruth is the first part of a program which aims to complete almost 30 books of the Bible drawn from both the Old and the New Testaments. The Gospel of Mark and Paul’s Letter to the Galatians will soon be available. (WR 344/24 - 10.99)