|
|
SAN SEBASTIAN, Guatemala — To have the Bible in one’s own language is seen as an affirmation of God’s love, writes David Singer, Publication Director for the American Bible Society. He was attending the launch of the Chuj Bible which was greeted by at least half of the community.
A
large caravan of pick-up and flatbed trucks, crowded with people in celebration
mood, had travelled the narrow mountain road through sparsely populated villages
announcing everywhere that the Bible Society would
be dedicating the Chuj Bible that weekend.
Arriving at the town square in San Sebastian, the visitors joined with nearly half of the local populace for this community-wide celebration. Women dressed in traditional costumes added a rainbow of colour to the festive atmosphere.
For many, the Chuj Bible was a unique event. Some had seen the effect the Scriptures can have on a person’s life, transforming them, helping them to make decisions based upon the moral judgement of the Bible and taking God’s will into account. Many had yet to see and read the Scriptures in their own language.
Many of the Chuj-speaking people, mostly the women and the elderly, cannot read or speak Spanish, their national language. For those who can, Spanish is their second language at best. In this and in other ways these minority communities find themselves marginalised. It was a sign of acceptance by the world community that the Chuj now had the whole Bible in their own language.
Translation of the Chuj Bible started many years ago when missionary Ken Williams translated the New Testament. In 1952 David and Helen Ekstrom came to San Sebastian and found a small Christian community.
“The strength of the church in San Sebastian has depended on the Scriptures,” said Helen Ekstrom. Speaking to the throng of believers who had gathered at the dedication service on November 27, Mrs Ekstrom thanked God for his Word and for its effect upon the life of this community.
“This is a very happy day,” she said. “I look at all the believers gathered here and give thanks to God that now you have all of God’s Word in your own language.”
In
1988 the Bible Society of Guatemala and the local church council recruited Diego
Nicolas and Baltazar Nicolas (no relation) to help the Ekstroms finish translating
the Old Testament translation work. UBS Translation Consultant for the project,
Ron Ross, said that half of the Chuj community were now believers.
“My father worked with Ken Williams,” said Diego Nicolas. “When the churches asked me to become a translator, my father told me, ‘This is God’s work and you must do it’.
“When I got started I had a superficial knowledge of the Bible. Now I know it well. Through that knowledge I can say that I have had a tremendous impact as a father and spiritual leader in my family and among my friends.”
Loud applause came when UBS Regional Translation Coordinator Bill Mitchell told the Chuj audience, “God makes no distinctions. His love has no frontiers – it breaks all boundaries. Your new Bible proves that you are not forgotten by God.” Most of the 5,000 Chuj Bibles printed were distributed in a short time. (WR 350/26 - 4/5.00) [PHOTOS]
Two
Language Groups Gather to
|
PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua — To the north-east of Nicaragua lies the seaboard town of Puerto Cabezas, where, last November, a day of celebration was organised by the Bible Society. The event was a double dose of achievement because the Christians of the Sumu and Miskitu (Miskito) language groups had joined together to welcome their new Bibles. David Singer, Publication Director for the American Bible Society, reports on the occasion.
On Saturday, November 20, two slow-moving processions converged on the central park in Puerto Cabezas. There were pedestrians carrying placards and slow-moving vehicles of all varieties. Some loudspeakers mounted on a van invited everyone to join the hymn-singing procession. One placard quoted 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
|
A Bible is often the first step towards a language
developing its own literature; it is a source and reference work, a
major statement for the culture and traditions of the people who speak
that language.
|
The processions ended at a basketball court at one end of the park. On a small area adjacent to the court, a large white tarpaulin had been set up to give shade to the visitors. Government dignitaries, community officials, church leaders, translators, and representatives from interested parties such as the UBS, had gathered there together with the Miskitu and Sumu-speaking people to welcome God’s Word.
A banner in Spanish read, “Presentation Celebration of the Miskitu and Sumu Bibles.” (Miskitu is pronounced with a concluding ‘o’ in Spanish but the Miskitu orthography does not use the letter ‘o’.)
After more than a century of translation work the two Bibles were finally ready for use. Translated by teams of indigenous translators, helped by linguistic experts, supported by the churches and by UBS, and printed by the Bible Society in Nicaragua, the Miskitu and Sumu Bibles represent a lot more than two new Bible translations.
A Bible in a language is often the first step towards that language's literature; it is a source and reference work, a major statement for the culture and traditions of the people who speak that language. Hundreds of people were present, representing at least 20 churches from the surrounding area.
“Language is a large part of these people’s identity,” said Geerhard Kloppenburg, who had been the UBS translation co-ordinator during the final stages of Miskitu translation.
The Miskitu translation, begun by the ABS 100 years ago, had a completed New Testament in 1905. When the Rev Joe Gray, a Moravian missionary working among the Miskitu in Honduras and Nicaragua, took up the task again in 1983, there were translations of the Psalms and Proverbs as well.
Mr Gray found that he enjoyed translating for guest speakers when they came to speak to Miskitu parishioners.
“The Lord gave me an easy tongue for language. Greek, Hebrew, and French came easily,” he said. It seemed logical to Mr Gray to continue translating the remaining books of the Old Testament.
After finishing a few chapters Mr Gray took his work to some local pastors for review. “I expected to be a hero but when they said it read just the way they expected a missionary to sound, I was devastated. That was a blessing in disguise,” he said.
Even though he had been speaking Miskitu for 50 years, Mr Gray realised that only a native speaker could capture the flavour and nuances that would bring God’s Word alive for the Miskitu people.
“When Miskitus started to do the work they would come up with words I had never heard of before,” Mr Gray said.
He realised the magnitude of the task – this was much more than a one-man job. At that point he turned to the Bible Society in Nicaragua and the UBS for help.
Miskitu pastors in Puerto Cabezas recruited the Rev Waldemar Bushey, a pastor who had “fallen in love with the Bible,” to be at the core of their translation team. For 14 years Mr Bushey and Joe Gray worked together, completing 98 per cent of the drafted text with paper and pencil. In 1995, the translation was put onto computer and run through the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) ‘Shoebox’ program. The computer enabled them to do text analysis, review and build a dictionary, and otherwise vastly streamline the work.
Making the new Miskitu Bible a cohesive whole also meant going back and revising the New Testament translation.
“Then it was important for the supporting churches to move from thinking about the Miskitu translation as a translation project and begin to own it as their Bible, a published text,” said Hank Spenst, the UBS Production Coordinator.
“They had to choose what they wanted their Bible to be,” said Mr Spenst. “We encouraged them to make it sound as user-friendly as possible, and to have meaning in the context of their culture.” In the case of the Miskitu Bible it was important to distinguish the Bible from the former New Testament. They chose to call it ‘Lord Word Whole.’
Only 10,000 copies of the Miskitu Bible could be printed due to lack of funds. By the time of the dedication 9,000 of these had been distributed, with the Roman Catholic Church unable to obtain the 5,000 copies it wanted.
Freddy Fonseca, the General Secretary of the Bible Society in Nicaragua, explained that although production costs ran to about US $13 per Bible, a pastors' committee had set the price equivalent to about $5. Unfortunately they were unable to increase the first print-run, which would have kept production costs even lower.
“We have been able to achieve this low price through donor support,” he said. “In many of these isolated communities – where barter is the main means of exchange – even five dollars is a lot of money.”
The Rev Eugenio Flores was recruited in 1987 to help translate the Sumu Bible. He beams when he talks about it. “I have succeeded in such an important job, something transforming in the life of a nation . . . the Sumu language, which was beginning to disappear, will no longer disappear because it is moulded in a book. Not any book, but the book of all books,” he said.
The first challenge in building a translation team is to find and train a native speaker like Mr Flores. It needs someone with the intuitive language skills and a passion for the work.
Barnabas Walden, a Spanish teacher who speaks Sumu, assisted Mr Flores as a stylistic checker, focusing on consistency of syntax and word usage. “This is one book for all the people,” he commented of the Sumu Bible. For the title of their Bible the Sumu speakers chose ‘Lord Father Word’.
To emphasise how much the Sumu Bibles were appreciated, Mr Fonseca explained how the closest Sumu village was eight hours’ journey away. “Christian men carried cases of Sumu Bibles to their community on foot, walking for eight hours,” he said. (WR 350/27 - 4/5.00) [PHOTOS]
LIMA, Peru — A group of missionaries have come up with an idea to help children learn more practically about the Bible, and this is causing excitement throughout Peru’s growing churches.
The publication called The Bible Tells Me So, is a working pack of Bible activity materials published through the El Inca bookshop and supported by the Peruvian Bible Society (PBS). In less than three months the PBS has distributed 3,400 packs, demonstrating the tremendous need for appropriate Sunday School material.
The material was developed by a team of British women whose experience in transcultural mission helped them to identify the need and then develop children’s biblical materials sensitive to Peruvian culture.
The first edition was prepared and sent out by the PBS as a trial to teachers in Evangelical day schools and Sunday Schools. Then the materials were revised to take into account the comments that were received. They were made more dynamic, encouraging the pupils to participate in what they were learning.
The materials form a pack which assists the teacher in conveying the biblical stories and message. By working with these materials the children can develop a good knowledge of the Gospel.
The presentation of The Bible Tells Me So was held on December 9 in the First Baptist Church (Primera Iglesia Bautista) in Lima. Invitations were issued to churches on the outskirts of Lima, and a general invitation was broadcast on Christian radio. But the PBS hardly anticipated the overwhelming response. Some 300 pastors and Sunday School teachers came, eager to find out more about the teaching materials.
Brenda Parkins, one of the authors and a representative of the El Inca bookshop, spoke of the importance of visual aids, while Gloria Bravo, first-grade co-ordinator for one of Lima’s largest schools, underlined the need for exercises to build up the children’s knowledge of the Bible.
Amparo Hernani, a member of staff of the PBS and a Sunday School teacher, gave a practical demonstration of the use of the visual aids and the manuals. When the PBS offered the packs at a special discount price for those present, more than 300 packs were ordered immediately.
This is a project which reaches Peruvian children from all walks of life; they are tomorrow’s church members. However, the project is short of funds. In order to make the packs available at cost price the PBS is seeking further support. The PBS is hoping that the materials will also be found suitable for all Christian confessions and be promoted by all the mainline churches. (WR 350/28 - 4/5.00) [PHOTOS]
‘Read,
Live and SURINAME — In September the Bible Society Program Co-ordinator in Guyana, Remington Nelson, presented the General Secretary of the Inter-School/Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship (IS/IVCF), Desmond Rogers, with 2,548 New Testaments on behalf of the Suriname Bible Society.
Offering his thanks to the Bible Society for the New Testaments, Mr Rogers expressed his joy that the two organisations had formed a partnership to reach Guyanese students.
“The presentation comes at a time when the IS/IVCF is urging people to ‘Read, Live and Share the Word’,” he said. “These New Testaments will enhance our efforts to achieve this goal.”
He said that the title of the New Testaments, God Sets You Free, was appropriate because many students needed to be freed from the immoral habits by which they were bound. The books also contained features designed as resource material for people leading Bible studies among students.
Later Mr Nelson said that the partnership with the IS/IVCF would help the Bible Society fulfil its goal of achieving the widest possible effective distribution of the Scriptures. Through its Bible Clubs, he explained, the IS/IVCF reaches students in all parts of Guyana and at all levels of education.
The presentation, which completed the Bible Society’s Now Is The Time project, came at a time when Guyana’s students were trying to come to terms with the shocking suicide of a girl student who was just 13 years old.
The Bible Society asked the IS/IVCF to ensure that its distribution of the New Testaments would include the school which the girl had attended and the one which she had been due to go to. (WR 350/29 - 4/5.00) [PHOTOS]
PARAMARIBO, Suriname — One of the Bible Month activities organised by the Suriname Bible Society was a ground-breaking idea which could have a significant effect on the use of the Bible - particularly by young Christians. Last September, in conjunction with a local Christian radio station, the Society held its first ever Bible quiz live on air. Held at the studios of Shalom Christian Radio in the capital, Paramaribo, the event took the form of a knockout competition. Five two-person teams, each of a different denomination, competed for the title of Bible Society Bible Quiz Champions. Two members of Bible Society staff – bookstore Supervisor Marcia Boldewijn and the new Promoter, Roemidie Kartopawiro – were the Bible quiz hosts. The winning team and the runners-up were presented with special Bibles. Afterwards, the director of the radio station was so impressed that he asked the Bible Society to organise a series of Bible quiz programmes during the rest of the year. The first was scheduled to go on air around Easter. The Society hopes that the innovative programmes will stimulate a more active interest in the Bible among Christian young people. (WR 350/30 - 4/5.00)
CAYENNE,
French Guiana — More than 2,000 Christians and church leaders from different
denominations gathered in the city centre last November to celebrate the country’s
first ever Bible Week. For French Guianese believers, it was an historic moment
and a sign of the country's growing commitment to the Word of God.
Organised by the newly-formed French Guiana Bible Society committee, the week-long Bible activities, which included a Bible Expo and a Prayer Walk, culminated in a procession through the city streets followed by an open-air concert.
Christians from all over the country travelled hundreds of kilometres to participate in the celebrations, some arriving at the departure point hours before the march was due to begin. They were given helium-filled balloons inscribed with Bible verses to carry with them.
Followed by a cavalcade of cars, the colourful procession made its way through the city, stopping at the courts, the town hall and the Mayor's offices to pray for God’s blessing on the government. Hundreds of spectators lined the streets, enjoying the joyful singing and bright banners of the believers.
A Selection called La Bible, printed specifically for the occasion, was distributed to spectators along the way.
By the time the procession reached its destination – ‘the Palmistes’, a palm garden in the heart of the city – many more people had joined in the march. Chinese, Brazilian, Amerindian, Haitian and French Guianese Christians all marked the end of the march by joining hands to form a large circle around the palm garden.
Inside the circle a community leader and pastor led prayer, dedicating the nation to Christ. At the end of the prayer, participants released their Scripture balloons into the air, symbolising the spreading of God’s Word across the country.
“Today is a great day for French Guiana,” said Franck Boulmer, a local Bible Society committee member and associate pastor of one of the city’s larger churches.
“The believers have demonstrated that although we worship in different churches, we are a unified force, testifying to our belief in the Bible and its importance in our nation.”
Martial Attica, chairman of the French Guiana Bible Society committee, expressed his delight at the success of Bible Week and the march through the city.
“I have never seen a live march in my life – I have only ever seen this kind of thing on television,” he said. “I feel privileged at having been involved in organising the first ever march in French Guiana, thanks to the Bible Society.”
Erle Deira, General Secretary of the Suriname Bible Society (SBS), who made the 10-hour drive from Paramaribo to attend the event, was particularly impressed by the amount of support for the Bible Week celebrations:
“It was touching to see so many people taking part in the march, especially the two participants in wheelchairs and parents pushing their small children along in prams. They did everything possible to be part of this historic event.
“I thank God that my eyes have seen his glory among the French Guianese people – it was definitely worth the long drive.”
The concert then began with inspired performances by various local Christian bands and well-known Canadian singer, Luc Gingras.
The Bible Expo, which was open for the duration of Bible Week, attracted 300 visitors. As well as a display of electronic Bibles and the different Bible translations available from the SBS, the Expo included an exhibition of hand-drawn posters depicting the theme of ‘How the Bible Came to Us.’ (WR 350/31 - 4/5.00) [PHOTOS]