A miracle is happening

In the heart of Africa, two communities are locked in a deadly war. But now, 22 years after the violence started, a miracle is happening.

Tragedy started when militias descended on villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). First they hunted the Hema people. Then they returned for the Bira people. Families were torn apart. Peace was shattered.

The Hema and Bira people – separate communities, with separate languages – accused each other of siding with the militias. Young Hema and Bira formed their own militias and began fighting each other – killing, looting, and driving people away from the land they had shared for generations. More than 7,000 died.

Could anything break the hatred?

Decades passed. Aid groups tried to begin reconciliation in the region known as the ‘bloodiest corner’ of the DRC. Could anything break the hatred?

Yes. Even in this darkness, the light of God’s word still shines. And today, your gift could help that light break through.

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Image of the Bira and Hema Bible translators working together in DRC Bira and Hema Bible translators working together

Twelve brave people – six Hema and six Bira – came together to train as Bible translators. Though former enemies, hearing God’s word speak to their hearts in their languages convinced them Bible translation could bring peace between their communities.

When the Bira Bible translators read in a church service Jesus’ words ‘Love your enemies’ from Luke 6:27, four young people came up to them afterwards. One said:

‘If we had been shown this verse earlier, and understood it the way it’s explained in our language, we and our neighbours would not have ended up killing each other.’

Imagine the transformation when they have more of God’s word! So far, these 12 translators have completed 20 short Bible stories. That’s only the beginning. To bring lasting healing, they want to translate the entire New Testament. 

Image of The Hema and Bira translation teams celebrating peace together in DRC The Hema and Bira translation teams celebrate peace together
They need our help

But they can’t do it without supporters like you. Are you able to stand alongside these translators – our brothers and sisters – in their work? The Hema and Bira people need our help.

Your gift will be part of £50,000 we hope to raise to fund Bible translation for the Hema and Bira people and to reach out to other conflict-scarred communities across the DRC. People who so desperately need God’s word and its message of reconciliation in Jesus.

The Hema and Bira translators are asking for the work in their two languages to be funded jointly. They want their shared mission to remind their communities that God’s word is for every heart. 

And with your help, their work can make more rapid progress.

  • £25 could translate one verse, which can bring the love and reconciliation of God to people’s hearts
  • £82 could pay to broadcast biblical stories on local radio – reaching even armed groups in the bush with Jesus’ challenge to love their enemies.

‘Nothing else can bring lasting peace, only the word of God that we are translating can do that,’ says Bira Bible translator, Christian.

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The Hema and Bira communities have seen the first signs of peace. Your gift can spread the good news of Jesus, and the reconciliation he brings, to people who are still waiting.

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