‘Without translation we become foreigners to the Bible’

‘Most of the languages we do Bible translation into in Nigeria are spoken by farmers’

‘In Whitambaya, farming is something that you grow up doing,’ Malgwi explains. From the first games children play – pretending to be shepherds and sheep – farming permeates all of life. Parents tell their children farming stories and proverbs. A young man proves himself to the parents of the woman he wants to marry by farming.

Children start farming very young, practising in the backyard from around five years old. ‘At 12,’ Malgwi says, ‘I started to sell my farm produce to buy clothes and not worry about my father taking that responsibility. That’s tough, from childhood, but we are proud to be farmers.’

‘People see themselves as part of the curse’

Malgwi still loves farming. ‘You know, I see farming beyond just food. When the wind is blowing, you see the corn tangling like this,’ he says, swaying his hands, ‘Wow! I just start singing. So even though people see it as a hard and difficult job, it gives me joy.’

Not everyone shares his high view of farming – often because they have misunderstood the Bible. ‘People think that farming is a lowly, undesirable and dirty type of work. Most people think that farming resulted from the Fall. They see themselves as part of the curse. You find that misconception even in the church – pastors preach this.’

‘My hope is to see people connect their farming with Scripture’

Farming is foundational to all of our lives. Whether we live in cities or villages, in the UK, Ireland, or Nigeria, all of our food, much of our clothing, even some of our fuel, comes from farming. But in a country where the majority of people farm, misunderstanding the Bible in this way has particularly serious consequences. It damages relationships between farmers and their churches. It leaves people less likely to engage with the Bible. And it leads to farming practices that don’t glorify God, produce lower yields and harm creation.

Malgwi and his colleague Katharine Norton (from the Republic of Ireland) long to see farmers engage with the  Bible and discover how God really sees them and their work. That’s why they developed a pioneering programme, ‘Faith and Farming’, combining their experience in Bible translation and Scripture engagement with their knowledge of farming.

The workshops offer participants the opportunity to think biblically about farming in their own languages. ‘My hope is to see people connect their farming with God and Scripture,’ says Malgwi, ‘and realise that farming is not a curse but a blessing. We try to create awareness that, actually, it was God that ordained farming. Even before the Fall, it was the first assignment given to man in Genesis 2: to cultivate the land and take care of it.’

‘We are beginning to see churches encouraging farmers’

The Bible has much to say to farmers. But churches in Nigeria have not paid much attention to farming, Malgwi says – despite the fact that most members are farmers. ‘The only season you see them emphasising about farming is during harvest, when they will emphasise tithing. But after that you will hear nothing about farming. Nobody prays for them during droughts.’

Understandably, this leaves people feeling hurt and excluded. But the truth of the Bible helps repair relationships. ‘This programme has been eye-opening to churches. Now farmers say, “Churches are beginning to recognise us, noticing that we belong, and encouraging us.”’

Knowing how God sees farmers also means people depend on him during times of difficulty: ‘In my church, there was a time that people were faced with drought. There was a grave of our ancestor – a great farmer – and people went there to ask for rain.’

Once again, Malgwi’s familiarity with the Bible served him and his community well. The church gathered together, and Malgwi shared the story from 1 Kings 18, where Elijah prays for rain. He explained that they can trust God during droughts.

‘People are beginning to have courage,’ Malgwi says – instead of turning to their ancestors, his community now prays to the Lord in times of trouble.

‘She wanted to experience that God’

When Boko Haram attacked Malgwi’s village, Whitambaya, three of his friends were killed. But in the most difficult moments, God’s word gave them hope and courage. ‘Before their deaths, I had conversations with all of them about resisting or being strong during the time of challenge.’

The passage Malgwi shared from Revelation gave one friend the courage he needed to hold on to his faith in Jesus, right up until his death three months later. ‘I knew that he died as a Christian because even before his death he kept telling the Boko Haram that they should repent. And several others also preached before they were killed. So even though I miss these people, I have the joy that they are with Christ.’

This is why Bible translation matters so much: it gives people direct access to what God says. That means they can walk with the Lord in all areas of their life – including farming – so that when trials come, their faith is strong enough to stand the test. And when Christians are equipped to live out their faith, more people meet Jesus.

‘What kind of love!’

‘After the insurgency, many Muslims turned to Christ,’ Malgwi says. One lady told him that something had been troubling her. ‘She said, “The life of Christians in our community – your property was burned, your houses were burned, some of your families were killed. But I have never seen a day that you think of revenge. You even pray.”

‘She was passing by the church and she heard people praying that God would have mercy on these Boko Haram and touch their lives.

‘She said, “What kind of love!”

‘She wanted to experience that joy and she wanted to experience that God. So our reaction actually brings so many people to Christ.’

Pray with Malgwi

• Join Malgwi’s community in asking God to have mercy on Boko Haram and touch their lives. Pray for healing and restoration for those who are suffering because of these attacks.
• Praise God that people have come to know Jesus through the witness of Christians in Nigeria.
• Malgwi and Katharine are now in high demand all over the world. Pray for more people to join them so that, through the Bible, more farmers can discover God’s love for them and their work.
• Praise God for a gift left by a Wycliffe supporter in their Will, which will enable more ‘Faith and Farming’ workshops to take place.