Read below the stories of a number of modern-day John Wycliffes – Bible translators working so their people have God’s word in their own language.
‘My greatest dream is that through the translation the Wolof people will receive Christ in their life,’ says Elizabeth, who is a translator with the Contemporary Wolof team in Senegal.
The Wolof team has completed Luke and Acts and is now pressing on with translating the rest of the New Testament using cutting-edge oral translation techniques.
‘I had always wanted to serve God,’ Elizabeth explains, ‘and through being a translator I can help to spread the gospel of Christ. We could not do this alone. I thank all those who support us by praying and giving – they are investing in a new generation receiving the word of God.’
‘Through being a translator I can help to spread the gospel of Christ’
Elizabeth, Contemporary Wolof Bible translator
‘As Roma people ourselves, we know that having the Bible in the Romani language will help the Roma people understand that they are seen by God and loved by God,’ says Daniel who, along with his wife Alexandra, is part of the Standard Romani translation team in Romania.
Last year the team completed translating the Gospel of John – the first book of the Bible available in Standard Romani. Now they are working on the rest of the New Testament, along with central parts of the Old Testament, such as the first part of Genesis.
‘Working on translating the Bible has changed both Daniel’s and my life,’ Alexandra says, and they want other Roma people to also know the power of the Bible to change lives.
‘Having the Bible will help the Roma people understand that they are loved by God’
Daniel, Standard Romani Bible translator
‘I love God’s word because I have seen with my own eyes how it changes lives,’ says Yoke, a translator with the Dobel team in Indonesia. When Yoke was younger she says she was a bully at school. ‘My fellow pupils were afraid of me,’ she explains, ‘I used to hit them.’
But then she was asked to be part of the community checking of the Dobel translation of Ruth and her encounter with God’s word changed her. ‘Little by little, I got to know Jesus, and I decided to put my trust in him,’ Yoke explains, ‘and that changed the way I lived.’
Now Yoke translates the Bible so that other Dobel people can have the same transformative experience of coming to know Jesus through the Bible. The Dobel team has completed translating the New Testament in the last few months.
‘I got to know Jesus and that changed the way I lived’
Yoke, Dobel Bible translator
‘Translating the Bible is so important,’ says Komi, who coordinates Bible translation across Togo and Benin, ‘because many people don’t understand French, so they are not able to read and understand the Scriptures. And it does not change their lives when they do not understand it. Translation of the Bible also enables non-believers to hear the good news in their language.’
Komi started as a translator for the Ifè translation team in Togo and he saw the huge difference having the New Testament made. ‘Before the Ifè translation started there weren’t many churches,’ Komi explains. ‘But now almost every Ifè village has a church.’
But the Ifè people also want the whole Bible in their language. There are Ifè pastors who have never – yet – been able to read the Old Testament. ‘People are hungry to have the Old Testament,’ Komi says. ‘They long for the whole Bible.’
‘But now almost every Ifè village has a church’
Komi, Ifè Bible translator
Watch out for more modern-day John Wycliffes being added to this page as the 700th anniversary year of John Wycliffe’s birth progresses.
This is a tremendously exciting time for world mission as more Bible translation is now happening than ever before. This could not happen without people like you giving and praying, so thank you!
To keep up with the ambition of local Bible translators and churches around the world, we want to be able to say ‘yes’ to more modern-day John Wycliffes, who are passionate about translating the Bible for their people. But we can only do that with your help.
