Postscript

This reminds us why we do what we do…

See more information on Scripture access statistics for the last year

Popularity: 13% [?]

More people in Africa speak French than anywhere else in the world.  That’s because it is the national language in more than 10 countries in Africa, mostly in central and west Africa.

While French is a national language in these countries and is often a language of wider-communication (people who have different mother tongues use it to speak to each other), the linguistic landscape of these countries is quite diverse.  Many languages are spoken.  As a matter of fact, French African countries have some of the greatest needs for Bible translation in the world in terms of number of languages without scripture.

A few years ago Wycliffe, together with a few other organizations, launched the Francophone Initiative.  The goal was to encourage leaders in Francophone Africa to engage in Bible translation.  The first consultation, held in 2007, led to the creation of a curriculum about Bible translation and mother-tongue ministry that is used in seminaries.

I spent this week at the second Francophone Initiative Consultation which was held at the CIERVA in Cotonou, Benin (West Africa). This time more than 70 theologians (including pastors, denomination leaders, seminary staff and administration, staff of Bible translation organizations and other ministries) from more than 10 French-speaking African countries met together. At the end of the event they prepared a declaration which stated their goals for the next several years for promoting mother-tongue ministry and Bible translation in Francophone Africa.

The final version of the declaration is in progress.  I’ll be interested to see what’s in it, and what results we’ll see from this meeting of leaders in the coming years.

Popularity: 15% [?]

More from my trip to Ethiopia in March…

Bible translation work goes beyond the translation of the Bible itself.  We want to see people actively engaged with scripture using what they learn to help them with the difficulties they face, so other materials are often also translated.

One challenge faced by many communities in Africa is how to appropriately respond to HIV and AIDS. A booklet called Kande’s Story addresses this issue using a scriptural approach.  It has been translated into many languages in Ethiopia including Guji-Oromo.  The church took the lead in conducting workshops in the area using the translated Kande’s Story booklets in order to educate and create an environment of openness to facilitate dialogue about HIV and AIDS.

The people we visited in Chambe told us that other programs about HIV and AIDS had been done in their community, but in the national language, Amharic.  Because Kande’s Story was in their language, more people understood the content and responded to the teaching.

Below is the story that resulted from our trip there.  Read it and be encouraged.

God is at work.

God’s Word Speaks on HIV:
Kande’s Story in Ethiopia

by Christine Jeske

On a Sunday morning in the town of Chambe in southwest Ethiopia, Pastor Bilu Demissie Shorbote explained to his congregation the words of Psalm 23.  “In Christ,” he said, “there is a place of healing and comfort.  Has anyone here experienced God’s comfort?”

“Amen.”  The people responded together.

Bringing hope and light

In recent months, the town of Chambe had experienced new and tangible evidence of God’s comfort through a booklet about HIV and AIDS.  The booklet, originally titled Kande’s Story, tells the story of a young woman whose parents die of AIDS and how members of the local church respond with support and healing.

Kande’s Story is a true-to-life account based on stories told by a church leader from northern Nigeria about children in his community.   The story was first written in 2004 by Shellbook Publishing Systems, who then allowed SIL to further adapt and use the story and add a facilitator’s manual.  Since then it has been translated into 139 languages, including thirteen in Ethiopia.  Among these is the Guji dialect of Oromo spoken in the village of Chambe.

As people read and discuss Kande’s Story, they uncover ways to apply scripture to their everyday life as the facilitator’s guide includes Bible passages.  Together participants discuss Jesus’ treatment of lepers, God’s view of sexual sin, justice for orphans and widows, and much more.

Healing a stigma

An estimated 2.1% of Ethiopian adults were HIV positive in 2007, but that number has been climbing toward the Sub-Saharan African average of 5%.  A staggering 22.5 million people across Sub-Saharan Africa are HIV positive, and nearly 15 million children are orphans due to AIDS.

The stigma of the disease remains strong in Ethiopia.  Communities often ostracize those suspected of having HIV and their family members.  Churches commonly teach that HIV is the wrath of God and a proof of sin in the life of the infected person.  Many people will not touch an infected person, and they even fear to pronounce the name of the disease, calling it instead “that thing.”

The impact of the story is noticeable.  In Kibre Mengist, a city near Chambe, a group of HIV positive people have started meeting every Friday in a public place. Together they share coffee, friendship, and support. Their public presence boldly announces their HIV positive status to the community with an openness unheard of before Kande’s Story workshops.

“I used to be afraid of people who are HIV positive,” said Hamero Kedir, a young woman from the region.  “Now I will say hi, shake their hands, and come close to them to try to help them.”

Spreading the word: “a new taste of freedom”

When government leaders in the region surrounding Chambe heard about Kande’s Story, they became excited.  They approached the presenters and asked for the workshops to be repeated in each of the 15 districts across a region of four million people.  Previously in this region the fliers, posters, and radio broadcasts regarding HIV and AIDS were only in the national language, Amharic.

“The government has given training on HIV, but this one is special because it is in our mother tongue and whoever is given the training should give the training to another,” explained church leader Worku Mute, who is referring to the method where those who read the story and participate in the workshops are asked to teach others about the disease, so the story spreads exponentially.

Others can help spread Kande’s Story. Guji translator Danbala Elema said they need more copies of the translated booklet to distribute.  The first printing included 20,000 copies, but some four million people speak the language.

“My wish is that it could reach every people,” said Worku, who coordinates the sending of local missionaries through Evangelical Church Fellowship of Southern Ethiopia and would like every missionary to have a copy.

As the church service closed in Chambe, Pastor Bilu Demissie Shorbote and the congregation sang, “Jesus saved me from dying, cast away my sin.  Now I am free and happy.”  Today, as people read Kande’s Story in their mother tongue in Chambe and across Africa, Jesus is giving those affected by HIV and AIDS a new taste of freedom and happiness.

Read a longer version of this story

Popularity: 29% [?]

Every so often its important to review what you’ve done and assess what’s next.  Wycliffe has been working on establishing communications teams to serve each of our global areas — Africa, the Americas, Asia & the Pacific, and Europe/Eurasia.  About two years ago we finally had a least a person assigned to each of those areas.

Five of us (representing each of our global areas) gathered for three days in Germany to reflect on what we’d been able to do, define our major victories and barriers and discuss what the best way forward could be.

The result?  A more than twenty page report for our leadership to review with some recommendations for next steps.  We’ll see what happens.

It was a productive several days, but it wasn’t without an extra day to explore Germany.

A day before the meetings began, we all went together to visit Wartburg Castle–the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German in 1522.  The room in the photo is where he did the translation.

…seemed like an appropriate place for a group from Wycliffe to visit…

Fredrick the Wise brought Luther to the castle to protect him following Luther’s excommunication from the Church after refusing to recant his 95 theses.

I guess Luther didn’t have much else to do except work on his translation.  It was completed in only 11 months–an amazing amount of time especially considering how much time it had to take just to write down all the words!

Translations of the New Testament today can take ten, twenty, even thirty years to complete. Before the computer age, they could take longer.

Luther was a mother tongue translator (MTT).  While MTTs are always involved in Bible translations, the process can often go faster when an MTT, like Luther, is well educated in the principles of languages and theology.  This is why our organization and colleagues invest in training local people to do translation work.

Read about Fransisco Pihali, a mother tongue translator in Mozambique.

Popularity: 10% [?]

When you think of the Bible, do you think of a book?  The Bible is now available in a variety of media in many languages.  Some people access it on their phones or on special audio devices.  Some watch it on video. Others hear and learn scriptures through oral transmission.  Still others engage with scriptures in interactive computer programs. This video takes a comedic look at some of our hang-ups about the medium of the Bible.

Popularity: 33% [?]