Sometimes God’s plan for our lives unfolds in unexpected ways. We may think our skills aren’t enough or our season of usefulness has passed. But God has a way of working through every “yes” — even when we whisper it with uncertainty.

Cecilia Legani discovered this on a journey that took her across oceans and then back home with a passion for her people to know God’s Word. Now she’s helping lead a local Bible translation effort for her childhood language in the Solomon Islands.

A Calling That Crossed Oceans

Cecilia’s story began in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. As a young woman, she dropped out of school due to social challenges and stayed home caring for her maternal and paternal grandmothers. Then one day at church, a woman invited Cecilia to a girls’ training center. “That’s where I [discovered] my vocation as a missionary,” Cecilia said.

Cecilia felt called to join the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary, an international congregation of Catholic women dedicated to sharing the gospel and serving in the spirit of Mary. There, Cecilia discovered a passion for ministry and helping others. This opportunity propelled her into serving in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati and Australia; she eventually served in Peru and Colombia too.

For over 20 years, Cecilia ministered to the poor, led programs for youth and families and helped launch a soup kitchen. She grew in her understanding of God’s Word while she worked with people in challenging circumstances, recognizing the need for people to have hope and experience transformation from the inside out.

While in Colombia, Cecilia studied the Bible, learning Spanish, Greek and Hebrew. But in the midst of that fruitful work, a question from her professor changed her perspective on languages. The professor asked, “Cecilia, how do you pray?” She realized the impact of a person talking to God in their own language. This revealed a need that extended beyond herself: Her own people back in the Solomon Islands didn’t have Scripture in their language.

A New Mission for Her People

Returning to the Solomon Islands wasn’t Cecilia’s original plan, but when visa challenges kept her from going back to Colombia, she realized God was opening a new door for her. On New Year’s morning, she prayed a simple prayer:

This led to a new vision for her life: the dream of equipping people in her home country with God’s Word. She shared this with one of her ministry sisters, saying, “I want to go back to the Solomons and to translate the Good News into [the local] language.”

When Cecilia met with the bishop, she shared what had been stirring in her heart: “I want to translate the Good News to them, for my people at home.” She explained how many in her community speak Dari and Gela — two languages used on Guadalcanal, her island in the Solomon Islands — but don’t yet engage with Scripture in those languages. “That’s why we have a lot of problems,” Cecilia shared. “People don’t understand the Word of God.”

Though some translations exist, she explained they have not been widely used. They could use Pidgin, but it is less personal; it’s not the same as encountering God through Scripture in their own languages. The bishop encouraged Cecilia to meet with the local Bible translation team and gave her a contact to get started.

Cecilia followed through, and that step opened the door to everything that followed. When Cecilia met with the Bible translation team, one woman recognized what God had been orchestrating and said, “Cecilia, we didn’t know that God was working in preparing somebody in another part of the world, in South America.” God was at work behind the scenes, preparing Cecilia to serve her community through Bible translation.

Cecilia returned to the Solomon Islands passionate and ready — not just equipped with training but with a heart to care for her people and serve with the local church.

A Ministry for the People

From the start, Cecilia knew Bible translation couldn’t be a work that was hers alone — it had to be done in community. She believes deeply that Bible translation must be part of the global Church’s mission: “[Bible translation is] very important because it’s [for] the people. We belong to the Church, and the Church has to go out there with it.” She believes that in order for people to be transformed in the way they live — spiritually and physically, on the inside and outside — they need God’s Word.

Cecilia believes the Bible shouldn’t be something just a few people use; it is something that everyone in the community shares. The local church must lead the way with men, women and children working together to bring Scripture to life for their people. Cecilia’s experiences demonstrated to her that the ministry of Bible translation has to involve the entire community.

Cecilia and her team, which includes local churches and community leaders, have helped translate key parts of Scripture like the Gospel of Luke as well as the biblical stories about Pentecost, Holy Week and Christ’s birth. They record the passages and bring them to villages, where people listen and offer feedback. If the community approves the draft, the translation team moves on to the next chapter.

Cecilia has seen how her people rally behind the vision of translating the whole Bible. The community supports the work in a variety of ways — sometimes that involves giving money, and other times it involves providing meals and extending hospitality when the team visits. God is at work in the community as Cecilia and the team work to get God’s Word translated into their language.

A Culture of Storytelling and a Future of Innovation

Cecilia and her team use oral Bible translation methods, an approach that resonates with the community’s deep tradition of storytelling. When Cecilia shares Scripture, she doesn’t just read it; she tells it like a story. She said sharing Bible stories starting with something like, “One day Jesus told me …” connects more deeply with people than simply reading from a book.

This oral Bible translation approach has already brought people together across denominations and islands in the country. New technology is helping people reach their communities in faster, more innovative ways than ever before.

“I didn’t know anything about translation work,” she said. “But because I went to study, I know what to do.” Now she’s seeing the hope reach her community like never before. “We [the local church] want to see transformation in the [lives] of the people … spiritually and physically. … Not only some [people] but everybody.”

Her prayer is simple but powerful: “I want this Bible translation to happen.” Cecilia’s story is a picture of the ripple effects of God’s Word. Cecilia was transformed by Scripture, and now she is working to share its light and hope with her community!

Through the collaboration of people just like Cecilia, Scripture is touching the hearts of people in the Solomon Islands. When you or your church partner with the work of Bible translation, you join something global and eternal: helping equip communities to access Scripture in a language they clearly understand. This mission belongs to all of us.

Are you ready to help the next person like Cecilia say “yes” to God’s call?

Involve Your Church in Global Bible Translation

Be part of bringing hope and transformation to every nation through the power of God’s Word. Your church can make an eternal impact by supporting Bible translation — through prayer, resources and partnership — equipping believers worldwide with Scripture in a language they clearly understand. Together let’s take the next step in fulfilling the Great Commission.

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