All around the world, people are encountering Jesus as they receive Scripture in a language and format they clearly understand. Across Asia and the Pacific, there are many communities still waiting to receive Scripture. But God is on the move, and His Spirit is being poured out in ways that we’ve never experienced before. Join us in celebrating what He is doing: everything from first encounters with Jesus to people receiving the full Bible!

BEGINNING A JOURNEY

Dre Ko Malolo Regional Strategy | Pacific

The Pacific region presents some of the greatest challenges in the Bible translation movement. The Dre Ko Malolo regional strategy aims to see work begin in the more than 580 languages in the Pacific still needing Bible translation by 2025. This vision is shared by more than a dozen partner organizations and local churches, working together to see over 1.2 million people in 21 island nations receive God’s Word in a language and format they clearly understand. It includes multiple partners participating in resourcing the work too — both from within the Pacific as well as from around the world.

Malolo, an island in Fiji, is said to be “the place where the sun comes to rest after a day of wandering.” Wherever you are in the island nation, at the end of the day, the sun always sets on Malolo. Dre Ko Malolo is a phrase that speaks expectantly of “finishing a journey or successfully reaching a goal.”

Join us in praying that God would use the Dre Ko Malolo regional strategy to help people encounter Jesus through Scripture in a language and format they clearly understand!

THE BOOK BROUGHT TO LIFE

Azeri Sign Language | Azerbaijan

The Deaf represent the largest unreached people group in the world. Today only the American Sign Language Version of the Bible is complete.

There are 30,000 Deaf people in Azerbaijan and only 300 are Christians. More than 85% of Azerbaijanis follow another major religion. But God hasn’t forgotten the Deaf in Azerbaijan, and work is in progress to bring Scripture to life in Azeri Sign Language!

Pastor Israil, a member of Azeri Sign Language translation team, shared, “Long before this work started, I have constantly been translating from the Bible to people. Since we have very few educated Deaf people in our country, I have always been the ‘book’ for people here. I was the only Bible they could ‘read’!”

Today that is changing for the Azeri Deaf community. The Gospels and Book of James have already been translated and produced as videos, and now the team is working to translate 20 more New Testament books, publishing them on memory sticks and posting them online.

Join us in praying for the Azeri Sign Language translation team — and the many Deaf represented in their community and around the world — who are waiting to see Jesus come to life through sign language translation.

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

Occidental Tawbuid | Philippines

On July 18, 2022, in a small village in the mountains of the Philippines, hundreds of people from throughout the area came together to celebrate the complete Bible in Occidental Tawbuid!

The New Testament was completed in 2000, and the community requested the whole Bible in 2010. The Occidental Tawbuid team prayed that the dedication of the Bible would be a peaceful event and that God would be glorified in it.

The Lord answered their prayers! Even though the beginning of the week was marred by unprecedented insurgent activity in the area that prevented some translators from attending the dedication, the four-hour service was joyful. The celebration featured singing and testimonies from many people. Bishop Efraim Tendero delivered a heartfelt message about how the Bible transforms lives and how God chooses to speak to us through His Word.

Translation consultant Kermit Titrud said, “During the dedication … I choked up when I was asked to share. I expressed my joy working with the translators for the past 10 years and of their many personal sacrifices in order to finish this translation.”

He concluded: “I guess the reason I choked up … was that the joy I had was too great to not express it emotionally — of how beautiful the body of Christ worked in the production of this translation. To [God], the head, be the glory. And to Him be the power as He encourages His children to read His Word and find joy in it.”

Praise God for the completion and celebration of the Occidental Tawbuid Bible!

Join us in praying that the Dre Ko Malolo and Azeri Sign Language projects — and the many languages and communities across Asia and the Pacific that they represent — would encounter Jesus through Scripture in a language and format they clearly understand.