Streams of Prayer for 19 March 2024
The Streams of Prayer for 19 March 2024, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
March 17, 2024 – March 23, 2024
Bible Translation Programmes
The current theme for Streams of Prayer is Bible Translation Programmes, one of the Alliance participation streams.
Wycliffe Global Alliance serves Bible translation movements because we long for language communities to encounter God through his Word. As written in the Alliance Foundational Statements, one of our core values is “trusting God to transform lives through His Word translated into the languages and cultures of the world’s peoples”.
We will pray for Bible translation efforts around the world. We will also celebrate lives changed through Scripture and pray that many more communities will be powerfully impacted by encountering God through the Bible translated into a language they can understand.
A group of Baphuthi children in South Africa enjoy the food from a performance of the Feeding of the 5000 Bible story. Photo: Jennifer Pillinger (2022)
Using Bible stories in church: Bangladesh
In one language community in Bangladesh, 48 part-time preachers are being trained to use oral Bible stories. Please pray that they will gain a better understanding of God’s Word and be able to communicate his truths. Praise God that the Old Testament translation is awaiting publication in this language. Leaders will meet in March to decide if they will translate the New Testament. The community is being invited to have a greater role in managing the work, including coordinating the project and contributing to the budget. The lead translator will also need to decide if he will stay for another 4-5 years. Pray for wisdom and unity for all involved.
Translation of the books of Psalms and Proverbs: Perú
Jenner Valdivia and the Quechua translation team worked with consultants during 2023 on approving Psalms and Proverbs for publication in 2024. They will be published both in print and in the app they created. Throughout the year, they spent time responding to notes from consultants Dwight Shaver and Larry Salay, both in person and remotely. The final consultant check of Proverbs is finished and it is ready for publication. So far 102 chapters of Psalms are ready for consultant checking. Give thanks to God for the work of the translation team and their progress in the translations. Pray for the completion of the book of Psalms and for the publication of Proverbs.
Sea* people get New Testament: South Asia
Rejoice with the Sea people in a South Asian country. They launched their New Testament on 16 March. Pray for the Lord to inspire the Sea people to receive the Word of God in their own language and be nourished by it. Pray that people in the Sea church will be strengthened in their faith by using the translated Scriptures, and in turn, share God’s blessings to neighbouring people groups. May God also encourage all those who sacrificed so much to see the New Testament translated.
*pseudonym
Diversification of programmes: Burkina Faso
Thanks be to God for the increasing diversity of approach in the translation programs of Association Nationale pour la Traduction de la Bible et l’Alphabétisation (ANTBA). In addition to traditional written Bible translation programmes, work is also being done in oral Bible translation programmes. Soon a sign language translation programme will be started as well. Pray for some of the target communities where there are not many Christians, and for the Lord’s protection on the ANTBA teams who work in these communities, often in insecure situations. Ask God to support their efforts and that many members of these communities will come to faith through the translated Scriptures. Pray that God will inspire new strategies to enable ANTBA to be more resilient in the management of Bible translation programmes.
Distributing Scriptures to the Seira people: Indonesia
Give thanks to the Lord with the Seira team that serves in the province of Maluku. They will soon distribute 1000 copies of the books of Mark, Galatians, Philippians and Colossians, bound in one volume. Pray that the distribution will run smoothly. Pray that with these books in their language, the Seira people will better understand the Word of God and encounter the Lord in new ways.
Two Deaf sign language projects nearing completion: Spain
The Spanish Sign Language and Catalan Sign Language teams are working hard to complete their New Testaments in the next couple of years, in partnership with PROEL. This challenge was complicated when their main consultant died in late 2023. They have a consultant who has been working with them for about a year, and this year they are beginning to integrate a second consultant into the teams. Pray for him as he transitions from spoken language translation consulting to sign language consulting. Pray that he will work well with the teams and be a blessing and help to their projects.
Area programme managers vital to Bible translation: Papua New Guinea
Praise God that the Area Programme Managers (APM) for the Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association (PNGBTA) came together in Port Moresby in November. It was the first meeting together with Nelson Tapineng, the new PNGBTA director. The meeting’s theme was ‘To go!’, based on Genesis 12. They were encouraged to persevere and to look forward to what God will do through the translation of his Word in this year and beyond. APMs play a vital role in ensuring that language and translation projects receive assistance through prayer, spiritual encouragement and other logistical support. They also maintain relationships with the local communities and churches. Pray for wisdom and insight for the managers as they serve the language communities. Ask the Lord to provide personnel for the areas still without an APM.
Streams of Prayer is the prayer bulletin of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.
Valrie McCarthy
Language Development Officer
Wycliffe Caribbean
7A South Avenue
Kingston 5
JAMAICA, W. I.
876 754 9334, 908 2970, 582 6592
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