Streams of Prayer for 19 November 2024
The Streams of Prayer for 19 November 2024, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
November 17, 2024 – November 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.
Display of Scripture access statistics at 2024 Alliance Global Gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Photo: Jen Pillinger
Some significant achievements: Ethiopia
Wycliffe Ethiopia is involved in over 40 Bible translation programmes. Thank God as they partner with several stakeholders, strive to produce translations that are of the highest standard in accuracy and quality, and ensure to meet the needs of the communities being served. Ask for God’s courage and protection over the workers in remote areas. Thank God for the Innor, Tsara, and Mursi New Testaments that are about ready to be typeset. Thank God, particularly for the Zay New Testament that is currently in the final stages of audio recording and will be printed soon. Thank God for other languages such as Tsara, Innor, Mursi, East Nuer, Kara, Seize, Guwama and Bilen that only have a few steps remaining before completion. Pray for God’s protection on these final stages, and that God’s Word will bring transformation in all of these language communities.
Dedication of Jonah in Toba Maskoy: Paraguay
On 3 August, Letra Paraguay celebrated the dedication of the illustrated book of Jonah for personal study in the community of Casanillo, which belongs to the Toba Maskoy ethnic group. A national church joined in this great celebration, organising a dramatisation of the book in the Toba language and in Spanish. Now, the Toba people can enjoy this beautiful work done by the translation team. Letra Paraguay hopes that this book will bear fruit for eternal life, strengthening the faith of believers and transforming lives for the glory of God. Also, in November, Letra Paraguay will have three more celebrations for the dedication of the book of Jonah in the additional languages of Chamacoco, Ñandeva and Aché. Please pray that this effort will bear fruit in these three language communities; that God will provide a literacy program in Letra Paraguay; and for the ministries that serve in the use of the Scriptures which depend on volunteers who make trips each week to different communities.
Uncertainties in the last stages: Cook Islands, New Zealand
The last stages of a project can be fraught with challenges! The shipments of Te Puka Yā , “The Holy Book” in the Pukapuka language, were delayed, not arriving until late October. It is now unlikely that the two pallets bound for the Cook Islands will get there before the launch scheduled to take place on 6 December. Translation advisors Kevin and Mary Salisbury of Wycliffe New Zealand are shipping about 160 copies of this New Testament to Rarotonga by airfreight and will take 100 on a charter flight to Pukapuka. For the past month the Salisburys have hardly been able to communicate with translator Mailalo Melota and leaders on Pukapuka due to power, phone and internet outages. Please pray for unity between leaders on the island, and for courage and faith as they organise transport and prepare for the Scripture launch. Pray too for the leaders of various churches in Brisbane and Auckland as they meet to make plans for their celebrations. Uphold the translation team as they face these uncertainties that are beyond their control in preparing for the launch of the Pukapuka Scriptures. Pray for hearts prepared to receive God’s Word in these communities.
Translation and Scripture engagement tools development: Canada, Ethiopia, Global
Prescience Labs (PL), Wycliffe Canada’s collaborative innovation hub, is developing creative technological tools in partnership with several partner organisations. Pray that research will be accurate, clear, and helpful to the broader church and mission organisations, enabling them to take strategic steps in response. Praise God for recent progress on two resources:
- In October, Matt Merritt, PL director, led a training initiative for people from four language communities in Ethiopia to equip them with the tools and knowledge to carry out surveys on the use and impact of translated Scripture in their communities. Pray for the Ethiopian trainees as they carry out surveys, and for people’s interest and engagement with translated Scriptures will grow.
- The Bible Translators Assistant (TBTA) software team has created templates of more than 50 per cent of the New Testament and 33 per cent of the Old Testament for input of analysed language to produce initial drafts. Praise God for positive feedback from eight projects in Asia and Africa that are testing TBTA and for additional team members who have joined the TBTA development team, from field trial regions such as the Philippines and Kenya. Weekly meetings and prayer times are forging a strong team culture. Pray for the team as they continue to develop this software.
Bible translation programmes: Spain
Please pray for the teams working on three projects with PROEL in Spain, and for the three language communities represented:
- Spanish Sign Language and Catalan Sign Language: The New Testament has been drafted in both of these languages. About two more years of consulting, community checks, video recording, and computer-generated graphics remain for both projects. The computer-generated graphics are used to produce avatars for the Gospel books, instead of videos with human signers.
- Fa d’Ambu Old Testament storying: The New Testament was published by PROEL in 2022. The team is producing libraries of Scripture engagement booklets, from the New Testament and Old Testament.
Pray for God’s spiritual protection and wisdom as these teams continue the work toward completion. Ask God that the Deaf communities in Spain will be impacted by seeing God’s Word in their languages. Pray that the Fa d’Ambu Scriptures and booklets will reach people’s hearts in fresh ways with God’s truth.
Training translators and consultants in challenging times: Jerusalem, Global
Jerusalem Seminary staff is thankful for prayers for staff and students as they launched the fall online courses the week of October 27. Praise God for the largest cohort of students this fall that they’ve ever had, including many Bible translators and consultants. Praise God also that leaders from Jerusalem Seminary were able to attend the Alliance Global Gathering in South Africa. “We rejoice to be part of this global community focused on seeing God’s love and Word made available to language communities worldwide,” they said. “Please continue to pray for wisdom, strength, and perseverance as our team begins another term with war still active in and around Israel.” Despite the war, they sense God’s call to launch a major new initiative in November. Pray for God’s help and strength.
The transforming power of God’s Word in heart languages: Nigeria
Let us lift the Nigeria Bible Translation Trust (NBTT) in prayer as they faithfully work to make God’s Word available in minority languages across Nigeria. NBTT is involved in written and oral Bible translation efforts, and linguistic and literacy trainings, held both at the organisation offices and onsite in various language communities. Thank God for the recent Pastors and Stakeholders Conference held in October, which strengthened church partnerships and sparked greater collaboration for the purpose of Bible translation in Nigeria. Praise God as well for touching Baba, an elderly man in Kaka, Taraba State, where one of the translation programmes is located. Baba is unable to read due to eye defects, but his joy knew no bounds after hearing the Bible translated in his heart language. Pray for strength, divine provision and wisdom for NBTT, that more people would experience the transforming power of God’s Word in their heart languages.
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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