Streams of Prayer for 20 July 2024
The Streams of Prayer for 20 July 2024, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
July 21, 2024 – July 27, 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.
Two young women dance during the church service celebrating publication of the Ambon Malay New Testament
in Indonesia in 2022. Photo: Gary McMaster
Awareness programmes for Urat Scriptures: Papua New Guinea
Pray for Urat translators David Belyeme and Enoch Mundum, who serve with the Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association, as they continue their awareness programmes and sales of the Urat New Testament, dictionary and MegaVoice Scripture devices. Four cartons of the Urat New Testament that was launched in 2016 are still available for purchase. David and Enoch have been showing the Urat JESUS film to churches and communities during these awareness programmes. Pray for open hearts and breakthroughs for the Urat people as they watch the film and listen to the Scriptures. Pray that they will desire more of the translated Scriptures and buy their own copies of the Urat New Testament.
Teaching Hebrew to translators in Africa: Nigeria, Israel
The staff of Jerusalem Seminary are grateful to partner with other Alliance organisations and Bible translation ministries to provide Biblical Hebrew training and theological training for those undertaking Bible translation programs. One area of ministry growth is sending Israeli believers, who are native modern Hebrew speakers and certified Biblical Hebrew instructors, to other countries for biblical Hebrew intensive courses. In July and August, Jerusalem Seminary will send two instructors to Nigeria to train up to 20 Nigerian Bible translators serving with various organisations. Pray for the final details to come together and for a fruitful training opportunity. Pray that this training will help Old Testament translators gain a deeper understanding of the Biblical text through its original language, and produce translations that God uses to touch their communities more fully.
An impressive number of Bible translation programmes: Cameroon
Thank God that since September 2023, the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) has begun Bible translation programs with 11 new language communities located in the Center, Littoral and Southwest regions of Cameroon. Pray especially for ongoing community mobilisation in these communities: Bakaka, Bakola, Bankon, Barombi, Basosi, Bati, Bonkeng, Malimba, M’mock, Nyokon and Tebea. Many of these communities are enjoying the oral Bible stories that are being shared by trained storytellers. Thank God for 13 communities that have started celebrating the dedication of their New Testaments this year: Bakoko, Bakweri, Esimbi, Isu, Mankon, Mmen, Moghamo, Mpumpong, Ngie, Ngwo, Pana, Tchouvok and Weh. Pray especially for the Esimbi and the Tchouvock communities and for churches that already have the New Testament, that their lives will be transformed. Pray for the lasting impact of God’s Word in all these communities.
Community revision of Iku translation: Colombia
From 11-15 June, a community revision of the Iku translation of 10 New Testament letters took place with the participation of four translators, three guests from the community and the facilitators. They worked together to check the naturalness, clarity and acceptability of the translation. Let us be thankful that the Lord has given this team wisdom and congruent thinking and that he allowed continuous internet signal and electricity service during the translation work.
Community investment programmes: Chad
In addition to involvement in Bible translation, Association Tchadienne d’Alphabétisation, de Linguistique et de Traduction de la Bible (ATALTRAB) promotes mother-tongue language development, literacy and community development. These multidimensional activities are underway in several of Chad’s language communities. Thank God for literacy, for example, which is taking place in centres set up for adult speakers of the Ngambai, Marba, Laka, Kaba, Massana, Lélé, Nangnda, Guley, Niellim, Tounia and Mango languages. In some of these languages, 36 literacy supervisors and more than 850 facilitators have helped more than 7,800 adults and teenagers to learn to read, write and calculate in these languages and to start income-generating activities. Praise God for this impact with the involvement of the local churches. Pray for the Old and New Testament and oral Bible translation programmes underway in various communities.
Sign language translation project beginning: Sweden
Praise God that a Swedish Sign Language translation project has started in partnership with Global Partnerships. Pray for the team as they get established:
- One of the signers has to leave after two months of work because the studies he has on the side take too much time. Pray for the team to find a new team member.
- Pray that the team finds ways to spread the news among all Deaf people in Sweden, both believers and non-believers, that the project is ongoing.
- Pray that everything comes together for forming a translation council (to review the translation) as well as bringing together Deaf people in 13 dioceses within the Church of Sweden to do community checks.
- Pray for wisdom as the team works to find continued financing after April 2026.
Small books and audio recordings for the Nomatsigengas: Peru
Abby Méndez serves in mission with El Salvador Miramonte Baptist Church among the Nomatsigenga people in the Central Jungle of Peru. Abby has been working with the translators to create small books and audio recordings of Old Testament chapters that have been drafted. Pray for the community checking process, and revision of the translations, so that once the translations are finalised, they can be distributed to several Nomatsigenga communities. Pray that churches will be motivated to use the translated Scriptures in their language. Pray for the Nomatsigengas translators that God will continue to give them strength, passion, willingness, health and encouragement to continue translating the Old Testament.
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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