Streams of Prayer for 26 July 2021

The Streams of Prayer for 26 July 2021, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. This is made available through Wycliffe Caribbean.

Missions belong to God and the agent of missions is the Church. Please join with us as we pray for Alliance organisations engaged in the Church Participation Stream. We pray also for the Church as it participates in the Bible translation movement.

Rekindle and keep the fire ablaze: Papua New Guinea

As the spike in COVID continued in Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Oral Bible Storytelling (OBS) workshop planned for June had to be deferred again. After much prayer and consultation, Pastor Steven Angkaki, coordinator for the OBS project with the Evangelical Church of PNG made alternative plans to visit the language teams and conduct mini review workshops. He said, ‘We must rekindle the flame of OBS and keep it ablaze!’

From 31 May to 4 June, he met with five people from the Aekyom language. They reviewed past lessons and were mutually encouraged as they gave status reports, shared stories and prayed for one another. Pray for Pastor Steven as he visits the other five language teams during July and August. Pray also for all the partners involved in this three-year project as they regroup, plan and prepare. In addition, pray that the COVID situation in the country will improve to allow for the full workshop to go ahead in November.

Close partnerships: Bangladesh

Connections Bangladesh is an Alliance organisation that mobilises churches for missions and participates in the Bible translation movement by engaging churches and prayer. Connections staff continue to work alongside churches and partner organisations amid the pandemic. Praise God for the online leadership training being conducted with a multicultural youth group. Pray for this group to have hearts and hands ready to support the Bangladeshi churches as they equip themselves and others. Connections held a business training program for entrepreneurs that was started on 18 June. Ask God to raise the right person to join Connections in community work to serve people, share the gospel and promote missions. Pray also for close partnerships and godly influence to think of ways to bless many.

Building hope: India, Global

Praise God for believers who are called to unity. With the overwhelming support and prayer for India, an Alliance organisation in the country began reaching out to language communities to provide COVID essentials for safety and protection. The recent spike in COVID cases in India spurred believers worldwide to provide support through prayer and finances. An Alliance organisation leader in India shares this encouragement: ‘When things go beyond our control and beyond our understanding, remember that God permits it, and he is in control of everything.’

Sign Language Bible Translation: Southeast Asia, Canada

Give thanks to the Lord that his Word in their language has been transformative for the Peace River* Deaf community in Southeast Asia. One community member who watched the sign language translation of the book of Ruth on a video said, ‘My life has changed since I believed in Jesus and started to have fellowship with other Christians.’ The Peace River translation team has completed the books of Ruth, Jonah, Mark, and several chapters of Acts and Psalms, in addition to various Bible studies. There is a hunger for more, but the team faces significant challenges. Pray for:

• Good internet connections, social media success, wisdom with the website, and app development.
• Peace in the nation and for the translation team.
• Additional funding sources for this project. (Funds raised by Wycliffe Canada provide some of the needed funding.)

Run for the Bibleless: Kenya

Bible Translation and Literacy (BTL) celebrates their 40th anniversary this year. A normal programme of events is not possible due to pandemic restrictions. Instead, BTL staff are holding a hybrid version of their major fundraising event Run for the Bibleless on 14 August. They encourage participants to walk or run from their homes either 2, 5 or 10km, with the official start happening as a live FaceBook event. For earning institutions they are working with each individual administration to see how the walk/run can safely be held to limit exposure to the virus. So pray that this format will encourage more people to participate, not just in Kenya, but around the world. Also, ask God for wisdom in planning logistics and great favour especially to meet the fundraising targets.

Scripture Media Workshop: Bangladesh

A Scripture Use media workshop was recently held with members of three language groups in Bangladesh. Participants learned to use Scripture apps and develop content for websites and Facebook pages that seek to expose people to the translated Scriptures and engage them in using God’s Word in their languages. Work on these websites is continuing, with the hope that they will go live soon. The Facebook pages are up and running. So praise God for the enthusiasm of participants! Please pray also that many people will encounter Scripture in their languages, resulting in many questions asked, and dialogues taking place that will move hearts toward God through His Word. PIn addition, please pray for the ongoing work of developing biblical and relevant content.

Finishing to begin anew: Italy

Marco Librè wears two hats. He directs AITB (Wycliffe Italy) and serves as a lead Bible translation consultant. He writes: ‘The translation project I am involved in is close to finishing. My wife and I are asking the Lord to give us wisdom about the future.’ Marco started thinking about the need for Bible translation into Italian Sign Language (LIS – Lingua Italiana a Segni). Coincidentally, the 19th May was a big day for the Italian Deaf community as the Italian government officially recognized Italian Sign Language! So please pray for Marco as he connects with people in this arena. He already has contacts with Christian sign language translators and a wider audience of Deaf people interested in working with this project. This will be the first AITB translation project done in Italy. So, pray that this brings about closer cooperation with churches in Italy. Pray also that church leaders understand the vital role that the Bible in the heart sign language of the Deaf community plays.

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