Streams of Prayer for 7 April 2025
The Streams of Prayer for 7 April 2025 is a circular from the Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
April 6, 2025 – April 10, 2025
Bible Translation Programmes
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 and specific ways that Alliance organisations participate in the Bible Translation Programmes participation stream. We will also celebrate lives changed through Scripture and pray that many more communities will be powerfully impacted as they encounter God through the Bible translated into the language they understand best.
An illustrated storyboard page used to plan telling a Scripture story in Thai Sign Language. Photo: Marc Ewell
Diversified Bible translation approaches: Benin
Through the translation of the Bible into mother tongues, Wycliffe Benin contributes to the salvation and transformation of communities. To do this, Wycliffe Benin partners with various communities in Bible translation. Thank God for the diversity of Bible translation approaches implemented in Benin, including a sign language translation through a programme called Alogbe that began in 2024. Translation into 23 other languages is in the pipeline through a new programme called Alafia. A total of seven written translation programmes are underway, in the Idaasha, Agouna, Ayizo, Saxwè, Toffin, Toli and Wemè languages. Eleven communities – Basa, Cabe, Ica, Nago, Ije, Cigbe, Maxigbe, Sètogbe, Wacigbe, Xwlagbe and Xwedagbe – are involved in oral Bible translation. Ask the Lord to crown all these programmes with success, and that the transformation of individuals and communities will be evident.
Progress and ongoing prayer needs: Malaysia
Wycliffe Malaysia asks for prayer for the SEM* and OA* projects:
- Praise God for the completion of consultant checks for five books as of December 2024 (Mark, Luke, John, Acts and James) plus JESUS film.
- Pray for translators Ling and Maz as they draft four books during the first half of 2025 (Philippines, Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians). There is difficult terminology and key terms to deal with.
- Pray for them to successfully juggle their family needs and translation work.
- Pray for faithful and gifted community checkers to help from April to June for Zoom consultant checks.
- Pray for C*, an evangelist, that God will lead and protect him in the OA* work and raise up others to help with OA* evangelism.
*Pseudonyms
The complete Bible in Ache: Paraguay
In 2004, Letra Paraguay initiated sociolinguistic studies among the Ache ethnic group. The translation project was proposed to the leaders of the six communities, and the team was formed. In 2005, the first drafts of the New Testament were produced. These were years of hard work, prayer and dedication. In 2013, Letra Paraguay began the translation of the Old Testament even though they did not have all the financial resources for the project. Since then, the translation team has been working hard to complete the translation of the entire Bible. With God’s help, this year they will finish the translation of the Old Testament, and the Ache people will be blessed by having the complete Bible in their language. A literacy team has been formed in the community, and the faith of the local church has grown. Pray for renewed strength for the Ache translation team, the exegetes and consultants who are working on the translation and revision. Pray for God to provide the resources for printing the complete Bible.
A priesthood activity: Burkina Faso
The Association Nationale pour la Traduction de la Bible et l’Alphabétisation (ANTBA) has 22 Bible translation programmes. These include one programme in sign language, 10 oral Bible translation projects and 11 written translation projects (seven Old Testament and four New Testament). Thank God for the diverse activities that have recently been implemented to include all these types of translation programmes. For ANTBA, Bible translation is a priesthood that unites the various partners involved. Once the New Testament has been translated into one language, ANTBA is ready to partner with the community in the translation of the Old Testament, to enable that community to have the whole Bible. Pray for this plan, especially for the Scripture engagement efforts for the 14 New Testaments that have been completed, 11 of which have already been dedicated. Pray for the first complete Bible; its dedication is scheduled for 16 May.
Amazement at hearing God’s Word in Creole: Caribbean
Wycliffe Caribbean partnered with the staff on board the LOGOS HOPE ship, which was recently docked in Grenada. A Wycliffe Caribbean team held a two-day Taste of Translation (TOT) Workshop from 28 February to 1 March. As part of the Caribbean Sea Project, Wycliffe Caribbean met with denominational and church leaders and community members. On Day 1, the team led a ‘village mapping’ exercise in which participants indicated what language was spoken in different locations, e.g. the beach, the bank, the church, the post office, etc. Another activity employed a Venn diagram with intersecting circles to map the use of Grenadian Creole versus English in several scenarios. What a revelation it was when the participants ended up with a diagram that had only one item in the English section! Their response was almost one of disbelief. Church leaders said, “So, what are we communicating?” On Day 2, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a TOT-guided translation process. People responded with peals of laughter and gleeful hand-clapping as they heard Luke 8:22-25 in Grenadian Creole. The Wycliffe Caribbean team is waiting for a formal response from the church and the rest of the community as to whether they would like to have God’s Word in their creole for evangelism, discipleship and use in their liturgy. Thank God for this opportunity to visit Grenada, meet with church leaders and hold the TOT workshop.
Audio-Visual resources: South Asia
Audio-visual resources are bringing Scripture to life among language communities across South Asia.
- Please pray for the teams as they begin recordings of the New Testament and other portions.
- Pray for safe travels for all audio team readers. Pray for their well-being and that they maintain good vocal health throughout the recording process.
- Pray for God’s protection over the teams working in sensitive areas.
- Pray especially for the teams recording in high-risk zones, for good health and for their recording equipment to function well.
Swiss-French Sign Language translation: Switzerland
Bible translation into the Swiss dialect of French Sign Language has been ongoing for a number of years. Since 2024, Wycliffe Switzerland has been involved in this project through fundraising. So far, the books of Luke and Jonah, as well as Genesis 1-11 and a few other biblical texts, have been translated and published online. These Scriptures are also being used in some Deaf churches. Pray for stable funding for this project. Pray also for the Deaf volunteers working in the translation project to be encouraged, and for more Deaf people to come to know Jesus.
Streams of Prayer is the prayer bulletin of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.
Copyright © 2025 Wycliffe Global Alliance, All rights reserved
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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