New Bibles in 2019
Ethnos missionaries have made a lot of progress with Bible translations this year. In 2019, the Bible has been translated into these languages:
- BULONGISH New Testament — Guinea, West Africa — Dedication: July 2019
- KUMAN New Testament, Kuman with English (complete Bible) and Kuman with Tok Pisin (complete Bible) — Papua New Guinea
- LOLO with Portuguese and Lolo with Chechewa (complete Bibles) — Mozambique — Dedication: March 2019
- MENGEN New Testament — Papua New Guinea — Dedication: May 2020
- PIAPOCO New Testament (reprint) — Colombia
- PRAI New Testament with Old Testament portions — Thailand — Dedication: early 2020
- Tepehuan New Testament with Old Testament portions — Mexico — Dedication: November 2019
- WANA Old Testament portions — Asia Pacific
Ethnos missionaries have 117 Bible translations in progress, and some are so close to being completed that they could be sent to be typeset before the end of the year.
Volunteer Opportunities: Writing, Editing and Illustrating
Because having a readable Bible is crucial for a church to thrive, Ethnos missionaries spend years translating the Bible into the heart language of the people they work with. Often, before the missionaries can begin translating, they must create an alphabet and then a written form of the language and teach the people how read it.
One problem missionaries have found is that teaching people the basics of how to read is not enough to enable most of them to be able to read and understand the Bible well. We don’t expect kindergarteners to have excellent reading and comprehension skills after one year of school; so why would we expect differently of new readers in other countries and cultures? Reading is a skill that develops with practice over time. However, unlike for children in America, few books are available for practice for new readers in remote people groups.
To remedy this problem, the literacy team in Papua New Guinea have begun a program to bring new books to these people groups. The program involves individuals volunteering to write, edit and illustrate non-fiction
books. The books will then be translated into multiple languages so that various people groups can use them to develop their reading skills. And as their skills grow, so will their capacity to understand the precious Word of God and to grow into a thriving church.
19 NEW ESE EJJA BELIEVERS
The Ese Ejja village in Bolivia where Mike and Cher Riepma minister is made up of about 900 people, 400 of whom are children under twelve years ofage. Mike and Cher love these little ones and have been encouraging the Ese Ejja church and believing parents to minister to the children. The Riepmas said that recently “several older boys and girls really want- ed to spend time with Cher to hear again how one can be saved. We praise the Lord [that] nineteen [kids] made decisions to trust Jesus as their Saviour and want to express their new faith in Him to others.”
HELICOPTER PROGRESS
Brazil: A generous donor provided the remaining costs to purchase a helicopter, and flights should begin by the new year. We should have sufficient funds for land development, hangar construction and pilot training. Thank God with us for His faithful provision.
Philippines: The helicopters and hanger are fully operational, thanks to God’s gracious work through your generous gifts and faithful prayers.
Papua New Guinea: We need to replace our 40-year-old LongRanger helicopter in Papua New Guinea with two or three smaller R66 helicopters. One helicopter alone can- not meet the current needs of thirteen locations, much less serve the new works to be opened in coming years. Pray for the anticipated $3.6 million needed for this project. Give at ethnos360aviation.org Thank you.
NEW BIBLE TEACHING IN KAJE
After living and learning with the Kaje people of Papua New Guinea for over four years, missionaries Taylor and Abby Goheen and Jon and Jen Myers began the chronological Bible teaching. Starting in mid-August, Taylor and Jon have been teaching four times a week and will likely complete the teaching in mid-December. The teaching will culminate with Jesus’ life, crucifixion and resurrection. Please pray for clear teaching and receptive hearts, especially now—the most crucial part of the teaching.
WANTAKIA LITERACY
In June, the Crabtree, Hambrice and Sanders missionary families began teaching literacy for the first time to the Wantakia people in Papua New Guinea. The course was several months long, and many new readers celebrated their graduation upon completion of the course. The missionaries continue to help the Wantakia people hone their reading skills and have begun a second literacy class for those who missed the first one. Mean- while, the missionaries have begun translating the Bible and preparing Bible lessons for the foundation- al, chronological teaching they plan to begin in early 2020. Please pray for the Wantakia people during this crucial time. Updates can be found on the “Reach Wantakia” Facebook page.
