God’s Word, At Last

After a 50-year translation effort, a new people group in Brazil have the New Testament in their language.

BRAZIL — A special service on March 8 celebrated the completion of a 50-year effort to translate the New Testament into a new language.

The story began in 1958 when two American missionaries and two local believers traveled upriver to contact a people group in the Amazon region who had never met any outsiders.

The missionaries’ first task was to learn the local language and put it in writing. Translation of the Bible officially began in 1972, building on the foundation of the linguistic work that had been done earlier.

In all, 38 missionaries lived and worked among the tribe during the translation effort — not counting the support staff at the mission base in the city, the pilots who delivered supplies, the local translation consultants, and the many generous partners who gave and prayed for this work.

“In addition to what God has done for all of us, he has invested a lot in this people,” said Crossworld worker Carole, who spent 50 years on the translation project. “I’m glad it’s coming to fruition.”

The March 8 service dedicated the newly printed Scriptures to the Lord and honored those involved in its completion.

Join us in thanking God for the completion of this project. And would you pray for God’s continued work among this people group through the Word in their language?

This article was originally published here and is reposted with permission from Crossworld.

This article is submitted by Crossworld. Crossworld is a Missio Nexus member.  Member organizations can provide content to the Missio Nexus website. See how by clicking here.