Brazil
(MNN) — It has taken 12 years, but there's good news for a tribal project WordWinds International has been supporting in Brazil. Wordwind's Jarrette Allen: "They will
actually be taking the Gospel of Luke to the Tembe people this month. This
means the Gospel in printed form will reach the Tembe people for the first
time ever. They're excited with that
news because by the end of the year, they're on track to actually send to the
printer the entire New Testament."
The people group, according to Wordwinds, is divided into
six tribes and speaks the Tembé language, of the Tupi language family. Their
population is estimated at 860 people.
Wordwinds says the New Testament translations are aimed at
reaching people groups like this one for the first time with the Gospel. Allen says they just kicked off 'Operation
22' to finish raising funds for the Tembe project. WordWinds cooperates with their Brazilian
partner, Missao ALEM, to provide roughly $175,000 worth of funding towards a
single New Testament translation.
"We roughly run $22 a verse, so we're asking people to
support a single verse for $22, or a chapter for 31 months of $22." Hence, Operation 22. The initiative is dedicated to recruiting
members to fund the translation of a single verse (or chapter). These members in
turn recruit more members, who in turn do the same. The end goal: the complete
translation of the New Testament in a previously unrecorded language.
The window is closing both literally and figuratively. Allen
says, "We have a very generous
donor who has offered to match up to a thousand dollars all the funds that we
receive by midnight on Thursday."
Pray that the Lord will provide the funding for the Tembe
project. Pray too that God will begin moving in the hearts and minds of
Christians and Churches around the United States to see the dire need
for funding Bible translations by national missionaries around the world. Click here if you can help.
