Madagascar (MNN) — The first Christian missionaries reached Madagascar in 1818 and published the first Malagasy Bible in 1835.
A recent trip brought Wycliffe USA leaders face-to-face with church leaders in Madagascar who are translating the Bible into four of the island nation’s minority languages.
“We spent a good amount of time at a church with over 20,000 members; they have five different services,” Wycliffe USA’s Andrew Flemming says.
“Going to that church service, spending time with the translators and hearing them talk about how God’s Word is affecting their communities – you realize that God has gifted the Church, and the Church is taking up that mantle.”
(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe USA)
Most of the unique languages in Madagascar have no Scripture.
“Madagascar has about 23 different languages or language variants,” Flemming says. “Wycliffe’s mission is to see God’s Word translated into every language of need.”
The local church started translation work in four minority languages. Today, Wycliffe USA is coming alongside to provide the technical support needed to complete and publish the New Testament in these four languages.
This is one of Wycliffe USA’s many initiatives underway in 2024.
“Right now is a pretty exciting time; Wycliffe USA is engaging in more Bible translation projects than we ever have before,” Flemming says.
“We are engaging in more than 1,600 languages, representing a potential reach of 1.7 billion people.”
Your prayers and gifts can help pave the way for all people in Madagascar to access the life-giving words of Scripture!
“There are opportunities to support the work by going or giving. I started in missions work by going on a short-term trip, and God captured my heart,” Flemming says.
“We need people willing to lay down their comfortable life here and move into something that’s perhaps a little more challenging and a little outside of [their] comfort zone.”
Header and story images courtesy of Wycliffe USA.
