Ethiopia (MNN) — At the request of local church
leaders, The Seed Company opened its 500th Bible translation project in rural
southwestern Ethiopia.
According to The Seed Company, an American missionary couple brought the Gospel to the Majang people in the early 1960s. Today, about 85% of the
language group claims affiliation with Christian churches.
Yosef, a Majang mother-tongue speaker, serves as the team's
first full-time translator. Translators
have found that mother-tongue
translation is like using a root language–greatly accelerating the Bible
translation process since there is no need to learn the language and culture.
They've already completed drafts of all four Gospels and
parts of Acts. The Seed Company hopes to complete the
New Testament and portions of Genesis that will give the 50,000 Majang-speaking
people a foundation to understand the New Testament.
Educational opportunities are rare. Few can read in this region, so the desire
to read Scripture often becomes the catalyst for other social change.
The Seed Company explains that as people learn to read,
their confidence increases. For example,
literacy can help a parent nurse a sick child, or help a marketplace
transaction stay honest. So, not only does
reading the Word of God change hearts, it also changes culture by opening doors.
Local churches will launch a literacy campaign, and there
are plans to produce translated Bible portions in audio for the
illiterate. Pray that enthusiasm
for the project will continue.
