Pacific Islands (MNN) — Churches with a rich history are inspiring in many ways. They are filled with stories, hardship, fellowship, and answered prayer.
But can you imagine being in a 100-year-old church that has never had access to Scripture in the heart language of its people?
This is the exact scenario facing some churches in the Pacific islands. The churches have survived on Scripture written in other languages which the people understand, but the Bible may not speak to them the way those same passages would in their heart language. Misunderstandings about the meanings of various passages are significant.
The Seed Company is bringing the translated Scriptures to these Pacific island churches. Project personnel, working with local Christian leaders, will help the church translate remaining Scriptures in the mother tongue with a focus on local needs.
In the region in question, many have come to Christ, simply replacing the rules for appeasing animistic spirits with new ones to pacify the One True God.
As part of Wycliffe's Last Languages Campaign, the project will begin work in all of the remaining Polynesian languages that still have translation needs and want to invest in translation. Some groups will translate the four Gospels while others will complete the entire Bible. Local churches, several Wycliffe organizations, and the Christian Leadership Training College in Papua New Guinea are partnering with The Seed Company in this project.
This cluster initially involves 11 languages.
The Seed Company has some specific prayer requests regarding this project. Pray about a setback in typesetting due to the death of the facilitator's father. Pray that one missionary's trip to the Solomon Islands is prosperous and that the Tikopia translation project gets up and running again.
To commit to pray for this translation project or to help with it directly, click here.
