Nepal (MNN) — Nepal may be a former Hindu kingdom, but its people are hungry for the Gospel. In February, a new partnership began between Keys for Kids Ministries and Good News Nepal. Today, they’re making headway on a kids’ discipleship project.
Keys for Kids’ Executive Director, Greg Yoder, says their partner in Nepal is focused on the finish line. “He has already [translated] the first quarter of Keys for Kids and they are right now being checked by some Nepali believers for accuracy and context and making sure they’re theologically correct,” Yoder says.
“He has a priority to create these translations so that his kids can understand the Gospel better.”
Phase one: translation
(Photo by Himesh Mehta from Pexels)
Keys for Kids’ translation partner hungers for biblical teachings because he grew up without Christ. The name of Jesus is new to his entire community, Yoder explains. “It is an unreached people group and they’re very excited about having materials to reach young people for Jesus Christ,” he says.
How many of Nepal’s people groups are “unreached”? The answer to this question varies by source. According to Joshua Project, all but 10 of Nepal’s 285 people groups are unreached, while IMB puts the number of unreached people groups at 153. Whatever the exact number, it’s safe to say Christ is a stranger to most of Nepal’s varied people groups.
Keys for Kids and Good News Nepal hope to change this reality for the next generation.
Translating Keys for Kids content from English to Nepali is the first of a multi-step process, Yoder says. After Nepali believers finish checking the translation work, it will go back to Keys for Kids’ partner for edits and rewrites. Then, he’ll send a corrected draft for final review and approval.
Phase two: audio
Once a final translation script is approved, a Keys for Kids team will head to Nepal “to do some training in how to produce these, [how] to identify some good announcers that kids will love and enjoy,” Yoder explains. Audio recording and production training comes next, then the audio is loaded onto devices called Storytellers.
Along with Keys for Kids content, Storytellers have a Bible translation in the local language – in this case, Nepali.
Good News Nepal also wants to air Keys for Kids’ content on secular radio stations throughout the country. It’s an effective way to spread the Gospel because “the Nepalese people are oral learners; so, reading isn’t a priority. They do read, but they would rather listen,” Yoder explains.
Praise God for this project’s progress, and keep praying over the process.
Keys for Kids Storytellers
(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids Ministries)
“Anytime you’re translating text it can be a challenge. You [translate] one word wrong and, in some instances, you can lead to another gospel. So, just pray for wisdom as these translations continue. Secondly, pray for funding,” Yoder requests.
There are costs associated with airing the program on radio stations in Nepal. Plus, “we’ve had some costs [related to] getting over there to do the training, and to help facilitate that is going to be a challenge,” Yoder says. Here’s how you can give online to help.
Pray believers will press on despite legislative threats to religious freedom. More about that here.
“I was told by some of the believers in Nepal that they’re not going to allow Satan to defeat them,” Yoder says. “They’re the ones that are saying, ‘we need these materials’ so I don’t think any manmade laws are going to change their purpose and their drive to answer that Great Commission call.”
Stay tuned for part 2 of this story where we get into the impact of COVID-19 on this project
Header image courtesy of Pexels.
