Brazil (MNN) — Two Bible translation projects are already having an impact on tribal people in Brazil. President of WordWinds International Jarrette Allen says their Tembe translation project has been going on for about 12 years. Allen says they're making progress.
"Through our support of the project, the New Testament will be finished by the end of this year and sent to the printer. We're actually very excited because as a precursor to the New Testament being finished, the Gospel of Luke will be coming out from the printer this month — the first translation ever in the language of Timbe."
WordWinds is also making progress on the protected Kuikuro peoples. Allen says they've only been working on that project for a little over a year. "We finished the Gospel of Luke in the Kuikuro language. And because of that and translating the Gospel of Luke, this past year the Kuikuro heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time in human history."
Allen says the response has already been great. "We're praying for the first actual decision for Christ; the interest level of the people have been growing. They're coming now to regular Bible studies, and it looks like there might be the making of the very first Kuikuro church."
However, evangelistic work is restricted because the Kuikuro people are protected by the Brazilian government. Missionaries and others are restricted from going in, but the Kuikuro are able to leave their villages. Allen says, "Although the missionaries can't go in, they invite them to their house, and they try to spend time with them that way. Then, in doing so, they're able to gain invitations to go in."
Allen says it's only a matter of time before they start having difficulty in this area. "I fully believe that once we really begin to see some serious conversions and the makings of a church, there is going to be resistance."
In the meantime, the biggest needs right now are prayer and funding so the projects can be completed. Allen says prayer is needed for obvious reasons. "We're literally moving in to peoples and areas that are untouched by the Gospel — that literally have not heard the name of Jesus Christ. So there's obviously a lot of resistance."
