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MIICHE EALSS’ ME EMOIIRSS 50th Anniversary Edition Celebrating 50 Years of Bible Translation Work In Papua New Guinea!
September 2006
Inside this issue: The 50th Anniversary Celebration Photos Recruitment Ministries Update (Formerly Mobilization) The 50th Anniversary Celebration Photos The 50th Anniversary Celebration Report
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Special Prayer and Praise Points • PRAISE! For an increase last month in our support. We are now at 94%. • PRAYER! For wisdom as we seek to serve our local church in Orlando by helping them set a good direction for their mission programs. • For wisdom as we seek to recruit new workers.
The Word Of God Comes To PNG!
It was 1956 and Wycliffe sent several of its members to look in the Highlands territory of Papua and New Guinea for a place to begin Bible translation work. They came upon land that had been traditional fighting ground, which the Australian government (overseeing the territory) had recently purchased from the local people. The government had wanted to establish a coffee plantation there, but when our Wycliffe colleagues visited the 650 acres it seemed a perfect place to begin work. It was centrally located and was in a fertile valley with friendly local people. So in April 1956 Wycliffe’s partner agency SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) signed a 99 year lease for the land. On April 21, 2006 His Excellency Governor-General Grand
Chief Sir Paulias Matane represented the government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) at a 50th anniversary celebration that recognized the many years of partnership in language development with SIL.
had been trained as vernacular literacy specialists, including provincial elementary trainers, local language literacy program supervisors and teachers. Thousands of men, women and children throughout PNG had also learned to read in their own language as a result. Over the past 50 years thousands of books, learning-to-read school materials, dictionaries, health and HIV/AIDS education materials and other tokples (mother tongue) books have been produced, including 159 New Testaments and one complete Bible.
Sir Paulias Matane Sir Matane told the gathered dignitaries and guests about various aspects of SIL's service over the past 50 years. He stated that hundreds of Papua New Guineans
Sir Matane concluded his remarks by saying, "From the bottom of my heart, I salute SIL for the good work that they have done - and are doing in Papua New Guinea - and I mean what I say. Happy 50th or Golden Jubilee celebrations."