Wycliffe Overview

Overview

Rev Isaac Kenyi, the leader of the Keliko translation team in South Sudan, holds the recently published Keliko New Testament

This is the verse the Keliko people of South Sudan chose as their theme when they celebrated the launch of their New Testament. And as we rejoice with the many people from all around the world who received Scripture for the first time in their languages over the past year, it also serves as a reminder of how everyone involved with Wycliffe feels humbled by all that God is doing through the work of Bible translation.

The Keliko New Testament is the 1000th completed with the involvement of Wycliffe and our partner SIL – this is a great milestone because the journey is never easy. This Keliko New Testament was launched in a refugee camp in northern Uganda as many of these people are currently living in exile from their homeland – and this is the second time they have been exiled during the period of translation.

Despite the pain and suffering that war and forced migration have caused, God has been at work, and the Keliko people celebrated and rejoiced in God at receiving the New Testament in their language (see page 8).

As we join with the Keliko and many other people groups in celebrating

what God has done through Bible translation over the past year, we remain aware of the great challenge that remains. 1.5 billion people are still without the Bible in their language – a number that often surprises many Christians.

Because of this, we are continuing to invest in informing people about the need for Bible translation, its essential role in world mission, and the important role Christians and the Church can play through praying, helping fund, and sending more people to be part of the work.

We are immensely grateful to all of you who partner with us in supporting the ministry of Bible translation. We are truly blessed to have so many wycliffe

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individuals, churches and trusts walking with us and sharing our desire that all peoples will be able to have God’s word in their own language. We are especially thankful to all our people for their wonderful enthusiasm, dedication and perseverance.

May the Lord bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

David Steinegger

F THE BO ARD

Psalm 66:5

CHAIR O

‘Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!’

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2018 Jenn

Reading the Rendille New Testament in Kenya ion.

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Each translation matters, because each person matters to God. This is why everyone involved with Wycliffe continues to work with such passion and urgency, so that the 1 in 5 people remaining without a Bible translation will soon be able to read about Jesus in their own language.

As we look back over the last 65 years, we are humbled by all that God has done since the first Wycliffe Language Course in 1953, and we are excited by all that God continues to do through the work of Wycliffe.

We are working to build on the foundations of the past as we continue to invest in making Wycliffe an organisation that is fit for the purpose that God has called us to, and is able to sustain – and accelerate – the work of Bible translation around the world.

The last year has brought encouraging signs that more people are engaging with and giving to the work of Wycliffe. We continue to work hard to identify the next generation of supporters who will sustain – and grow – this vital work for world mission in the years to come. We are also working to strengthen our relationships with existing supporters as well as deepening our relationships with our international partners.

In the year ahead, we hope to do more. This is God’s work, so we’re asking him to provide more people to pray, more people who can give, and more people to serve with us, so that before long increasing numbers of the 1.5 billion people without the Bible will know the joy and hope of having God’s word in their language.

James Poole Watch a video of James talking about Wycliffe’s work at wycliffe.org.uk/review wycliffe

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EXECUTI VE DIREC TOR

For 65 years Wycliffe has been carrying out one of the most fundamental and significant parts of world mission – translating God’s word into people’s languages.

Ashe translator Arams demonstrates the Ashe Luke app

‘ God has sent us, indeed compelled us, to take the life-saving and life-changing message of Jesus to the whole world.

One of the languages Kathleen works with in Nigeria is Ashe. The Ashe people got their first book of the Bible in Ashe during the last year when the Ashe text and audio app of Luke was launched.

‘We are thankful to God for progress in making his word available to the Ashe people.’

We are convinced that God’s word does God’s work in God’s world.’

Kathleen Spence Training Nigerian Bible translators for meaningful translation

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Reading the Keliko New Testament at a Keliko church

The Book of joy

‘ Thank you, thank you, thank you to God, because this New Testament will now speak to the hearts of the people. Hallelujah!’

In the early 1980s Rev David Gale was at a conference in Juba, South Sudan, where all the clergy were asked to read from the Bible in their own language. But he couldn’t take part as not one word of the Bible had been translated into his language: Keliko.

Rev David was so overcome with sadness that his people didn’t have God’s word in their language that he broke down and wept.

But he turned his tears into prayers, and his prayers into action, and last year, the Keliko New Testament was launched with great joy and celebrating. Now the Keliko people can read about Jesus in their language.

At the launch, using traditional Keliko harps, they sang a song written especially for the occasion based on the launch theme of Psalm 66:5.

It went: ‘Rev David in the beginning, he went around and tried to gather people, but the people said, “Nothing will come of it.” But now, “Come and see what God has done.”’

Read more about the Keliko translation story at wycliffe.org.uk/stories wycliffe

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Bishop Seme Nigo (left) Keliko translator (and Rev David’s grandson)

If God can change my life through one verse...

As the majority of the Bydla* people of Kenya are Muslims, to ensure the safety of the small community of Bydla Christians, the launch of their New Testament couldn’t take place in their home area. Instead it was celebrated in a church in Nairobi.

The prayer of the Bydla Christians is that God will use the New Testament to call many of their people to him. One of the translators used to preach to Christians, trying to get them to convert to Islam. But when she was challenged to read part of the Bible for the first time, she read Galatians 5:1: ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.’

That night she had a dream in which God invited her to choose slavery or freedom. She chose freedom! Now she translates the Bible because, as she says:

Holding up the Bydla New Testament

‘ If God can change my life through one verse, then I expect that every verse I translate will impact the life of another Bydla person.’ *name changed for security reasons. wycliffe

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Currently Wycliffe has

The Book that the camel had eaten is finally here!

The nomadic Rendille people of Kenya have a tradition that long ago, the ‘Book of God’ meant for them was eaten by a camel, and that this is the reason why they have not had God’s word in their own language.

But that has now changed: the Rendille people danced and sang to celebrate the launch of the New Testament in their language – and the New Testament was carried to the celebration on the back of a camel!

In his address, Rev Micah Amukobole said, ‘The work may have taken time, but God was developing his people.

359 PEOPLE from the UK and Ireland who are serving Translator Laban Eysinkeele holds up the Rendille New Testament

The Book that the camel had eaten is finally here. Read and believe it.’ The work of Bible translation has brought a paradigm shift in the Rendille community, Pastor David Gargule says:

‘ No child marriages.

No female circumcisions.

Give every child equal rights.

Give a girl equal rights with boys.’

Read more about the Rendille translation at wycliffe.org.uk/stories wycliffe

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486 MILLION PEOPLE speaking 368 LANGUAGES in 71 COUNTRIES

A small fish Peter, Kelsie and Jamie make up the Wycliffe GradTeam serving in the Philippines. They got to experience the Buhi’non New Testament celebration. Buhi’non is a language with just 73,600 speakers.

Humanly speaking, it may be tempting to think that languages with many more speakers hold greater importance. But ‘Buhi, a town where Buhi’non is spoken,’ Peter says, ‘is on a lake which contains sinarapan, the world’s smallest food fish. It just reminded me that, as the fish isn’t worth less because it’s small, God doesn’t see translations which only reach a small people group as less valuable. He loves it whenever lives are transformed.’

‘ God has called us to share the good news with all people. Let’s pray that God will use this translation powerfully to bring more people to know Christ.’

The three Wycliffe GradTeam members at the Buhi’non New Testament launch

Peter Philips Wycliffe GradTeam Read more about the Buhi’on translation at wycliffe.org.uk/stories wycliffe

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Kissing the New Testament After the Mbembe New Testament in Cameroon was completed, retired army officer Ando Sammy got hold of the translator’s copy and kissed it. He promised to let others know about the New Testament he held in his hand.

He asked to borrow the translator’s copy. After a few days, he called the translators for a meeting and said God should bless all those who participated in enabling the Mbembe people to hear God clearly and understand him better.

He said, ‘I have been a churchgoer for years, thinking that I was a Christian, but I never understood the word of God. After reading some books of our Bible, my life can never be the same again. I today confess Jesus as my personal Lord and Saviour.’

‘After reading our Bible, my life can never be the same again.’

Ando Sammy

Translating the Mbembe New Testament

The library of Bible translation

Full Bible

683

New Testament

1534

Some portions of Scripture

There are 7361 known living languages, including sign languages, around the world 683 of these have the Bible 1534 have the New Testament 1133 languages have Scripture selections and stories Bible translation is in progress in at least 2658 languages

1133

No known Scripture

4011

But 1.5 billion people are still waiting for the Bible in the language they understand best

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