Boat? 8 Editor Torres Strait Islands: Waterborne Carol Brinneman “Training College”—A Dream Boat to Promote Newly Translated Scriptures Managing Editor Sarah Baer
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Passages FA L L 2 011 VOLUME 6 Issue 4 CONTENTS Rev. 7 Every Nation People Language is a quarterly publication of JAARS Inc., which supports appropriate 2 Riding God’s Pacific Wave technologies and services in Pacific Region: In unexpected, exciting transportation, information technology, and language ways, God is calling islanders and media for SIL International, the others to engage in Bible translation Wycliffe Global Alliance, and other partners in the global Bible translation movement. Prepared by Prayer 4 The magazine’s name points Micronesia: Prayer, over decades, to Revelation 7:9–10—the time and place where people results in amazing translation team of every language group will and output one day worship together before the throne of God. 6 Bible Translation Odysseys View this issue online: Solomon Islands: Water trans- www.jaars.org/Rev7fall11 portation challenges don’t dampen translators’ commitment Sr. VP Marketing and Communications David Witmer Could This Be That Boat? 8 Editor Torres Strait Islands: Waterborne Carol Brinneman “training college”—a dream boat to promote newly translated Scriptures Managing Editor Sarah Baer FEATURES Graphic Designer God as Business Owner 10 Jennifer Burtnett Papua New Guinea: Workshop helps people combine ministry and business— Cover: Yopno man rejoices for the glory of God and his Word over newly translated Scriptures; dancers celebrate the launch of the Bughotu Putting Scripture to Good Use New Testament, Santa 12 Isabel Island, Solomons, SALT Papua New Guinea: team helps the October 2009; public Yopno people dig into and apply their transport ship, Solomons. newly translated Scriptures All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, Thinking—It’s Critical are taken from the New 14 International Version, 1984. Vanuatu: a course helps local translators develop comprehension and analysis skills Contact Us JAARS PO Box 248 1 Introduction Waxhaw NC 28173- 0248 General 800-890-0628 ents President’s Column 15 Subscription Services M 888-773-1178 Fax 16 Kids’ Page 704-843-6385 E-mail epart [email protected] D Newsworthy 18 WWW.JAARS.ORG 1 SOUTH PACIFIC PAssAGES Carol Brinneman, Editor With my toes dug into the sand and over 450 do not yet have access to wind whipping my hair, I squint at the Word of God in their language. sun-sparkled waves. Panoramic views Over 90 percent of these remaining of the Pacific Ocean never fail to turn languages have populations of 10,000 my thoughts to the Creator. The depth speakers or less—small communities and power of this wideness beckon on numerous isles and in remote me to cross its waters and discover places in Papua New Guinea. distant, idyllic islands with their The challenge is great. But God myriad peoples. But such exciting is greater. A faith-building report by voyages have only come for me through SIL Pacific Area Director Mark Taber reading books, such as Kon-Tiki, at JAARS in May 2011 provided Hawaii, and this month, Moby Dick. inspiration for this Rev. 7. Mark When I first trained as a Bible has traveled to these far-flung translator, I dreamed of going to destinations and witnessed French-speaking Tahiti. But that how God is working island was not an option. Little did in and through men I realize that years before, in 1797, and women in the first missionaries to the Pacific the Pacific. By Islands were sent to Tahiti by the prayer, dedicated London Missionary Society. And work, insightful such Christian pioneers to the region courses, and typically learned the local languages the use of boats, and did Bible translation. Then local they look forward believers sailed to neighboring islands, to receiving the Truth amid their cargo. Much and engaging later, in 1956, SIL International* more deeply began work in Papua New Guinea. with Scripture Today the work of SIL in the passages in Pacific includes Melanesia, Micro- their own South nesia, Polynesia, and Timor, as well Pacific languages. as Australia’s Indigenous people. Of the 1,330-some Pacific languages, *JAARS supports SIL through providing resources for technology and transportation projects. Dreamstime Rev. 7 Fa l l 2011 1 Background: Dreamstime Early Bible translation work in the Pacific The first Pacific languages to receive translated Scriptures were all located in Polynesia. Today many of these Riding languages are also spoken outside their home area. The last date given is that of the completion of the entire Bible: Hawaiian (Hawaii) 1800–1850 God's Pacific Tahitian (Tahiti) 1838–1913 Fijian (Fiji) 1839–1964 Rarotongan (Cook Islands) 1851–1888 Maori (New Zealand) 1858–1952 Tongan (Tonga) 1862–1966 One of the 1,300 languages in the Pacific will someday complete the list! Would you pray to that end? Wow! Surely God is at work. for guidance, three key directives with us, offering courses in Bible We are also praying for the provision In the world of Bible translation, came to me through this verse: “Give translation to Tongans and other of a pilot and airplane for northern when we plan, work hard, and thanks to the Lord, call on his name; islanders, beginning in August 2012. Australia to distribute Scriptures to achieve goals—ones aligned with make known among the nations We also give thanks to the remote language communities and God’s kingdom purposes—we what he has done” (1 Chron. 16:8). Lord that after decades of planting engage them in using God’s Word. recognize his blessing and help, The gospel first took hold in Hawaii the seed of God’s Word among And we are lifting up before his gifting and strength. Such in the 1820s and spread to other Pacific Indigenous Australians, God is now the Father each Bibleless Pacific experiences often result in a strong islands in the mid-1800s; that region creating a desire within many of people group by name. sense of personal satisfaction, too. has been sending out missionaries now their hearts to know him more fully Our desire is to make known But when God himself shows for over 100 years. As a result we are through his Word. Our challenge among the nations what God has up, accomplishing the unexpected able to work closely with the Church now is to keep up with the growing done—through translating his Word or even miraculous, we experience there, easily obtaining visas. We give enthusiasm of these Christians, who into Pacific languages, and through a completely different kind of thrill. thanks to the Lord for wide-open are requesting our help as they seek to telling others about the amazing When we see him at work beyond ways doors and many opportunities. In be involved in translating more of the ways he is embracing the peoples of we have foreseen or planned, there’s the last couple years, we’ve seen Scriptures into their own languages. the Pacific. Wow. Praise God and a sense of awe and anticipation that a growing interest among Pacific With over 450 language rejoice with us as we ride his Wave. something great is about to happen— Islanders to join the Bible translation communities in the Pacific without Wow! The recognition of his presence movement. For example, Christians in access to God’s Word in their and power leaves us breathless and the Kingdom of Tonga, who have had languages, we are eager to call on —Mark Taber feeling small. We lose all sense of the complete Bible in their language his great name. We are praying for Mark serves as the SIL adequacy to create “the Wave.” We for over a hundred years, recently the provision of boats to expand Pacific Area director just want to hold on and ride it with established the Bible Translation our ministry opportunities in the and is based in Brisbane, Australia. Previously Mark faith-filled anticipation, not knowing Organization of Tonga. And they are islands of the Solomons and the provided leadership for where it will take us but confident seeking to partner with us. Our initial Torres Strait of northern Queensland, SIL’s work in Indonesia. in the One who is taking us there. challenge was to provide pathways Australia. We are asking the Lord Over the past year, serving as through which they could easily and for the resources to make his Word the new SIL Pacific Area director, effectively engage, so we marveled available through non-print media Pacific resources: I feel like I’ve been riding God’s when God stirred the heart of Pacific among the largely oral societies www.thewordislife.net/pacific Pacific Wave. As I sought the Lord Islands University in Guam to partner throughout the Pacific (see page 8). www.facebook.com/pacificbible 2 Rev. 7 Fa l l 2011 Rev. 7 Fa l l 2011 3 Background: Dreamstime Prepared by The Kapingamarangi people wanted When the completed New to translate the Bible into their Testament was dedicated in 2000, The Kapingamarangi own language and had shown their we heard the story of Lohete, which people relish reading commitment by raising US$1,000— gave us a new perspective on the the Scriptures in their quite a sum for a group of less than Kapingans’ accomplishment. Lohete own language. 2,000 people who support themselves was a Kapingamarangi man who had by making handicrafts and copra (dried received a Bible in the Pohnpeian coconut). This Polynesian language language many years before. Pohnpeian Your prayers, too, can help prepare and support Bible Prayercommunity lives on an isolated island is a Micronesian language, completely translation projects. Prayerline, our bimonthly prayer in Pohnpei, one of four states in the different from Kapingamarangi, a calendar, highlights specific prayer needs from JAARS and Federated States of Micronesia.