This and other truths led to a cease-fire among warring tribes (and Bible translators).
The tension in the room was as thick as fog. Bible translators from various Ontenu clans had come for our MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) workshop and were working together side by side to translate God’s Word into their heart language. Suddenly reports started coming in that fighting broke out between the villages of the translators in the room.
The news was tragic. There were guns, knives, spears—and many casualties. These were the sons, brothers, and nephews of some of the Bible translators at the workshop. A number of homes had also been burned to the ground. Translation quickly turned to fervent prayer.
When the prayers were finished, all of the translators agreed they wanted to stay through the end of the workshop, that translating the Scriptures was too important to abandon. Then, on a weekend break during the workshop, several of our staff accompanied some of the translators back to the two main villages involved in the conflict. As they approached the area, they were met by dozens of armed warriors. But the tribal leadership assured their safety and allowed them to approach.
Led by the Holy Spirit, our team shared with the tribes an unscripted message—that God loves them and this was, in fact, a spiritual battle instigated by Satan. Then they quoted from Matthew: “Blessed are the peacemakers . . .” and gave them a printed copy of a newly translated and printed Gospel of Mark. The tribal leaders were deeply moved and agreed to stop fighting.
After they began steps for reconciliation, fighting broke out again in the villages and another life was needlessly taken. Please pray with us that in the midst of the violence and heartache, God will show up in a big way to bring lasting peace and reconciliation through His people and His translated Word. He has honored the commitment of the Ontenu Bible translators and they left the workshop with eight more books of the New Testament completed. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
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