Christians around the world continue to suffer, and it is truly shocking.
Reports of horrendous attacks are all too common—homes pillaged, churches burned to the ground, and armed persecutors forcing entire families to run for their lives.
Christians who dare to pursue Bible translation projects in such dangerous environments may experience the worst of the persecution that hostile authorities and others dish out.
But even when caught in the cruel crossfire of anti-Christian persecution, political turmoil, and tribal warfare, these believers are asking for help in one area only—
We want to have God’s Word in our own language. We NEED to read God’s promises and commands in a language we understand! How else can we reach the unreached and help them understand that they have a Savior, and there is hope for this life and eternity?
Having a Bible you can read and understand is not asking too much. Is it?
How many Bibles do you have? Six, maybe a dozen? And that’s probably just Bibles and New Testaments, not the mountain of devotionals or Christian study materials that counsel us on everything from good parenting to living our lives in accordance with God’s will.
Still, in this day and age, when information on any topic is so accessible to Westerners, there are entire people groups who live very different lives.
Steeped in poverty, crushed by famine and drought, millions live without access to electricity or the internet... and without God’s Word in a language they can read, understand, and share with others.
For isolated pockets of people who come to faith in these harsh and remote regions, faith is all they have to endure persecution and the hardships of life because they have no Bibles in their own language.
In a country in Asia, too dangerous to name, Bible translation is under way by Christians who have risked everything and lost much as they dare to continue translating God’s Word. These believers knew to meet in secret to thwart prying eyes and hostile officials who might imprison them, or worse, if caught with Scripture...
Yet, like so many other believers, they were discovered and lost their homes, their possessions, and the meeting place where they worked together on Bible translation for their countrymen.
Even their Bible translation equipment was stolen!
When Bible Translation Screeches to a Halt
It is for our brothers and sisters in Christ, suffering greatly in their commitment to translate God’s Word, that Wycliffe Associates has an Emergency 911 Fund.
Because when translators are running for their lives, or struggling to survive, translation projects come to a halt out of necessity. Which means during a time of extreme suffering, the comfort and guidance found in God’s Word is still out of reach to believers who urgently need it!
Providing Help and Hope Where Needed Most
Support from many caring friends made it possible for Wycliffe Associates to rush $35,000 in emergency funds to meet the most immediate needs of these Bible translators in a time of crisis, providing food, temporary shelter, clothing, medicine, and more.
But the Emergency Fund is low right now, threatening our ability to respond quickly to meet critical needs for these believers who are anxious to begin work on their Bible translation project.
Replacing the confiscated Bible translation equipment is a priority, and so is ensuring the Christians are relocated to safe places. We are praying that God will move in many hearts to raise the funds needed for the equipment to relaunch Bible translation for this language group from a new safe haven.
God Intervenes to Save Pastors from Harm
A group of 10 pastors leading Bible translation efforts in their churches also travel in a circuit, ministering in village after village.
One night, as they headed home, militants sprang out of the darkness—stopped their truck, pulled them out of the vehicle, and destroyed their Bible translation equipment.
The pastors were certain they would be murdered by the side of the road like too many other Christians in Asia who are cut down for their faith. The pastors knew better than to hope that local police would be of help because too often, they have been paid off and simply looked the other way.
But on this night, in a life-or-death moment, God intervened. Police appeared out of nowhere and came to the pastors’ rescue, driving off the attackers. The pastors escaped with their lives.
They praised God all the way home—supernaturally affirmed in their commitment to translating His Word for their people! But without equipment, many translators are at a standstill...
A CALL TO ACTION—REPLENISH THE EMERGENCY FUND
With prayers and support from many believers, the Emergency Fund can be refilled so urgent needs can be met, stolen translation equipment can be replaced, and Bible translation projects can bring God’s Word to life in languages where it has never existed before!
Give as generously as you can now knowing you’re helping ensure national Bible translators have the necessities of life—food and water, clothing, and other basics—so they can move ahead with work to which they have committed their lives:
To share God’s Word with people who have never seen a Bible in the language of their hearts... people who have been waiting all their lives to experience the Scriptures in their own heart language.
And please unite with other believers in prayer—
Pray for National Bible Translators—Lord, for our brothers and sisters living and working under conditions of intense persecution and spiritual warfare: Please give them health, strength, and wisdom as they navigate pressures and dangers. Let them know we are standing with them. Give them courage for the work to which You have called them. Let Your Word go forth!
Pray for Translators’ Loved Ones—Father, please protect the families of national Bible translators from illness and injury, from those who would threaten or harm them to obstruct Bible translation. Comfort and strengthen those whose loved ones have been lost, cut down by hostile forces, harmed, kidnapped, or imprisoned. As national Bible translators’ families struggle financially, please provide for their physical needs.
Pray for the Mission of Bible Translation—Father, move by Your Holy Spirit in the hearts of people who don’t yet know You. Speak to the lost through Your Word as they experience the Scriptures in their own heart language for the first time. We pray You will inspire others to support Bible translation through generous giving to share the Scriptures with multitudes who have never yet known Your Word in their own heart language.
Thank you for giving, praying, and sharing this pressing need with other Christians in your circle who love God’s Word and understand the impact these new Bible translations will have among the world’s unreached nations and hearts.
