The look in Abel’s* eyes gave away the harshness of living in Si*, his home country. At once you could sense both his desperation and a resignation to his lot in life. Then came his chilling words: “It’s better to be a killer than a Christian.”
Abel went on to describe how few Christians there are in his country and the immense persecution against anyone attempting Bible translation. He told stories of other translators who had come before him and who had been murdered for their efforts. Abel even shared that his own father, a devout Muslim, had threatened to kill him.
Sadly, in this dark, dark place, killers of Christians are applauded as heroes. Meanwhile, Bible translators like Abel are literally being hunted, even as they work to bring God’s message of love and grace to their hunters.
Despite the incomprehensible oppression and being ostracized from his home and his family, Abel still holds out hope—hope that God will open doors for Bible translation to continue, hope that the training and translation that has already started will multiply.
Hope is at the core of our Scripture for New Frontiers projects. Though we can’t tell you the country names, through the generosity of friends like you, MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) workshops are launched covertly in some of the most dangerous places in the world, empowering national translators with cutting-edge technology and training. God has been faithful to open doors wide for Bible translation in places once never thought possible.
In the meantime, Abel has a special request: “I just ask that you pray for us. That’s all... just pray!”
*Names changed for security purposes.
