Our wantok (person from the same language) Mick – a Queenslander lecturing at the local Lutheran Seminary – invited us to speak to a group of students and staff. The gathering was one of many surrounding their celebration of 500 years since the Reformation, and the fiftieth year of the Martin Luther Seminary. The Lutheran church has a long history in PNG spanning over 130 years, and works together closely with Wycliffe translators in many regions.
We share a committment to the word of God as being central to the Christian life, and the proclamation of that word as essential if people are to come to know Christ as Saviour.
…these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31
Our objective was to encourage church leaders and future Pastors to view Bible translation as a vital part of the church’s ministry. The students responded well, asking several questions about the nature of our work, and several shared their own experiences of having had the Scriptures translated into their tokples (vernacular language).
Some good discussion followed on how the process of translation and tokples literacy can help address some of the cultural issues facing PNG, as language displacement continues to create a generational divide within many communities.
Please pray …
- praise God for the strong partnerships Wycliffe have with the PNG church
- pray that tokples translation and literacy programs may add value to relationships within communities, as young and old participate in the task together
campbell ramblings 
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