“Where did this happen?” “Near Bethlehem.” “What kind of place is Bethlehem?” “A small village.” “What appeared in the sky?” “An angel.” Christmas was approaching, and the Apal people were about to hear Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth in their own language for the...
“She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths, and laid him in a manger — there was no room for them to stay in the inn.” (Luke 2:7 GNT) The Christmas story from Luke 2 seemed to be a reasonable place to begin translating God’s Word into the Apal language....
It was Christmas Eve. I wasn’t in much of a holiday mood, though. The selection of potential gifts for our children had seemed pretty sparse in the local shops. Our artificial Christmas tree looked so pathetic cowering in its corner, and the abundant ornaments hanging...
A chicken is just a chicken until it becomes a symbol of God’s transforming work in the hearts of His people.…
Koinonia. Variations of this Greek word occur throughout the New Testament. It translates into our English Scriptures as community, communion, joint participation, sharing, intimacy, and other related terms. But what does koinonia look like? How does it develop, and...
He had only a few verses of Scripture. One of them spoke powerfully and convincingly to him.…
The Word of God brings transformation to individuals, families, churches, and communities. One facet of transformative impact occurs when Scripture shines the light of truth on the underpinnings of our daily lives. This month, teammates in Papua New Guinea are...
“Your father died?” Laynah asked as I sat with her on the bark-slat porch outside her home. Laynah had become my friend during my family’s earliest months in Papua New Guinea. Our grass-roofed hut had been right across the narrow dirt road from hers when we had lived...
Because prayer is the strategy of Pioneer Bible Translators, our worldwide team intentionally sets aside a day of fasting and prayer every month. On this day, we join in unified prayer, offering up to our Father praises and requests collected especially for this day....
Baby Steps A Bible translator in Papua New Guinea spends his or her early years becoming a child again. Or so it seems. Most of us arrive here having spent the better part of our lives getting an education. When we move to a rural village, though, we essentially...
It was Friday afternoon at the end of a long week. The air was deadly calm, so thick you could cut it with a knife, as the seven of us sat in a tiny room in a village house in Papua New Guinea. Every day, from early morning until late afternoon and even some evenings,...
I was sitting on a woven mat in a bamboo-walled house with other people who were talking in a language I did not know. I had no idea what they were talking about, so not surprisingly, I felt a bit lonely. Another time I was conversing with people in a language we all...