We are also attending workshops on a unique approach to Bible translation geared toward oral communities, whether that be among people who cannot read or write, or those whose learning preference and style is oral, rather than written.
We are learning how this method works and exploring whether it would be a good approach for a couple of the languages we want to work in. We appreciate your prayers as we learn about this method and seek wisdom on whether to use it, perhaps for the Ludari language. If you recall, we translated 50 Bible stories and the Gospel of Luke into Ludari but did not have qualified translators or funding to continue the rest of the New Testament. Now, we are exploring the possibility of using Oral Bible Translation, which would provide new funding resources and can use translators with different qualifications. It would also require special training for me and others on the teams, and this is an exploratory first step.
In addition to meetings, it has been a joy to hear reports about what has been accomplished in Bible translation through our teams. One of the translations is here in Albania. As a young man, Stavri, one of the translators, had a dream in which he saw a man in white come to him and tell him that he would translate the Bible. Now, 40 years later, he is one of the translators for the Albanian Aromanian language. Their team has finished the Gospel of Mark, drafted most of the NT, and hopes to complete it by the end of this year. The other translator, Freddie, was converted 30 years ago in Germany and God put it on his heart to reach his own people in Albania. He is now leading this team.
I was able to meet the translators for a new language project in North Macedonia. It is the Arli language, which is similar to the Arli language of Serbia that we have been working on for years. One of the translators, Džonathan, told us that the greatest highlight of his life was hearing a portion from God’s Word in his heart language and being able to understand it. The other translator, Baki, shared how people are so excited when they hear Scripture in their own language for the first time. The team is currently translating Mark with another consultant and I will pick up with Matthew next.
It is humbling and inspiring to see how God is using His Word. Please keep us in your prayers.
Todd & Pamala (Daniel & Ariela) Price
