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PRAYER CIRCLE
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4-18 September 2017
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Kenya's Kalenjin language speakers now have a Bible they can understand! Praise God.
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Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
This is Jeremiah praying during a time of great turmoil when he had been called to deliver a message of judgement on his own people. Yet he stood firm and called out to God. He was really honest as he spoke to God about his deepest thoughts and fears yet Jeremiah never stopped trusting God.
How did his faith hold firm? He stood on God's words.
How do we respond in life's challenges? Are we honest with God about our struggles and fears while remaining firm in the knowledge that He is good and His Word is true? Can we, like Jeremiah, say that God's Word is the 'joy and delight' of our hearts.
As we look around the world, we are often challenged by the sheer delight that people show when they finally have a Bible, or part of the Bible. Many are hungry for God's Word. Are we?
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Revised Kalenjin Bible - Kenya
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Kalenjin Grandmother receiving a Bible she can read to her grandchildren.
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More than three million Kalenjin speakers in Kenya now have access to the Bible in their heart language. The Revised Kalenjin Bible, which the Bible Society of Kenya launched in July, will serve speakers of eight Kalenjin dialects from various denominational backgrounds.
"My fellow translators and I worked tirelessly for seven years to put together this Bible," one of the Kalenjin Bible translators said. "It is such a privilege to see it being unveiled for people's use. May it bring positive transformation to everyone who will read it."
At the event, a Kalenjin grandmother said, "Today I go home a happy woman. Seeing that I now have the Bible ... in my language makes my heart to rejoice. I can't wait to go through it page by page as I grow deeper in my faith in God. I will be reading it to my grandchildren and, with time, buy them a copy."
A common Kalenjin Bible was published in 1969 but church leaders found that people in their congregations had trouble understanding antiquated language. This Revision will allow Kalenjin speakers, 70 % of whom are Christian, to understand Scripture in language they use every day.
Of Kenya's 53 language groups 21 languages have complete Bibles, 15 have New Testaments, 7 have Portions of Scripture and 11 are still waiting for Bible translation to begin. Praise God that the Kelenjin speakers can now understand His Word and pray for the ongoing work of bringing the Bible to all people.
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Argentina's Dramatic New Testament
Bringing the Bible alive in the Qom language
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Some of the Qom team who dramatised the New Testament.
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At the beginning of August, the recording of the New Testament in the Toba Qom language in audio format was completed. The Bible Society of Argentina have developed this with the support of Hosanna Ministries (producers of Faith Comes by Hearing listening programme) and the Bible Society of Bolivia. 38 men, women and a child from the Qom community carried out the dramatisation, voicing the characters and reading the epistles.
The end of the recording, which took 2 months, working 8 hours a day, was celebrated with songs and dances and all those who took part were honoured.
"It's great to see a project born and developed. We estimate that the people of the communities will appreciate it very much and this material will have a great impact." says Ernesto Lerch, Project Director of the Bible Society of Bolivia.
The audio is being processed in the office of Bolivia with sound effect editing by Hosanna Ministries.
This is an important continuation of the translation project. Many Qom speakers are illiterate or are visually impaired and can't read the written Bible. We love that Bible Societies are constantly working to find solutions to overcome Bible access difficulties.
Please pray for the final stages of this project, it is hoped that the material can be delivered to the community within 4-6 months.
Pray that it will be well publicised and received.
Praise God for the community effort, bringing huge ownership to the project.
Praise God that His Word does not return void.
Pray that this dramatised audio New Testament would reach, touch and change people's lives as they are drawn closer to Jesus through His Word.
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Deadly Mudslides in Sierra Leone
Serving in the aftermath of tragedy
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Indescribable destruction as mud enveloped homes and claimed many lives.
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A few weeks ago, Sierra Leone suffered heavy rains which led to a deadly mudslide and severe flooding. Over 1,000 people are believed to have died, many of them women and children, many are still missing and hundreds of homes were buried in the mud. There is a concern that the continuing rain could lead to further tragedy.
Raymond Jarrett from the Bible Society in Sierra Leone wrote,
"The past few years have brought much hardship to the poor and vulnerable in our country, especially those living in flood-prone areas of Freetown, the capital city. Over one million inhabitants are currently settled in these coastal areas. The loss of life and economic devastation caused by a disaster like this present a major challenge for a country already battling climate change, corruption and poverty. The international media have reported that Sierra Leone is the world's third most vulnerable country to climate change."
The delay in aid meant that help didn't arrive when people needed it most, especially for those in the very poorest communities. Emergency workers and community volunteers faced great challenges in reaching the survivors quickly.
There is now a strong possibility that disease and illnesses could break out. Please pray for protection from disease, for comfort for the sorrowing and for the people bringing help and support.
The Bible Society in Sierra Leone are committed to bringing hope in the midst of this disaster.
Please pray for wisdom for the Bible Society as they put plans in place to help. They are working with developmental organistions to provide medical care, food items, clothing and support to people whose lives have been devasted.
May God bless them as they minister and may they see Him at work in this horrendous situation.
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NEWS at HOME
Bible Sunday 2017
The theme is 'ACTIVE', based on Colossians 3:12-17
It has been great to see a good deal of interest already! Will your church join us for Bible Sunday? Why not chat to your minister about setting a Sunday aside?
Sun
29th October
(Church of Ireland) or
Sun
10th December
(Presbyterian/Methodist)
Join us in the weeks leading up to Christmas as we pray for the spread of the Bible around the world. Prayers for 1 country each week will be sent to you each Tuesday for 12 weeks, beginning on Tues 3 October 2017 and ending on Tues 19th December 2017.
Each week we will ask you to pray for a different Bible Society, sharing some of their work with you, from things to celebrate to urgent prayer needs.
This is a wonderful way to keep our hearts focused on the truth of Christmas - the coming of Jesus Christ and the spread of His Kingdom to all people.
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Speaking Engagements
Tue 12 Sept, 8pm
- Leah is at Kells Presbyterian Church P.W.
Fri 15 Sept, 7.30pm
- Leah is at the Christian Endeavour Convention in Enniskillen.
Events
Fri 15 Sept - Clergy breakfast, Enniskillen
Fri 15-Sun 17 Sept - Enniskillen Methodist Church 'Bible Weekend'. Catherine
and Leah will be taking part at this weekend.
Visitor
13-14 Sept - Jorge Gomez, General Secretary of the Bible Society in Honduras, will be visiting Northern Ireland we are looking forward to getting the chance to spend some times chatting to him and hearing more about the work there.
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If you have any questions, give us a ring on
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