“PNG is the most linguistically diverse country in the world,” Wycliffe USA Field Coordinator Estella Trostle says.

Yara and Trostle pose for a picture.
(Photo courtesy of Estella Trostle/Wycliffe USA)

There are about 300 language groups that have no Scripture in their heart language. However, “a feast is happening now in Papua New Guinea. It started when scores of Bibles communities drafted the Scriptures, and they tasted the deliciousness of God’s Word in their own language,” Trostle says.

“Church leaders came to our team and asked for training so they could learn how to follow the globally recognized recipe to produce quality, assured translation. The result is more translation starts in Papua New Guinea in 12 months than in the past 12 years.”

Trostle credits the acceleration to a closer partnership between Wycliffe USA and local churches.

“People there are now willing to take ownership [of the] work, and as a result, Bible translation is accelerating at a faster rate than we’ve ever experienced in our history,” she says.

Working in tangent with local churches, Wycliffe USA translates God’s Word into minority languages.

“One of the people leading this initiative is a young, talented, passionate PNG woman named Yara [who] is about 35 years old,” Trostle says.

A child of missionaries, Yara has “a passion and understanding of the need for having God’s Word.”

Her leadership is unusual because “Papua New Guinea is a male-dominated culture; by and large, it’s just difficult for women,” Trostle continues.

“She is well respected among the leaders because she has been very well educated [and] she is a missionary to her own people. A few years ago, she got involved in Bible translation. There were some challenges, but she was committed to seeing her people get the Scriptures.”

Praise God for Yara and others like her. Thanks to their efforts, long-lost communities are finally hearing the Gospel in their heart languages.

Header and story images courtesy of Estella Trostle/Wycliffe USA.

“I want to highlight African American women who played a huge role in Bible translation,” Wycliffe USA’s Estella Trostle says.

Josephine Makil, the first African American woman to join Bible translation efforts.
(Photo courtesy of Estella Trostle/Wycliffe USA)

April 19, 2008, marked the first New Testament translation completed with the help of an African American woman – Jacqueline (Jackie) Huggins. Huggins holds a master’s degree in linguistics.

In 1959, “Josephine Makil [became] the first African American woman to join Bible translation, and she was my mentor,” Trostle says.

“She was a literacy specialist with the Gullah Sea Island Creole translation team, and as a widower, she raised three children and served faithfully in Wycliffe for 42 years.”

Following her mentor’s footsteps, Trostle began working in Bible translation 14 years ago with her husband and two sons.

“In 1994, we landed in Papua New Guinea for the first time with a group of college students. We fell in love with the people there [and] moved to Papua New Guinea in 2009,” Trostle says.

“We worked under the Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association; that is, Papua New Guineans who are missionaries to their own country.”

Today, Estella and her husband are field coordinators in PNG. You don’t have to go overseas to be involved in the Bible translation movement. “Anyone can pray [or] give,” Trostle says.

“The needs are still great. There are over 7,000 languages worldwide and over 800 in Papua New Guinea.”

Find your place in the story here!

Header image depicts Josephine Makil, the first African American woman to join Bible translation efforts. (Photo courtesy of Estella Trostle/Wycliffe USA)

According to ReliefWeb, nearly half a million people were affected by the quake and 247,000 were in immediate need of emergency supplies. The devastation killed more than 100 people and wounded more than 500.

What made this earthquake so difficult to address was how remote many affected communities were. Major landslides and damaged roads made travel nearly impossible. The rebuilding and aid process in PNG is still ongoing.

MAF Aerial Survey of PNG following several strong earthquakes, February 2018. (Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

Mission Aviation Fellowship works alongside ministries and organizations to serve isolated communities in PNG. They deliver health and educational supplies, food, and provide medical evacuations.

When the major earthquake struck on February 26, Sharlene Coker with MAF says the ministry sprang into action.

“We woke up that morning in the early morning to the earthquake, and once the sun was up we had two aircraft in the air which had already been scheduled to go to that part of the country, checking on the communities. So the pilots took some extra time talking to the community leaders and people on the ground at the airstrips they were at, finding out their needs.

“So we had that information coming in from pilots, and then we also have HF radio. We have people monitoring that on a regular basis. Also, we partner with CRMF — which is Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship — and they are monitoring the HF frequencies at all times. So people would be calling in because cell networks were down and being able to get communication was one of the issues.”

Between the radio communication and an aerial survey, MAF was able to pinpoint areas with the greatest needs following the earthquake. From there, the ministry communicated these needs to other organizations and ministries that could then provide aid and assistance.

MAF also collected donations of food, rice, and water and flew those aid items to the hardest hit areas.

MAF Aerial Survey of PNG following several strong earthquakes, February 2018. (Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

“In PNG, a lot of people know that if they can get to an airstrip, help will come. So that is what happened in the weeks following the earthquake.”

The psychological trauma was hard on communities as well. Tremors can bring on a renewed sense of stress and panic in the wake of the earthquake.

Some people have gone back to rebuild, but not everyone can. “There are certain areas…that it is not safe for them to go back in. So there are areas — care centers is what they call them — at the different airstrip areas where many people are gathered and they are still sorting out where they will make home in the future because they can’t get back home.”

Coker explains, “At this time, we’re more in the recovery phase. So most of the supplies going out now are more for rebuilding and hygiene, and organizations are offering training on clean water and how to obtain that and gender protection and different things that need to happen. But rebuilding right now is the main focus.”

While there is demand for rebuilding supplies and aid, there is also a deep desire for spiritual truth in PNG.

“For us, the most important need is Christ, getting the Word of God into people’s hands. Our planes are all equipped with a Wi-Fi Bible and that allows people to use their cell phones and download many items, Bibles, and other Christian resources to their phones. And yes, in the bush airstrips, they have cell phones!” says Coker.

“Our pilots also take out Bibles and Christian resources on their planes in a box wherever they go. Rarely do they come back without an empty box…. People are just hungry for the Word of God.”

Even in the midst of hardship and devastation, MAF pilots and staff in PNG are seeing God move. “We could not reach so many people without the Lord working. Even after the earthquake when many had gathered at the airstrips and they were asking for food and water and basic things, they were also asking for the Bibles. We had calls coming in from the people working on the ground asking us to put Bibles on the airplanes.”

If you would like to learn more about MAF and how you can support their ministry, click here!

One of the best ways you can support MAF and Papua New Guineans is through prayer.

Coker asks, “Pray for safety in flight. The weather here can turn at any moment and it really impacts what we can do. But keeping our pilots and those on board safe is always a prayer request. [Pray] for people to be open to God’s Word; and also for those who have heard it, to really grow in their faith as they get a better understanding of what Scripture is about and what Christ has done for them.”

(Header photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

Earlier this month, Wycliffe Associates was hosting a translation workshop in the highlands of Papua New Guinea with five language groups. Already, the workshop was defying generations-worth of challenges when chaos broke out.

Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates, says, “Historically and traditionally, these groups have lived in competition and in– for many generations– in animosity against one another. So the mere fact of them coming together at a workshop was really quite a landmark, in terms of their history, of working together to see God’s Word move forward.

“And we love to see that, when Christians work together in harmony and when the Gospel really transforms and impacts the cultures.”

Violence Erupts

But while these translation groups were coming together with a like goal in mind, underlying tensions erupted into violence around them.

(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates)

“While the workshop was underway, two of these tribal groups actually in their home community areas ended up with a sort of a resurfacing with these tribal animosities. And people were shot, they were fighting with knives and with spears.”

And so it was no surprise that the translation project was disrupted by the violence going on at home. In fact, homes were burned, family members killed or injured, and crops destroyed. Smith says it was necessary to pause the workshop so members of these two tribes could grapple with the heavy emotions they were feeling.

However, he says for these translators, it was a reminder of why their work to translate Scripture for their people was so important. Only God’s Word is capable to bring true and lasting peace to this earth.

“They also took a field trip. Our trainers went to these communities, along with these Christian elders from their churches to begin the reconciliation process, and were part of bringing prayer, bringing Scripture into the actual immediate the aftermath of this warfare.”

For groups like this who have been warring with their neighbors for generations, the peace of the Gospel is more than just an abstract concept. It’s absolutely necessary.

For many of these translators, the first response upon hearing of the renewed violence caused deep feelings of anger, hatred, and reminded them of the antagonism towards other tribes that they were born into. These kind of emotions are not easy to just shrug off.

(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates)

“So, they turn against one another, but within the context of realizing, hey, God’s Word speaks directly to these issues. And so, that initial emotional response is met by the truth of God’s Word and the exhortation to live in peace with one another, to forgive one another, to create harmony within the Body of Christ.”

And so, once the translation workers decided not to retaliate, they had to consider how to bring this truth back to their people and convince them of the need for reconciliation.

“People are still bleeding and still hurting from the actual physical battles and so this is where the truth of Scripture for them comes to bear directly, not only with their history, but their current experience and the anger that they’re still dealing with. So, only God can bring peace into those kinds of situations.”

Translation is changing in Papua New Guinea

Events like this make it clear why Bible translation is so important. But the way Bible translation happens in PNG is rapidly changing.

Smith says that historically, translation has taken place in the difficult-to-reach highlands. This is because this part of the country is central to many of the different language groups. However, Wycliffe Associates is looking to start translation work up in the city of Port Moresby.

Local Christians have requested this move because they believe it’s the best way to see the translation work go forward. Therefore, Wycliffe Associates is seeking church partnerships in the area. But there is a lot of work ahead.

“There’s more than 800 languages that have been researched and documented that need Scripture in Papua New Guinea. But when we talk to the tribal leaders, to the Christian leaders in that country, they actually think the number is probably two to three times that many.”

Photo Courtesy Wycliffe Associates

The local insight into the issue is just one more clue that it’s time for the Church of Papua New Guinea to take over.

Smith says, “For generations, for decades of my life and your life, the Bible translation movement in this part of the world has been completely dependent upon foreigners. That is no longer the case. The church is rising up. They’re ready, willing, and able to do this work. They’re asking us to come alongside with training, with technology, with some physical infrastructure that I’ve described, with prayer and encouragement and financial support.”

Do you want to be a part of supporting this work? Start with prayer.

“Pray that God’s Word and the truth and the peace that passes understanding from God’s Word can penetrate that violence and that hatred and that sin, in order to reconcile these people, not only to God, but also to each other.”

Pray also for the translators who risking their lives and making sacrifices in order to do this work. Pray for their courage and protection as they speak against the flow of their cultures. Pray that this violence would not hinder their work, either.

If you’d like to support this work financially, click here. 

Following the quake, MAF has received many requests for medical evacuation flights. MAF has also been doing fly-overs to check on remote communities, and on Tuesday, Feb. 28, carried PNG disaster officials on an extensive aerial survey.

(Photo and header photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

Mission Aviation Fellowship and its associated ministry, Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship (CRMF), have been serving the people of PNG since the early 1950s from bases at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Kawito, Kiunga (Rumginae), Madang, Tari, Wewak, and Telefomin/Tabubil. MAF operates flight services to remote and isolated communities in PNG, while CRMF provides radio communication, computing, solar lighting, digital audio bibles and other technology services.

While telephones are not working in many places following the earthquakes, CRMF’s radio network is up and running and people are using it to call for medical assistance. The MAF/CRMF team is also passing along information about problems such as damaged airstrips, road closures, and damage to clinics, schools and other important buildings.

According to Sharon Coker, who serves with MAF in PNG, “The earthquake epicenter was in a fairly unpopulated area. From photos and aerial assessment, most damage was just to hillsides and areas where people do not live. There are a lot of roadblocks from landslides that will prevent ease of access.”

Other concerns Coker notes:

• Many rivers are blocked with debris, especially trees. Flooding may become an issue.
• Clean water is not available in several locations.
• Many gardens have been destroyed. This may impact food availability for communities.

MAF Aerial Survey of PNG following several strong earthquakes, February 2018. (Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)

MAF’s 150 staff in PNG are safe. Some MAF facilities and houses experienced minor damage, such as broken dishes and damage to water systems.

Mission Aviation Fellowship is a global family of organizations that uses aviation and technology to share the Gospel and make life better for people in remote parts of Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. In times of crisis, MAF’s disaster response team can mobilize quickly so that aid gets to those in need. Most recently, MAF has responded to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, and earthquakes that devastated Nepal in 2015. MAF-US is based in Nampa, Idaho.

Learn more about MAF at their website here.

Save lives physically

(Photo credit NTM)

NTM missionaries Chris and Maggie Hostetter minister to the Pal tribal people in PNG. While their main focus is translating God’s Word into the tribal language and using it to disciple new believers, the missionaries also realize God’s love is holistic in nature.

A week ago, the Hostetter’s arranged for two nurses to fly in and help them give immunizations to the Pal. Since authentic medical treatment is such a rare commodity in the jungle, immunizations help prevent many life-threatening diseases.

In one day, a team of four–two missionaries and two nurses–was able to immunize 550 people. The remaining missionaries took down names, washed peoples’ arms and legs, and helped with “crowd control.”

Prevention through immunization helps save lives physically. But, it didn’t end there: as they gave shots, missionaries talked about Christ and His eternal salvation.

Save lives spiritually

(Photo credit NTM via Twitter)

Paying for medical supplies and transportation, and assisting nurses as they gave medical care are all tangible expressions of Christ’s love and compassion. These tangible expressions also created opportunities for NTM missionaries to share biblical Truth with Pal patients.

As a result, missionaries are making an eternal difference among the Pal people.

Your gift to New Tribes’ medical assistance program can help missionaries save lives two ways in the Philippines.

Jim Sims of New Tribes Mission worked as a fixed-wing and helicopter pilot with the aviation ministry to Papua New Guinea for 11 years. He shared some recent highlights with us.

New Tribes Mission Aviation team had a KODIAK in an Asia- Pacific region, but they desperately needed one in PNG as well. (Photo by New Tribes Mission)

For years, NTM has used Cessna 206 and 185 planes, small aircraft enabling them to reach isolated tribes all over the world.

In the early 90s, however, fuel increased in price and decreased in availability. NTM was paying $15 or more per gallon. This issue, combined with the small cargo hold, made the old fleet insufficient for the work NTM was doing.

Fortunately, a mission-specific aircraft was in the works. Quest Aircraft created a superior plane for the mission field called the KODIAK.

For a long time, NTM staff and supporters prayed for the money to purchase a fleet of KODIAK for PNG. But they had no answer.

But all of the sudden, God moved. Donors gave the money to purchase the first of three planes. When NTM went to purchase the plane, instead of waiting for Quest to build it, the plane was ready and waiting, complete with a coat of paint.

God had been working the whole time.

“We had no idea that this was going to take place, but we were informed just a short time ago that an airplane had already been built, was painted white, and was sitting at the Quest plant,” says Sims.

The KODIAK runs on cheaper fuel, has a stronger engine, carries nine passengers, and has a cargo hold big enough for a small boat.

Sims says, “This airplane was designed basically for mission work. It’s just going to be a blessing, and we’re very excited about it.”

The delivery of the PNG plane is taking place today, beginning the transition to the new fleet of aircraft.

“This is a team effort. The people that are donors and supporters: they’re our co-laborers and co-workers in this whole thing.”

The plane needs to be outfitted with seats, a cargo pod, an HF radio, and a splash of red paint. They hope to have it in operation by the end of the year.

The plane was all ready to go. (Photo courtesy of NTM)

Sims says, “As we know from God’s Word, His timing is always perfect. And so, we’re not aware that anything’s going on behind the scenes when, in fact, God already had this plane built and put together and was sitting on the ramp, ready for us to go. [This] is a huge thing because if we had to actually put in the order, it would probably be six months.”

NTM needs support to purchase the whole fleet. You can help that effort here. If you’d like to become part of the flight crew at NTM, follow this link.

The new fleet of planes is going to help NTM reach more people with the Gospel quicker. They train indigenous groups to witness to their neighbors.

Sims has many inspiring examples of this work. Watch for these stories soon. While you’re waiting, try to guess what cake has to do with the Gospel.

CBI completion certificates are highly valued by employers. (Image courtesy CBI)

In 2012, prison officials saw the success of CBI’s program and wanted to extend those benefits to other institutions. The Buimo Jail in Lae, Papua New Guinea, is one such institution.

The response from women prisoners at Buimo marked a historic first for CBI: fieldworker Terry West reported that one hundred percent of the women who qualified for the program (which requires basic English literacy) chose to enroll.

The next day, West introduced the CBI program in the juvenile, remand and men’s facilities at Buimo. In each of the facilities, he witnessed the same astonishing response: one hundred percent of qualifying prisoners signed up for the program.

The incarcerated were not the only ones to show an enthusiastic response; five corrections officers also enrolled in CBI’s Bible study program. In all, a total of 150 Papua New Guineans became CBI students, and CBI Australia is optimistic that enrollment numbers will continue to grow.

“Other inmates who have seen what is going on with the students doing their lessons also want to start the program,” said CBI Australia co-director Ray Hoekzema.

In establishing the CBI program at Buimo, the ministry received support from a delegation of prison officials and the assistant commissioner of corrective services, Michael Mosiri. Mosiri helped CBI launch the program at Bomana Prison in Port Moresby last year.

CBI’s discipleship courses have been very popular in Papua New Guinea, and prison officials have encouraged CBI to establish the program in additional facilities because of the positive effects on students. Furthermore, Papua New Guinean students have benefited materially from CBI’s courses, as the certificates of completion are highly valued by local employers.

But high enrollment numbers are only the beginning in Papua New Guinea; CBI Australia seeks to lead the many new students to an understanding of the Gospel that will change their lives.

“Please continue to pray for the ministry in Buimo Prison,” West requested. “[Pray] that the students will come into a rich relationship with our Lord and Savior.”

Learn more about CBI and its work around the world.

Sheryl just returned from a trip to Papua New Guinea and the Philippines where she visited translation teams there. She says it's great having God's Word in written form, but it doesn't do any good if people can't read it. "In remote areas, you've got obviously great illiteracy problems. They can't read [the Bible]. They have to hear it in order to have God's Word there."

That's why Faith Comes By Hearing has a goal to record God's Word in 2,000 languages around the world. "We have 512 recordings to date, so we are really moving toward our goal of 2,000. We're not there yet, but each year we're adding more recording teams and we're getting closer."

PNG is a challenging country. "You've got so many remote areas and challenges that the recording teams face with tribal warfare," says Sheryl. "These people still live as if they were still in the stone-age, and there is tribal fighting."

Sheryl says it hasn't been easy for one of their teams. "We've got a team recording in a remote area where there is fighting going on. There's been a few people killed already — not in our recording team, but that's all around us."

People and money are needed to accomplish the work. Sheryl says Christians in Europe and North America need to be involved. "This is just the continuation of Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. We have to help. These poor countries don't have the resources financially, or physically/materially at all. We've got to be able to help carry that Word beyond our own borders."

While some of the national recording team members have never seen an e-mail or other technology, God is using them to have a great impact for Christ. Pray that God will use you and other Christians to help translate God's Word into the heart language of many in PNG, Philippines and other places around the world.

Last year, an accident occurred in which a Wycliffe Associates Bible translator cut his fingers with an electric table saw. Luckily, the missionary was able to be transported via aircraft to a hospital one hour away. Due to the mountainous terrain and intense rainfall of PNG, transportation by air is typically the only swift means to help someone with a medical emergency. These emergencies are fairly common, especially considering the number of volunteers, Bible translators, support personnel and children in PNG can often reach 1,000.

Wycliffe Associates is therefore raising funds to reopen airstrips in PNG to allow for safe, quick, and simple flight evacuations to occur when necessary.

Wycliffe Associates is working to replace and renovate roads and airstrips in several different countries this year and will continue to work with thousands of volunteers in over 40 countries.

If you can help Wycliffe create safety nets for those faithfully serving the ministry, click here.