"The story of Joseph makes me see that the story of the Bible is like in the Koran. I have decided that when I go back to Sa*, I will join a Christian church. Can I get one of the memory cards.?” I* (Muslim) Du* village
“My compound was in disagreement. When I watched the Luke Film, the words of Jesus on the cross (Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing) caused me to convene a family meeting. The result of the meeting is that the family is now living in unity and peace.” NPY* – K* village
“We are gamblers. After watching the Luke Film and seeing how they gambled on Jesus’ garment we decided that we will stop gambling.” CN*, SG*and WP* – Ka* village. Note: These three actually stopped gambling and are being disciple by a Bible translator.
With the chief snug in his seat, I snatched up one of those cassettes—between switching gears—and plugged it quickly into the car stereo. Kassed mbete Zah munu! (“This is a cassette of the book of John!), I informed the old man.
Hearing about the feeding of the five thousand, he responded in amazement. At each of the chief’s grunts, I glanced at him and saw a man absorbed in a different world. Oops, a chicken! Yes, crossing the road. The chief did not pay and heed to my abrupt swerve. He simply braced one hand on the dashboard, eyes not focusing on anything particular, but he was all ears, and the look on his face, intense.
Then came chapter five, the sound of waves and wind bivbid bivbid, the kumbon almost tipping ver banglang banglang. Zezu’s gunboks were terrified at the sight of a man walking on the water towards them. I lab hekme ya. A bi Zezu munu (“Do not fear! It’s me, Zezu”).
Bang! I hit another ditch in the road. The chief, however, was no longer with me. He was in the kumbon with Zezu’s gunboks. He was watching Zezu come to him on the waves and in the wind.
When we dropped the chief off at his destination, to his great pleasure, we gave him the pair of cassettes. A few weeks later, we passed the village of Ngai. A crowd of enthusiastic people crowded around our truck. “Do you have any mor cassettes? We want to buy the book too.”
The chief of Ngai had made every villager, and visitor, listen to the recording over and over. His enthusiasm proved contagious. Now whenever we pass the village of Ngai, people ask about the translation and usually someone buys the latest publication in Karang.
A year after that crowded ride in our truck, the Chief of Ngai passed away. I think often of that day, the way Zezu came alive to him. I know he heard the story over and over again. It entered his heart in his own language. He’s one hitchhiker I look forward to seeing again, and when I do, I’ll say to him, “Hey, its me. Do you remember the lift I gave you on the road to Ngai?”
Bob Ulfers
*As in many African languages, “ideophones” service as adverbs in Karang. Bivvid bivbid indicates the gusting of the wind; banglang banglang, the uncontrolled rocking of the boat.
"So I want just want to say that my name KB* from the S* language, concerning the recording in studio (dubbing of the LUKE film in S*). I think that in my own team things went very well. I know that as it went very well its by the leadership of God because if God was not leading we should have had so many things to do corrections, but in my team I think had nothing to do much about corrections. Even those who are to come from the various villages from the community to come and meet us the translators so that we should do the recording they came on time and did their parts and everything went well. So I think that this Luke film is going to create more impact to our people. As concerns the Luke parables I think that they are good because we started with them long ago. Our people have been using them although the bio of the city cut is low but steady, but people are willing to buy (the parables) that they know this Luke film will come and encourage them more because they will see Christ talking in the S* language, see Pilot talking in the S* language, see Zacharias talking in the S* language I think that will be very good to the community so I think that many lives will be changed. Many lives will be transformed because of this Luke film which shall projected in our various villages in the S* language because we have personally more than 8,000 people with about 4 villages that are going to be looking at this film. So I know among these 8,000 I think more people even those people who are still not believing in Christ that will come to believing Christ. Even those of us who are just doubting, so many people have been doubting Christ, but when they will see how Christ was crucified on the cross because of their sins I think that their life will be changed. God being able. So I am sure that this translation (NT), we pray that those who are sponsoring this translation (NT), God shall add more resources to them because this is something which is going to transform the lives of our people, because people will be very happy by seeing what will be happening. If not I think that formally (those) who are reading the bible in our churches in English especially the old mothers who can’t even read, even some of us who can read or write and dig into the Bible very well we just come out of the church like churchgoers but as of now especially as the Luke Gospel was dedicated we will read the scriptures in the Church at least it got more impact to the old people especially those mothers and fathers who come to church because when they come out they have the real story about Christ because formally its written in English they don’t understand anything but this time when we read a certain passage I think it will be worded and repeated and when they go out they will begin to ask questions about that passage and they will have the real answers because they have heard it in their real language formally they were not getting it right so I think this is what I know that when the films will be out people will have more interest in buying them so that they should look at them listen to them in their phones look at them in their phones and even in their computers and even in their television for video and things will be moving very rightly yes I think this is what I have to say thank you very much.
