What does success in Bible Translation look like?”
Twenty some years ago work began on the Ika new testament in
southern Nigeria. After persevering
through many struggles and heartache, the new testament was published in 2010 and
the old testament translation was begun.
When John became a field coordinator in 2015, the Ika old
testament project was turned over to him to manage. During
his time working with this team he has come to see that success in Bible translation
is more than putting accurate words on a page so people can read Scripture in
their own language. He now believes that
the marks of a successful Bible translation can be seen in how it affects many
areas of a society. Here are some ways this has
looked for the Ika people:
- Pastor Daniel and his wife Hope travel around Ika land preaching and showing the Jesus film. They have many stories to tell of salvation and healing during these gatherings as well as the challenges they face, especially since their motorcycle was stolen.
- Currently the Ika community is working to get their language into a state approved educational curriculum printed at their own expense so that future generations of Ika children will learn in public schools how to read their own language.
- The Ika dictionary produced by the team during the course of the project continues to be a big part of bringing the various dialects of Ika together and of developing the language.
- There are many neighboring people groups who are still waiting for their own Jesus Film and their own scriptures…and the small Ika team have committed themselves to reaching as many of them as they can.
The group of Ika leaders who have committed their lives to
this work have no salaries; their faith compels them to continue on to complete
the work. Hopefully by the end of 2018
or early 2019, the full Ika Bible will be in the hands of the people to read,
and also available on audio.
Copies of the Ika new testament can be found
on the YouVersion Bible app or purchased via a print-on-demand copy
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