The Translation Beat

I stepped outside at the close of Friday’s singing time, and I was astonished by the colorful array of Papua New Guineans who were lining up with New Testaments.

On and on stretched the line….

Some of the participants were still very young.

Some dressed in contemporary garb; others blended the festive with the everyday.

Nafian Saremo helped translate the New Testament into his Gwahatike language, and now he’s using his expertise to assist translators from the nearby Madi language community.

Doesn’t she have a beautiful smile?

These ladies made their dresses especially for the 50th celebration.

50 years!

James Warebu (right) called me over and told me he’d heard about the hold-up attempt as we returned from his village last month. I said, “Mipela gat pret, tasol Papa God i lukautim mipela,” which meant that we were afraid but God was watching over us.

I think the feathers on James’s hat must have come from a Blue Bird-of-paradise.

Another beautiful smile.

Badi Vila works with the Bible Translation Association of Papua New Guinea, one of our partner organizations.

Inside the building now, lining up down the aisle…

…walking up onto the stage…

…and presenting a New Testament. Photo by June Hathersmith.

Here they are: 159 New Testaments.