AUGUST 2010

Empowering Emerging Leaders

Kwame Nkrumah and the next generation
of international Bible translators

 TELLING GOD’S STORY:  PRAYER SEEDS:

Oral Bible translations 6 Join our work in prayer! 8
 Words From Roy
As a man seasoned in
spiritual warfare with hard-
won victories under his belt,
the Apostle Paul wanted
believers at Ephesus—and
us—to know how to pray
effectively. “Put on all of
God’s armor so that you
will be able to stand firm
against all strategies of the
devil.” Paul also stressed
the importance of knowing
God’s Word and explained
that prayer was essential in
winning each battle: “Pray
in the Spirit at all times and
on every occasion. Stay
alert and be persistent in
your prayers for all believers
everywhere.” he said. (See
Ephesians 6:10-18, NLT.)
Paul’s admonitions ring
loud in our hearts as Seed
Company staff members join
together each day, lifting up
urgent prayer needs, praying
for you and other partners,
our national translation
teams and The Seed
Company staff. As we pray
for people groups around
the world, I am so deeply
thankful to God that you are
praying for them as well. Your
prayers are paving the way
for millions of people to hear
and understand the Good
News of Jesus’ coming.
*Edward M. Bounds (1835-1913), American minister and author.
ccel.org/ccel/bounds/weapon.toc.html
SEEDLINKS, AUGUST 2010—2
We are launching a new
prayer movement to mobilize
even more targeted prayer
for people groups and
their translation projects.
We know the enemy is not
sitting still, so we are on the
advance and increasing our
prayer arsenal to win spiritual
battles on every front.
In his book The Weapon of
Prayer, E. M. Bounds, a man
of intense prayer, stated the
need for such prayer when
he said, “In doing God’s work
there is no substitute for
praying. … The life, the vigor,
the motive-power of God’s
work is formed by praying
men [and women].”*
Please watch for more
information about our
new prayer initiatives. We
appreciate your vital prayer
support as together we share
God’s Word with people
worldwide.
For God’s glory,
Roy L. Peterson, President
Enrich Your Bible Experience and
Share It With Others
For 353 million people, the Bible is an empty book.
They speak one of 2,200 languages that don’t have
even one verse of Scripture. Perhaps equally shocking
is the fact that although most Americans have access to
multiple Bibles, 66 percent rarely or never read the Bible.*
That’s why churches across America are taking up
The Blank Bible Challenge and changing the statistics.
Get Your Church Involved Today!
Together your church can spend 28 days engaging
with God’s Word in a fresh way. Church members
will go on a Scripture journey from Creation to the Early
Church when they sign up to receive FREE daily e-mails.
Multimedia resources bring Scriptures alive. Discussion
points keep people talking, drawing them deeper into
God’s Word. These 15-minute daily e-mails are great for
personal study, family devotions and small groups.
And, together your church can open up a whole new
world for others. By partnering with a local translation
team, your church will help a specific people group
receive a first-time Scripture translation. The impact
will be eternal as God’s Word transforms lives, churches
spring up and communities begin to thrive.
*Center for Bible Engagement
Get your church involved! For more
information visit blankbible.org
 Above and below: Jamaican
translation team members in action.
OneVerse partners learn about God’s Work in Jamaican Patois project.
“We learned about OneVerse while at a Passion Conference
in 2007. Shortly after that event, we decided we wanted
to participate in translating the Bible for others around the
world,” said Susan Swafford. Susan and her husband David
have been project partners with the Jamaican Patois project
since 2008, so they decided to visit the translation team.
Soon after they arrived, they accompanied the translators to
Meadowbrook High School in Kingston. The team members
spoke to the student body during a large assembly and
shared some Jamaican Scripture verses. “The students
were very receptive,” Susan observed. “I think the majority
of the students would agree that [Scripture in Patois] was
easier for them to understand than what they usually hear
in English, in church.”
Next, they traveled to the Bible Society of the West Indies
headquarters in Kingston, the bustling capital city, where
the translators work. Project coordinator Bertram gave them
an office tour. He demonstrated the software they use
and showed them the team’s reference resources.
Bertram also explained how he has divided the work and
described their translation procedures. He invited David
and Susan to observe the team in action. The translators
Translation team members with partners
Susan and David Swafford (right)
discussed at length how to ensure
the accuracy and understandability of
the translation of the first two verses
in Galatians. Amazed, Susan commented, “How often
do most people thoroughly study and think about God’s
Word in this way?”
Then the group went to a local bus stop where students
waited to begin their afternoon commute. The translators
shared their drafts with several people. Susan notes,
“And how cool to begin reading their own language for the
first time from the Word of God!”
As David and Susan said good-bye to the team, the
translators gave them two bookmarks containing Jamaican
Scripture. But as they interacted with other Jamaicans,
the couple gave away their Scripture souvenirs. Now their
passion for Bible translation is stronger than ever.
“How often do most people thoroughly study and
think about God’s Word in [the way the team does]?”
—Susan Swafford
Get involved! Go to oneverse.org
to learn more about helping Bertram
translate the Bible for his people.
SEEDLINKS, AUGUST 2010—7
 God at Work:
Stories From Around the World
Chief Kotope
Opens the Door
MOZAMBIQUE, AFRICA—
God is changing hearts in
Mozambique among the
Meetto community where many are still wary about
turning to Jesus. Recently, Meetto project personnel
distributed Genesis, Jonah, the Gospel of Mark
and James. When the Muaruwa village chief, Chief
Kotope, received them, he liked the audio cassette
so much that he turned it over each time it finished
to listen again.
Finally he declared, “I like these words that I read in
the book and listen to on the cassette. Therefore, I urge
you to bring the church to my people. I won’t go to church
myself because I belong to another religion. But my
nephews and others will get converted because this
Word is good. We must not be without it!”

“My nephews and others will get converted because this

Word is good. We must not be without it!” —Chief Kotope

Christian Resistance to Sorcery

CAMEROON, AFRICA—
The Yambetta people of
Cameroon are seeing cultural
change with the arrival of portions
of God’s Word in their language.
An elderly sorcerer requested that
when he died the secret society
called “Ulumu” bury him. The
ceremony included rites devoted
to spirits. The sorcerer’s secret
society did so, but not without
protest from some courageous
Christians. They passionately
argued, “That burial ceremony
belongs in the past. People
must put confidence in the
one Almighty God of our Lord
Jesus Christ!”
The significant resistance came
from believers who had previously
been members of the Ulumu.
They want to cut ties with their
previous beliefs since they’ve
been made new in Christ.

“That burial ceremony belongs in the past. People must

put confidence in the one Almighty God of our Lord Jesus
Christ!” —Courageous Yambetta believers

SEEDLINKS, AUGUST 2010—4

 Lem’s Change of Heart
SOUTHEAST ASIA— Each time immoral living. Lem
project advisor John* gave shared later that the
Lem a Scripture portion in his Scripture portions
Kobas mother tongue, John John had given him had saved his
felt like he was throwing God’s life, leading him back to the Lord!
Word into a black hole. But *pseudonym
recently, Lem came to the local
church, confessed his sin and Lem shared later that the Scripture
Useless Epistles? recommitted his life to Christ portions John had given him had saved
SOUTH ASIA— Christians after 20 years of devious, his life, leading him back to the Lord!
in a sensitive South Asia
project had decided the
Epistles were useless.
They were just too hard to
understand in the national
language. But when they
studied the newly translated
book of James in their
mother-tongue language,
they changed their minds.
For the first time, they could
understand the Scripture
passages! Now they’re eager
for more of God’s Word to
be translated.

Read more about these and other projects

around the world at theseedcompany.org

SEEDLINKS, AUGUST 2010—5


Telling God’s Story
Datano* leads a Bible study
for 15 men in their remote
region in Southeast Asia.
But only four of them are
literate enough to actually
read Scripture. In their
eagerness to learn, group
members often plead for
methods that don’t require
them to read. Datano
wondered what to do for
these people of few means
and little spare time.
Today, The Seed Company
is helping national
translators like Datano
pioneer new methods
that center on the clear,
accurate and consistent
SEEDLINKS, AUGUST 2010—6
Translators teach enthusiastic
believers in isolated communities
to share God’s Word by telling
Scripture stories.
storytelling that has one day of travel by foot “Tell your children about it in
retained important or motorcycle, a second
the years to come, and let your
cultural information day’s eight-hour bus
children tell their children.
for generations. These ride, and then a final
Pass the story down from
storytelling methods day to fly to the capital
can be used to quickly city and negotiate the generation to generation.”
communicate Scripture overcrowded transit —Joel 1:3, NLT
stories that provide clear system. But for them,
and applicable truths to the arduous journey was carefully prescribed
a community in urgent worth the effort. process by which the most
need of God’s Word. important, significant
At the workshop, Datano
aspects of our culture are
So Datano was excited and his colleagues
entrusted to those whose
to travel with his two prepared an initial set of
responsibility it is to pass
friends from a remote, stories in their language.
it on faithfully to the
mountainous region of They carefully worded the
next generation.”
their island homeland stories, memorized them
to a recent InStori and learned to retell them Now, before a written
translation workshop. accurately to teach others. translation would be
Their trip involved complete, Datano and his
One workshop participant
friends study and learn
noted, “We are an oral
from God’s story. They
culture. We have a
long to tell others the
most important story
The InStori translation
of all.
team’s three-day journey (*pseudonym)
to the translation work-
shops is well worth it.
Partner with us in prayer for the InStori
IG project. Visit theseedcompany.org/
project/instori-ig for more information.
Empowering Emerging Leaders
God raises up a new generation of Bible translation leaders
Kwame Nkrumah grew up surrounded by the ancestor idols his shaman father served.
But when he was young, a
couple started translating the
Bible for his Ntrubo people
in Ghana. Kwame put his
faith in Jesus and asked the
translators if he could work
with them full-time.
Kwame testifies, “When I Today Kwame, who is
see where I come from—the fluent in nine languages, is
son of a witch doctor living just one of many national
in a farming community—I colleagues with whom The
never thought that I’d get this Seed Company works. All
position. God found me … Seed Company projects
it’s by His grace.” provide training for national
translators. In the course
Above: The Seed of translating Scripture,
Company’s Passaal pastors and teachers learn
New Testament more about God’s Word,
project was an early deepening their personal
partnership that
ministries. To date, Kwame
national leaders
has served more than 30
like Kwame (second
from right) were Bible translation projects
influential in. throughout Ghana.
The Seed Company comes
Left: Kwame is a
passionate advocate alongside high-energy
for projects such national Christian leaders
as the Avatime New like Kwame to empower
Testament in Ghana. them for the work God has
called them to do.
The Seed Company’s
National Consultant
Training Program equips
men and women to
qualify as consultants for
translation projects. Interns
develop individual growth
plans that include academic
preparation as well as hands-
on apprenticeship. Currently
39 consultant interns are
completing their training,
and nine more plan to begin
before the end of this year.
Another facet of equipping
is The Seed Company’s
Facilitators, Advisors,
Coaches and Trainers (FACT)
program. Through FACT,
experienced mother-tongue
translators learn project
(Continued on page 8)
SEEDLINKS, AUGUST 2010—3
 Prayer Seeds
Because of your prayers and partnership, God’s Open doors and hearts through Bible
vision for The Seed Company is being fulfilled. Storytelling
Together, we are impacting the lives of more
Ignite a greater appreciation for Scripture
people in more places through the Good News
through The Blank Bible Challenge
of Jesus Christ.
Greatly bless and encourage our investors
Thank you for joining with us in the work of
and prayer partners and their families
the ministry. Please add your prayers to ours as
we ask the Lord to: Deeply impact lives through the newly
published Takuu New Testament
Bless and protect our national consultants,
both those serving and those in training
Raise up additional qualified people to become The earnest prayer of a righteous person has
national translation consultants
great power and produces wonderful results.
James 5:16, NLT

Become a prayer partner for a specific

project or pray daily for special requests
at theseedcompany.org/why-become-a-
prayer-partner

Empowering Emerging Leaders (Continued)

management skills that allow them
to facilitate translation programs and
offer peer-coaching for new translators
from neighboring language groups.
With 2,200 languages still waiting
for God’s Word, there is a dramatic
shortfall of translation consultants
and mentors.
The Seed Company proactively seeks
to help equip people like Kwame who
have tremendous leadership ability.
Through partnerships with the local
church like this, God is making it
possible for those He has called
to serve their people effectively in
Bible translation.

Join us! Help build Bible translation

capacity around the world. Learn more about
the efforts among the Avatime of Ghana at
theseedcompany.org/project/avatime-nt

SEEDLINKS, AUGUST 2010—8

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