Translation work doesn’t always yield immediate returns. However, Spoken Worldwide recently heard some of their oral Bible stories going viral in a small café in Ethiopia.
Background: the Borana
For about three and a half years, a team in Ethiopia has been translating Scripture and equipping pastors for the previously unreached group of the Borana. This sub-group of the Oromo people is a remote tribe historically unreceptive to the Gospel.
Ed Weaver with Spoken Worldwide says, “These are oral learners who are pretty much disconnected from the rest of the world. People who communicate to one another in stories, songs, and dramas – [they have] little access to technology, little access to anything written. And so really, the way to reach them is to use Biblical stories.”
Armed with around 170 passages of Scripture from the Old and New Testaments as well as theological training, the hope is that local Borana people can take over ministry. They will have the tools to disciple each other and continue to grow in a self-sustaining movement.
An Encouraging Encounter
However, even with this goal, the Spoken Worldwide team has seen the culmination of their work nearing faster than expected. Recently, Galgalo, one of the local leaders, was heading to a celebration for the completed translations but ran into a roadblock. Bandits were blocking travel, so he stopped at a small café to wait for them to be cleared. As Galgalo sat down, he heard Bible stories over a Bluetooth speaker. They were the stories that he had helped translate!
The café was in a community that was not primarily Borana. However, their dialect was similar enough that they could understand the stories. The café owner had gotten ahold of the recordings and had been playing them for his religiously diverse clientele. Galgalo shared with the owner about the translation project. As they talked, he learned that people in the community had been recording the stories on their phones and sharing them!
Weaver says, “There were believers that were recording it and taking on so they can share with their family. And maybe some people were hearing the Gospel for the very first time. So it was one of those beautiful moments where he got to see – which we often don’t get to see – some of the fruit of our labours.”
Get Involved with the Work
In addition to this surprise encounter, the Borana team has overseen the start of more than 200 small groups that reach over 2000 people. The Word of God is truly going viral among the Borana and their neighbours.
The news is exciting and yet can feel so far away. However, Weaver encourages people to thank God for the work that is happening. He says, “No matter what amount of money you have, you always have – if you’re a believer – you have access to the God of the universe, to communicate with Him. So please be praying on our behalf because prayer can have more fruit than any creative marketing content, any great newsletter or email, or anything like that.”
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This story originally appeared at Mission Network News and is republished here with permission.