Nazarenes in East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste) are partnering with Wycliffe Bible Translators to help translate sections of the Bible in Tetum, one of the two official languages on the island nation.
As a result, Nazarenes in East Timor have portions of the Bible already completed, and they are quick to utilize new passages as often as they are released.
“We have several books of the Bible now in Tetum," said Warren Neal, ministry team leader in East Timor.
"Wycliffe is doing a great job working with local leaders here for the initial translation and proofing. Our people also help proofread drafts as they come to us, but feel our role in the process is to encourage the folks who are doing the work. And then we quickly buy and distribute the texts when a new book is available.”
Such was the case recently. Neal’s group received by e-mail a draft copy of the Book of Luke in Tetum. Immediately they began putting it to the test by using it to help translate the Bible Quiz questions for this year.
“I am hopeful that the book will be in print soon so we can get a lot of copies for young people to prepare for our first Bible Quiz in the Tetum language!” Neal said.
In their worship service this past Sunday, the Dili church also put to good use a previously completed book of the Bible, the Gospel of John. Members of the congregation helped “preach” the sermon by studying the passage in small groups.
Neal said, “I decided to have everyone participate fully rather than for me to preach a sermon.”
Some even read the text from their mobile phones.
“Even here on the back side of the world we have the latest technology,” explained one member.
Questions were prepared in Tetum for each section to help the people discover and make personal application to their lives. The congregation was divided into four groups with each group working on a different set of questions. After digging into the Word, they came back together and shared what they had learned.
“I felt it was very good. Much was learned and they did it themselves with only a little help from me. Self-discovery is always better than spoon feeding,” Neal said. And that self-discovery is made possible by the faithful efforts of Bible translators around the world.