Grulke Missionary Update

"Today is Reformation Day, where we remember and celebrate the events of the Protestant Reformation which led to the birth of the Lutheran church. Among those things was the first translation of the Bible from the original languages into the language of the people by Martin Luther, whose German translation of the Bible was a foundational piece in history. Luther's work allowed people to read God's Word for themselves in the language that they spoke every day and knew best, rather than relying on hearing about it from clergy.

We are continuing the legacy of Bible translation in our work today. Just like Luther's translation impacted the history of the German language, our work here in Botswana will impact the history of the languages here and make it possible for people to read and understand the Bible for themselves, rather than working through another language or an intermediary. This work is incredibly valuable and will have a lasting impact on the people and the church here in Botswana."

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The translation process is time consuming because Shiyeyi doesn't have the same way of expressing things as they are expressed in the original Greek. In Shiyeyi, rhetorical questions exist, but they are only asked of children, not adults. So translating those rhetorical questions literally would lead to a translation where the readers would feel like they are being talked to like a child. In fact, this is one of the biggest problems people in Botswana have with one Bible translation in the national language here.

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Keep us in your prayers:

• For the part we are playing in the Lutheran legacy of Bible translation, that all people would have the Bible in their own language, no matter where they live
• For wisdom and discernment as we consider where God is leading us to serve
• For the process of Bible translation, that God would open our eyes to possible problems, lead and guide our work along the way and bring it to completion well
• For Botswana during its elections, that they would be peaceful and without conflict
• For the local resource mobilization workshop in South Africa, that it would meet this need in the region and bless the participants
• That God would continue to provide for our ministry through partners like you

Read the full newsletter here.