“The greatest missionary in the world is the Bible in the mother tongue…”
– William Cameron Townsend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators

One of the most inspiring and surprising lessons we’ve learned so far in our Wycliffe journey is the effect that God’s Word *by itself* can have among a people when it is put into their heart language.

By the time Ellis Deibler finished the Alekano New Testament in Papua New Guinea, he knew of only two believers. For years he would return weekly to a market near the village to sell Bibles, often discouraged at the lack of interest.

One Saturday, an Alekano woman recognized him and thanked him for translating the New Testament. She had found a copy in a bookstore and had never seen anything written in her mother tongue, let alone the Scriptures. She began reading it, and testified: “While I read it, the Spirit of God came over me, and I knew I was different.”

All on her own, equipped with the Scriptures in her heart language, she began reading it to others. Many also experienced the Holy Spirit through their encounter with God’s Word.

Ellis asked her how many now believe because of this. She estimated at least 200!

John 3:16 in Alekano

Ómasímo numutó namató vegená lelikumú milumavate gilimó nene napa napa nego gipala hamokó lehizeletamó nene aikumú gili alévolé ita vegená keza latila amiki alévolé kemetamenigi minanigave loko lá imó neve.

One of the reasons we are so encouraged by the missionary power of the Scriptures in the mother tongue is that, by training Bible translators, we are helping to release “the greatest missionary” among hundreds of people groups. And you can help too.

You may not be on the front lines of translation in Papua New Guinea, but translation takes a huge team including thousands of missionary workers and tens of thousands of partners that sustain those ministries. You can genuinely contribute to releasing “the greatest missionary” by partnering with our Wycliffe ministry to train Bible translators.

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