Scripture in the language of the heart

Somewhere in the hills of mid-western Nepal, a people group of several thousand has never heard a single verse of Scripture in its own language. This year, that is beginning to change.

Translation is a slow labor

Our literature ministry is partnering with local translators to produce the New Testament in this language. It is a slow labor: every verse is checked against the original Greek, reviewed by mother-tongue speakers, and tested in village settings where people read it aloud to one another.

“The translators are not just scholars,” says the project coordinator. “They are believers from the community itself. They know which words carry weight, and which ones will be understood.”

Why language matters

A gospel heard in a second language can feel like news about someone else. The message of Christ in a mother tongue becomes personal — it enters the home, the fields, the heart.

Alongside the New Testament, the team is producing simple tracts and a small hymnbook in the same language. When the translation is dedicated, churches in the region plan to celebrate for a week.

Pray with us

Pray for the translation team, for wisdom in choosing words that carry the meaning of the gospel, and for the people who will read the New Testament in their heart language for the very first time.