"We do not want you to be uninformed about the hardships some are suffering in the province of Asia"
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of teaching on the letter of 2 Corinthians at a weekend conference. The title I gave to one of the Saturday morning talks was, ‘suffering for the faith’ - knowing full well that it wasn’t going to be one of those ‘feel-good’ sessions! The hearts of the listeners certainly wouldn’t be overflowing with excitement - but I felt that the subject couldn’t be ignored, especially as the Apostle Paul mentions it so much in his letter. Here was a man who knew what it was like to suffer for being a follower of Jesus. 2 Cor 1:8&9: “We do not want you to be uninformed about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death”.
For those of us who live in the comfort of the UK, we find ourselves a bit disconnected from the persecution of Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith. But we know, as we read our Bibles, that suffering is often part of the Christian life. For hundreds of years men and women have risked their lives in the firm belief that spreading the gospel is both a calling and a command. It's estimated that more than 380 million Christians are now living in situations subject to “high levels of persecution and discrimination”.
Right now, in various places around the world, believers are dying for their faith, and reports are continually being received of intense persecution for some. One such report dropped into my inbox a few weeks ago. It was one of those shocking emails that makes the heart sink. Here are some of the words from that email, sent by a country director in a place that can be hostile to the gospel:
“We are writing to urgently request your prayers and support for one of our translation teams during a deeply painful and increasingly sensitive situation, affecting both safety and ministry. Towards the end of last year, one of our key translation team leaders was arrested by an armed group during a community testing visit. We continued to pray earnestly for his safe return whilst seeking information about his whereabouts and condition. Recently, we received heartbreaking news that this leader has been confirmed as dead, although no clear information was given regarding the exact time or location of his death, or where his body is buried. His arrest and killing was carried out because he had embraced Christianity, encouraged others toward the Christian faith, and was involved in Bible translation work. At this stage many details remain unconfirmed, and the family and team continue to grieve deeply while seeking truth, comfort, and understanding. We continue to trust the Lord during this difficult season and ask for your faithful prayers for the family, the translation team and their families, and the broader Christian community in that location”.
As a family, TWFTW deeply mourns this loss, and we ask you to join us in praying that God would comfort this family and the team as they grieve. It's a reminder to us of just how dangerous this work can be in some countries.
Here are the prayer requests as outlined by the country director:
Pray for God's comfort, strength, and peace for this family.
Pray for their safety as they seek to leave their village.
Pray for the protection of the translation team as they relocate from their home communities.
Pray that local churches will be able to provide practical assistance, shelter, transportation, and support where necessary.
Pray for wisdom for the translation team, church leaders, and the National Office as they make important decisions at this time.
Pray that the translation ministry among this community will continue and that God's Word would reach this community. Thank you for your prayers.
How many languages have a full Bible?
In May 2026, a significant translating milestone was reached in the world of Bible translation. ‘Progress Bible’ revealed that 800 languages now have a full Bible! Whilst that is still only 10.8% of the worlds languages (there are approx 7400 languages in the world), it does mean that 6.2 billion people in 800 language communities on planet earth now have access to the complete Word of God in their own language.
The Marvellous Match! You may remember, at the start of the year, we featured the ‘marvellous match’ campaign. We are blessed to have a generous donor who offers match funding for new or uplifted donations we receive, up to a certain amount. The good news is that by early June, we reached our match-target and we’re able to receive that "marvellous match"! This will go to support a number of translation projects in Asia. We're extremely grateful to our marvellous match-funder, and that gratitude also extends to all who enabled us to reach our target. THANK YOU!
AI Bible Translation – A New Silent Partner (Article)
In November we asked the question, is AI in Bible translation a monster or a marvel? We featured our newly created in-house programme, AiBT: Artificial intelligence immersed Bible Translation, a new tool that is reducing indigenous Bible translators’ time. But with so many concerns around AI, is this a wise move? Can we trust its output? Is it Biblical to be using such technology? We’ve just produced a more in-depth article on this subject in the last few weeks, and its available on our website. This is how it begins:
“The air conditioning unit hums gently; one translator bats away a hungry mosquito as he takes his first look at the long-awaited translation of Luke’s gospel. Around the table, his colleagues begin their careful checks of the text, quietly tapping out grammatical edits on their keyboards, ensuring faithful translation. The AI has done its job; the rough first draft is in the translator’s hands - and now the real work begins….” To read the rest of the article please click on this link: AI Bible Translation - A New Silent Partner - Article
“OUT & ABOUT” DIARY DATES for Steve in JULY 26:
Sun 5th: Preaching at Colerne Evangelical Chapel, Wiltshire AM
Tues 7th: Bible teaching at Men’s event, Corsham Baptist, Wiltshire PM
Weds 9th: Preaching at mid-week service, Corsham Baptist PM
11-20th: TWFTW leadership conference, Hermanus, South Africa
Sun 26th: Preaching at Corsham Baptist Church AM
Sun 2 Aug: Preaching at Ladyfield Evangelical Church, Chippenham AM
PRAISE & PRAYER POINTS:
Asia: I was just about to press the 'send' button on this newsletter when I received a message from the same country that has experienced the above-mentioned martyrdom. Their IT manager and typesetter, who has been struggling with cancer, has just died. Yet another blow for the teams in this location. Please pray for this family and the teams as they deal with this loss.
Meetings, meetings, meetings! It’s going to be a very busy month within the family of TWFTW. Please pray for a number of key meetings taking place in South Africa. The International Board meeting, the Vice Presidents’ Council meeting, the annual leadership conference (13-18th), the prayer liaison summit, and upcoming talks with our major partner about funding for 2027. Pray for wisdom and discernment as matters are discussed and decisions made.
Uganda: We praise God for the remarkable progress made in translating the
New Testament into ten languages! Please pray for the funding and logistics needed to publish them all.
Finland: We thank God for an opportunity to broadcast, free of charge, on Radio Patmos. Pray for this ten-part radio series, which began on 16 June and will continue throughout the summer, with repeats in the autumn. This is a great opportunity to highlight TWFTW's ministry and impact a wider audience.
PRAYER QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“One of the concerns of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom - but trembles when we pray”.
Samuel Chadwick (1860–1932).