Zambian Zeal!
Zambian Zeal: The Launch of the Nkangala New Testament
Travelling in Africa can often present its challenges. ‘Teeth-chattering’ are the words I would use to describe much of our journey from Lusaka to Kaoma! It took us 9 hours to travel the 250 mile road, and much of the surface was a mixture of tar, broken tar, potholes, and corrugated sand! However, travelling in rural Africa is never dull; there is much to take in as you pass through towns and villages, and view the sights that you would never see back home. Our route even took us along the edge of the Kafue National Park, so it was great to be able to see impala, zebra, warthog and elephants grazing what little grass there seemed to be.
Saturday 26th Sept was the day the Nkangala people of Zambia received their New Testament. The event itself began with a procession down a dusty road to the launch-site venue, led by a brass band, which had arrived on the back of a flat-bed lorry. Trombones and trumpets, and a large beating drum were led into the ‘arena’ by a very serious baton-throwing leader, who in turn was followed by a group of equally serious mini-baton twirlers! The stage was set as the crowds gathered to witness the ceremonial handover.
Eight churches were represented, and each church had a choir who, of course, had to have their turn; not just one turn, but two songs each! As you can imagine, there was much singing and dancing, whistling and ululation going on; the high-pitched, wavering celebratory sound from some of the women. I took the opportunity to wander around at the back of the crowd to watch a butcher carving up a slaughtered cow, and the catering teams stirring their pots of Nshima on their wood-burning fires; 600 people was a hefty crowd to cater for!
It was great to meet the three translators who had been working on their New Testament since 2015. What a day it must have been for them! I was also able to meet the chairman of the Nkangala translation committee, who was dressed as smartly as an English banker! The area Chief, who represented the King of Barotseland, sat motionless throughout the five-hour event under the shade of a Unicef tent, reserved for the VIP’s. Only towards the end of the ceremony did he stand to receive a gift-wrapped New Testament as part of the handover. In stark contrast to the smartly dressed chairman, the chief was dressed with argyle-patterned socks, a bright red beret, and….a blue skirt!! Slightly bemused, I later made enquiries as to this attire, and found out that the wrap-around skirt, called a ‘siziba’, came about when a former Zambian King visited Britain in 1902 to visit Edward VII, and was inspired to adopt Edwardian and Victorian military-style clothing, no doubt with a Scottish kilt at the top of his list - mystery solved!
This was a very different event to the Lambya Bible launch in Malawi last year. There was no jostling or pushing-and-shoving going on. The crowds just sat on their wooden benches, waiting to be handed their New Testaments. What thrilled me most was then seeing people eagerly open their NT’s, reading various portions, and even sitting down in small groups to discuss what they were reading. It was great to see their eagerness - but then I guess they’d been waiting many a year to see God’s Word in their heart language!
It was a wonderful experience for all concerned; the translators, the churches, the organisers, the New Testament receivers – all of whom had been waiting for this day to arrive. This was a project that we, here in the UK, had been able to support during the last four years of translation, and so a big ‘thank you’ to those of you who have donated to TWFTW during that time. Believe me, there were some grateful people at this gathering! Thank you.
Articles, articles, and yet more articles!
Over the past five months, our social media guru, Christine, has been busy writing various articles for our website on subjects related to Bible translation. Here are three that I’d like to recommend:
Navigating non-literal language; the challenge of translating idioms: Idioms are a group of words that together don’t make any literal sense, but instead carry a non-literal meaning - for example, ‘break a leg’ or ‘spill the beans’. These figurative sayings cannot be translated word for word into other languages, as those cultures likely don’t share the same colloquialisms as us. This poses a very real problem as linguists have catalogued between 250-300 core idiomatic expressions in the Bible. So, what do our translators do with them? Dr Barry Funnell helps us to explore this subject:
https://www.twftw.org.uk/articles/the-reality-of-bible-translation-navigating-non-literal-language
Selah: How many times have you seen that little word as you read through the Psalms? Have you ever wondered what it means? And why is ‘Selah’, which appears 74 times in the Hebrew Bible, never translated? To find out more, click on the following link: https://www.twftw.org.uk/articles/what-is-selah
How many languages is the Bible translated into? Did you know that there are over 900 versions of the English language Bible to choose from?! From the traditional King James Version to the modern New Living Translation, there is such a wide spectrum of choice. And it’s not just the English language that has many translations available; the Bible is the most translated book in human history. But, just how far has Bible translation actually come, and what does the current Bible translation gap look like?
https://www.twftw.org.uk/articles/how-many-languages-is-the-bible-translated-into
“OUT & ABOUT” DIARY DATES in OCTOBER 26:
Tues 6: TWFTW Event in Corsham with John Lennox (pm)
Wed 7: TWFTW UK Board meeting at Hartham Park, Corsham (am)
13-24: Bible teaching on Oak Hall trip to Turkey
Sun 1 Nov: Preaching at Ladyfield Evangelical Church, Chippenham (pm)
PRAISE & PRAYER POINTS:
Publication & Printing: Pray that God will prepare the way for printed Scriptures to reach their destinations, particularly in restricted areas, and for the necessary funding to support the many publications planned over the next 12 months. Here in the UK office, we’re praising God for a significant donation received, specifically to support the publication of four New Testaments in Tanzania.
Zimbabwe: Pray for the safe and timely shipping of the three Zimbabwean New Testaments. Some difficulties persist in getting these Scriptures into the country.
Uganda: Pray for the upcoming AI drafting workshop led by our Director of Bible Translation, Pierre van Vuuren; for wisdom, clarity, and effective preparation as he equips the teams in this new approach to drafting.
Zambia: We praise the Lord for the success of the Nkangala New Testament launch on 26th Sept, as well as the years of work that have gone into completing this project. Pray that these NT’s would be used well, and would lead the Nkangala people nearer to Christ.
Albania: We praise God that the Aromanian New Testament audio recording will soon be available for many people to hear God’s Word in their heart language. The typesetting of the Aromanian NT is also almost complete, and will soon be ready for printing. The team are asking for prayer, that they would find a suitable place to store the 3,000 printed copies of the NT, and for people & churches across the Balkans to help distribute God’s Word.
Quote of the Month:
“The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring people to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts”. A.W. Tozer