Scripture Use in Papua New Guinea

“Scripture Use power will change my people, my community, and PNG as a whole.”

~Papua New Guinean SU worker

 
Why Scripture Use?

What impact does a Bible translation have if it cannot be read or heard? Scripture Use is the work of producing and distributing appropriate Scripture and Scripture related products in a range of formats so that people have access to the Word of God and can understand, learn from, and apply the Word to their lives.  A Scripture Use worker comes alongside individuals and communities to help them encounter God through Scripture in such meaningful ways that they are progressively transformed.

What does a Scripture Use worker do?

1.     Provide resources: The SU office at Ukarumpa  has lots of resources for translators, pastors and communities to use to encourage Scripture use.

2.      Provide consultation: As needs arise, a Scripture Use worker is available to offer help to communities or individuals to assess the current situation and plan strategically for what Scripture Use ideas would best fit the community needs.

3.     Provide Workshops and Seminars: See below for some available workshops.

4.     Provide areas of expertise:  There are many different ways to be involved in SU and a worker often picks one or two areas to become an expert in so they can help others.

5.     Provide up-to-date SU ideas from around the globe

 There are many different avenues to use to help people get more involved in reading the Bible and applying it to their lives. Some examples are:

Children’s Ministry, Music, Drama, Storytelling, Illustrations, Literacy, Visual Arts, Vernacular Media and Bible helps.

 Some Workshops:

 Tok Ples (language) in Ministry (TPiM) course is for Bible schools, seminaries and other Christian training institutions to help Christian leaders better understand the role of tok ples (their own language) in Christian ministry. The course is designed to encourage and equip participants as they learn how to use their tok ples in various areas of ministry.  One participant said

 “Tok Pisin (trade language) is a ‘namel’ language and isn’t good for explaining Biblical things, so I thought I was going to have to learn English in order to explain the Bible. Now because of this week, I realized my own language is good for explaining the Bible. I’m so happy to know that I can use my own language.”

Trauma Healing Workshop applies Scripture to bring healing to those in need.

Scripture Application & Leadership Training (SALT) These workshops are held to encourage the study of God's Word in their own heart languages.

More on SALT:

Scripture Engagement in PNG

Quotes from Scripture Use workshops

Who might be interested in serving in Scripture Use?

-Those who like to apply Scripture to life and want to do so cross-culturally.
-Those who like to be with people and empower others.
-Any age, gender, or nationality.
-Minimum 2 year commitment plus 4 mos. language and culture training time.

Culture Meets Scripture

More information on Scripture Use: http://www.scripture-engagement.org/

Interested in learning more? Contact Wendy

Bible Translation-Use Investigator

If you’d enjoy meeting  people and experiencing the PNG culture while talking about God's Word AND would appreciate a physically challenging role, a Bible Translation-Use Investigator might be a perfect fit for you.


As in any language, a Bible translation often has to be revised due to language change. The Highlands Region has a plan to investigate all the published New Testaments in their region to determine if revisions are needed or if there are other barriers to reading the New Testaments.
 
Who are they looking for?

- Men who are adventurous. Possible encounters with rope bridge crossings and snakes and other critters are highly likely.

-Men willing to travel on rugged terrain, on foot or vehicle.

-Men who are willing to possibly cook over an open fire, eating lots of delicious root vegetables.

-Men willing to sit in the back of open-back pick-up trucks, possibly in the rain.

-Men willing to travel with at least two others, one of whom will be a Christian national.

-Men who want to see God’s Word treasured and used in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The Role

After you are trained, you will head out to Highland villages for a period of a week or two. You will observe and investigate the need for Scripture reprints, or revision of these New Testaments, in multiple villages using a clipboard, digital audio recorder and camera. After you return to Ukarumpa, the SIL base (and have a hot shower), you will write a 3-5 page report of your findings and recommendations and do several oral debriefs. Then with the help of other staff you will examine maps, plan your next trip, get your gear ready and do it all over again

How long is the commitment?

We prefer someone coming for 1 to 2 years but would take someone that could come for 6 months. There is 6 weeks of culture orientation and language study in PNG on arrival at the Pacific Orientation Course.

Interested in learning more? Contact Wendy 

Bible Translation Team Facilitator

If you’re interested in helping Papua New Guinean Bible translators by mentoring them as they translate or revise God’s Word into their own language, this role is for you!

Description

There are languages in the PNG Highlands that need a revision of their New Testaments or they would like a translation of the Old Testament.  Bible translation training for Papua New Guineans is available at the new Training Centre in Ukarumpa but they need someone to come along-side them to help them with the project.  Your Bible knowledge and English skills will help them translate accurately.  You can be a resource person that connects them to the correct training courses, mentors them in their classes and class assignments and facilitates their Bible translation efforts.

Who are we looking for?

-People that have a passion for God’s Word.
-People with servant, patient hearts.
-People with good interpersonal skills.
-People who enjoy working with people.
-People with the ability to listen, organize, seek advice and to work with a team.
-People that are innovative and willing to investigate what it takes to help others accomplish tasks.
-People that are comfortable being a facilitator rather than the leader.
-Knowledge or experience in teaching adults is helpful.

Commitment

This is a one-year to a lifetime commitment.  The Highlands Regional Director is asking God for 15 of these singles or couples to assist the nationals in Highlands languages who are doing NT revisions and OT translation.

If you’d like more information about this role, contact  Wendy.

SIL PNG Clinic

Ukarumpa Clinic

Do you have a desire to be involved in Bible translation by using your medical training and expertise?  If so, the SIL PNG Clinic could be the place for you!

The Clinic provides healthcare services (including dentistry) for missionaries, Papua New Guinea-based staff and employees of SIL, as well as a large local population around our Centre at Ukarumpa.  The Clinic has been in operation since the late 1950s.  We are located at Ukarumpa, Eastern Highlands Province.  Ours is a “bush” location roughly 30 miles east of Goroka.  The Clinic is an outpatient facility, providing daily healthcare services during the week, and after-hours urgent care and emergency service at all other times.  We also have a single short-term hospital-style bed for stays of less than 24 hours.  Missionaries requiring longer hospital stays or more advanced care are routinely medevaced to Australia.  This happens on average 12 to 14 times yearly.  They are accompanied by a doctor and/or nurse.

The Clinic is equipped with diagnostic equipment such as an X-ray machine, laboratory, ultrasound and EKG.

Who are we looking for?

--People who are flexible and adaptable

--People who have a servant’s heart and are team players

--People who will enjoy working in a multi-national medical facility consisting of missionaries from around the world as well as Papua New Guineans.

Interested in learning more?  Email Wendy.

PNG: Sepik Partnership & Engagement Strategy

Wewak

There are still 103 language communities in the Sepik Region of Papua New Guinea alone that still do not have any Scriptures in their mother tongue. How do we reach these language groups with limited personnel? Take a look at this exciting new venture!

The Sepik Partnership & Engagement Strategy (SPES) has been created to engage these last 103 languages through partnering with the local church denominations; documenting these languages orally and inviting representatives from each of these groups to come to workshops where they will be taught oral Bible storytelling. As the communities continue to support the work, more work will be done, including basic literacy and Bible translation. Some groups may go on to full New Testaments and even whole Bibles, but the initial intent is to engage with these communities and together build capacity to progress in the Bible Translation Movement. The heart of the team is to see these language communities transformed by the power of God’s Word, oral or written, in the forms that speak best to them.

Learn more at SPES in PNG

Workshop in Wewak

Who are they looking for?

People:
- who have the ability to work well with others
-are flexible, adaptable, teachable
-willing to serve in multiple areas, as a vital part of being a team is working together and sharing responsibilities
-willing to serve for a minimum of 2 years
Skills needed:

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Leadership

Communication

Wewak Regional Center

Those working on the SPES team live and work at the Wewak Regional Center in the Sepik lowlands with other families involved in the work. There are occasional visits to Ukarumpa in the Eastern Highlands.

Wewak Flats

SPES on Facebook

If you are interested in learning more about the roles and how you can be involved, email Wendy

PNG Finance Office

Do you know that you can use your skills in Business, Accounting and Finance to help the task of Bible translation move forward in Papua New Guinea?  If you're one of these people, we need you!

Finance Office

Krista, an accountant in the Finance Office, has served for 6 years.  She says, "I love the challenge and I love to serve the Lord with all my mind."  Learn more about Krista and the Finance Office by watching this video.

Finance Office

Ukarumpa, our linguistic center in Papua New Guinea, has many departments that couldn't function without your expertise in the Finance Office.  The Finance team helps track the resources that are used for Bible translation, maintaining accountability to donors and governments.

Who are we looking for?

People
-who are flexible and adaptable.
-who are willing to serve in a mulit-cultural community.
-who have good organizational skills.

For more information, email Wendy.

Literacy Training with the Owas

By Karen Hopping

 



Teachers, Students and Karen

My heart and passion for Solomon Islanders is that they will know God through a living relationship with Him and God will change their lives to be more like Jesus! We can know God is through reading of His word the Bible. Many Solomon Islanders cannot read and have not had the opportunity to go to school in their life. I am so blessed to be able to serve these beautiful people in teaching them to be able to read and write in their own language so that they have access to read God's word and know Him! This photo is the class of 9 illiterate (but slowly becoming literate!!!) women and the 6 women I trained how to teach Bible-based adult literacy classes in their language, Owa! After only two weeks of classes all 9 women can now write their name on their own and know most of the sounds in their language! Some are able to read small words in their language. The class is continuing now that I am back here in Honiara and the teachers I have trained will continue teaching through the literacy book until they finish sometime in October. Please pray for all the teachers and the students as well as the community as a whole. Their eyes are opening to the gift of reading and they are thrilled about it! Praising God for all He has and is continuing to do in their lives!

 

The teachers I trained in Gupuna village and I taught one afternoon and 4 evening reading classes while I was in the village. These classes were specifically for those adults and youth who could read English but could NOT read their own language, Owa! We had from 40 to 80 people attend each class and they LOVED learning to read their own language! We sang language praise songs while the teacher pointed to the words on the chart. I taught them the sounds in their language and they laughed and enjoyed this part greatly. We then led them in everyone reading aloud together some verses in their Owa Bible and answering comprehension and application questions in groups. The first evening when I asked who could read Owa language only 4 or so hands went up! After the 5 classes together when I asked the same question (and actually checked them individually too) all except 2 new ones could now read Owa language, some slower than others!! I was thrilled and so were they! Pray that those who have now learnt how to read their own language will continue to read their Owa New Testament Bibles and God will speak to them through His Word!

After teaching a group of people in Gupuna Village how to read their language, Owa, I noticed that some women were starting to take their Owa New Testaments to church each morning for morning service and for Sunday church! I encouraged this dear lady when I saw her with her Owa Bible and she stopped and chatted with me for a while. She thanked me for coming to their village to teach them how to read their language! She said she believes God had a plan for me to come now as her village needed to learn to read! She told me that she could read English but she didn't understand what she was reading as it was in a language that she doesn't speak and doesn't really understand! She told me that Owa is her language and she has spoken Owa all her life but no one had taught her how to read her own language! She said that she had to wait until she was at church for the Pastor to read from the English Bible and then "chew it up" and explain it in Owa language for her to understand and feed from God's Word! She told me with great joy that she is so thankful that I came and taught her and others how to read her own language as now, any time and any day, she is able to read her Owa New Testament and feed from God's word herself!! This is why I love doing what I do here! Praying this dear lady continues to read and feed from the living Word of God and may God change her and make her more like Jesus!

Meet Dorothy from Gupuna Village Santa Ana! Dorothy is a beautiful lady who has never been to school before! She has dealt with a lot of fear and shame due to not being able to read and write! Dorothy was quick to come to our Owa Bible-based literacy class as she was keen to learn to read! After doing an initial test on Dorothy, we learnt that she could not write her name, knew no sounds in her language and could not read any words at all. After only 2 weeks of classes (2 hours a morning 5 days a week) Dorothy could write her name on her own and knew all the sounds in her language! She was also able to read some small words in Owa and read half a sentence!!! Dorothy's huge smile each time I walked past her leaf house spoke volumes to me!! One day I was walking to a friend's house when I saw Dorothy sitting down on the ground (the village is totally covered in sand, not grass and dirt!) and she was writing something in the sand! I looked and there she was sounding out some words in her language and writing them in the sand! I saw her baby grandchild playing in the sand beside her and was thrilled to see that Dorothy chose to practice reading and writing while also looking after her grandchild that day! Pray for Dorothy - she has not been to church since her husband died. Pray that as she continues to learn to read that she will read more and more of her Owa Bible and God will draw her to Himself! Such a beautiful lady!!

Karen Hopping is passionate about helping illiterate people learn to read and have their lives changed through reading and studying their translated Bibles. She is teaching and training in Bible-based literacy work to build capacity in local churches and literacy agencies in the Solomons. She also ministers to a group of street girls and aside from the challenges, she loves speaking truth, life and love into the lives of these girls.

Owa New Testament Dedication
For more information on the work in the Solomon Islands, click here.