“For the first time, I truly understood the story without confusion. God’s Word spoke directly to my heart.” This was the moment a translator could finally have Genesis in his own language, translated directly from Biblical Hebrew. Grace, an Indonesian translation leader, shared this testimony with me, saying:

“The whole Bible is deeply needed in our community. So far, we only have the translations of Genesis, Esther, Ruth, and the Gospel of Luke in the Saluan language. Yet the Old Testament holds the roots of God’s story of salvation, and the New Testament fulfills it. Without both, people struggle to fully grasp why Jesus’ work of salvation is so significant. That is why translating the entire Bible is urgent.”

Even as more translations are underway, only 10% of languages have a full Bible translation. Churches around the world long for the Old Testament and the stories of creation and God’s ways. Yes, the task is great, but we trust that miracles happen when we bring what we have. I am encouraged by the story of the disciples when faced with the impossibility of feeding 5,000. Jesus turned to a small boy with five loaves and two fish and multiplied them. We know He does the same today.  

At Whole Word Institute, we are radically committed to these translators and their people. Because of this, we often accept student translators who cannot cover all the fees for their training. Many of them come from some of the poorest nations in the world—places where the most Bibleless languages remain. Benin, for example, has an average annual income of less than 5% of the USA’s. Yet these Bible translators are willing to give their lives, giving up income and often leaving family and community for extended periods. Their passion is to see their own people have the whole Word of God. How could we do less?

This year, 130 students studied Biblical Hebrew to multiply translations of the whole Bible. A number of these still need scholarship funds to complete their studies and advance translation projects for their people.

Our faithful partner, Wycliffe USA has provided partial scholarships and matching funds for translators involved in whole Bible translation projects. Individuals, churches, and partner organizations have also contributed generously. Below, I have highlighted a few translators from some of the places with the greatest need, who are still praying for financial assistance to continue their calling.

Your gift—of any size—will bless these translators as they serve in this important task. 

• $450 completes the amount needed for two Indonesian translators who will return to translate and train others in Biblical Hebrew, serving their church network of 800 churches with one million members.
   
• $1200 will enable two Benin translators to finish their Master’s Degrees in Biblical Hebrew so they can train other translators and assist multiple translation projects across West Africa.
   
• $6,590 is still needed for three translators and teachers in Ethiopia. Their work will support multiple local translation projects, bringing God’s whole Word to their people. Ethiopia has over 80 languages, of which only 16 have a full Bible.
   
• Some of those who struggle the most are Deaf translators from poorer communities. Two Deaf translators in Colombia still need $7147. The language projects represented by them are Colombian, American, Bulgarian, Russian, and Kenyan sign languages. 

In this season of giving thanks and celebrating God’s gift of our savior, would you prayerfully consider a contribution to bless and sustain these translators?