Pray for Democratic Republic of the Congo

Your prayers made a definite difference. Thank you. Organizer Margaret Hill writes, "This workshop was so much better than the previous one. All the 30 who returned had put into practice what they had learned by teaching the trauma healing lessons to small groups of people. We heard some remarkable stories, including one group that met in the central prison! Most of the participants this time seemed to follow everything and were very engaged. We were meeting in a much better centre.  Now we are waiting to hear about further funding for training there. Please pray this will work out."

FULIIRU; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 400,000. Rejoice that the entire Fuliiru Bible has been drafted! However, many important steps remain. The team is going through the entire Bible, creating section titles, adding footnotes, and evaluating keywords and difficult vocabulary. Some of this involves testing the materials in the community. Other tasks involve teaching both schoolchildren and adults how to read and write in their own language, and producing booklets and recordings of Scripture songs. Ask God to keep the team alert, and to give them joy, strength, and endurance in all they do. Pray for the funds needed to support their work. At the same time these tasks are taking place, efforts are in progress to enable this Bible to be computer-adapted into at least two related languages.

MAYOGO; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 100,000. The Mayogo team has experienced continuing challenges this year, especially in the death of Mapuma, a key member of the translation team. This was a tremendous blow. Pray for courage and perseverance for the other team members as they carry on. They had hoped to finish the Mayogo New Testament this year, but that is no longer realistic. The team still needs to write introductions to the New Testament books, finish the glossary, choose maps and illustrations, and complete various technical checks for translation consistency, punctuation, and page formatting. Pray that the translators stay focused in the remaining stages of their work, especially as they finalize the text for publication during 2014. www.theseedcompany.org

LOGO; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 400,000. Due to insecurity from rebel activity in their home area, this hardworking team communicates with a consultant via e-mail and meets with him three times a year. Pray for this difficult arrangement to work smoothly and for the Lord to protect His people and reestablish peace. The team still hopes to complete the New Testament and a Logo dictionary by 2014. Praise God that they were able to raise awareness of Logo Scripture through local church leaders and a weekly radio broadcast in their heart language. Pray that the Word of the Lord will be heard throughout the Logo community, and thank Him for those who support the team with prayer and giving. www.theseedcompany.org

LENDU; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 1,500,000. The New Testament was published in 1989. Work continued for the Old Testament, and 85 percent was completed before the country was overtaken by war in 1996. During the war the great majority of this Old Testament material was destroyed, and one translator was killed. Work began again in 2004, and final Paratext checks were completed for the whole Bible last year in May. Pray for smooth and speedy progress through all the next stages of publishing. Also, ask God to provide the funding needed for the publication of the new Lendu Bible.

MBANDJA; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 362,000. Praise the Lord! For two years, the Mbandja translation team waited and prayed foran official license to print and publish their work, and in mid-2012, theyfinally received it. The team hoped to have a Scripture dedication in late 2012. The Mbandja Old Testament finally joined the New Testament, whichwas published ten years ago. Pray that the Lord will use this translation inpowerful ways to deepen the faith of the Mbandja believers and draw othersto Him. www.theseedcompany.org

UBANGI cluster project—MONO, NGBAN DI-NGIRI, and PAGABETE languages; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 393,000. Praise the Lord for the seminars and workshops that the project teams have attended to improve their skills. They are now using what they learned as they perform community testing and consultant checking on the translated New Testament, looking for any errors. Praise God that His Word is already impacting the people. Pray for the health of the team members so they may continue their work. Pray also for lasting peace in the Congo. Unrest is a significant obstacle, but the Scriptures have helped take down barriers between people. The lack of electricity in the Mono project office was also a hurdle last year. Pray for a stable power supply and encouragement for all the teams. www.theseedcompany.org

TAABWA; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 500,000; The Word For The World. The Old Testament translation needs a fair amount of consultant checking before it can be published. Pray for an increased sense of ownership by the local committee, including financial investment in the project. Ask God to keep the team motivated and diligent in pressing on towards completion. Thank the Lord that consultant help is readily available.

NDRUNA; Democratic Republic of the Congo; 100,000. While the Ndrunaspeaking homeland continues to be deeply affected by militia activity, the translation team presses on in Bunia town. The team is praising God for steady progress in spite of the situation and the effect it has on their food supply. They are currently reviewing their drafts of multiple New Testament books before starting consultant checking. Pray that the translators can focus well on their work in spite of the insecurity in their home area, and the much higher cost of living in town. Please pray, too, that their computers will stay in good working order for finishing these remaining epistles of the New Testament. They hope to be done by early 2014.

During 2012, a course was offered in Burundi, showing people how to facilitate small groups in trauma healing for those recovering from the wounds of war or other catastrophic events. An advanced course will take place in Bujumbura, the capital, from February 17-24, to further train people who have actually used what they learned. Participants will include people from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and Rwanda. Please pray for 1) maximum benefit for them; 2) brilliance and strength for the leaders; and 3) long-range plans being formed for Burundi that include trauma healing.