“They walk around carrying their Bible in a special bag, like a priceless gift. They do this even when the pages are worn and ragged around the edges and falling apart.”

This is the observation of Salvation Army Commissioner Yvonne Westrupp, who has just returned from three years serving in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Joel Peter is Bible Society of Papua New Guinea’s (BSPNG) Translations Manager. He works to support Bible translations in nine languages. In his spare time he works on the translation of the Old Testament into his own Molima language. He says having the Bible in a people’s heart language is critical.

He says the translated Word of God helps his people understand God’s message of salvation and they can respond with faith because it grabs the heart of people.

“My people are glad to have the Bible written in our words, which is the most precious treasure we have.”

Joel says there is still a huge and growing spiritual hunger for the Bible in PNG. “There are many young people giving their lives to the Lord who are without Bibles. Churches, particularly from Milne Bay, are sending numerous requests to BSPNG asking for Bibles in Tok Pisin, Dobu and, of course, English, but Bible Society is unable to meet their needs.”

Joel has a message for you.

“We are so thankful for you and your continuous support of Bible translation in PNG. We are seeing lives changing. The ministry of Bible translation is a huge responsibility in a country like PNG because it is so linguistically diverse with more than 800 languages. May God our heavenly Father bless your hearts.”