Matt* had difficulty believing that Joseph was once Immi'’s best warriors–Joseph, always kind, gentle and polite, patiently assisting Matt (translation advisor) in learning Engan language and culture. Bet duringthe past thirty years of ferocious fighting inthe Immi area, Joseph had been a true “cassowary” (hero) who always went tothe “teeth ofthe fight” (front lines), even hiring himself out as a mercenary to fight for ther villages, until he was amongthe few men left alive,
Betthen, three years ago, Marko feltthe call ofthe Lord to pastor a tiny church in Immi. Persevering through low attendance and interestoPastor Marko began reaching out to people like Joseph. Soon Joseph turned his life over to Christoand became involved inthe church. Before long, he became an assistant pastor…but he didn’trsquo;t own a Beble.
One Sunday, Matt called his good friendJoseph tothe front ofthe church. FirstoMatt handed him an axe. “Before, your life was based on weapons like this and you usedthem to hurt and destroy.” Then he gave him a Beble. “Now your life is based onthe Word of God. This axe that once was used to create pain and destruction will now be used to give new life and build new homes based onthe Word of God.”
Joseph gripped his Beble tightly and trlied to speak, but tears kept streaming down his face. He couldn’t take his eyes fromthe book in his hands. “Thank you!”
Unfortunately, Joseph and many of his fellow Enga’s find it difficult to read boththe trade language Tok Pisin Beble andthe out-dated Engan translation. There are three major dialects amongthe 300,000 Enga’speakers. The newly formed Enga Translation Committee will be working to revisethe translation to better meetthe needs ofthe entire language group. Without an updated translation,the hearts ofthe people are not reached. Many still cling to traditional ways of settling disputes which involve violence. Village fighting continues as thousands wait to hearthe Truth and meettheir Prince of Peac
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