Pray for: Papua New Guinea

Translation and literacy programmes and appropriate Christian literature are fundamental for acculturating the gospel. PNG has over 800 languages, and the majority still do not have a single verse of Scripture. SIL, NTM, PNG Bible Translation Association, The Bible Society, Pioneer Bible Translators and other indigenous groups participate in over 260 translation projects; about 210 languages have a NT, but only 12 or so have a complete Bible. Translation teams are needed for 160 languages and possibly for a further 250. Pray for translators, for means of making the arduous task faster and more accurate and for indigenous translators/language assistants. Pray also for literacy training – the written, translated Word of God is of little help if no one is reading it. Good use of storytelling and oral forms of Scripture can also have great impact. Praise God that local governments are supporting Bible translation work – the impact of such projects on general literacy has positive knock-on effects for society, quite apart from the value of having Scripture in local languages.