Anufo New Testament Dedicated
Anufo Christians in Ghana, West Africa, and LBT Representatives Celebrate the Dedication of the 1st New Testament in Their Language
CHEREPONI GHANA - Feb. 17, 2007-- Today, for the first time, God's Word from the New Testament became available to the Anufo people of Northern Ghana, Benin and Togo in their own language. About 137,000 people now have access to the Scriptures in their heart language. Mary and Tom Holman, Lutheran Bible Translator (LBT) missionaries working under the auspices of the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT), Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT), and LBT have devoted 25 years of their lives to the translation and related literacy activities. "God made us to do this," Mary Holman said. "We love the work of Bible translation."
"We believe everyone deserves to hear and read the Word of God in the language of their hearts," said Marshall Gillam, executive director of Lutheran Bible Translators,(LBT), one of the organizations that supports the Holmans. "We recruit, train, educate, equip and help support missionaries like the Holmans with that goal in mind."
"The dedication of our national translators here, coupled with the prayers, emotional and financial support of congregations and individuals in the U.S. sustained us through this process," Tom Holman said. Throngs of people celebrated at the dedication ceremony, dancing, singing Christian songs with traditional melodies, listening to speeches and hearing the Scriptures read in Anufo. The dedication was conducted by clergymen from a number of denominations who serve the Anufo people and other groups in Northern Ghana.
While they were working with nationals on translating the Bible, the Holmans were also instrumental in spearheading efforts to teach thousands of Anufo speakers how to read and write their language. They used the newly developed writing system to make language primers which help native speakers sound out and spell their language. They conducted language workshops, teaching Anufo speakers how to read and write their language and training them how to teach others to do it.
As a result, thousands of people have learned to read and write. In addition, the primers and materials are being used by other agencies to promote education and development.
"Early on, one individual finished the literacy program," Mary Holman said, "He was able to get a job as a security officer with a local development agency . People began to see that literacy has benefits!"
Since 1964, missionaries supported by Lutheran Bible Translators have translated the New Testament into 25 languages that previously had no written form of God's Word. As a result, Scriptures are now available to 7,000,000 people who otherwise would not have access to the Good News of Salvation in the language of their hearts. There are 6,900 languages in the world. The 400,000,000 people who speak more than 4,500 of those languages still do not have access to the New Testament in their heart language.
Ghana is a West African country about the size of Oregon, with a population of more than 20 million. Subsistence farming is the primary occupation in the semi arid northern region of the country.
The Holmans graduated from Luther College, Decorah IA, married and initially taught school, before answering the call to become missionaries. After completing studies at Lutheran Bible Institute of Seattle (now Trinity Lutheran College) and the Summer Institute of Linguistics, (now SIL International), in Dallas, they moved to Ghana in 1981.
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