Rev. John and Maila Davies
 Rev. John and Maila Davies |
John and Maila Davies met in England while each was preparing for overseas mission service. After they married, they continued training in linguistics and Bible translation. In 1972 they left for Papua New Guinea to begin their work among the Kobon people. Kobon was not a written language, so initially they had to analyze the sounds and produce an alphabet.
The first Scripture translation to be completed was the Gospel of Mark. The entire New Testament was recorded on cassette so the people could hear the Word of God in their own language on hand-wind tape players. Today the people have a beautifully illustrated New Testament in their own Kobon language.
John and Maila produced primers and other materials to teach the people how to read. They trained teachers and established schools. In 1986 John and Maila began the translation of the New Testament into the language of the Haruai people to the west of the Kobon, and in 2006, into the language of the Minimib people to the east. The translation from Greek into Kobon was a huge step, but using the Kobon New Testament as the source text, the translation into Haruai and Minimib is a comparatively small step, especially with the use of the computer.
Over the years John and Maila have produced primers and various other materials to teach the people how to read. They have trained school teachers and superintendents and staff. Today there are thirty schools attended by over one thousand Kobon, Haruai and Minimib children.
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