Bible dedications, September 2014

The Waskia Bible (photo by Sarah Halferty)

I sometimes have the opportunity to represent our organization's directorate at special events. In the past month, I've attended two Bible dedications. Each dedication ceremony celebrated translations of the New Testament and portions of the Old Testament into vernacular languages of Papua New Guinea. PNG communities look at the dedication days as a necessary formal launching of the newly available Bible texts.

Tairora speakers line up to purchase books and Audibibles

A Tairora speaker with his new Audibible

First, on a Thursday morning in early September, was the Tairora dedication, at the Ukarumpa Training Centre. Tairora is a nearby language in the Eastern Highlands Province, and was one of the first languages our organization worked with. The Bible translation, and a Tairora-English dictionary, were completed years ago. What was special about this dedication was the availability of audio formats of the Tairora scriptures. Along with the print copies, Tairora speakers can now access the scriptures through a portable audio player called the Audibible. The Audibible is an increasingly popular device which includes an SD card loaded with audio recordings of the Bible. The listener can select by book, chapter, or verse, and the built-in speaker is loud enough for a Bible study group, Sunday school class, or even church congregation to hear and enjoy. We've been recommending Audibibles, or similar devices, for some time now, but the Tairora dedication also featured another new way of interacting with audio scripture recordings. Thanks to a new smartphone app, people can now hear the scriptures read, while also seeing the text, with the line that's being read highlighted as the recording moves through the text. This read-along tool is absolutely fantastic, and people can share it freely among themselves via bluetooth. I look forward to seeing this new distribution method as it encourages literacy and Bible understanding.

At the Waskia dedication (top photo by Sarah Halferty)

The second dedication this month was the Waskia language, on Karkar Island in Madang Province. Like the Tairora, the Waskia New Testament was completed and distributed years ago. This time we dedicated a brand-new revision of the text, which now includes the New Testament and nine Old Testament books (including Psalms), and it is published in a Waskia-English (NIV) side-by-side text. A dual-language (or "diglot") Bible is one of the best ways to encourage developing literacy, and I was really happy to see the Waskia translation team persevere with the extra challenge of producing a diglot Waskia-English book. Along with the new books, the dedication also celebrated the Waskia Bible on Audibible, and the Waskia Bible smartphone app. Please pray that the revised scripture translation will bring unity where there has been division among the Waskia people.

After the Waskia dedication was finished, the other guests and I were treated to a delicious meal at the pastor's house. I was startled (and a bit apprehensive) when someone stood up after lunch and announced, "Would the Director please come forward to receive his pig?" All eyes turned to me. I stood, not knowing what could possibly be coming next. A group of young men left the lunch area, and a few moments later they returned, carrying on their shoulders a large wooden garamut (slit-drum, commonly used for musical accompaniment and long-distance communication in parts of Papua New Guinea), carved in the shape of a pig, and commemorating the day's event! I was happy to receive the pig, and it was fun to hit the garamut a few times to musical accompaniment, since this is the instrument I've spent many, many hours learning about in other parts of PNG. I doubted that there would be room to bring the garamut back to Ukarumpa with us, but the pilots found space, and the drum can now be seen on display near the photo wall of completed New Testaments and dedications in Ukarumpa.

Center and lower photos by Kathy Watson