Celebrating 50 years of Bible translation in Papua New Guinea
Celebrations started off with singing. Papua New Guineans from many people groups gathered, arrayed in spectacular traditional “bilas” (decorations) of feathers, leaves, flowers, bark cloth, teeth, fur, seeds, beads, paint, and shells. Each man, woman, and child held one of the 159 New Testaments that has been completed in the last 50 years.
When their time came, they entered the meeting house
and streamed across the stage as the names of their
languages were called. On and on they came, in a
procession that left many onlookers in tears.
Then another procession came through, a procession
representing all of our ongoing translation programs
throughout the country — nearly 200.
The Governor General of Papua New Guinea, His Excellency Grand Chief Sir Paulias Matane, attended the celebrations. In his speech, he said, “From the bottom of my heart, I salute the good work that has been done and is being done in Papua New Guinea, and I mean what I say....Once again thank you very much, all of you who gave up what
you have in your countries to come here and live amongst the people of Papua New Guinea. I just want to say thank you again.”
