A Focus on Translation: Introduction

A selection of several of "our" New Testaments from Cameroon

Some time ago, we decided it would be fun to figure out how many New Testament translations had been dedicated in Cameroon by translators whose children Kevin had taught at RFIS. We hoped to gather a copy of each of these translations, so that we could have a concrete record of the impact that our ministry has had over the years.

It turns out that, since our arrival in Cameroon in August of 1993, we have directly supported the completion of New Testaments in eleven different languages. If that sounds like a rather small number to you, stay tuned to this space; over the next several weeks, we'll be sharing some of the stories behind those eleven translations, which will help put into perspective for you the years of effort that has been put into finishing each of those translation projects.

To put all this in another way, our ministry has helped to bring God's Word to 985,000 people in the languages of their hearts. And there are more to come; some other New Testaments which we have directly supported are nearing completion or are awaiting publication, so that number will soon climb to more than 1 million people who now have free access to and understanding of God's Word who didn't when we began our work in Cameroon almost 20 years ago.

We were very encouraged by all this, and we wanted to give you an opportunity to "get to know" these languages groups that have been impacted by our ministry over the years. So, over the course of the next several weeks, we will be posting blog entries that focus on each of these language groups, sharing the stories of the people and the family that worked on the translation project. Hopefully, this will give you a better sense of what each of these books means to the people group that received it. And we hope, as well, that you will be encouraged, just as we were, to hear of all that God has accomplished through your faithful support of our ministry in Cameroon.

To whet your appetite a bit, here is the complete list (roughly in alphabetical order) of the New Testaments that have been (or soon will be) dedicated in Cameroon by families whose children Kevin has taught:

Akoose - Robert and Sylvia Hedinger (and several others)
Badwe'e - Keith and Mary Beavon
Bafut - Joseph and Becky Mfonyam
Kako - Ers and Gerd Ernst
Kom - George and Val Shultz, Randy and Sherry Jones
Kwanja - Martin and Joan Weber
Mbuko - Richard and Sue Gravina
Mofu-Gudur - Ken and Judy Hollingsworth, Jim and Annie Pohlig
Ngiemboon - Steve and Julie Anderson
Nooni - Dave and Cindy Lux
Nzime (or Koonzime) - Keith and Mary Beavon

And soon to be completed:
Wuzlam - Willie and Annukka Kinnaird
Hdi - Lee and Tammi Bramlett

We will be starting this focus on translation series by highlighting the work of Keith and Mary Beavon in the Nzime and Badwe'e projects. We hope you will join us!