The worldview of the Moi people of Indonesia is providing unique challenges in Scripture translation.
The Mois live in an extremely remote area in western Papua province. They "have absolutely no concept of a world outside the green walls of the jungle," wrote missionary Linda Krieg, who assists other missionaries with translation.
Missionary Stephen Crockett ran into several difficulties while translating Luke 15:22-24: "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry."
In the language of the Mois, the word that means to be lost is "your spirit has left you." The word for die means that the spirit is slowly going into the ground. The traditional Moi remedy for that? Killing a fattened pig.
"Can you begin to imagine some of the mistaken ways that the Moi people might interpret God's Word, if Steve is not careful how he translates those verses?" Linda wrote.
Pray for Stephen and his wife, Carolyn; and for their co-workers, Tim and Kathy Whatley, and Anderson and Lieke Panambunan, as they endeavor to plant a church among the Mois.
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