God’s provision ensures completion
of Inga audio New Testament

COLOMBIA — The team that arrived in the village of Santiago in Putumayo, south-west Colombia, in September to record the Inga audio New Testament on behalf of the Colombian Bible Society and Hosanna Ministries were prepared to encounter some challenges. They already knew that identifying potential readers among people who have little printed material in their own language and who have had minimal contact with Christians would not be straightforward. What they did not realise at that point, however, was just how completely they would have to place themselves in God’s hands to ensure their acceptance by the local community and the provision of people capable of bringing the project to fruition.

Inga factbox Almost 100 different languages are spoken within Colombia’s 440,700 sq miles (1,141,000 sq km), despite the fact that more than 70 per cent of its people now live in the major cities. Inga, of which there are two varieties, is spoken by 10,000 to 15,000 people living in the Sibundoy valley and along the Putumayo river. It is the northernmost variety of Quechua, which is widely spoken in the Andean region. Nowadays, despite their relative isolation, all Inga speakers also know at least basic Spanish and 40 per cent are regarded as fluent in Spanish. Agriculture is the principal activity for the mountain- and jungle-dwelling Inga people, and plants play a very significant spiritual and medicinal role in their culture.

The team members were in no doubt that their first task would be to gain the trust of the Inga people. Their approach to the community took the form of an offer to hold a workshop for those interested in learning how to operate the local radio station. Gradually, over a period of weeks, it became possible to identify potential participants in the recording to the Inga New Testament. However, it soon became clear that, because none of those selected had more than basic reading skills, it would be necessary to improve their understanding of the texts before the recording could go ahead. And it was at this stage that the team really began to appreciate how much they would need to rely on God’s strength.

Disappear

As well as having to work intensively with the selected participants to improve their reading skills, the team also faced the challenge of securing real commitment from them. Day after day it seemed that, just as one of the participants was beginning to read more fluently, he or she would disappear and somebody else would have to be chosen instead. It was only the occasional breakthrough, moments when the readers would ask questions which showed that they were really beginning to understand the various Scripture passages, that sustained the team’s motivation.

Having experienced weeks of uncertainty and far from steady progress, the team were sure of only one thing: they were now relying wholly on God’s will, not their own strength

After many rehearsals, the time finally came to make the recording. Having experienced weeks of uncertainty and far from steady progress, the team were sure of only one thing: they were now relying wholly on God’s will, not their own strength, to bring this project to a successful conclusion. This was demonstrated to them very clearly when, on the day chosen for the recording to take place, only nine of the 26 trained readers arrived. Where could 17 suitable replacements be found at such short notice? “The missing people were provided by the hand of God,” states the project report simply.

Close friends

With the recording completed, it will not now be long before the finishing touches are added and the cassettes are ready for distribution among Inga communities. As they left Santiago, the team members reflected on the many ways in which God had protected and guided them during their time among the Inga people. They also look forward eagerly to the time when these people, many of whom have become their close friends, will be able to hear God’s Word for themselves and find answers to the many questions they have begun to ask as a result of the team’s presence among them. (WR 391/4 - 03.05)