As the excitement grows about progress on the Enga New Testament, the
local churches are taking the initiative to hold literacy classes to
teach people to read in their own language. In this way the people are
prepared to read the Scripture portions as each book is translated into
Enga.
Volunteer literacy teachers from the church write letters and words on the chalkboard, and murmurings can be heard around the room as people bravely repeat the sound for each syllable and form them into words. Slowly the words are mastered and put together to make sentences. Smiles light their faces as they become fluent enough to read short stories and then longer passages from the Bible.
During a recent graduation ceremony, more than 40 individuals,
representing three churches, gathered to celebrate the completion of the
literacy course.
Many of the graduates were middle-aged or older and
had not had the opportunity to learn to read when they were children.
Being able to articulate the words on the printed page for the first
time in their lives was certainly a reason for celebration!
Translator Adam Boyd stood before the group and read aloud Psalm
119:103, which in Enga reads, “The sweetness that happens when I read
your word surpasses the sweetness that happens when I taste honey.”
Next, each graduate came forward to taste a spoonful of honey. They
smiled at the delicious taste, and rejoiced to know God’s Word is even
sweeter than this!
As they left the ceremony, each graduate held a brand new copy of the
Gospel of Matthew printed in the Enga language. With no mother tongue
libraries and very limited access to Enga books, this Gospel will be a
treasure to each of them and a means for all of the graduates to
continue improving their reading skills.
