Chocó IG Cluster of Colombia

Oral Bible stories will prepare the way for printed Scripture in the Chocó cluster languages.

May God bless you with his special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord better and better. (2 Peter 1:2-3, NLT)

The speakers of the southern Chocóan language groups live primarily on the Pacific coast of South America. Rugged terrain and extensive river systems contribute to the relative isolation of these ethnic groups. Many people are enticed or pressured into illicit drug production in areas where mosquitoes carry malaria and dengue fever. The Chocó believe evil spirits have power; the dead often become demonic beings; and shamans are spirit intermediaries.

The Catholic Church has had a small impact, but few believers are found. Because the Chocó people live in an oral culture, this project will begin by helping partner groups produce accurate, oral retellings of Scripture stories. The second phase of work will build on this foundation and provide the community with the translated text of key Scriptures.

  • HEADWATER CHOCÓ: Translators Liam and Sipidi completed team checks of three Gospels and 1 Corinthians in spite of a motorcycle accident suffered by Liam. Pray for Liam’s full recovery and that both translators will rapidly acquire the computer skills to do the job, learn well the principles of Bible translation and grow spiritually.
  • MID CHOCÓ: Mother-tongue translator Tyson finished making corrections to Genesis, 2 Samuel, Psalms, Proverbs and Daniel. The national electric net¬work service is poor, so Tyson can no longer use the project desktop computer. Instead, he’s working on his personal laptop. Pray that the Lord will send another translator to work with the Mid Chocó.
  • SOUTHERN CHOCÓ: Translator Edgar visited his community in June and took the books of Ruth and Esther to read to the people as a check on clarity. Translator Noel and the people of his community read through the book of Exodus, asking questions they had about comprehension. Please pray for Noel and his family’s safety as they’ve received threats from some Southern Chocós who are opposed to the Gospel.
  • MOUNTAIN CHOCÓ: Mother-tongue translator Frank completed the revision of John’s Gospel and 1 Corinthians, Chapters 1-13. David is checking John now. Frank will edit 2 Corinthians and 1 Timothy next. Pray that Frank will follow through with his desire to use Bible portions to teach mother-tongue literacy in his community.
  • LOWER CHOCÓ: Pray that a way will open up for Edgar to reach the Lower Chocó people. The area is quite remote and there’s much activity by drug dealers.

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