Daily Prayer: the Butbut Kalinga-speaking people of the Philippines
The 8,000 Butbut Kalinga people live in traditional scattered settlements in the northeastern region of Luzon Island in the Philippines. The Butbut are a fierce warring tribe. Even today, an ongoing tribal war with a neighboring group has seriously affected their subsistence economy. Many Butbut believers have drawn closer to God because of the crisis situation. Among the Butbut, traditional animism is still practiced widely, and the percentage of Christians remains low. The Seed Company has agreed to sponsor this project for an initial phase of two years, and we expect to sponsor subsequent phases, depending on the team’s ability to meet the projected outcomes for each phase. By the end of 2011, this project will provide the New Testament for the Butbut Kalinga people in the language that speaks to their hearts.
- Pray that God will give the Butbut Kalinga team wisdom, stamina and good health to press on with the challenging task of drafting and reviewing the translation.
- Pray that the team can successfully promote use of vernacular Scripture in the local community. Pray for discernment as they look for opportunities to meet with church leaders to motivate them to use the translation with their congregations.
- Pray that the translation teams of related languages who met with Butbut Kalinga translators for a spiritual retreat, will have regular times to encourage one another spiritually and help each other in their task of translating God’s Word.