Strategic Opportunities

Kru speakers of Côte d’Ivoire

Thank the Lord His Word is drawing wayward sinners back to Him!

It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and possess much. (Psalm 37:16, NLT)

In the past 30 years, linguists from around the world translated the New Testament into a handful of the 20 Kru languages spoken in Southwest Côte d’Ivoire. However, in 2002, civil war erupted and translation work stopped. Disarmament is still in process, so life in Kru communities is still unstable. Local people have lost land, churches and literacy centers to disgruntled vigilantes.

While about 25 percent of the Kru population consider themselves Christians, traditional beliefs are common. Realizing that if the Bible were to finally be translated into their languages, they would have to do it themselves, believers from four Kru languages formed a team. Church leaders have committed to promote use of the translated Scriptures throughout the churches in the Kru region as it is available. They plan to start with Mark, and then proceed with the other Gospels. Because singing is such a popular medium for communicating truth, the translators will first complete the Gospels in their languages and then put the Scriptures to music. A significant event during the second part is a workshop to create songs based on the Scripture translations and then record these on cassettes to prepare them for distribution and evaluation throughout the region.

  • Thank the Lord His Word is drawing wayward sinners back to Him. Pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen the translation teams to perform their work despite difficulties.
  • Continue to pray for the spiritual life of every member on the teams. Pray for their security during trips around the region. Pray that the translators will have transportation to visit the churches to read the translated Scriptures and promote God’s Word in audio format.
  • Thank the Lord for His watchful care over all the translation team members. Pray for peace in the country. Pray for God’s protection over the team members and their families during these turbulent times. Keep praying for project coordinator Gnaly’s sick 82-year-old mother. Pray also for upcoming school exams for the translators’ children (15 kids altogether).

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