The Book in Use
Most likely, the Bible this little guy is holding belongs to his grandpa, who had just boarded the YAJASI airplane that serves his community. His grandpa and others of his generation lived in a time when people ate cuts of human meat, but now Jesus has changed their lives.
On the occasion of this photo, several men had just boarded the airplane to fly to town for a meeting. As I was helping the older men board and get buckled up, I noticed this little boy clutching a Bible and snapped his picture. It is a special picture for me because it is obvious that this book is very valuable to him and his family. I was excited to see that after only a few months the Bible looked used. Someone had been reading it, studying it, feeling more connected with Jesus, gaining knowledge and wisdom.
Translators began working on this New Testament in 1980, completed it 18 years later, and dedicated it in 1998. The Concise Old Testament was dedicated in 2014. As part of my job, I fly translators in and out of jungle villages. We pray for our translators, hoping that someday they too can see a child holding a Bible—in his heart language.