Thanks to our faithful partners, Angola’s Umbangala people recently celebrated the completion of the very first translation of the New Testament in their own heart language!

More than 500 people gathered at a school in Lunda Norte Province in the northeast of Angola to receive the new Scripture. As Adelina* began reading verses aloud for all to hear, she said, “I have dreamed of this day for years.”

Until this translation was completed, the nearly 400,000 Umbangala people had no version of the Bible in their own language. The majority live in poverty, and many don’t have running water or electricity at home. But the lack of Scripture in their own language has caused many in the community to feel forgotten, and it was a hindrance to evangelism.

“It has been very hard to understand Bible texts in the Cokwe language read during church services,” explained Marjory*. “We will no longer need the Bible in a language that does not touch our hearts, and when we go to evangelize, we will have no more difficulties.”

The Umbangala New Testament was presented in the midst of exuberant singing and dancing by a procession of children carrying copies of it in palm leaf baskets to be blessed and dedicated. One elderly woman fell to her knees and praised God as a passage of Scripture was read out loud.

One young boy named Justin* sat down on the ground and began reading his copy immediately. He said, “It was good to read some verses. I know that Jesus says, ‘Let the children come to me.’ I hope to learn more about the Bible.”

Please pray for the continued translation work on the Old Testament, and for the Umbangala people to come to faith in Christ as they hear God’s Word in their own language.

*Names changed for privacy