Brian and Donna Renes

The Bible is for everyone. In working with the United Bible Societies, every task aims to fulfill that mission.

Our goal is to make the Bible available to everyone in their heart language.

The United Bible Societies is a network of national Bible Societies around the world (shown in the photo above). We currently train and support over 400 active Bible translation projects. In 2021, we focused on starting many more, especially in Africa and Asia. The UBS is committed to supporting all churches as well as reaching into areas where no church yet exists.

Can you imagine not having a Bible? What would church be like with scripture readings in a foreign language? That is the reality for millions of people. This is a type of poverty that affects hearts and souls.

One way to reach the far corners of the world is through the digital distribution of the Bible. Getting a print copy of a full Bible takes years and can be an extremely difficult task to accomplish. In 2021, we put more effort into making partial Bibles available digitally. In other words, if a few books of a translation were completed and checked we put them in apps so that anyone, anywhere could immediately download that part of the translation. In some cases, this was only one or two books of the Bible. Over and over we hear that churches are grateful for these portions and that is confirmed in the number of downloads we see.

Around the world, there is an increase in digital distribution. With it becoming more common for people to use their phones to read the Bible, we continue to put effort into making that a smooth process. Easy, digital, and free access to the Bible is great but it also means that there is less income for Bible Societies. They depend on the sale and distribution of print copies to fund much of their work. During the pandemic, those sales have been more difficult, which results in it being harder to keep current projects running and harder to fund new projects.

In 2021, most of my time training and giving support was online. Some of those hours were with larger groups and various teams, and at other times with a single project. Virtual meetings fill my days.

How can you help? Prayer comes first. It is the foundation for translators and critical for advancing mission. Efforts would fail if not for faithful prayer partners. The message would not go out. Financial support is also needed. It is always needed. More can get accomplished if there are funds for the equipment, the salaries, and training events. Each of us has a part in making a difference. Thank you for your interest in and support of Bible translation.

Your partners in mission,
Brian and Donna Renes

 

Update from Brian Renes

July 2021

Why does it take 15 years* to translate a Bible? No surprise, it is a big book with tons of complexities.

For over 30 years I have been encountering the wonder, the richness, and the ever-deep complexity of the Bible, and specifically the unique challenge of translating God’s Word into other languages. There are over 30,000 verses in the Bible. An experienced translator can maybe draft 20 to 30 verses in a day, depending on whether it is a story, poetry, or prophesy, the latter being much harder. The first draft itself takes years.

Once the draft is complete, it gets reviewed by the other translators. So again, 30,000 verses are gone over one verse at a time to improve the wording and ensure a solid understanding of the passage.

Eventually, after several revisions and much discussion, the team feels like the text is ready. But before any book can be published, it needs to be others who are not on the translation team. That is called a “community check.” The translation team has done the best they can do, but they need to ensure it is understood by as many people as possible. So they read it or share it with people from various churches (as shown in the pictures).

Over the past months, the Tojolabal translators have shifted to that focus and are visiting churches far and wide in the region. This experience has been great because they can share the Word of God, reading it with people who have not yet heard these texts. Many were excited to hear Psalms for the first time. But in addition to that sharing, they also discover some words that are not understood in certain communities. After each of these reading sessions, the team comes back to discuss and further improve the translation. One beautiful step closer to the first full Bible in Tojolabal.

Please pray for the Tojolabal translation team that they can have the strength to finish and the wisdom to do their work well.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in Bible translation,

Brian and Donna Renes

*note on 15 years: The amount of time it takes to translate a Bible has many implications. The number of translators and their ability is foremost in terms of planning the time it will take to finish. In the case of the Tojolabal translation project, they started with two translators working full time. It was obvious that it would take far longer than 15 years to complete the Bible with just the two, so another pastor was added to work with them. As the years passed, one of the original translators went blind due to complications from diabetes (he was under 50). To make up for his loss, another translator, who was a young pastor, was added. Regrettably, another got sick, so a young lady was added. Each translation project is unique, but the Tojolabal story reflects what typically happens. People get trained to do the work but, with such a long-term project, there are due to be setbacks. Thankfully, the Lord provides. His Word will go out to all—sooner or later.