Bibleless Nations
The Pamiri Tajiks live in extreme isolation on the border area of four countries: Tajikistan, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their traditional homeland is the Pamir Mountains, the world’s second highest mountain range. Different sources recognize between 120,000 and 350,000 Pamiri Tajiks. This number includes several distinct sub-dialects. All of these dialects are still unwritten.
Being primarily farmers, the Pamiri Tajiks raise sheep, yaks and horses. Their villages consist of small houses built of stone and clay.
Nearly 100% of the Pamiri Tajiks are Muslim. Most hold to the Ismaili sect of Islam while also mixing in traditional Zoroastrian practices. They are unique from most Muslims in that they meet in homes to worship rather than going to a mosque.
The Pamiri Tajiks are in great need of the Gospel, particularly in China, where there has never been a church established among them. There is no Bible in any of the Pamiri dialects.
Do you believe in the power of prayer? Will you intercede for these forgotten people? Ask God to raise up a team of laborers to take the Gospel to them. And ask Him to prepare their hearts to receive it.
Summer 2013
The Lao Phuan people live in Laos and Thailand. They have a distinct language (Phuan) and culture. The Lao Phuan enjoyed social prominence in Laos for centuries. That changed in the 1800’s. After several decades of war, over half of them migrated to Thailand where they live in small communities.
Most Lao Phuans work in the textile industry or farming. They wear colorful pakamas (not to be confused with pajamas!) which is a sarong-like garment that they manufacture. Rice is the Phuans cash crop. Their kitchen gardens yield fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs. Chickens, ducks, pigs, and fish provide protein.
96.5% profess Buddhism. Those in Thailand practice regular Buddhism, but those in Laos are actually animists who worship “the guiding spirits.” The Lao Phuan are in bondage to these spirits. Only about 1% profess Christianity. Of those, most are Catholic.
There is little if any missionary work being done among this large people group (341,000) and they do not have a Bible in their language, not even a small portion.
Winter 2012-13
You could walk for weeks and never meet one Amdo Tibetan person who has heard the name of Jesus Christ.
These nomadic people travel around the country-side with their herds of animals. They can assemble their houses in just over an hour, and work hard day in and day out to survive. They watch their herds closely, monitoring their safety, giving them food, protecting them, and giving of themselves for the good of their animals. It is sad to think that they don’t know about the Great Shepherd who has done the same for them. They wander aimlessly through life, trying to earn good karma so that they may be granted a better status in the life to come.
There are over one million Amdo Tibetan people, scattered across the Himalayan mountains. There is no Bible written in their language. Some Amdo can speak the Central Tibetan language, which has a Bible. However, that Bible has many problems, using the same word for God as they do for Buddha and the word “karma” for sin.
Please ask God to tear down Satan’s stronghold and enable missionaries to overcome the political, geographical, and religious barriers; learn the Amdo language; and translate the Bible. As God’s Word is provided, so will the light of truth penetrate this spiritually dark region of the world.
Fall 2012
The official language of Algeria is Arabic, and the national language is Berber. However, as Algeria was a French colony for 132 years (1830-1962), French is still widely used in business and education. Algeria also has seventeen ethnic languages, one of which is Chenoua, or Chenoui.
There are 81,000 speakers of Chenoua living in northwest Algeria. They are descendants of the Berbers, a North African people group who were conquered by Muslim invaders in the seventh century. There are no Scriptures in Chenoua; in fact, no writing system has ever been devised for that language. There are no gospel recordings or films; the people are in darkness with no witness.
A law implemented in 2008 makes any religious activity not regulated by the state a crime, and persecution from Sunni Islam, the state religion, is intensifying. Is it right to conclude the task of taking the gospel to the Chenoua’s to be impossible? Should we not rather ask God to intervene? Jesus did not tell us to pray for laborers for the easy places, but rather for the harvest field. And the Chenoua are a part of His harvest.
Spring 2012
Far removed from the metropolis of Tehran, the Khorasani people have survived centuries of numerous invasions of other peoples. They have retained their culture despite the influences and governing of various Turks, Mongols, Arabs and Afghans. While farming is the main livelihood, they also produce magnificent, original rugs and tapestries. Because of their Islamic beliefs, family is an extremely significant part of their lives. Isolated for many years, schools are now being established throughout the province and education is becoming increasingly important. Over 800 thousand Khorasani inhabit the northeastern part of Iran, where there is no known witness of the Gospel. Not only is there no one to tell them of God’s salvation, but they also do not have a Bible in their language. Therefore, the Truth of the Gospel is virtually inaccessible.
Khorasan translated means “land of the rising sun.” Of course this refers to the sun in the sky, but what these people really need is someone to share with them the Risen Son, “the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings” (Mal. 4:2). While physical healing is important to all, what the Khorasani people need even more is the glorious healing they can have spiritually through a relationship with the Risen Son.
Fall 2011
Surely only the most isolated people are without a Bible in their language. Well, that is what one might think, but it is not always the case. There is a people group of over 5 million without Scripture in their native language. A society that produced renowned artists, explorers, and scientists: the Sicilians!
Once the central location of the known civilized world, Sicily was a great treasure that European, African and Persian empires desired to own. Nearly 3000 years of history are on this island, roughly the size of New Jersey. There are stone ruins, temples of ancient people, monasteries, amphitheaters, and endless vineyards and olive groves. The family is at the heart of Sicilian culture. Family members often live close together, sometimes in the same housing complex, and sons and daughters usually remain at home with their parents until marriage. The Catholic Church is an important fixture in Sicilian life. Almost all public places are adorned with crucifixes, and most Sicilian homes contain pictures of saints, statues, and other relics. Each town and city has its own patron saint, and the feast days are marked by gaudy processions through the streets with marching bands and displays of fireworks.
Although many of the younger people are bilingual, speaking Italian and Sicilian, there are several previous generations that know only the Sicilian tongue, and consequently have no Bible! Perhaps this has not been of importance to them as they trust their “church” to tell them what they need to know. However, we know that they are being given error—error that will result in an eternity without Christ.
The Agaria is not only a tribe, but also a caste whose occupation is iron smelting. Their name is a reference to their iron ore kilns; historians state that it comes from either the Hindu god of fire (Agni) or their tribal demon who was born in flame (Agyasur). There are numerous other important deities (both tribal and Hindu), including the supreme sun god, their ancestral god, and the iron demon, Lohasur. When there is sickness, a village sorcerer determines which deity is offended and must be appeased.
Iron smelting is a family affair. Both men and women collect the iron ore and make charcoal for the kilns. The women operate the bellows while the men pound the iron ore to shape it. When a new kiln is constructed, even the children help.
Over the last decade, progress has been made in Bible translation for the people groups of India, but groups like the Agaria have even more hope in the future. South
India Baptist Bible College and Seminary is offering their first linguistics and translation classes, beginning on June 20th. Pray for the students, for an ever increasing commitment from the college leadership, and for strength and wisdom for the missionaries involved in helping to establish this course of study.
What an illumination this Scripture brought to the heart of Martin Luther, Roman Catholic monk. God’s work through His Word changed a man, a nation, and the course of church history. Perhaps God would do the same for the 247,000 Seba as they read the Word, freeing them from the darkness of Catholicism – but they have no Bible.
The Seba live in Katanga, a province in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The mining of copper and cobalt is a primary industry. Poor households rely heavily on fishing for their supply of protein-rich food and many rural farmers supplement their income with fishing. The life expectancy is fifty-four; the median age is sixteen. The Seba live spiritually empty lives. Ninety-five percent of them claim Roman Catholicism as their belief system.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see the Seba people discover the joys of salvation by faith alone as clearly presented in Scripture? What might God do if the truth were placed in their hands in their heart language?
Winter 2010-11
The 144,000 Antankarana, meaning “people of the rocks,” are one of forty people groups of Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island. Though previously ruled by the Sakalava, the Merina, and the French, they have retained their group identity. Their present leader, Ampanjaka Tsimiharo III (see picture), is a descendant of King Tsimiaro I (1812-1825), who vowed that his people would convert to Islam if they survived the Merina invasion.
There is much syncretism of Islam with ethnic animistic religions. Some traditions, like the feeding of the sacred crocodiles (in which, according to legend, the inhabitants of a village which disappeared under Lake Anivorano are believed to live), are observed by most of the people. The Tsangan festival, which is aimed at consecrating royal power, includes the sacrifice of cattle and a pilgrimage to the sacred caves which were a burial place for the kings.
The Antankarana are fishermen and cattle owners. They speak a distinct dialect of Malagasy and have no Bible or Christian media. Madagascar’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom is generally respected by the government.
Fall 2010
Hidden away from the normal trade routes of the Indian Ocean lies North Sentinel Island, a tiny tropical land all but unknown to the modern world. Within the jungle walls of this island live the Sentinelese, a people thought by many experts to be the most isolated tribe on earth. Although they are officially citizens of India, no one has ever established a lasting contact with this Stone Age tribe. Since they have a history of killing any intruder who ventures onto their white, sandy beaches, it is not known how many Sentinelese inhabit this tiny land.
The tribesmen live by hunting and fishing. They wear no clothes and are believed to be cannibals. Their language is completely unknown. In the thirteenth century, Marco Polo wrote, “They are a most violent and cruel generation who seem to eat everybody they catch.”
Although very little is known about their customs or beliefs, it is certain that this is a people living in extreme spiritual darkness. Will you pray that God will send someone to carry His Word to these isolated tribesmen?
Summer 2010
The 7,600,000 (1996) Sanaani reside in the northern mountains and north-eastern deserts of Yemen, a country located on the Arabian Peninsula. This area was once ruled by the Queen of Sheba, and the roots of this proud, tribal people group stem back to pre-Islamic days. Their language is a distinctive variety of Arabic with some unique features.
Coffee, vegetables, fruit trees and grapes are grown at this high altitude. Also grown is Qat, a narcotic drug and important money crop that is chewed by most men and half the women for its stimulant and euphoric effect.
Ancestry determines the Sanaanis’ place in society, and Islam dominates their lives.
There are no scriptures in Sanaani Arabic and only 0.02 % are professing Christians. Yemen is not open to Christian testimony—nine missionaries were kidnapped in the province of Saada last year.
Will you ask God to reveal the keys He has placed in the Sanaani culture and grant His servants the wisdom and courage to use them in proclaiming Christ?
Spring 2010
The 367,000 Maba, also known as Ouaddai (pronounced Wad-aye), are the dominant people group of the Wadai Mountains in eastern Chad. Many living in rural areas speak only their own language, Maba; but most town-based Maba are bilingual, also speaking Chad Arabic. There are no Maba Scriptures.
These are non-Arab Muslims, loyal to their local form of Islam (though elements of animism from the 16th century remain). There is official freedom of religion, but oppression in the form of public insult is common and some death threats even occur. A sultan heads the tribal kingdom and is a descendant of the line of Abbas (said to be an uncle of Mohammed). Though not a part of the state, sultans run their own courts based on Islamic law and rule in some civil affairs.
Possessing a strong sense of identity, the Maba are resistant to change; but technology (satellite TV and mobile phones) is making inroads in their tradition and younger people are becoming more open.
Fall 2009