A TORCH IGNITED
The Senga full New Testament celebration
“I would like to describe it in the words of one of the Sengas, who said that he felt like God was not living with them. God was just visiting them, coming from the other tribe. And he visits them, talks to the people, and afterwards, when they close the bible, God goes back. For us to have the Bible in our language, God is not just visiting. He is Immanuel; God lives with us, God is in our hearts.’’ – Rev. Katete Jackson Jones
Tucked into the northern edge of Zambia, near the border with Malawi, lies Chama District. There, the Senga people are knit together by hardship and hope among an expanse of untamed bush and winding rivers. This is their beautiful, difficult homeland. In the dry season, dusty footpaths connect villages. In the rainy season, roads vanish, rivers swell, and communities are cut off from transport, aid, and each other.
For centuries, the Senga language has survived in unwritten form. Though never codified in schoolbooks or Bibles, its value has not diminished. The language was not preserved by preservationists but by the people themselves. Senga is how parents scold their children and how children respect their elders. Even when unrecognized by government or school systems, this heart language has lived on, spoken and sung, whispered in dreams, and shouted in joy, but the people could only imagine what it would mean to hear the stories of Jesus in Senga. What hope there would be for a young girl who discovers she is as precious in God’s sight as her brother. What courage could be found as a young boy hears Paul’s letters as a message personally spoken to guide his life? What peace for the sick and poor when they understand that Christ lives to prepare a heavenly place for those who believe in him. All of it would mean that Senga was not just a language of home and heritage-it was a language spoken by God.
In 2019, through a God-appointed connection between Faith Comes By Hearing and missionaries serving in Zambia with a partner in Bible Translation, OBT was introduced and ignited a miracle of Scripture access. Members of the Senga community eagerly received the responsibility to orally translate God’s word with open hands.
For a people who pass down history by voice, who resolve disputes with parables, who sing their theology in everyday language, this was more than a translation method; it was home, it was honored not just what they had longed for, but who they were. It didn’t take long for the Sengas to eagerly embrace OBT.
‘’We started simply each morning with oral devotions and a song, and they responded with such joy. Once they realised we would only be using spoken instructions, they quickly grasped the internalization techniques. That’s when we caught a glimpse of what this translation was going to be like. They were having fun. Everyone was fully engaged and on fire to begin the book of Luke. – Stephanie, Senga OBT Project Coordinator
The determination of the Senga community brought the entire book of Luke to life in the language of their dreams and prayers, proving that God was not only the God of the literate. The recording of Luke’s Gospel was then used to adapt a Gospel Film, the 1000th film adapted in Faith Comes By Hearing and Bible media Groups’ ongoing partnership.
Watching Jesus preach stoked the community’s desire to continue OBT until every word of every Gospel could be heard in Senga, but hearts and minds craved more of the words purifying fire. Translators forged ahead, book by book, until the entire New Testament was illuminated.
In April of 2025, the Senga New Testament launched with a celebration in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. The Vice President of Zambia, Mrs. W.K. Mutale Nalumango, herself stood as a beacon of national support and proclaimed the importance of God’s word. Her speech echoed, not as a formality, but as a personal testimony of passion for Scripture and Zambia’s Christian identity.
Meanwhile, in Chama, the heartland of the Senga people, cabinet ministers flew in. They joined local leaders and thousands of men, women, and children who packed a stifling warehouse and waited hours, never once losing their joy. The people worshipped and responded with vibrant enthusiasm as the minister and guest of honor led songs and emphasized the deep significance of Scripture in their own tongue.
The fire that ignited in 2019 erupted into a national blaze, and the Senga OBT project became a divine signal flare. In Zambia, dozens more OBT projects were launched, each carrying the touch of Scripture into yet another community. From the fields of Chama to the seat of power in Lusaka and beyond, the word is ablaze, and the people rejoice.
’You only need one matchstick to set fire to a whole bush….. By the time you know it, the entire village is set on fire for the Lord.’’ – Rev. Katete Jackson Jones
Your faithfulness brought Scripture to light for 120,000 Senga speakers. Thank you
