Wenya Oral Bible Translation (OBT) Launch

Wenya Oral Bible Translation (OBT) Launch.
31/10/2026 - Thendele, Mafinga district

"A vision deferred is not a vision denied." For a long time, the Wenya Bible translation was a project close to our hearts—a dream held in patient expectation as we practiced "waiting on God" for His divine provision and timing. Today, that season of waiting culminates in a historic milestone!

We are overjoyed to announce that the Wenya Bible Translation Program has officially launched its first-ever Oral Bible Translation (OBT) Project. A three-week Project Launch Workshop for Wenya OBT, which started with translation principles

In the foundational stage, the team adopted a workshop-based model to translate God’s Word into the Wenya people's heart language. Our dedicated consultant and language development specialist, Fr. William Vwapu, led and mentored this sacred task, working closely with Rev. Fr. Zacks Zulu, our consultant-in-training. Fr. Vwapu was present with the translation team throughout every workshop to ensure linguistic precision and theological depth.

The second session of the training, which began on the 14th of September and ran to 1st October 2026, had 7 participants from the Wenya speaking community who were trained as translators and translation advisors and three staff members from the Fungwe Oral Bible translation site, which is already established.

The Render training workshop was conducted by Bertha Chilembo and Clement Kaonga, and the workshop was also attended by FCBH software developers from New Mexico, USA. Andrew Yolk—render software manager, Spencer Vatkam—render product owner, and Gideon Yakubu from Nigeria—training coordinator for Anglophone and Lusophone areas.

The first community check was conducted during the project launch workshop, which was so encouraging for the community as they participated in the first heart language oral translation of the word of God.

The team is already hard at work, diving into the foundational narrative of the book of Luke. We are deeply humbled to witness the initial verses of Scripture taking shape in Wenya for the very first time. God's timing is always perfect, and we stand in awe of how He aligns every detail.

- **Pray for Wisdom:** Lift Fr. Vwapu, Fr. Zulu, and the local translation team as they navigate nuanced linguistic choices.

- **Pray for the Community:** Pray for the Wenya people of Mafinga—that their hearts be prepared to receive God's Word in their mother tongue.

- **Pray for Endurance:** Pray for protection, focus, and unity for the entire team and future sessions.