#sigosherts #wycliffewednesday
On the south coast of Guadalcanal, beautiful steep mountains plunge down to stone-covered beaches. The Koo-Poleo (koh-pohlayo) people carve gardens out of the steep hillsides, where they grow vegetables to feed their families. Looking out to sea from this beautiful but rugged part of the Solomons, there are no other islands in sight. With nothing to slow down the winds and rains that can come roaring in, this part of the island is known as ‘the weathercoast’. These rough seas can bring boat travel to a standstill and there are no roads that reach this part of the island.
Christianity is well established in this area, and the church continues to be an important part of village life. During church services, parishioners sing lustily from tattered Koo-Poleo songbooks. But the Scripture readings are usually from an English Bible, which is not very well understood. For a number of years now, Church leaders have been asking for the Bible to be translated into their language.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, the Solomon Islands went through a terrible ethnic tension. The weathercoast was one of the locations of atrocities that left deep wounds. Although some reconciliation has helped communities move on, unresolved ‘scars’ still remain. It is hoped that as the Koo-Poleo people begin to read God’s Word in their own language, it will help them have a deeper understanding of God’s love and forgiveness and provide for true healing at a spiritual level.
The access challenges in the area have made it a challenging place to send a missionary/translation advisor family. But a few years ago, a single woman from Switzerland came to the Solomons to serve. After some research and an exploratory visit, Ruth agreed to live on the ‘weathercoast’ and help the Koo-Poleo people to translate the Bible into their own language.
For the past couple of years, Ruth has been working hard at learning the language and culture of Koo-Poleo. Recently, a Translation Awareness course was held in the area. The purpose of the meeting was to help church leaders understand what is needed for a Bible translation ministry to move ahead. A first step will be the establishment of a ‘Translation Committee’ to serve as an advisory committee to the process and to consider how to raise funds needed to cover ministry expenses. It’s exciting to see things move forward!
Above picture posted on Facebook with the following caption: “Church leaders from Poleo and Koo regions of the Guadalcanal Weathercoast met this week to learn about next steps for Bible translation. Praise God for the weather allowing for good attendance. Pray that the community will feel God’s leading as they select representatives for their translation committee and move the work forward.” (credit- Solomon Islands Bible Translation Movement)