September 2008

“The book was about my God”

Vitaly Voinov has worked in Tuva, southern Siberia, as an exegetical advisor for almost ten years. During this time the Tuvins have received the New Testament in their language for the first time, as well as the Children’s Bible and two books with Old Testament portions. In 2010 we are planning to publish the first whole Bible in the Tuvin language. Below are excerpts from an article written by Vitaly:

“The Tuvin people are decended from the ancient Turkic tribes that intermingled with the Mongols around the time of Genghis Khan. They have retained their language and traditions much better than most other people groups in Siberia, which have for the most part become very Russified during the past century. They are very proud of their land and their culture. Their distinctive overtone singing has fascinated Westerners since the early 1990s and is Tuva’s most famous export. Unfortunately Tuvin society has seen some serious problems during the past couple of decades. Poverty is the norm of life for a majority of Tuvins. A large percentage of Tuvin men and women are drowning in the bottle. Neither shamanism nor Tibetan Buddhism has given Throat singer Tuvins much hope in their broken lives.

The lives of most ordinary Tuvins have not yet been seriously affected by the Gospel. Some have read parts of the Bible, but the words have not penetrated into the depths of their consciousness in a life-altering way. Those few Tuvins who do bow the knee before Christ are usually accused by their relatives of selling out to the Russians and betraying their culture for the sake of humanitarian aid hand-outs.

And yet… by the Lord’s mysterious and miraculous providence, some seeds continue to fall onto fertile ground. The following story was related to me by a Tuvin believer named Oktyabrina about an interesting encounter she recently had: “While Aldynai and I were waiting for a car to take us back to Kyzyl, a woman named Sayana came from the village to meet us and share her story. Early that morning she had gone to the field to leave her cows there. As she was approaching the field, she saw two women sitting and reading something together. She left her cows and joined the women. They were reading a book. ‘The book was about my God’, Sayana said. Then she told us that she was watching the Jesus film in the Tuvin language over and over again and was trying to do the good things that Jesus commanded. ‘We were so occupied reading the book that we did not realize that it was noon already’, shared Sayana. Upon arriving at home that afternoon, she found a copy of the same book in her house [the Tuvin New Testament had been distributed in their village that very morning]. She was so glad to receive the book about her God.”

I rejoice whenever I meet Tuvin believers who share that the Lord has blessed them with a new deeper understanding of the Gospel message through seeing the Jesus film and reading the Scriptures in their native tongue. This gives me hope that the Holy Spirit will continue to transform the Tuvin nation, bit by bit, by making the story of God’s passion for humanity relevant for the Tuvin hearer.”

The Tuvins need the whole Bible in their language! Thank you for your support!

for donations from Europe

Contact
Institute for Bible Translation
PO Box 6481 COLCHESTER Essex CO4 3AF UK
Tel: +44 (0)1206 870688,
E-mail: rhwillcol@aol.com

for donations from USA

Tax deductible gifts for IBT Russia/CIS can be made payable to:
"WaterStone Fund #7514"

Checks should be mailed to: WaterStone Support Foundation For:
Friends of IBT – Russia/CIS MCP #7514

2925 Professional Place Suite #201
Colorado Springs, CO 80904

*Friends of IBT—Russia/CIS is a Ministry Charity Project of WaterStone Support Foundation, Inc., TID #84-1430063.  All contributions are complete and unrestricted gifts to WaterStone.  The Board of Directors of WaterStone is committed to honoring the preferences of the donors and the recommended approved purpose of the fund.  Additional information is available from WaterStone at the address listed.