Wycliffe translators are sometimes challenged with the question, "Why work so hard to give a few people the Bible in a limited language? Why not teach them English—or Spanish?" (Or French, or Portuguese, or any other major language?)

Perhaps these queries can be honestly answered by spontaneous reactions from minority language speakers.

North America: Apache Scripture

An Apache woman—who also spoke English—said recently upon hearing the gospel in her own tongue, "It goes into my head in English, but it goes down into my heart in my own language."

Lost Aguarunas in Peru

In Peru, an Aguaruna Indian teacher who speaks Spanish ("white man's words") spoke about God's Word in his own language:

His Word is good. We did not know it, but beginning now, I want to take His Word. When I was a child I did not hear. I very much wanted to know His Word but after all, it was not our words. It was white men's words. How might I learn? For me it might be easy. I could learn the white men's words. But my relatives don't know, my family, my brothers, the children now being born. I very much desire to know how to tell this Word, this true road, because the old ones don't know. They are lost, not knowing.

Messiah for the Binumariens

Among the Binumariens of New Guinea a person may be publicly pointed at by a leader in a gathering of the people and so be announced as the one who has been chosen by the village council to hold a particular position. It is a deliberate act. The appointed one is then said to be "the one who has had a hand put on him."

So the assistant to the village chief, called the tultul, was thrilled in applying this as Desmond and Jennifer Oatridge worked with him in translating Peter's declaration in Matthew 16:16, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

When it was finished, it read:
"You are the One who from a long time before has had a hand put on him, the Son of the staying-alive God."

Clearly the Christ

Said the men of the village, "We think those words must be the center of the message this man has come to tell us."
That night the tultul called his wives and children and the clan members together and told them the verse. They, too, were amazed and talked long about it. The translation of this statement by Peter caused great excitement and provoked much thought. Before this, the Binumariens didn’t understand the term Christ (Messiah).

Translators desire truths like this, translated into the heart language, will be used by the Holy Spirit to draw many into the new life in Christ Jesus.