In Their Own Words: Answered Prayers From Around the World
How do you like to engage in prayer?
Perhaps you enjoy short, conversational prayers, talking with Jesus as you go about your daily rhythms. Maybe you do breath prayers, reciting short Scriptures that remind you of who God is. Perhaps you’re an intercessor, engaging in deep, long-form prayer, passionate about interceding before the throne for prolonged periods.
Regardless of how you choose to engage in prayer, it boils down to this: Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God, where we praise God for who He is, communicate our hopes and desires, confess our sins and supplicate Him to move in ways that only He can.
Jesus Himself engaged in prayer, both individually and in community. We regularly see Jesus removing Himself from the crowds and spending alone time with His heavenly Father. In fact, John 17 is an entire chapter depicting a conversation Jesus had with His Father. In it, we see Jesus talking about the fulfillment of His ministry on earth and His requests to God the Father for the disciples He’d leave behind — and not just the disciples who walked alongside Him during His years of ministry but also the disciples who would come as a result of His love going out into the world.
John 17:17-21 says, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one — as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (NLT).
Today more people than ever before have the opportunity to learn about Jesus and His great love through Scripture in a language and format they clearly understand. We are living out the results of Jesus’ prayer!
Around the world, communities are receiving the gospel and being transformed as they encounter God through His Word. Churches are multiplying, evangelism is spreading, discipleship is strengthening and God’s global Church is rising up to see Scripture made available for every heart, everywhere.
But don’t just take our word for it! See how God is working in individuals, communities and entire regions around the world through stories told by those directly involved — whether they’re engaged in the translation process itself, through prayer and financial partnership or as a direct recipient of Scripture translated in a language that captured their heart.
What God Can Do Through a Life of “Yes”
Mats-Jan Söderberg first went to the mission field 40 years ago as a young man in his early 20s, traveling into the then-Soviet Union before the Berlin Wall came down. There weren’t many churches in the area, but today that’s no longer the case! Today, Mats-Jan serves as the director of Wycliffe Sweden, a partner organization, and also serves in partnerships within the Bible translation movement around the world. What started as a missions movement from the West to different parts of the world has now shifted. Seeds that were planted out of faithful obedience to God’s call to join the movement have taken root, grown and are multiplying in incredible ways!
“It’s amazing to see how missions work, I would say, is really bearing a lot of fruit around the world,” Mats-Jan shared. “The center of Christianity has moved from the Global North to the Global South and to what we sometimes call ‘the Majority World.’ And it’s fascinating to see now, when we’re talking Bible translation. Like Africa, the continent of Africa, has 2,100 languages. And to see how many churches in Africa and church movements are so invested in Bible translation [and] language development, just to make God’s Word available for people groups.”
And this isn’t just happening in some countries; it’s happening on a global scale in ways never before experienced in the history of the Church!
“Before, it was like [the center of Christianity was] from the West to the rest, and now it’s from everywhere to everyone,” Mats-Jan shared. “They’re going to go into the whole world and make disciples. And one of the things you need to do that is the Bible. So you can’t make disciples without the Bible. You don’t know anything about Jesus without the Bible.”
Today, more people than ever before have the opportunity to meet Jesus through Scripture in a language and format they clearly understand. And as God’s Word continues to go forth, so do His people — His Church — all around the world.
God has always had a plan for communicating His love to the world in the languages that capture their hearts. Learn more about the history of Bible translation and its correlation to the growth of the global Church.
Explore the history of Bible translation →
Bowing to the King of Kings
Jackson Vusaka was visiting the Ghotuo community in Nigeria. While there, he was invited to visit the king at his palace. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Jackson recalled. “I haven’t seen a king; I haven’t seen a palace. … But it was just a wonderful experience.”
When he arrived, both the king and queen were there, and what the team found was that the king had copies of the translated Gospel of Luke that he would give to every palace visitor. The king had also been faithfully participating in community reviews, a crucial phase in the translation process in which the translation team tests the translated Scripture for clarity and naturalness with the community.
Jackson shared, “As we speak, they have the New Testament, and the king has been a champion in that community — a champion to invite the community to say:
“This has been such an inspiring story. I have looked back and said, ‘Yeah, this is why God has brought me into this work’ — to see how He is working in the lives of such wonderful people, lives that are being transformed through His saving grace.”
Philippians 2:10-11 describes a future day where “… at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (NLT). And in this Nigerian community, that’s becoming reality — where the local king is bowing to the King of kings and declaring that Jesus is Lord. Praise God!
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Celebrating the Chuka New Testament
“Is that a Chuka Bible? Is that a Chuka Bible?”
The excitement was palpable in the Chuka community of Kenya in October 2025, when they gathered together to celebrate the dedication of their New Testament. For years, the Chuka people of Kenya yearned for the complete New Testament in their language. Then God brought pastors, translators and partners together to help finish the work.
Dr. Julian Dangerfield, senior pastor of Heritage Fellowship Church in Virginia and a Wycliffe board director, is passionate about mobilizing African American pastors and churches to join God in what He’s doing around the world. In 2022, he discovered that the Chuka New Testament was still missing five books.
When he heard about the need, he called some of his friends — like Bishop Daniel Robertson Jr., senior pastor of Mt. Gilead Full Gospel International Ministries (FGIM), and Dr. Bernard Fuller, senior pastor of New Song Bible Fellowship — to ask if they would prayerfully consider contributing to help complete the Chuka New Testament. And they said yes!
Partnering alongside Wycliffe Bible Translators and Bible Translation & Literacy of East Africa (BTL), these pastors got the opportunity to step into the story of how God is using His Word to transform the Chuka people. They participated not only through financial partnership and prayer but also by sending a group to Kenya for the New Testament dedication.
“People have received Christ, because now we understand the Word of God now better,” said Bishop Patrick Mutegi, a local Chuka pastor who participated in advising the translation project. “And some of those people who have not been coming to church, they have started coming to churches. This is just the beginning; this is just a seed.”
When reflecting back on the partnership with the Chuka church leaders and translation team, Dr. Dangerfield shared, “We will continue our prayer commitment, trusting the Lord to allow the Chuka people to become a beacon of light — not only in their geographical area but over this whole nation.”
You can pray for communities like the Chuka to be transformed by the Holy Spirit as they engage with God through Scripture — and that, out of that transformation, they would participate in seeing God’s Word translated for other communities still waiting.
Pray for God’s Global Mission
These are just a few of the stories that demonstrate the communities and lives being transformed by encountering Jesus personally through Scripture. Each person who has the opportunity to read, hear or see God’s Word come to life in their language creates a ripple effect, as they go on to share the Good News with others.
As Jesus’ followers, we’re called to be His ambassadors too. We are commissioned to “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NLT). We all have a part to play. Your part might look like:
- Praying for people to be transformed through Scripture: Whether you pray for people in your own family or community, or want to lift up prayer requests for communities around the world, your prayers matter. Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated; it just needs to be an honest conversation with God about what’s on your heart.
- Teaching kids about God’s heart for the world: Maybe you’re passionate about passing on the Good News to the next generation, or want to teach kids that God loves all people, no matter where they live or what language they use.
- Helping youth and young adults understand their Kingdom purpose: God made all of us on purpose and with a purpose, and each one of us has a unique set of gifts and talents to use for Him. You can help the youth and young adults in your life explore what their Kingdom purpose might be.
- Giving to advance God’s global mission: If God has called you to participate in His mission with your finances, giving to Bible translation might be the perfect way for you to contribute! There are many different ways to give, whether you partner through a monthly gift, donate to a missionary or give to projects.
- Joining the movement and serving in Bible translation: Perhaps you feel a pull to dedicate your life to seeing God’s Word made available to all people. If that’s you, then joining the movement by serving in Bible translation could be the right next step for you!
There’s no wrong way to get involved. Together, we have the joy and privilege of bringing our unique gifts and talents to advance the Kingdom, trusting that God will equip and empower His people to make disciples of all nations.
And as we step out in faithful obedience and trust, we can be confident that God will provide and make a way as He continues to answer Jesus’ prayer that we would be one, just as He and the Father are one. To God be the glory!
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