Ecuador (MNN) — The JESUS Film Project celebrates its 2,100th translation of the JESUS Film. This historic translation brings the Gospel to life in the Waorani tribe’s language from Ecuador.
You may recognize the Waorani tribe; their spearing party killed five American Christian missionaries back in 1956.
“We were requested about a year ago to do the Waorani language,” says Chris Deckert, JFP’s Language Studios Director. “They’ve been in the spotlight of missions for many, many years after what happened with Jim Elliot and Nate Saint.”
Redemption comes full circle on multiple fronts. First, the Waorani warrior who killed Nate Saint – Mincaye – later came to Christ.
Deckert poses for a photo with Mincaye’s grandson.
(Photo courtesy of The JESUS Film Project)
“I got to meet his three grandsons, and his older grandson helped translate the Gospel into Waorani at the end of the film premiere.”
Members of the same tribe who martyred five missionaries decades ago are now preparing to introduce their neighboring tribes to Christ.
After premiering the JESUS Film last weekend, JFP staff equipped Waorani believers to be local missionaries. “Twenty of the local leaders receive training on how to show the JESUS Film with a tablet so they could go from village to village on a weekly basis,” Deckert says.
Now, using new tools in the Waorani language, “they can go through Bible studies and understand more about who Jesus is from the Gospel of Luke.”
It’s illegal for Western missionaries to share Christ with certain Amazonian tribes, but the Waorani have full access. Pray they will yield to the Lord’s calling and direction.
“They asked for prayer for God to give them strength and vision to present the Gospel and reach out beyond their own tribe to other tribes,” Deckert says.
“They now have been resourced to go out and share the Gospel [with] other language groups of the Amazon jungle.”
Header and story images courtesy of The JESUS Film Project.
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