Origin of the Project
A couple of years ago, Team Expansion was approached by the director of an organization doing Bible translation. He connected us to a team translating Scriptures into the Ibwe (codename) language. There are several million Ibwe people living in the Southeast Asian country where this work was focused.
The director had heard about our implementation of the fruitful practices of disciple-making movements (DMM) and asked that we partner with the team to find, train, and support national workers who would use the Scriptures and Bible stories they had created to reach the Ibwe people with the Gospel.
Obstacles for the Gospel
The Ibwe people believe that to be Ibwe is to be Muslim. Anyone converting to Christianity is rejected by their family and community. They are also in danger of being harmed by the religious community. The country where the Ibwe live is in the top 35 countries in world for persecution of Christians according to the Open Doors Watchlist.
Because they choose to isolate socially from other groups, most Ibwe have no opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus. The Ibwe language is very different from other languages in the region and is difficult to learn, which adds to their isolation and to the difficulty of reaching them with the Gospel.
Launching Workers
Team Expansion has worked with local believer to launch this project. Through the grace of God, we have found 5 national believers who have answered the call to take the Gospel to the Ibwe. These believers have been trained in the fruitful practices of disciple-making and in community development.
The believers have moved into an Ibwe community and are earnestly seeking God’s guidance as they prayer walk in the community and build relationships. They have offered community development projects to local schools. One school welcomed them in to educate the staff and students about the hazards of the plastics and other trash that litter the ground in their community. They challenged students to gather trash and gave prizes to students who gathered the most. They then taught the students to make bricks out of the plastic trash. They also taught them to make eco-enzymes out of banana peels and other fruit waste.
Prayer Requests from the Team
- Pray for more prayer warriors, and for our health, and family life.
- Pray we will build good relationships and find persons of peace.
- Pray that God will work among the Ibwe and make them thirst for the truth.
Learn more here about this project or get in touch with us.
