On an Island Without the Bible

Bethany DuVal suzanne.pearson • Jan 13, 2020

Imagine this: You’re on an island, and you can only keep a few Bible verses. The rest will be wiped from your memory. Which verses do you choose?

Give it just a little thought, and the question quickly becomes complicated.

You could use up all the verses on explaining Gospel. But what about God’s character? What pleases God? How does He think of you? How should you relate to others in light of Christ?

Even if you had years to choose, you would agonize over what you were missing.

But you might understand a little of what Simson Dowansiba felt.

Simson longed to follow God, but only a few Bible verses had ever been translated into his language. And following God was a new concept to everyone else in his tribe, too.

Just a few years before, they didn’t know there was a God to follow.

Missionaries Broke the Tribe’s Isolation

Simson grew up in the mountains of Irian Jaya , now Papua , Indonesia. Other nations vied for control of the island, but with no roads inland, local tribes maintained their control of the mountains.

It was a blessing and a curse.

Simson’s tribe, the Hatam, preserved their culture. And yet, they had many problems — and no differing perspectives to help them solve them.

The tribes were constantly at war. Husbands treated their wives as slaves. No one trusted anyone. And instead of God, they worshiped spirits in trees, mountains, rivers and animals.

But when Simson was a small boy, two TEAM missionary couples dared to enter Simson’s mountain community. They said there was an afterlife and a God of love. The message amazed the Hatam.

Simson’s parents were among the first people to believe. Many more followed, including Simson.

Verses on Index Cards Weren’t Enough

The missionaries started church services and Bible classes, but the Hatam people were hungry for more. Now that they had found God, they wanted to know Him intimately.

As he learned the language, TEAM missionary Dick Griffiths started translating Bible verses into Hatam and handing them out on index cards.

TEAM missionaries Dick and Char Griffiths worked in tandem to bring Scripture to the Hatam. Dick led a Bible translation team, and Char taught people how to read the new translation.

The Hatam people devoured these small snippets of God’s word.

“When they had memorized [the verses], they would teach other people,” Simson says. “Whether in their homes, in front of their houses, in the streets, in their gardens, they would teach each other about these Hatam verses which they had memorized.”

It was a good start, but Simson and his tribe wanted more. They soaked up the missionaries’ Bible lessons, trying to learn as much as they could about the parts of Scripture that hadn’t been translated.

The missionaries started sending tribesmen away to Bible school so the people could have more teachers. Simson was one of them.

After graduation, Dick Griffiths invited Simson to work on the project of his life: a Hatam Bible translation.

Bible Translation Transformed the Tribe

Dick had been learning the Hatam language, but he needed native speakers to ensure his accuracy.

“I didn’t understand the process, I didn’t know exactly how to assist with the correction,” Simson says. But the other members of the committee explained how to read the passages and choose the best words.

After Dick translated a passage, he would distribute copies to the committee members, and they would read over it for the next three or four days. Then the committee would suggest word changes or restructure sentences.

When the team encountered complex verses, they met with linguistic consultants who knew Hebrew, Greek and English.

As new sections of the Bible were released, Dick’s wife, Charlotte, began teaching literacy classes so people could read Scripture for themselves.

Simson saw a clear change in his community, especially among the women. They began teaching Bible classes, leading their children in devotionals and teaching Sunday school classes.

“That opened up a whole new world of women being able to serve … in their families, in their churches and so on,” Simson says.

But translating the Bible can easily take a missionary’s entire career — or longer. By the time Dick Griffiths was ready to retire, the team had translated the New Testament. But they still had 25 percent of the Old Testament left.

Dick needed a local man to continue in his place. He chose Simson.

Simson knew he wasn’t the most qualified. The other men just had too many responsibilities to take on the immense role. “But I believed that God had chosen me to carry on this role, so He will give me the wisdom and the strength to carry on this ministry,” Simson says.

Most qualified or not, Simson knew he had to finish the job.

‘Because I Could Read it for Myself’

During those final years of translation, Simson felt God’s leading in a special way.

“I feel that the Holy Spirit would actually give me words that were suited for that translation in Hatam,” Simson says.

Simson has watched the Hatam-language Bible transform his tribe. A desire to read the Bible has led to an emphasis on education, and the truth of God’s word has transformed relationships.

In 2008, Simson and the translation committee finished the Hatam Bible translation a TEAM missionary had begun. The first time he held a printed copy in his hands, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

“The difference between memorizing a verse with holding the Bible in one’s own hand is a very big difference,” Simson says. “Because I could read it for myself and contemplate and understand it, then carry it out and teach other people as well.”

Through God’s word, the Hatam have changed from a violent, fearful people to a community of peace, love and generosity.

Since Indonesia took ownership of Papua, the Hatam Bible has played an integral role in preserving Hatam culture. And the desire to read the Bible has led to an emphasis on education that has opened doors for Hatam people to serve in government offices.

But for Simson Dowansiba, the importance of the Hatam Bible translation goes far beyond the Hatam tribe.

Papua is home to 249 languages. Only two of them have full Bible translations.

“When I preach,” Simson says, “I always tell my people that we have a greater responsibility to read God’s word and serve God — because we have been given a complete Bible in our language.”

As the Hatam study God’s word, they are sending missionaries of their own to unreached tribes. One day, they pray that every tribe and tongue will know His word for themselves.

Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024
TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024
Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.
Share by: