This 5-minute video shows the emotions of the Kimyal community in West Papua, Indonesia, as they receive the first copies of the New Testament in their language. Dancing, weeping and praying, the Kimyal people welcome God’s Word into their remote village and talk of how it will change their lives.
Work on the translation of the New Testament into Kimyal was begun in 1963 by Regions Beyond Mission Union (now World Team) missionaries Phil and Phyliss Masters who moved to West Papua, Indonesia, to evangelise the Kimyal people. Sadly, Phil Masters and a fellow missionary Stan Dale were killed by members of the neighbouring Yali tribe and the translation work was halted. However, the work eventually resumed and the New Testament was completed in early 2010 by a Kimyal translation team led by another World Team missionary, Rosa Kidd.
The Kimyal translators Welega Pusup and Menas Mirin, who had received instruction in translation principles during UBS Translation Workshops, played a key role in the translation team. UBS Translation Consultant Dr Lourens de Vries was also involved in ensuring the high standard of the translation. As is the case with many other translation projects in Indonesian Papua, the Kimyal project was a joint effort of the mission, the regional and local churches, the Indonesian Bible Society and UBS, each contributing crucial elements to the translation project.
The Kimyal New Testament was published by the Indonesian Bible Society in March 2010, and was welcomed by the community during a highly emotional celebration in Korupun, West Papua.
The video footage was shot by Dianne Becker.
