Three generations of my family have been involved in Bible translation work. I watched my father and his father doing several different things in regard to Bible translation, like using a duplicating machine to print Scripture portions for checking, and using a typewriter – the “clicking and cracking” noises became a normal sound of my childhood.
SIL translator Ernie Richert came to our language group in 1957 to translate Bible into our language. My grandfather was a great hunter so when Ernie Richert asked for a helper, the elders of the village said to each other, "Get that hunter (Grandpa) to help Ernie". So that is how my grandpa got into the work of Bible translation. Eventually, my grandfather became the chairman of the Guhu Samane translation team.
My father joined the work in 1965. He was recruited while serving in Lae Police Barracks for a couple of months. The village elders sent word to Ernie Richert that he should pull my father out from the Police Barracks to make him his ‘mangi master’ (white skin boy helper) along with his younger brother. After some time he was then asked to help at the translation table.
Bible translation had brought a change to my people. In 1911 the first missionaries came into the language area and taught people to read and write in the local church language, Kâte. It took them many years to preach and teach in the church language since it was difficult for my people to understand. However, when the Guhu Samane New Testament was dedicated it sold 2000 copies within two months. Two years after the Guhu Samane New Testament was dedicated, a mass revival broke and the whole area was changed because my people read the Bible in their own language, understood it, and practised what they read.
