MAF flights are multiplying the effectiveness of missionaries and local believers, working together to translate the Bible into every heart language across Madagascar.
“It is important for the Masikoro people to have the word of God in their own language, as a proof that God is speaking to them,” said Pastor Clovis Rembohony who has been part of Together in Bible Translation (TIBT) since 2001 and now leads the Masikoro team in the south.
“Many people do not understand the Bible written in the official Malagasy and it is dangerous because there is wrong translation, that is why this work is very important.”
From remote regions to communities scattered across the island, TIBT works with a wide range of Malagasy groups, each with its own language. Reaching them is no small task.
“MAF helped by bringing two quadbikes in the plane to Betroka,” said Leoni Bouwer, a missionary from South Africa who has been part of TIBT since 1996.
“And we could use those quads and four of us could leave Betroka early in the morning to drive the quads to Ianakafy, 90 km from there. And then we did our work and then we rode the quads back. It was wonderful.
“MAF also helped us in other regions. For example, close to Besalampy on the west coast, north of Maintirano, in a village there, where they had an airstrip, and they brought the quads and we could ride from the airstrip to the village, do our work, ride back, and MAF brought us home.
“We believe this is a work that God’s church needs to be involved in. And that means all of us who are believers."
“MAF has helped bring local translators from those difficult areas to the workshops we hold. Without MAF, many of our translators wouldn’t be able to attend.”
We believe this is a work that God’s church needs to be involved in. And that means all of us who are believers.
That same reliability is crucial for translation consultants like Ada Vultur, who has served in Madagascar since 2014.
“I flew with MAF to Mandritsara,” Ada said. “You fly a few hours, and then you’re there, and you can still work that day. For elderly translators especially, that makes all the difference.”
Ada, sent by Wycliffe Romania, works with TIBT as a translation consultant and manages much of the office work in Tulear.
“To be able to work with the Bible directly is a privilege,” she said.
TIBT teams are active across the country, from the Tsimihety in the north to the Bara and Tandroy in the south. And in places like Mandritsara, traveling by road can be very tiring.
“During the rainy season, the road to Mandritsara takes about 30 hours or more,” said Debbie Simpson, a missionary from Northern Ireland who has lived among the Tsimihety people for over 21 years.
“It’s a no-brainer. You must go by MAF if you want to be safe.”
You must go by MAF if you want to be safe
Debbie has seen the need for this work firsthand: “They don’t understand the Bible in official Malagasy.
“I always knew it was important they had a Bible or even just portions of scripture that they could understand.”
The team Debbie works with has already published the Gospel of Luke in the Tsimihety language and is now completing a new Scripture series titled God’s Wonderful Plan. “We’ve been working for almost eight years,” she said.
A turning point for her came in 2010 while she was attending a church in Mandritsara.
“They didn't know that a rainbow was in the Bible, because it was a different word in the official Bible that they had been using. So, I was convinced back then that they needed a Bible they could understand.”