God is seeking to touch and change the hearts of people everywhere. That is why at DPM we put great effort into making Derek’s Bible teaching available in the native – or heart ─ language of nations around the world. And good things are happening! For example, in Kenya alone approximately 1,000 students are now studying Derek Prince’s teaching, in their own heart language, in 27 different schools.
Breaking the Curse
Other encouraging progress is being made in Africa. The Afrikaans translation of Blessing or Curse is almost ready for printing. In a culture where witchcraft and curses maintain a very real stronghold, this teaching from God’s Word has the power to bring about a mighty transformation. Such is the story of a retired accountant who recently visited our team in South Africa. He shared how his life was totally changed by reading Blessing or Curse, as well as by watching Derek’s teaching on YouTube. Although longtime Christians, he and his wife had always faced spiritual opposition. Derek’s teaching made him realize his family had been bound by ancestral worship. As a result, they moved to a place of their own, away from the oppressive influence, and they are now living a radically changed life.
“Although longtime Christians, he and his wife had always faced spiritual opposition. Derek’s teaching made him realize his family had been bound by ancestral worship.”
Being able to hear or read teaching from God’s Word in one’s own heart language is so important in engaging with it. For this reason, Derek Prince Ministries is working with local outreach workers throughout Africa who truly understand the languages and cultures of the people. Because of their ceaseless efforts and the prayers and donations of faithful supporters, these workers are making Derek’s Bible teaching more readily available, helping people to experience the power of God’s Word and Spirit.
In Namibia, for instance, Derek’s Bible teaching is being shared via radio, offering sound spiritual food that will help the local people find God and grow stronger in their faith. In the country of Zimbabwe, four books by Derek have recently been produced in Tonga, and five more in Shona. In Malawi, the Chichewa version of Life-Changing Spiritual Power is just starting to be distributed.
African Language Websites
In addition to providing Derek’s teaching through translated, printed material, DPM has recently created new websites for numerous countries, including Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa. The Afrikaans and Zulu language websites have also been launched.
In the past, because of high postage costs and frequent theft, we have often had to rely on outreach workers for material distribution. However, with these new websites, we can greatly broaden our impact, making Derek’s material much more accessible, especially to those who could not afford it previously. We are reaching areas we have never been able to reach before!
Translating: A Spiritual Work
The process of translating Derek’s Bible teaching is more than merely a matter of words. There is also a spiritual component to it. Our translators, proofreaders, designers, and printers often experience a wide variety of ‘unexpected’ hindrances while working on a translation. For that reason, we always seek to work with Spirit-filled believers, Christians who know how to stand strong in spiritual battles.
“The process of translating Derek’s Bible teaching is more than merely a matter of words. There is also a spiritual component to it.”
Bishop Samuel Ogalo is one of the translators who worked on the Luo version of the NIV Bible. He was also involved in translating Derek’s Self Study Bible Course and Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting in Luo. We asked Bishop Ogalo, who is from Kenya, to share his experiences with translating Derek’s teaching into Luo. Luo, also called Dholuo, is spoken by about 4.2 million people of Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. He informed us:
“We have a team of six people working together on translation projects, because a book is translated in several ways at the same time. Therefore, we work with translators who have Luo as their first language and English as their second language. This gives them the authority to put the text from English into their own language. But there is more to it than simply translating. We also need to understand and convey Biblical concepts in terms of African culture. Careful proofreading is yet another element of the process, as is external language testing.”
When we asked Bishop Ogalo why he is so eager to get Derek Prince’s Bible teaching in Luo, he shared:
“Derek Prince is a world-class Bible teacher. No one measures up to his level of understanding spiritual matters. One thing that stands out to me about his teaching is Derek’s deep Biblical knowledge, which he shares so clearly and persuasively. That's why we really cherish and love his teachings.”
You can watch the interview with Bishop Ogalo in the video below.
We thank all the DPM supporters who have prayed for our outreach workers in Africa, and who have donated towards our ministry there to help touch the hearts of these precious people.
