Asli* is 23 years old and works as a teacher in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat. She, along with other Christians in the country, is experiencing very harsh persecution. It is difficult for the church she attends to be registered, and without registration, the church cannot get its own church building. Christians who meet privately risk fines, imprisonment and eviction, and they cannot travel freely in and out of the country. If they don't deny their faith, they lose their jobs. In addition, Turkmen believers report that Bibles and Christian literature are confiscated and church services are disrupted. Even for registered congregations, it is still impossible to build proper church buildings and there are reports of churches being demolished.
Supporters of the Danish European Mission's Bible work help give the country's persecuted Christians what gives them the most comfort in this situation: the entire Bible in their native language. Turkmen Christians can now read the Book of Psalms in their mother tongue. In Psalm 23 we read: The Lord is my shepherd... Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me... (verse 4). By reading these words, Turkmen Christians can find themselves comforted and strengthened in their faith, even during persecution.
Today, only the New Testament and a few Old Testament books are available in Turkmen. Until now, Turkmen have been relegated to other parts of God's Word in Russian or Turkish, for example. 178 ethnic groups in the former Soviet Union are in the same situation, as they also still lack an entire Bible in their native language. Once the translation of the various parts of the Bible has been completed, they are continuously published, including on the internet, on CD and in print.
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Not only the country's Christians, but also the country's predominantly Muslim population needs the whole Word of God in their native language. In Romans 10:17 we read: Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. If people do not hear God's Word, faith will not be created in their lives. The task of translating God's Word into people's native languages is thus crucial for people to experience God's love through faith in Jesus Christ.
There is a significant difference between hearing the Word of God in a foreign language and in your mother tongue. This is the experience of Asli and the country's Turkmen Christians as they share the good news with their compatriots. A Turkmen Christian tells us: "We travel to the villages and talk about God. If we speak in Russian, they won't listen, but when we speak in our own language, they listen in a completely different way. We are very much looking forward to having the whole Bible in Turkmen."
With a Turkmen version of the Bible in hand, Turkmen Christians like Asli have a powerful tool to share the Gospel with their fellow countrymen. Using both the New and Old Testaments, she will be able to tell of the Son of God who gave his blood on the cross to wipe out the sin of the world and bring people back into fellowship with the Father. Translating the entire Bible into Turkmen will not only make a difference for the country's believers, but also for those Turkmen who have not yet received Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Thank you for your support - on behalf of the persecuted Turkmen Christians.
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* To protect the identity of Turkmen Christians, Asli's identity is constructed based on testimonies from Turkmen Christians and news reports from the country. The image shows a girl in traditional Turkmen dress (Wikimedia Commens).
