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"More than Anything Else"
2012-01-10, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	Boris Ruskamalov, a Khanti evangelist attended a Finno-Ugric conference in Stockholm in the middle of November, 2011. He says: "When I first saw the Gospel of Mark in the Khanti language, I experienced great joy in my heart. I finally understood that God speaks Khanti, and that I may converse with Him in my own mother tongue." Many Khantis believe that Jesus is a Russian God who must be worshipped and prayed to strictly in the Russian language. Like so many other Khantis, Boris' father died as a result of alcoholism. This is a scourge that plagues large numbers of people in Russia, resulting in a barely 40-year life expectancy for Khanti men. Boris grew up in an orphanage. Following his military service he became a fisherman -- just like his parents before him. But, he experienced life as meaningless, and began drinking. Soon he too was destined for an early death. Read More: http://www.ibtpartners.org/ta_ext/ta_ext_6.php

Tuvins Receive the Entire Bible
2011-09-23, Brane Kalcevic kalcevic@ibtnet.org
	The 7th of August was a great day for all of IBT and the entire Tuvin people. After 18 years of intercession, planning, and hard work, the first complete Bible, translated into the Tuvin language, was made available to the Tuvin nation. As late as the early 1990s, no portion of the Bible had ever been translated into this language. The ceremony to introduce the Bible into the Tuvin culture lasted all of four hours! Representatives from eleven different churches participated bringing greetings in word and song, The main translator, Mr. Nikolai Kuular, emphasized that "translating the Bible is the greatest work I have ever done in my whole life," and Eduard Mizhit, also a translator, added that "today is a great day, especially for all believers in Tuva. It is my desire that you would strengthen your faith and knowledge by reading the Word of God. Many others shared how the Bible had impact their lives. One of the women learned to know about the Bible through the Children's Bible, published by IBT in 2001. "Now," she said, "my life is completely changed." Read more: http://www.ibtpartners.org/ta_ext/ta_ext_5.php

The New Testament in North-Karelian
2011-08-28, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	The completion of the North-Karelian New Testament was celebrated in Vuokkiniemi, a village in Russian Karelia, on July 30, 2011. The presentation, held in the village community hall, was organized by the National Political and Religious Committee of Karelia together with Institute for Bible Translation's Helsinki office and local Vuokkiniemi village leaders. The event generated great interest among the villagers in spite of the onset of this year's berry-picking season, which at this time of year is an important income producing activity in the region. Father Nikodim, the village priest of the orthodox church in Kostamus blessed the New Testament. The administration of the Karelian Republic was represented by Elizaveta Haritonova who stressed the cultural importance of the arrival of the New Testament in the North Karelian language. She suggested that the village community hall could become a place for people to gather in order to read the New Testament together. Read more here: http://www.ibtpartners.org/ta_ext/ta_ext_4.php

THE MORDVINS FIND GOD
2011-08-27, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	"The Word of God in the mother tongue leads people to faith," says Alexei Alyoshin, the parish priest of the Evangelical Lutheran church in Saransk. "Our worship services are attended by both Mordvin Moksha and Mordvin Erzya speakers, as well as by Russians. That's why we preach in Russian. The Bible texts, however, are also read in Erzya and Moksha. Because preaching in the heart language of the people has led many to accept the Lord, and since we discovered that they long to hear the sermons in their mother tongue, we now consider conducting services also in the two Mordvin languages." In the countryside, it is especially desirable to provide the Word of God in the heart languages. "We need the Bible in our own language because in the villages there are untold numbers of people without sufficient command of the Russian language to meaningfully read the Bible," says Tatyana, a member of an evangelical church in the village of Shaigov. In order to reach as many Mordvinians as possible with the Gospel, the books of Luke and Acts have been recorded this Spring in both Mordvin Erzya and Mordvin Moksha. This effort is a partnership project where various churches in Saransk are engaged. One of the evangelical churches opened its recording studio, and the Lutheran church provided the readers. Stau and Ian Cottrell served as technicians, and the recordings will be distributed in CD and MP3 formats, as well as via local radio. In 2006, the New Testament was completed in Mordvin Erzya, and in the Fall of 2011 the Book of Psalms will be published. In about two years, the New Testament will be finished also in Mordvin Moksha, but they have already received the Four Gospels, Acts, and the Epistle to the Romans. This month's project: Your gift this month will support Bible translation for the two Mordvin speaking peoples in the Volga region of Russia.

Komi Children's Bible Introduced
2011-03-24, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	We have joyful greetings from Komi: The distribution of the Komi Children's Bible has begun! As soon as the truck carrying the books arrived (the Komi Children's Bible was printed in Izhevsk in the Volga region last December and transported from there to Syktyvkar in the beginning of 2011) a celebration of thanksgiving was held, and the transportation of the books to village after village began. The celebration to officially launch the Children's Bible among the Komi people was held on March 21, 2011. It was a wonderful celebration of joy and thanksgiving. Participants included believers from different parts of the Komi region along with the Orthodox Bishop Pitirim, pastors of the protestant churches, representatives of governmental ministries, writers and photographers of the Media, as well as teachers and students from Komi educational institutions. In Komi, the year 2011 has been named The Year of Children, and believers say that the publication of the Children's Bible could not have happened at any better time than this. Books have been ordered by schools and libraries, and the churches are waiting for them everywhere. Thank you so much for your remarkable support for this project! We believe the book will be a great blessing for the people of Komi. The book is read by both adults and children alike. It has a message that speaks to all, young and old. Read more: http://www.ibtpartners.org/nl/1103/nl_1103.php

The Bread of Life to Karelians
2010-12-11, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	The Karelian language received minority language status in Finland at the end of 2009. This change also encouraged Karelians in Russia who were forbidden to use their mother tongue during Soviet times. Children who spoke Karelian rather than Russian during school hours were punished. This insensitive treatment left deep wounds in the national soul of the people. With great sorrow a retired principal remembers how she was forced to punish the students who chatted with one another in Karelian. Today she is a believer in Jesus and while she is now retired she leads a club at school where the children learn more and more of the Karelian language and culture. Many younger Karelian teachers and journalists are enthusiastic about developing and using their mother tongue. Teachers and pre-school personnel eagerly look for teaching materials, and Bible portions translated by IBT are frequently used in this mother tongue education. The four Gospels have been recorded and produced on CDs, and the New Testament and Psalms are available in MP3 format. These books and recordings are used in children's homes where teachers feel it is important to provide the children with materials in their heart language. Read more here: http://www.ibtpartners.org/ta_ext/ta_ext_3.php

YEAR-ROUND ANGEL TREE
2010-10-20, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	“The Angel Tree” ministry continues to reach out to children whose parents are imprisoned. The churches involved in the ministry work with children not only at Christmas time, but also during the summers. Last summer, a number of children’s camps in Russia and Finland were visited, for example. “These are children who are most at risk,” says Jan Volkov, the director of The Angel Tree ministry in Russia, “because they are without parents to provide them with care and guidance. They are children who will easily follow in their parents' foot steps. Statistics prove that the majority of them will end up in prison for the same or other offenses as those committed by their parents. The fall-out of their parents imprisonment seriously affects these children. As they grow, they often feel abandoned, not loved, and even isolated from other children and adults.” During summer camps and other gatherings, the children are exposed to positive experiences in safe surroundings where play, sports, and cultural programs enrich their minds. “In this way,” says Volkov, “Russian believers are able to work with the children during the summer months ministering much love and care to them. Every day they pray for the children and their future.” Naturally, the believers also gather the children together for Bible reading sharing with them the love of Jesus. In this, the IBT Children’s Bible printed in Stockholm plays a significant role. “Many children read the Bible for the very first time with the help of these books,” according to Volkov. Read more here: F:\MyDocuments\websites\ibt\website\nl\1009\nl_1009.php

FINNO-UGRIC BELIEVERS MEET IN FINLAND
2010-05-25, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	In mid November 2009 representatives from almost all 15 Finno Ugric peoples met for a conference in Tampere, Finland. In addition to delegates from the Finno Ugric peoples in Russia, a Hungarian delegation headed by Albert Pataky of the Hungarian Pentecostal Association also participated.. Pastor Daniil Popov represented a large group from the Evangelical Church in Komi, Russia. Among them were our two Komi Bible translators Nina Vattuleva and Iraida Popova. Larissa Orzayeva, also one of our translators, arrived with a group from Mari. Udmurts, Mordvinians, Khantis, and Estonians were represented at the conference, as well. Read more here: http://www.ibtpartners.org/ta_ext/ta_ext_2.php

The New Testament is My Best Friend
2010-04-20, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	My name is Julia Isakova, and I want to tell you about a wonderful transformation that took place in my life. I was born in a Komi village in northern Russia. We are Komi people, not Russians. Some Russian Christians gave me a Russian Bible. “Read about God the Creator who loves you,” they said. I read and read and read, but the message of the text never touched my soul. But then I received “Vyl Köshyshöm,” the New Testament in the Komi language. I simply can’t tell you how grateful I was to receive that book. I love it! The New Testament in Komi is my guide and best friend. In it I find help and guidance when I meet up with various questions and situations in my life. Now, I study the Bible with the help of a Russian correspondence course; such courses are not yet available in Komi. Often it is difficult to understand the Russian Bible translation, but through the Komi New Testament I’m beginning to understand even the most difficult passages. Every day, I read the Komi New Testament and I meet Jesus in the Word. Indeed, I thank God that He knows my language! When He speaks to me in Komi, I understand Him! I extend sincere thanks to all of you who participate in making The Word available in my Komi language, the language my people understand. I only wish that every Komi speaker would open this book and that through its message their eyes will be opened to see Jesus, and the salvation God sent us through Him. Without Jesus, there is no life – only a dead-end street. I remember you in my prayers. Read more here. http://www.ibtpartners.org/ta_ext/ta_ext_1.php Julia Isakova December, 2009

Meeting People in the CIS
2010-01-18, Curt Gustafsson gustafsson@ibtnet.org
	In the former Soviet Union, you meet an incredibly rich and varied cultural and linguistic heritage. Within the mountainous Caucasus alone, you find 40 people groups, each with its own language and identity. Millions of Central Asians make up nations of Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Tajics, along with smaller groups like Karakalpaks, Dungans, and Yazguliamis. Along the Volga River, you find Tatars and Bashkirs, living alongside Finno-Ugric peoples. To this point, the Bible, or portions of it, has been published in about 60 languages of the former USSR – in many cases for the first time ever. We have helped 5 people groups receive the complete Bible. The New Testament has been printed in 26 languages and the IBT Children’s Bible in 40. Portions of the Bible have been published in 43 languages. The total quantity printed exceeds 12 million copies. Growing churches are in dire need of the Bible. Newly independent nations – even Islamic ones – welcome translations of the Bible in into their languages. Perhaps you’d like to partner with us to meet the need for Scriptures in these languages. Your support in prayer and finances is warmly welcomed.

INSTITUTE FOR BIBLE TRANSLATION
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Institute for Bible Translation is a non-profit organization founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973. Under its international "umbrella" (IBT-I),
the autonomous IBT national organizations in Finland, Sweden, Canada, and the United States cooperate in the translation and publishing of
Scriptures primarily in the languages spoken in the Commonwealth of Independent States (the former Soviet Union).
One of IBT's operational centers is located in Helsinki, Finland.
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