‘We are now closer to God’

When Laminu first put his trust in the Lord, he began riding his bicycle 17 miles each week to the nearest church, and 17 miles back home.

Laminu is one of the Koma people who live in the Northern Region of Ghana and speak Konni. He comes from the village of Nangruma, which had neither a church nor a formal school. Koma villages are sometimes described by their neighbours as ‘overseas’, because all the major paths leading to the area cross rivers and are impassable by vehicles in the rainy season.

In the 1990s, a young graduate called Konlan Kpeebi came to work with the Koma people. The community wondered – would he agree to stay in an area that wasn’t accessible in the rainy season? But Konlan told them not to worry; he was prepared to live with them. Because of his commitment to them, they gave him the Konni name Minchoti, meaning ‘God loves us’.

Over the years, Konlan was joined by Koma colleagues as he began literacy, Bible translation and Scripture-use programmes.

‘With respect to education,’ says Konlan, ‘the kids have been taught in English by non-Konni speakers. As a result Koma children had a hard time learning to read and write.’ However, he explains, new mother-tongue literacy classes mean that ‘most Koma children now learn how to read and write in Konni before bridging into English. This has radically made reading simpler for the kids.’

And not just for children – adult literacy classes mean that those who never got the chance to learn to read in their own language as children can learn too.

Laminu was one of those who benefited from literacy classes in his village. And when the Konni New Testament was launched in 2006, Laminu bought a copy for himself.

‘As there are no churches in his village,’ Konlan says, ‘we also gave him numerous Scripture guidebooks to help him and others in his village understand God’s word. After reading through the books and portions of the Bible, Laminu was convinced that the Konni New Testament was truly the word of God, and he decided to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

‘Because there was no church in his village, nearly every week for a year, Laminu rode his bicycle more than 17 miles one way to Yikpabongo, another Koma community, that has a church.’

And six years ago, Laminu was able to start a small fellowship in his own village.

‘Laminu’s testimony proves that God’s word translated into minority languages can lead people to Christ,’ Konlan says.

As the Koma team continued to translate the Old Testament into Konni, Laminu was one of many Koma Christians helping them to check that their translation was clear, accurate and natural.

‘The translation of the whole Bible is a marathon and a herculean task,’ says Konlan. But after decades of dedicated work, the team has now finished translating the whole Bible into Konni. They have also been recording the audio Bible so that those who haven’t yet been able to benefit from literacy classes will also be able to experience the joy of God’s word in their language.

Many Koma people are eagerly anticipating the publication and launch of the Bible in their own language this year. But even before it has been published, people like Laminu are seeing God transform their lives as they get to know him through the Bible in their own language.

‘When one Koma young man visited me at our office,’ says Konlan, ‘I took him to the department where the typesetter was working on Psalm 103 and he read it in his language. Later he remarked, “We are now closer to God than before.”’