Multi-Language Versions
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
《Mark 16:15》
.
Entering the mission field
SOWIM uses Chinese, English, Arabic, Spanish and other dialects to spread the truth of the Bible and the salvation of Jesus Christ all around the world like sowing seeds. Each set of teaching materials includes Bible study guides and videos that offer scripture expositionand personal immersion into the reality of biblical events. Each film has incisive explanation of the Bible, on-site shooting of the historical sites and cultural relics, vivid 3D animations and illustrations, realistic drama restored scenes, etc. Together with the scriptures, these videos are an indispensable tool for a concrete understanding of the Bible. These biblical resources are most welcomed by Sunday schools, Bible study fellowships, and international missions among 38 nations worldwide.
We are witnessing with our own eyes the videos produced by SOWIM are like seeds, carried by the wind of the Holy Spirit, sowing in different countries, preaching the truth of the Bible in the local languages. They are the valuable and vital resources for healthy and vibrant growth of churches and the solid rooting of faith among the Christ followers.
Spanish
According to statistics, there are currently more than 595 million people in the world whose mother tongue or second language is Spanish, which is the second most spoken language in the world. It is mainly used in Latin America and Spain. Spanish is also listed as the official language of the United Nations and the European Union.
Starting from year 2016, God has grouped five churches in Southern California with one sharedvision – to carry out a long-term evangelical ministry in Mexico. Soon they realized the lack of local spiritual resources among the pastors, and solid biblical equipment are terribly needed. In 2023, Rev. Steven Wang of Evangelical Formosan Church of Irvineidentified the SOWIM Discipleship Bible Study serles are great toolsto meet the needs in Mexico.Meanwhile, God built a bridge between SOWIM and the Spanish translatorsin a miraculous way. By the spring of 2023, the translation of the 1st and 2nd “Book of Samuel” officially began. The first set of “1 Samuel” Discipleship Bible Study materials in Spanish is released in August 2023.
It is an amazing journey and one that fills us with gratitude. In this process, we realize that God himself is the one whomakes all it possible – “producing seed to the farmer and food to the hungry” (Isaiah 55:10, NLT). If your church has missionary work in the United States or in Central and South America, SOWIM is willing to be your partner to evangelize among Hispanic churches.You are welcome to contact SOWIM office in North America – info@sowim.org; 949-502-5688. Let us sow the seedstogether and bring God’s abundant spiritual food to every part of the world, we will see the earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea!
Would you also like to work with us in tilling the soil and sowing seeds? If you are moved by the work of Spanish translation, you are welcome to support us through donations!
English
The author of Ethnologue: Languages of the World points out that English is the most commonly used language in the world. The production and distribution of the English version of SOWIM Discipleship Bible Study series has always been a very important work of SOWIM.
English is a vital element for us to spread God’s words to the ends of the earth. With these English biblical resources, we are not only able to provide and meet the needs of the local churches in the United States, but more importantly, we have the opportunity to let mission partners in the world that use other languages to come to know us, and to further translate the SOWIM Discipleship Bible Study series into other languages!
We are honored to cooperate with professional and godly English translators and proofreaders from North America, Taiwan, and Malaysia. To date, SOWIM has published the English version of TheBook of Esther, TheBook of Ruth, TheBook of Ezra, TheBook of Nehemiah, and TheBook of Joshua. Meanwhile, the English version of The Book of Job and Psalms are in the process of being translated and produced.
These completed multimedia audio-visual Discipleship Bible Study sets are not only fascinating but affirmed by many. Our mission partners in Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Nepal have also come to know us via the English version of SOWIM multimedia Bible teaching materials. The Bible told us: “But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14). Your prayers and donations in supporting the English translation ministry will make impacton this generation, and make ways for God’s words to fill the empty and wandering souls of the world with true joy and hope.
Would you also like to work with us in tilling the soil and sowing seeds? If you are moved by the work of English translation, you are welcome to support us through donations!
According to the latest survey in 2022, Arabic, which used to be the fifth most used language in the world has recently advanced one place to become the fourth. The latest statistics also shows that the population of Arabic speakers in the world is about 295 million people, mostly concentrated in Central Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Arabic
Pastor Basim Adley of First Evangelical Church of Asyut and Dr. Hisham Kamel of Arabic Communication Centre are the faithful and important mission partners of SOWIM. They have helped SOWIM organise many pastoral conferences in cities such as Cairo, El Menia and Asyut, providing SOWIM biblical resources to more than 600 pastors of 200 different churches. SOWIM has to date produced the Arabic version of The Book of Ezra, the Book of Nehemiah, the Book of Esther and The Book of Ruth multimedia audio-visual Bible reading materials. An Arabic version of The Book of Job is also in the making.
The Arabic biblical resources play a key role get to loosen and level up the hard ground of gospel. Dr. Kamel once shared an example: He was invited to visit a prime minister (now deceased) in the Middle East. He presented the Arabic Bible in his hand as a gift. The prime minister told Dr. Kamel that he had always been curious about the Christian Bible, but nobody had ever shared with him the gospel, or even handed him a Bible. He was very happy that he finally had one in his possession.
The Discipleship Bible Study series are written in a style that is easy to understand and suitable for the use of small groups and church fellowship. They are not only recommended and supported by Dr. Kamel and Pastor Adley, but they are also helping in ensuring the translation quality. The one and only Christian Bible seminary in Cairo, Egypt, is gladly usingthese biblical materials to equip the theological students, pastoral staffs, and missionaries. Every year, via “Muslim 1000 project”, 1000 sets of Arabic version of these Discipleship Bible Study series were printed and distributed in Egypt, illuminating the land with God’s words.
We sincerely invite you to pray and donate for the “1000 Muslims” initiative! We welcome you to sow seeds together with us, and we must rejoice in the harvest!
Napali
Nepal, which is regarded by many as a “paradise” with its beautiful alpine terrain, has a population around 29 million despite its small land size. According to the 2011 population census, Hindus accounted for more than 81% of Nepal population, Buddhists accounted for 9%, Muslims accounted for 4.4%, and Christians only 1.4% which is significantly a minority.
There are only about 8,000 Catholics in Nepal, but it is estimated that there are 3-5 million Christians belonging to approximately 12,000 churches; most of these churches are located in the impoverished rural heartland of Nepal. The World Database of Christians lists Nepal as one of the fastest-growing Christian communities.
However, the work of the Holy Spirit in Nepal is fast moving! The World Christian Database listed Nepal as one of the fastest growing Christian communities. Rev. Milan Sedai, the senior pastor of a church network of 14 local churches in Nepal, understands people’s needs for good biblical resourceslike Discipleship SOWIM Bible Study series and starts translating the “Book of Ruth” into Nepali. In the past two years, the pandemic had not only greatly impacted the finance of local churches, but also many pastors had passed away due to illness, creating a “leadership vacuum” in the churches. When congregation gatheringsare forced intothe platform of Online meetings, SOWIM’s multimedia Bible study movies and resources become an effective way of learning the words of God.
We earnestly hope that the next Nepali translation of the “Book of Nehemiah” can be completed soon, and that translation of all the published SOWIM Discipleship Bible Study series can be available in Nepali. May millions of the Nepali people who have never heard of the gospels are able to learn God’s words in their own languages through the tireless efforts of SOWIM Multilingual Translation Ministry. You can join the calling of God by your faithful participation.
Would you also like to work with us in tilling the soil and sowing seeds? If you are moved by the work of Nepali translation, you are welcome to support us through donations!