Marcelino is a member of the Sertanejo community in Brazil where most people are oral learners. For some time, Marcelino had wanted to share the gospel with his people, but didn’t know how. The Spoken Oral Bible Translation team has been producing oral Bible translations for Marcelino and other community members like him who want to help spread the gospel. The team recently gave him finished recordings of the Book of Ruth and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, making it possible for him to share God’s Word with his local community. Below is his testimony.

Something remarkable

“Janicleiton (a member of the Sertanejo OBT team) introduced me to this Oral Bible Translation project. At the first planned community check, where we shared the audio Scripture to make sure it sounded natural in my language, one of the homeowners hesitated to participate, concerned about religious discussions. I assured her we weren’t there to debate religion but to listen together and invited her to judge for herself.

As we listened, something remarkable happened—the joy in people’s eyes as they heard the Bible in their language so clearly for the first time. Even the woman’s daughter in the kitchen washing dishes unexpectedly engaged with the recording, answering the discussion questions about the Bible story she just heard.”

Reaching hearts

“From there, I began holding similar sessions in other homes, eventually reaching 20 families in our village. Yet, the biggest challenge remained: my own family. Despite numerous attempts, my parents resisted my efforts to share the gospel, especially my father, who can’t read. However, something changed when I introduced him to the gospel in his mother tongue, with its music and familiar language. Not only did he listen, but he also shared personal reflections prompted by the Bible story, which deepened our relationship and opened doors for further discussions.

In this way, the Oral Bible Translation project not only impacted my community but also transformed my relationship with my father. Only three months later, my mother passed away. I was utterly devastated, but I was able to present God’s salvation plan to her the day before her death through the Gospel of Mark in the Sertanejo language. Before she passed away, my last community check of the day was with my parents here in my house.”

Source: Spoken