Warlpiri Bible Dedicated

Wycliffe Missionary Steve Swartz Tells about a Glorious Day--the Dedication of a Bible Translation which He has been Working on for Over 20 Years.

Steve Swartz
Alice Springs, Australia

15 October, 2001

It's History! The dawn of the Warlpiri Bible Dedication saw glorious blue sky after a week of scattered heavy rains which had closed the airstrip at Lajamanu last Tuesday and left those driving by road wondering if they would get bogged in the mud. Twenty-nine of us here in Alice Springs drove to the hangar operated by Aboriginal Air Services and clambered aboard our three air-charters for the two-plus hour flight to Lajamanu. By 9:30 all planes had arrived safely at the rough graveled airstrip that runs parallel to the community. Taxiing to the parking apron, the first thing that many of these first-time visitors to an Aboriginal settlement was a huge "WELCOME TO LAJAMANU," lettered on the side of the steel-framed hangar.

Boxes of Warlpiri Bibles were unloaded from the planes and brought to the church, about 200 meters away, where already, a hundred people had gathered, many inside the church and others milling around outside. Old friends came up to greet us--friends we had known from years ago when we lived and worked at Lajamanu from 1978-1986.

The first thing that I noticed when I went into the church was a large (about 8-by-10 foot) painted banner hanging on the front wall of the church behind the altar. On it, in a combination of stylized Aboriginal and Western art, was painted a beautiful multi-colored work of art that had been designed by the local Warlpiri church and executed by the local store manager who in turn donated it to the church. It showed in the center a large, open Warlpiri Bible on top of which was superimposed a representation of the Church, the body of Christ and his people. Above this, the cross, and above that the Trinity.

Surrounding it left, right and at the bottom were about 12 circles within each of which were drawn various things that, as Pastor Jerry Jangala explained later in his keynote address to the congregation, tend to draw people's attention away from God, away from Jesus and His Church, away from the Bible. Among all these smaller circles were drawn the familiar horseshoe-shaped figures depicting people. Most all of them were oriented facing away from the center of the painting indicative of the sad truth that many choose to turn away from God. But here and there were single horseshoe-shaped figures turned around and facing towards the center, depicting the few who respond to the Word of God and turn to Christ.

Eleven o'clock in the morning arrived and the service began. Some 300-plus people were jammed, quite literally, inside the church with others pressed around the open doors and windows. About 100 kids sat (well, they were exactly sitting quietly or without fidgeting!) on the floor of the church in the front. Church leader Mary Napurrurla Rockman led the service, which consisted of several songs from the Yuendumu choir, greetings from various groups of special visitors, a brief word from myself, and then the moment I personally had been waiting for--the moment when I presented Pastor Jerry Jangala a gold-foil wrapped first copy of the Warlpiri Bible for his very own. Pastor Jerry has shown like a beacon of Christ-light among the Warlpiri people for over 20 years and was the backbone of the translation effort. He cradled his Bible and raised it high over his head for all to see and applaud.

And then, another special moment. The four main Warlpiri communities (Lajamanu, Yuendumu, Willowra and Alekerenge) had commissioned and paid for the production of four large (A3 size) pulpit Bibles. When we first heard of this request over a year ago, we had some doubts as to whether in fact such large (1513 pages just like the regular-size Bibles, 12-by-17-by-4 inches in dimension when closed and weighing in at over 15 pounds) Bibles could be produced and bound--it's a dying art. But with a bit of looking around and considerable help from the Lord, they were produced.

A leader from each of the four community churches was called forward and presented with their own pulpit Bibles to take back and place permanently in their churches. Most poignant were the words of Baptist missionary Ivan Jordan to Willowra church leader Elwyn Jurra, "Elwyn, you folks don't yet have a church building, but you have a Bible to put in it when it is built." Amen! The Bibles were a bit heavy to hold during the dedication prayer and so they were lovingly placed on a side table for display.

Pastor Jangala's keynote address lasted about 40 minutes as he used a long decorated stick to point out and expound on the various aspects of the hanging painting. His challenge--forget everything else, but do not forget God's Word!

And then it was over. Handshakes, congratulations, picture-posing, embraces, a few tears. The boxes containing the Warlpiri Bibles were opened and many pressed forward to buy their copies.

After lunch, and about 3 p. m., we headed back to the planes to return home to Alice Springs. A fourth plane was there, also getting ready to take-off. I learned that it was a medical evacuation plane that had arrived too late to save the life of a Warlpiri baby whose body now lay inside to be taken to the city of Katherine for autopsy. We didn't know who it was. Later last night we received a phone call from Judith Napangardi still in Lajamanu whose infant son Casimir we have cared for in our home for the last four months. The baby who had died was Casimir's infant cousin, now dead from pneumonia.

Great joy--great sadness, all in one day. The beat of life and the beat of death march daily on for the Warlpiri people. They now have the Bible in their language. May that Word grow by God's Spirit within their lives to give them Eternal Life in Christ. To God be the glory for all He has done and is doing!