Open Chapel International with Pastor Shem Mabongor

By definition, oral cultures present their history, poetry, ideas and traditional knowledge through the spoken word. In our area, those words are in Lumasaaba. That's why the Lumasaaba Bible in audio format is so crucial. Books are not a part of oral culture. In fact, a book is seen as a thing of tremendous value. Books are carefully preserved; kept on the shelf. But when the cold and lifeless printed page is transformed into the human voice, something beautiful happens. The words of God come into daily use. Lumasaaba Bible in Print Form It took two translators working with Bible Society of Uganda 13 years to produce the Lumasaaba Bible. There was an earlier translation of the New Testament in 2008 that tried to mix all dialects. That version was unsatisfactory. So when the Old Testament was translated, a thorough revision of the New Testament was completed as well. But when the printed Bible's were ordered, the Bible Society greatly underestimated the need. At the Bible launch in December 2016 the 5,000 newly printed Bibles were all purchased in one day. People actually stood in line behind the truck and bought every single copy on the spot. We were able to buy only 12 Bibles. We have given those out to a select group of pastors who have proven they can read Lumasaaba. But sadly the Bibles ran out too soon and even more problematic was the fact that many pastors can't read their own mother tongue. Uganda Bible Society has ordered a new shipment of Bibles. This time, we want to have the money on hand to buy at least 100 Bibles. But it is the audio Bible, that we are recording, which allows people to hear and receive the full Bible message in their heart language. Lumasaaba Bible in Audio Format In October 2017 we began recording the entire Lumasaaba Bible in audio format. We believe one-voice narration is more effective for oral cultures. We also feel very strongly that both the Old and New Testament are important in order to get the entire revelation of scripture. Audio Scripture Ministries donated the recording equipment and we asked Rev. Shissa to read. Here how beautiful our language sounds: First Day of Creation - Genesis 1:1-5 http://open-chapel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/First-Day-of-Creation.mp3 The text talks about how the Spirit of God hovered over the waters and the earth was without form. But then God said, "Let there be light." We love the next part, it shows how our heart language of Lumasaaba captures the essence of God's mighty power through creation. "Buwaanga bwaaburukha." --> And light ignited and was there. We are looking for more Lumasaaba readers. And that means giving away more print Bibles and offering adult literacy courses. We also currently have a Lumasaaba language course in the works. It will be available to both native and foreign speakers. Solar Powered Bible MegaVoice offers a small durable solar powered device on which we can put our Bible recordings. We have proven these little guys are tough as nails by throwing them against the wall repeatedly. They just don't break. And the fact that they are water resistant as well, only sweetens the deal. At $35 each, however, the wonderful community oriented culture of the Bamasaaba comes into play. When one listens, he automatically assumes everyone wants to hear. No headphones in this tribe. A entire family can listen to one device. Whether in the garden, kitchen or around the fire in the evenings, this device replaces the senseless noise of a radio. Instead, the Bible speaks a life changing message. The device is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket but loud enough to be heard by a group. Better yet, the content we put on the deice is protected. No one can alter it unless they come to us where we use a special computer program to modify the recordings it holds. This is important because it allow the device to only be used for the Bible. Share our Story