Located in a remote southeastern corner of the Solomon Islands (1500 miles northeast of Australia), the Reef Islands sustains a population of more than 5000. Wycliffe translation advisors John & Rosalie Rentz (from US/NZ) and their famly spent 8 years supervising the translation of the Scriptures into Äiwo, the native language. The translation of Mark's Gospel was completed in 2001 and the dedication ceremony was held in St. Michael's Church in Otelo Village.

The dedication for the Gospel of Mark in Äiwo was held at St. Michael?s in Otelo Village, Reef Islands. As you can imagine, it was an event which we will never forget. After all these years, it was wonderful to see some fruit from all our labours. The translators, Edmond Langu, Jasper Lomonu, and Luke Gitakulu all took part in the service. Our SITAG (Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group) director, Tim Matzke, delivered the sermon and gave the folks a challenge to use this book. Four Reef Island priests participated in the service of dedication, which was followed by a feast. Tim and I, along with several local leaders, gave speeches during the feasting.

I'm so grateful that my wife Rosalie and the girls could be part of the service. Everyone truly appreciated seeing them again, and the experience of being here is one which the girls will never forget. Because they were young when we lived here, I don't think they fully grasped the nature of our work. Attending the dedication and seeing how all the local people were excited about getting Mark's Gospel in their own language enabled our girls to recognize just how much this work means to people who have never had a book of the Bible in their own language.

We were encouraged by people approaching us before the service to ask if they could purchase copies of the Gospel. Even though the people are very poor as a result of years of ethnic tensions, nearly 100 copies of the Gospel were sold immediately after the dedication service. And the majority of the remaining 500 copies were sold before we left the country. At the feast, a number of people expressed gratitude for all who had worked hard on this book. One person brought along a huge breadfruit to the service, pointing out that this little book was the fruit of a huge labour.

In the two weeks following the dedication, the translators and I toured most of the villages, holding reading sessions. The district priests also accompanied us, exhorting the people to always read from the Äiwo translation whenever the Gospel of Mark occurs in the lectionary. One of the translators explained the value of the translation, saying:

"It's like Jesus has become one of us Reef Islanders, because he speaks our language and knows our culture."

Because most people have not seen their language in written form, they find it difficult to read. However, in every village we found a few people who were able to read it, and many others could follow along as they listened to the cassette. All 100 copies of the Gospel on cassette were quickly sold. In one village after another, people wanted to sit for hours reading the Gospel in their own language. At one of the sessions, an elderly man named Santos announced:

"I am 67 years old, and here I am today reading my language for the first time."

He expressed deep gratitude and also made a plea for other books of the Bible to be translated.

After I sailed from Reefs on the MV Temotu, I spent one night in Carlisle Bay, on the north coast of Santa Cruz. Many Reef Islanders have settled there and I found myself in the single men's quarters chatting with a number of young fellows who were fascinated to meet a foreigner who could speak their language. I mentioned that I had been to Reefs for the dedication of Äi Päko iie Mak. Would they like to see a copy? Of course they would! But it was hard to read words they had never seen before.

I mentioned the cassette recording, and to my amazement one of the fellows removed his pack and pulled out a tape player!! Someone brought over a kerosene lamp and about a dozen Äiwo speakers crowded around reading copies of the Gospel of Mark while they listened to the tape. I was rapt. I can't describe the joy of seeing these folks keen to read and hear the Word of God for the first time in their own language.

Overall, we were all greatly encouraged by the response to the Gospel. Pray that the Reef Islanders will persevere in learning to read this book in their own language and that God will make a way for other books to be translated into Äiwo.

About the authors : John and Rosalie Rentz went to Solomon Islands in 1993 to serve as translation advisors. Today they are serving in Wycliffe NZ's Auckland office.