In the year 2000, there was great excitement as the first translation of the Bible into the Nuer language was delivered by airplane to the people of South Sudan. A decade had been spent on the project. On board was Tut Wan, the main Sudanese translator, along with his wife and some of his children. Also, there were Lester and Esther Boleyn, two Americans who became proficient in the Nuer language and who shepherded the translation from start to finish. Other church officials were on hand as well.

On the ground the people waited, eager with anticipation. Suddenly, as the plane approached the ground, it was caught by a gust of wind, which caused it to flip over and crash. Joy was turned to mourning and weeping. But to everyone’s amazement, all on board emerged unharmed, if a little shaken. The boxes were unloaded, Bibles were passed out, and the weeping turned to joy and dancing! The Sudanese gathered there took this as one more sign that the project was blessed! Soon everyone broke into celebration and dance, as they could finally read the Bible in a language they could understand. This great work of translating the scriptures into every language continues today, because having the Word in a language we speak gives us joy.