This article was originally published in the December 2016 edition of ITMI Monthly.
During this season of giving, we asked ITMI partners to give you their heartfelt answers to several questions. May their answers bless and encourage you!
Piotr and Krystyna Zaremba
Poznan, Poland
What has God done in your ministry this year?
God has been very busy in our corner of the world!
First, the summer of 2016 saw the publication of the entire Bible in the new translation. ‘Nuff said!
We’d been working on this project for the past 16 years. When the time came to send the files to the publisher, we were both incredibly excited and unbelievably nervous. This was the moment of truth! After all these years we had to release our precious “child” into the world and simply let God work through it.
It was a joyous but absolutely nerve-racking experience.
The Bibles were printed in Belarus, so we had to wait for them to come into the country. The boxes arrived in Poznan July 2nd, a Saturday.
Hard as it was, we didn’t rip them open!
We wanted to share this moment with the church and all our faithful supporters.
And so, the next day (Sunday) we opened the boxes publicly, during the service, and the first Bible we took out was used right away as text for the Last Supper.
The first edition sold out in three months, and right away we started planning for the second edition (due in November). In the meantime, we published the pdf version of the Bible, as well as an ebook and Android (MySword) version. (Every day we also get requests for more electronic versions, including E-sword, Logos Bible Software, and YouVersion).
To our amazement (and relief!), the feedback was overwhelmingly positive:
“I recommend this translation as a theologian and an experienced pastor. I’m simply delighted with the quality.…an invaluable tool for every Christian who studies Scripture daily.”
“I bought two copies, one for me, the other for my 87-year old Mom. I was thoroughly amazed at your work! When after a few days I visited my Mom and asked about her health, I heard, ‘Son, these are all earthly things! My mind is filled with things eternal!’. Her mind was completely filled with heavenly thoughts, thanks to your translation. She said it feels like it speaks directly to her, in her everyday language! She thanks you from the bottom of her heart for this wonderful work.”
“I was waiting for this for a long time. Now it’s finally here! I was so happy when I got it I went to bed with it because it was hard to let go!”
“The best Polish translation ever.”
“I have a passion for the Word of God. I’ve been studying it for the last 22 years. ...What I see in your translation is a job well done. The text flows freely, the descriptions ring true to reality. I get a feeling I’m right there, hearing and absorbing what happened in the biblical times. This is a huge advantage when you compare it to the archaic language found in other translations. This truly is a translation for everyone.”
What would you like ITMI supporters to know?
First and most important, we really missed you guys at the celebratory meeting we had in Poland in September! Hopefully, by looking at the pics, you can get a feel for what it was like. (And by the way, you’re always welcome to drop in on us, season or no season).
Piotr addresses the over 800 who showed up to celebrate the publication of his Bible translation.
Piotr shares with the crowd, likening the Bible to a map.
"In the end what matters most is the destination the map points you to, not the map itself. The Bible helps you arrive at the Person, the Author who inspired it. If you don't reach that Person, you have failed to grasp what the Bible is about, no matter what your Bible knowledge is."
Piotr and other evangelical leaders give thanks.
ITMI's Richard Nungesser, Piotr Zaremba and Steve Evers at the celebration.
We are so incredibly grateful for our Christian family, and we thank each and every one of you for partnering with us and making it happen.
Thanks to you, Poland is awakening to the truth of God’s Word.
Sixteen years ago, when we started our translation work, we thought it would be over within a few years. We also thought that after the Bible publication we would move on to other projects.
But as the time went by, this picture started changing.
The hunger and the need we see in our readers made us realize we should press on with more in-depth work. There can be nothing more important than answering that hunger and need with real meat of God’s Word.
Not a week passes by that we are not asked about a literal translation of the Bible. What we published this year was a literary version (NIV style, if you will). Such a version has never been done in Poland.
We have also made it our goal not to let finances hinder the spread of God’s Word. It’s been our great privilege to partner with Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse to create a colorful New Testament that is distributed to children free of charge as part of ‘Christmas in the Shoebox’ action and joined hands with a number of smaller local initiatives.
In other words, there is plenty of ways for you to get involved, stay in touch—and see the world change.
Photos courtesy of Studio w Butelce.
Steve Evers has advocated for and served the ITMI partners as ITMI Director since 2001. Approximately once a year, Steve visits with ITMI partners in their countries and brings stories back to encourage supporters. Steve enjoys photography and mechanics, (both hobbies that have greatly benefited ITMI partners!) Prior to becoming ITMI's Director, Steve served on the Board of Directors for 4 years. Steve lives in Arizona with his wife, Darlene.
