Welcome to another Friday’s Fotos! Today you get “fotos” of an actual Bible translation which may be of interest to you because you can probably understand 70%-80% of it. Some of you may have seen this and even held it in your hand. We often use this Bible in our Wycliffe presentation to help people understand what we mean by “heart language.”


Above is a picture of the front cover of the Hawaiian Pidgin New Testament. Yes, it is called “Da Jesus Book”. Like I said before, we’ve used this translation many, many times in our presentations, but I just learned something new that makes me happy as to why I get the privilege of writing today’s post.

Hawaiian Pidgin, otherwise known as Hawaiian Creole English, is what is often spoken by the “local” residents of Hawaii. While English and Hawaiian are the co-official languages, according to Wikipedia, Hawaiian Pidgin is very common. There are approximately 600,000 speakers.


It is highly influenced by Portuguese (!!!), Hawaiian, and Cantonese. This was especially exciting to me because, since I was born in Brazil, Portuguese was a big part of my growing up. Who knew that Hawaiian pidgin was the collision of two of my language worlds??


Read John 3:16 in Hawaiin Pidgin (above). You can generally understand it right? (Don’t forget that you have an unbelievable advantage because you already know what the verse says). This, however, isn’t your heart language. I would venture to say that you don’t dream in Hawaiian Pidgin or speak to your mom in it. When it comes down to learning deep, meaningful truths about God, this is probably NOT the Bible that YOU will want to sit down with, simply because it isn’t your heart language.


Take a look at what some of the Pidgin speakers have to say about getting a Bible translation in their own language. I love how much the same and yet how very different they speak.

God values every person on this earth. Therefore, He values the language each one speaks. After all, He created it! The beauty of the sound of so many different languages is breathtaking.

If we force someone to learn another language so that they can understand a fraction of what is spoken or written, we are in essence telling them that the language they speak isn’t valuable enough to have God’s Word in it.

Today I was overcome with joy at the thought of being part of a task that brings God’s Word directly to people in a language that speaks to their heart specifically!! I could not help but thank God for allowing me to be involved in this. I know that that is something I’m “supposed” to say since we are in fact members with Wycliffe Bible Translators, but sometimes the wonder and the amazement of it all just hits ya in a new and fresh way. Thank God for that!

Join us in this global task!