Mission

Unlocking God’s Word for every heart: Reflecting on Bible translation progress in 2025

Unlocking God’s Word for every heart: Reflecting on Bible translation progress in 2025
Label man with Bible
Alfred Thompson Alfred works for the Wycliffe Bible Translators in Northern Ireland.
20 January, 2026 4 min read

20 years ago, a group of Label Christians in Papua New Guinea made a decision. Their language had never been written down, its use was declining, and it was in danger of disappearing forever.

But these Christians knew that getting the Bible in the Label language was a central part of reaching Label people for Jesus. So they set to work, and now not only has the Label language been written down, but during 2025 translation of the New Testament into Label was completed and launched.

Now people are speaking the Label language everywhere – in churches, in shops, in villages, in homes. And because they have the New Testament in their language, the Label people are growing in their faith, as now they understand God's Word in a new, deeper way that wasn't available to them before.

The Bible changes lives

Many of us have experienced how the Bible changes lives. Through the Bible, God has changed us personally, and many of us have seen the power of the Bible to change lives in our churches. For the Bible to change lives (as it is doing among the Label people in Papua New Guinea), people need to be able to understand what God is saying through his Word.

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