Badi Vila - Tairuma Language Development Coordinator
.jpg)
My name is Badi Vila and I come from Gulf Province, in the Papuan Region of PNG. I have two sisters and four brothers. Both of my parents held leadership roles in the Church, so most of my childhood was spent with Christians and in church family activities. All of these made me feel like a good Christian, but it was not until my final year of primary school that I professed my faith in Christ as a born again Christian. A classmate, who helped me understand and see clearly what makes a person a follower of Christ, led me to the Lord.
I am involved with the PNG Bible Translation Association because I believe that every Papua New Guinean can experience God’s love and forgiveness when they hear God speak to them in their own heart language (their own mother tongue), and I know the power and joy they can receive from applying scriptural truth to their lives. If an American gave a native Papua New Guinean his/her salad with all the dressings, the native Papuan would not enjoy it. In the same way, if a native Papua New Guinean gave an American his/her nangu to eat (a jelly-like sago – a staple food in the Sepik Province), the American would not enjoy it at all. They are both food, but they are prepared, and taste, very different. So it is with hearing or reading the Word of God in different languages. Foreign language words might be bland, or even distasteful, while something written in one’s heart language would taste delicious to the heart.
During my final year in Bible School, I realized that I was beginning to understand more about what the Scriptures said. I had learned so much about God through my studies than I had previously in my entire life, even though I had been involved in ministry and church family programs. I began to sense that many people in many PNG language groups had a need to know and enjoy God the way I did. That’s when the Lord clearly opened up the opportunity for me to become part of the staff of PNG BTA. My role in PNG BTA is to help Papua New Guineans know what the Bible says, and to help them know how to practically apply these truths in everyday living.
One profound thing that the Lord did in my life was to help me appreciate and accept the culture and language that God has placed me in. This is my identity. I do not have to pretend to be somebody else in order to be understood by God or by people, because it is God who created and understands every person and culture. This helps me to know that God values me as a Tairuma girl born in PNG. I did not have to speak good English or study abroad in order to become what I am today – in order to be a valuable part of God’s family.
God's Word is like fresh air to me. Without fresh air to breathe, I would die, and so is it with God. Without God I would die, as well. However, this would be not only a physical death but also a spiritual death. It is my desire that every Papua New Guinean have God's Word – their own fresh air – in their heart language.
I am involved with the PNG Bible Translation Association because I believe that every Papua New Guinean can experience God’s love and forgiveness when they hear God speak to them in their own heart language (their own mother tongue), and I know the power and joy they can receive from applying scriptural truth to their lives. If an American gave a native Papua New Guinean his/her salad with all the dressings, the native Papuan would not enjoy it. In the same way, if a native Papua New Guinean gave an American his/her nangu to eat (a jelly-like sago – a staple food in the Sepik Province), the American would not enjoy it at all. They are both food, but they are prepared, and taste, very different. So it is with hearing or reading the Word of God in different languages. Foreign language words might be bland, or even distasteful, while something written in one’s heart language would taste delicious to the heart.
During my final year in Bible School, I realized that I was beginning to understand more about what the Scriptures said. I had learned so much about God through my studies than I had previously in my entire life, even though I had been involved in ministry and church family programs. I began to sense that many people in many PNG language groups had a need to know and enjoy God the way I did. That’s when the Lord clearly opened up the opportunity for me to become part of the staff of PNG BTA. My role in PNG BTA is to help Papua New Guineans know what the Bible says, and to help them know how to practically apply these truths in everyday living.
One profound thing that the Lord did in my life was to help me appreciate and accept the culture and language that God has placed me in. This is my identity. I do not have to pretend to be somebody else in order to be understood by God or by people, because it is God who created and understands every person and culture. This helps me to know that God values me as a Tairuma girl born in PNG. I did not have to speak good English or study abroad in order to become what I am today – in order to be a valuable part of God’s family.
God's Word is like fresh air to me. Without fresh air to breathe, I would die, and so is it with God. Without God I would die, as well. However, this would be not only a physical death but also a spiritual death. It is my desire that every Papua New Guinean have God's Word – their own fresh air – in their heart language.