Among the Kuyu Tribe.
Scriptura gives a portion of all profits to those engaged in Bible Translation work around the world. We’re honored to partner with those like Jacob and Katie DeValve, who recently entered a village among the Kuyu Tribe in Papua New Guinea.
Imagine not owning a copy of the Bible in your language. While this may feel like an impossible mental exercise, it was once a reality for English speakers everywhere. Before 1382, Scripture had never been translated into English, and it wasn’t until 1535 that a complete English Bible was published for the general public. While many of our bookshelves now brim with multiple editions, almost 3,500 languages still lack a translation of the Bible. As we spend our time crafting and restoring Bibles to be treasured by some, we also believe in the work of those who are translating the Bible for others—those like Jacob and Katie.
Just before most of the world retreated into their homes in 2020, Jacob and Katie DeValve, along with their two children, left home and moved to Papua New Guinea. This, of course, was not an impulsive decision. The DeValves began their journey to PNG several years earlier, spending almost a decade in the classroom, an overseas internship, and missionary training seminars. Our team met Jacob and Katie as they were making final arrangements for their move to PNG—and we’re glad we did. “I love the DeValves,” says Dan, Scriptura’s founder and president. “Their heart for the unreached is contagious.”
“It’s hard to believe there are still people who haven’t heard the gospel message,” Jacob admits. “But when you hike in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, it starts to make sense why some people haven’t—it’s difficult to get certain places.” Jacob and Michael, one of the DeValve’s teammates, experienced this first hand when they journeyed to a cluster of villages where members of the Kuyu people group live. A three hour car ride was only the prelude to a sixteen hour, twenty-two mile hike up and down humid, mountainous terrain. Leech bites and bee stings added insult to injury, as the duo slipped and stumbled through the jungle, wading their way through rivers to reach their destination. Once they arrived, the people pleaded with them to stay. Jacob recounts a pivotal statement from one village leader: “We have everything we need for our bodies, but we don’t have the things we need for [spiritual] life.” While the Kuyu don’t know they need Jesus, they know they need something. “For years,” Michael tells us “the Kuyu people have been writing letters and carrying them to a neighboring people group, begging for missionaries to come be with them.” Finally, those pleas are being answered.
The DeValves and their team are committed for the long-haul. “Church planting,” Jacob reminds us, “doesn’t happen overnight.” While our American culture increasingly desensitizes us to the slowness of waiting, the Kuyu Team envision themselves investing at least twenty more years into this effort. Last November they all moved into a village, six-months after Jacob and two teammates began building homes for their families. Michael uses their experience of house building as a metaphor for the work now before them—language and culture acquisition. “Just as we set our house posts before laying the floor, we need to build a foundation of truth before displacing lies.” They’re now immersed in the daily rhythms of Kuyu life, seeking to learn the thought patterns and customs of this gospel-less people. “When we eventually communicate the gospel to the Kuyu” Jacob says, “we want to know their language and culture well so they not only hear it but also understand it.” Missionary work, like that of a farmer sowing seed, is slow-but-necessary work for those who want a harvest.
At Scriptura, we long for a day when Scripture can be translated for all and treasured by all. It’s our joy to partner with those like the DeValves who are giving their lives for the sake of the unreached—and we eagerly anticipate the joyous morning when, God willing, they will present a Kuyu Bible to their new neighbors.
Follow the Kuyu
Visit the Kuyu Team’s ministry website to learn more about their work in Papua New Guinea.