Godfried’s Story: Transformed by Translation

If you ever meet Godfried, you’d never guess the life he used to live. Today, he carries tremendous joy, like a man who’s been set free. But that wasn’t always the case.

Godfried grew up in Yaunyai, a small village tucked away in the Rai Coast region of Papua New Guinea. Life there was often shaped by culture and tradition, but also by fear. Witchcraft and sorcery were deeply rooted in how his people understood the world, influencing everything from how they solved problems to how they viewed sickness and death.

Like many young men in his village, Godfried got caught up in things he knew weren’t good for him. He was drinking too much, stealing, and doing drugs, living life mostly for himself. It wasn’t that he was a bad person at heart; it was just the life he knew. But deep down, he wanted something more and realized he didn’t want to stay on that path forever.

One of Godfried’s passions was music. He would play for his village, but over time, something started to change within him. He became drawn to Christian songs. At first, he just played them because people liked them, but the more time he spent around the Christian leaders in his village, the more these songs began to mean something to him. The words sank in. They spoke to a part of him he hadn’t really acknowledged before. Godfried knew he wanted change, but breaking old habits was not easy.

As he spent more time around the church, Godfried was invited to join a short discipleship program. He didn’t know what to expect, but eventually, he said yes. During the program, he started to truly understand who Jesus was, not just some religious figure, but a Savior who actually loved him and had a purpose for his life.

As Godfried continued to stay involved with his local church, an incredible opportunity came his way. The people in his village spoke Madi, a language that had never had the Bible translated before. When his village formed a translation team, Godfried was asked to help due to his proficiency in literature. At first, he saw it as just another project, simply putting words on a page. But as he worked, those words began to change him.

Verses like John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” and Jeremiah 1:4-5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart,” were no longer just text. They were real. They had power. They changed his heart. Ultimately, Godfried knew he wanted to change his life. It wasn’t easy to let go of the things that had controlled him for so long, but little by little, he felt his heart begin to shift.

Godfried couldn’t keep this transformation to himself. If the Word of God had changed his life, it could change his village too. When people gathered in the evenings to tell stories, he started sharing about Jesus instead of old stories and traditions. He told them about a different kind of power, not the power of evil against them, but the power of Christ transforming them. As time went on, talking about Jesus wasn’t enough for him. He wanted his people to truly know Christ. So, he began gathering small groups to study the Bible in English while the translation work was underway. As new books were translated into Madi, they would discuss them together. It was one thing to hear about God in another language, but hearing God’s Word in their own language? That was different. It made sense. It became so much more personal for them.

As Godfried’s heart was transformed, his music also changed. He wasn’t just playing to entertain anymore. He started writing songs about God, songs of hope, truth, and redemption. The same hands that once stole were now playing worship. The same voice that once spoke of empty traditions was now singing about Jesus.

Today, Godfried is a changed man. He helps disciple and lead in his village, continuing his work on Bible translation with hopes to complete both the Old and New Testaments in the next few years. He used to walk in darkness, but now he walks in the light of Christ. His past no longer defines him; his Savior Jesus Christ does. Through him, God is reaching the people of Yaunyai, one song, one story, one verse at a time. But Godfried knows this is just the beginning. He believes Jesus will continue to change hearts in his village, just like Christ changed his.

Godfried’s story shows us the incredible importance of Bible translation. Through the process of translating Scripture, individuals like Godfried experience a deep personal connection with the Lord. As they dive into God’s Word, they don’t just learn a new language or commit words to paper, they encounter the power of Scripture in a way that radically changes their own lives. For Godfried, translating the Bible into Madi didn’t just allow his people to hear God’s truth; it gave him the chance to understand it in ways he never had before.

This transformation is a reminder that God uses every avenue possible to reach and change us. Bible translation is not just a task; it is a tool for redemption. We serve a God who works in the hearts of individuals and entire communities, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to equip and empower leaders like Godfried. As they continue to serve and share God’s Word, they are not only bringing hope and truth to their own people but also becoming powerful instruments of change in their communities. It’s a beautiful picture of how God’s redemptive work ripples outward, impacting lives far beyond our own.

Written by Garrett Shue