A Bible of their own— remote tribe rejoices over God’s Word in Indonesia

The scene was electric, like what you might envision watching as the Israelites welcomed the Ark of the Covenant into their camp in 1 Samuel 4. On January 4, 2024, hundreds of people from the remote Moi tribe in Papua, Indonesia, gathered on the airport runway, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the precious cargo they had only dreamed about. From the minute the plane landed, they couldn’t contain their joy, shouting and dancing in jubilation around the plane.

For the first time in their lives, the Moi tribe had a Bible in their own native language.

As the pallets of Bibles were unloaded, they prayed, thanking God for this gift that many had never thought possible in their lifetime.

‘We stand amazed’

The day was the fruition of a 20-year dream and hope led by Stephen and Carolyn Crockett, a missionary couple to the Moi tribe. In their 23 years of living in Papua and ministering to the tribe, the Crocketts had begun working on a Bible translation for the Moi, one of Papua’s 255 tribes in the Daboto inland region—one of the most remote places in the world.

Papua is the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The Moi tribe live in an area that’s a two-hour trip from the nearest airport, reachable only by small, 10-passenger planes. Only experienced pilots are capable of reaching the region full of deep valleys and little air support structure. The runway is often less than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) long.

The Moi tribe numbers around 1,000 people, Stephen says, adding that between 400 to 750 are literate. He wanted the people he had come to know and love to be able to read the Bible in their native language. For 20 years, he and Carolyn worked on translating the New Testament into the tribal language, with help from three locals.

Last year, the couple met Open Doors’ local partner Ari Hartono* and shared they were working on a Bible translation in the Moi language but lacked the funds to print the Bibles. Because of your support, Open Doors, through Ari, was able to offer assistance, financing the printing and shipping of 1,000 Bibles in the Moi language to the Daboto area. You are making a Matthew 28 impact as you partner with Open Doors to carry out the Great Commission.

Stephen shared a special message for you:

Dear friends at Open Doors,
We have been working with the Moi people since 2000 (over 20 years). We have seen the Lord do amazing things—miracles that have blessed the work here, both the Moi and us. Your gift to us that covered the cost of printing and shipping the Moi New Testament is such a miracle. We stand amazed at your generosity! And we know that this will impact the Moi for generations to come. Surely your gift is “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God!” THANK YOU! Thank you SO much! God Bless!

A new, providential relationship

When our local partner Ari visited Daboto, he witnessed the Moi tribe's joy over the Bibles. Meeting the Crocketts, he says, marks the beginning of our relationship with the missionaries in Papua.
“In fact, this was a delayed partnership,” he explains. “According to a senior missionary, Brother Andrew had previously visited Papua a long time ago. Stephen's effort to present the Bible in the Moi tribe's language reminded me of how Brother Andrew started Open Doors. We aim to present the Bible in local languages so that the tribes can fully comprehend God's Word. That means we contribute to ‘building and strengthening what remains and is about to die’ (Rev. 3:2).

“My hope is that the entire Moi tribe can read the Bible in their native language and grow in faith in Jesus Christ. They can be transformed, and local evangelists will emerge from Daboto's hinterland to serve as God's tools in reaching out to other tribal groups. In the future, we will see representatives from the Moi tribe present before God, to glorify Him.”

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