By God’s grace, Jesus Film Project has translated the JESUS film into its 2,100th language. The latest translation is Waorani, a language spoken by approximately 3,000 Indigenous people in Amazonian Ecuador. The completion of this project in particular warrants celebration, as five Christian Missionaries were martyred by warriors from this tribe in 1956. The translation was completed with the help of native Waorani speakers and in collaboration with Indigenous groups and Waorani elders. The translated version of JESUS is set to premiere among the Waorani people in early 2024.
The Waorani tribe holds historical significance in the context of Christian missions, as it was the same tribe whose warriors martyred five American Christian missionaries, including Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, in 1956 for sharing the gospel. ITEC, the ministry that was founded to serve the Waorani people and now other people groups around the world have been instrumental in helping Jesus Film Project connect with key leaders within the Waorani people. Cru Ecuador will be working with ITEC and other ministries to use this new tool to bring the love of Jesus to the Waorani people.
Every day, the Jesus Film Project is working on 30 to 40 languages all around the world. The journey to reach the first 1,000 language translations took Jesus Film Project 32 years, while the subsequent 1,000 languages have been achieved in just over a decade thanks to significant improvements in technology.
The 2,100th coincides with the upcoming November announcement of Jesus Film Project’s latest initiative, an animated story of Jesus.