Nyra Oral
Fast Facts:
Languages: 5 language clusters which comprise several language groups each.
No. of speakers: 39 million
Christians: <1%–90% (range)
Location: Southeast Asia**
Project start date: 2015
Expected completion: beyond 2026
Long-term Goals:
Train language groups to develop Oral Bible stories.
Train groups in using Scripture materials in the community.
Start storying fellowship groups in each language group to share oral stories.
The people groups in the Nyra* Oral Project live in various parts of the country. They are mostly hunter-gatherers, farmers or fishermen. The main religion is a mix of Buddhism and animism. Many Christians blend the old rituals and fears with their belief in God. A few Western missionaries reached these areas 300 years ago.
Literacy is not well developed so many will benefit most from hearing and telling Bible stories in their heart languages.
Storying Together process:
Workshop 0 (or Pre-workshop): Explain the process to leaders to garner interest and support.
Workshop 1: Craft 4 stories from Mark, with 6 stories for homework.
Workshop 2: Craft 3 stories from Genesis, with 6 stories for homework.
Workshop 3: Craft 1 story from Isaiah, 1 from Acts/epistle, and 30–40 stories for a chosen story set.
Workshop 4: Train facilitators to hold Storying Fellowship Groups and to use the stories.
Oral Story-based Trauma Healing:
Trauma healing addresses spiritual and emotional wounds caused by trauma of war, violence, natural disasters, and abuse.
Oral Story-based Trauma Healing adapts the approach in the book Healing the Wounds of Trauma (Trauma Healing Institute) for people with low literacy and/or people who prefer oral learning. The lessons are translated into the mother tongues of the groups and incorporate translated Bible stories. Art and music of each ethnic group are used in the healing process as well.
* For security reasons, pseudonyms are used for the language name and names of individuals.
** The exact location is confidential. Prior approval is required for further reproduction or distribution in any form.
Project updates:
