Newsletter — Outreach Stories — YWAM News
The Day Bagabag Island Heard the Bible in Their Own Language
Published on: January 21, 2026
Be encouraged by what God is doing in Bagabag, watch the video below for a short overview!
Among all the outreach stories we hear from YWAM centres around the world, here is one from YWAM Ships Kona in Bagabag that we are excited to share with you.
When we arrived on Bagabag Island for our recent medical outreach, within minutes of talking with people, I learned something important. Everyone speaks Takia as their heart language, yet all of their Bibles and teaching resources are in English or Tok Pisin. They do their best with it, but it is hard for them to truly understand. You could tell they wanted something that felt like theirs, something they could genuinely connect with.
That night back on the ship, we researched online, and to our surprise, the entire New Testament had already been translated into Takia. It was done for a neighboring island call Karkar, but had not yet made it to their island. There were audio recordings, apps, online tools, and even the full Jesus Film. It looked like the resources had been sitting there, ready to be used, but no one had ever brought them to this island. Everything was already available; it just needed to be shared.
The next day we loaded everything onto a LightStream sharing device and returned to the village. As soon as people began receiving it on their phones, the reaction was immediate. People gathered around, faces shifted from curiosity to shock as they realized what they were hearing. They listened quietly at first, then began asking how they could get the recordings for themselves. For them, it was the first time they had ever heard the Bible in the language they grew up with.
One moment that really stood out was my conversation with Leo John. He is a church elder at the Lutheran Church in Badilu Ward 1. When he heard Scripture in Takia for the first time, you could see the emotion hit him and chills went down his whole body. He shared how important this would be for his people and how much change it could bring. Leo cares deeply about his community, and he explained that their village deals with real issues: crime, physical and domestic abuse, theft, substance abuse, and a growing fear that their culture and language are fading. He said people can read English and Tok Pisin, but it never reaches their hearts the same way. Hearing the Bible in Takia made them feel noticed by God. He said, “I always knew God spoke Takia, but now I have actually heard and seen it with my own eyes. It is real.” And now his people can read and study in the language that is familiar to them.
I also spoke with Richard, a twenty year old from the SDA church in Badilu Village. He grew up reading in English but had never heard the Bible in Takia before that day. He told me that hearing Scripture in his own language made everything feel more personal and real. He believes that many people who don’t attend church will be more open to listening when they hear the stories in the language they understand best.
“I always knew God spoke Takia, but now I have actually heard and seen it with my own eyes. It is real.”
Leo John, Church Elder
Our Bagabag Island outreach was a powerful reminder of just how impactful it is for someone to hear the Bible in their mother tongue. These resources had been sitting online for years, waiting. No one on the island knew they existed. We did not plan for any of this. We came for a medical outreach and it turned in to something so much more. God went before us!
It showed me something about His faithfulness. Sometimes the biggest impact comes from surprises. We simply walked into the village, had a few conversations, and followed a small curiosity. God handled the rest. He already had the New Testament translated. He already had the Jesus Film recorded. He already had every tool prepared. All we had to do was give Jesus our YES and show up!
Written by Garrett Shue ; adapted for this publication
For more information, please visit YWAM Ships Kona.