AKU AGBAM
Wycliffe Bible Translators Inc — Jos, Nigeria
Aku the Nigerian Missionary Staff Program Coordinator is a full-time missionary personally following God’s call to champion the development of relationships with individuals, language communities, churches and corporate organizations to develop sustainable prayer and financial support networks for Nigerian long-term missionaries. In the challenging Nigerian context, Aku plays a vital part. He also helps with the remaining task of Bible Translation, Scripture Engagement and Language Development in Nigeria. and Sandra is committed to the work of Bible Translation into the many languages of Nigeria, She has currently finished her Master's degree in Language Documentation and Description, at the Department of Linguistics and Bible Translation, Theological College of Northern Nigeria.
He began serving as a Vernacular Media Services (VMS) intern, became a certified VMS technician, later Partnership Officer and was appointed in January 2020 to serve as the Nigerian Missionary Staff (NMS) Programme Coordinator, a Discipleship Ministry Partnership Development Coach and Partnership Specialist, leaving his technical role to enable his colleagues to serve in long term ministry roles furthering the work of language development, Scripture Engagement and Bible Translation in his land was a huge sacrifice, even when an individual said to him that he should have become a full-time Pastor and that he was a casualty for deciding to become a missionary! Aku said to himself, “I would rather be a casualty where the Lord God is calling me to serve and live on what the world calls nothing than to serve where he does not want me to serve.” He is fully convinced that God has called him to assist his colleagues in making the translated Scriptures accessible, accepted, and used, to impact lives and produce spiritual fruit and transformation. He is trusting God to supply all his needs! While serving as a Vernacular Media Technician Aku completed the audio recording of the Dza language Gospels, Teach Yourself Fulfuldi(an audio literacy material for Nomads with a population of about a 25million speakers in Nigeria and 65 million in Africa), the Berom New Testament Audio Bible recording, etc.
Berom is one of the major languages spoken in Plateau State Nigeria with about 1.4 million speakers. It is one of only 38 languages in Nigeria with a full Bible. The Berom Bible was dedicated in 2010, yet for various reasons, it has taken 9 years for the audio recording of the New Testament to begin. We thank God that the recording was completed! Aku a Vernacular Media expert and the project manager with a colleague and other 26 voice actors from the language project worked 14 hours per day for 6 days a week to complete the recording in 8 weeks. The President of the Berom Ministers' Forum, Rev John Nash, visited the team to check progress and to encourage the voice actors to take part, said “I am so glad this recording is being done now! Even as I am a learned and a minister of God, I understand God's word better when I read the Berom Bible. This audio Bible you’re recording now will help us to understand and engage with God’s word much better.” Rev Nash prayed for grace for the team to complete the recording, and for the Berom people, that they will use the audio Bible well so that lives are transformed and God’s name is glorified (http://live.bible.is/bible/BOMNBT/MAT/1). Currently, Aku's major assignment is to train and enable national missionaries to develop more sustainable prayer and financial support for their ministries as they serve in long-term ministry roles and to help recruit more servants for God’s vineyard. Staff who will reflect His love, advocate, build capacity, and work with local communities to advance God's kingdom by:
Caring for their physical and spiritual needs!
Developing relationships with individuals, churches and corporate organizations, to advance SIL's ministry work in Nigeria.
To provide for the financial needs of the Nigerian Missionary Staff and their families.
To provide more sustainable capacity for Bible translation, literacy, Scripture Engagement and language development in Nigeria by enabling Nigerians to serve as career missionaries. He sees this as his part to play in the fulfilment of Revelation 7:9.
Praises:
- Praise God for Grace to serve amid uncertainty and many challenges here in Nigeria.
- For God's renewed Joy to continue serving at the feet of our Saviour Jesus.
- Thank God for Journey Mercies, safety and successful completion of the Christian Reformed Church Nigeria’s retreat.
- Thank God for the large turnout when I thought the participants were just around 800+ but later knew more than that number attended and were excited with the training.
Prayer Needs:
Pray that the Christian Reformed Church Nigeria would take these suggestions from their members from Faith and Farming workshop seriously and follow through.
The remaining task of Bible Translation in Nigeria is huge, pray that God would bring more faithful and committed partners willing to partner with Aku and Sandra as they serve in long-term ministry roles in difficult times in their nation.
Thank you for considering partnering in Bible translation with Aku through your financial and prayer partnership in his ministry with Wycliffe.