In June 2018, our beloved coworker and dear friend Karen Coleman went to be with Jesus. Nanci and I have known many Christlike people, but she’s on the shortlist. This amazing sister has been a dear friend to us, full of grace and truth in the face of hardships, never losing her wit and humor, quietly saying the funniest and wisest things. She is truly one of my heroes.

Prior to working at Eternal Perspective Ministries, Karen and her family spent 23 years as missionaries and Bible translators in Africa. We couldn't think of a better way to remember Karen’s legacy than to give in her honor towards the translation of Scripture.

EPM partnered with The Seed Company to help fund the Esimbi project, bringing God’s Word to 20,000 people who live in isolated areas in Karen’s beloved Cameroon. It's especially appropriate that we chose the Esimbi language project as this is the language group that Karen went to minister to in Cameroon and invested in their Bible translation.

Six years later, the New Testament is complete! I want to extend a big thank you to those donors who partnered with us in giving to finish this project in Karen's honor. What a privilege to participate in getting God’s Word to people. Giving to The Seed Company is truly making an investment in eternity!

Here’s what The Seed Company wrote about the Esimbi translation:

The Esimbi people’s homeland is nestled in the forests of Northwest Cameroon. But since 2017, armed conflict in the region has forced families to flee. Amid this unrest and the added uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Esimbi who once sacrificed to traditional gods and viewed the Lord as a distant “Supreme Being” have placed their trust in Him. For over 10 years, the Cameroon Association of Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) has been working with the Esimbi to translate Scripture into their language.

In 2021, they completed the New Testament—and then waited three more years for physical copies to arrive. On June 22, 2024, a crowd of 200 gathered in Edéa, Cameroon, to dedicate the Esimbi New Testament. This was to be the first of three celebrations held for the diaspora, with a fourth being held in the Esimbi homeland. Among the attendees were four Esimbi chiefs who traveled over 250 miles on dangerous roads to witness this historic moment. In a display of honor, four women carried in the New Testament on a small platform. The ceremony included traditional dances, a presentation of gifts, and a shared meal.

In one of many speeches, a Seed Company representative recognized the numerous trials the Esimbi have endured. “But God has not abandoned you,” he told the crowd, “and you have not abandoned God’s work.” A CABTAL representative proceeded to declare, “It is hence going down in the history of Bible translation that God now speaks Esimbi.” An Esimbi translator urged the people to not only buy the New Testament but to read it. “Because to have the Bible is not the point,” he said. But to open its pages and be transformed—this is the future of the Esimbi people, for they now can hold the Word of God in their hands.

Here's a thank you video they sent to EPM:

Those of us who know Christ will celebrate the fruits of this ministry throughout the ages to come, when we meet and develop friendships with people of every tribe, nation and language—some of the very people who received the Word of God because of our giving and our prayers. What could be better than that? What could bring greater happiness?

Photo/Video Credit: Jim Monroe; Property of illumiNations