“The Good News for Us!”
The Sara Kaba Dem Now Possess the Complete Word of God
by Anna Beth Wivell and Christian Allahndamadji
In Chad, French is the language of education, business, and official communications, but not the language of the home or the heart. For years, the Bible has been available in French, but not in the language of the homes and hearts of the Sara Kaba Dem people of southern Chad.
To their great joy, however, the Sara Kaba Dem Bible translation was completed and dedicated in November 2025. For them, the gospel is no longer something from a foreign religion and language. It is now, they exclaim, “the good news for us!”
Anyone who has read the Bible knows that there are many deep theological concepts throughout the Scriptures. Can these concepts really be expressed effectively in minority languages, such as the Sara Kaba Dem language? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” They can be translated in a way that is not only accurate, but that also speaks directly to the hearts of people in a way that a foreign language can never achieve.
Who Are the Sara Kaba Dem?
The Sara Kaba Dem people are part of the Sara Kaba group of languages in southern Chad. Although research suggests that their Sara ancestors lived in Egypt and worshipped the Egyptian sun god, today the Sara Kaba Dem live in south-central Chad, in the provinces of Guéra and Moyen-Chari along the Chari River.
The Bible in Their Language
In the late 1970s, before the translation of the Bible into Sara Kaba Dem had even begun, a team of national pastors began to translate and write Christian hymns in Sara Kaba Dem. At first, they used spelling based on French, even though their own language is very different from French. In the early 1980s, a Bibles International consultant helped them develop their own alphabet with spelling rules that were more appropriate to their own language.
In 1983, the translation of the Sara Kaba Dem New Testament was begun, with Pastor Hondo Job as the chief translator. This New Testament was completed and dedicated in 1999, and work on the Old Testament was begun soon afterwards, in the year 2000. The team worked faithfully and diligently through the years, in spite of many discouragements. In the last decade of the project, when most teams would struggle just to keep going, the Sara Kaba Dem team found new strength and worked even harder!
Throughout the decades of work on this project, Pastor Hondo Job has remained a pillar of strength. The assistant translators have changed, and the local committee members have changed, but Pastor Job has remained the chief translator throughout the entire project. His profound knowledge of his own language and of God’s Word, his humble and gracious attitude, and his commitment to Bible translation as a service to God alone have made him an exemplary translator.
What’s Next for the Dem People?
The dedication in November 2025 placed the Bible in the hands of the Sara Kaba Dem people. Now we have much work to do to get the Bible into their hearts! We long to make the Bible a part of the life of each family, to help people form habits of Bible reading, to improve literacy, to make use of audio Bibles, and to train more church leaders.
As the Sara Kaba Dem begin to use their new Bibles, they will no longer need to depend solely on their pastor or Sunday school teacher to tell them what the Bible says. They will be able to read, pray, and meditate in their own language, with their family, whether in the fields or in small groups around the evening fire.
When asked what he would like to say to those who have supported the Sara Kaba Dem project over the years, Pastor Hondo answered, “I thank them very much. I would be very happy to see them someday and to rejoice together with them someday. I am very happy! Thank you! I thank you and I thank God! May God bless you! Amen!”
Most of you who read this article will not be able to meet Pastor Hondo to rejoice with him in person, but we know that someday we will all meet before the throne of our Savior, and we will rejoice together in the Lord that we all cherish, even though we read His Word in different languages.
May God bless Bibles International and our African affiliate, Societé Biblique Horeb, so that our service may remain faithful, humble, and persevering until all nations of the earth hear God's voice in the language of their heart.
The Story of Their Name
The name Sara is said to have come from two Ancient Egyptian words, Sa- meaning son and -Ra referring to the sun god of Egypt. Researchers believe the Sara (“sons of the sun god”) once worshipped the Egyptian sun god but fled Egypt due to pressure from both Islam and Coptic Christianity.
Those who settled near the Chari River in Chad became known as the Sara Kaba (“from the riverside”). One of these groups then added the name Dem (“calm, peaceful”) to distinguish themselves from other related groups, such as the Sara Kaba Naa.