Han* used to be a Ne shaman.
For generations—and still today—many of his people believed that angry spirits controlled their lives. To receive protection and blessings, they regularly sacrificed animals to the spirits. Shamans like Han listened to the spirits and communicated their demands, and often carried out the sacrifices themselves.
It was a terrible life for Han, full of darkness.
I used to drink a lot. People used to whisper behind my back and talk about how bad I was.
But as his community alternated between gossiping about him and using his services as a shaman, Han was about to have an encounter that would change his life.
Members of the Ne translation team regularly visited his village and shared Jesus with him. It was a slow process, but after listening to many of their sermons, Han made a decision.
…I heard the only way to have eternal life is to believe in Jesus. I accepted this teaching and decided to follow Jesus. Now, I never drink and do not feel obligated to sacrifice animals to the spirits. People praise me for the good person I have become.
Han is no longer a shaman. Now, he is a respected elder in his community. Recently, he and two other former shamans traveled with a small group of Ne villagers to meet with the Ne translation team. It was a momentous occasion: together, they completed the final community check (an opportunity for mother-tongue speakers to give feedback on a translation) on the very first book of the Bible translated in Ne: the Gospel of Mark.
The experience touched Han deeply.
We highly respect this [translation] team because we realize they are working to show us the way of eternal life.
Now aged 60, Han considers himself too old for literacy. But he fervently wants younger generations of Ne to learn to read and write—so that they, too, can know God and experience the freedom that he feels.
*pseudonyms used