Above photo by Johanna Heidorn
Story by Missionary Jana Inglehart, Regional Communications Specialist for the Latin America & the Caribbean Region
This coming Thanksgiving week, we have much to be thankful for. In Latin America, we are extremely thankful for the resources produced by the VDMA Project. November marks ten years since the project released the first books in the digital Lutheran theological library. At that time, Spanish-speaking pastors had only three to five theological books in their libraries, making it difficult to conduct an in-depth study of the Scriptures in preparation for sermons and Bible studies. Lutheran theological works were simply not available in Spanish.
To meet this need, the VDMA Project was launched to translate Lutheran theological works into Spanish and distribute them electronically, thereby avoiding the expense and logistical challenges of shipping bulky boxes of books to foreign countries.
Students extensively use VDMA resources for their studies. (Photographer: Missionary Jana Inglehart)
The name VDMA is taken from the Latin acronym that means “The Word of the Lord endures forever.” This was a motto that fostered unity among Lutherans during the Reformation. More than five centuries later, the VDMA Project brings together Spanish and, now, Portuguese-speaking Lutheran pastors and seminary students across Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States and beyond. Currently, 416 theologians, including pastors, seminarians and professors, have access to VDMA’s electronic theological library. That number is rapidly growing as funding allows.
The project not only translates and distributes theological works but also articles, theological papers, daily devotions, and even the GOOD NEWS magazine. The works are distributed in eBook format, and many are also available in hard copy. For example, the Lutheran Prayer Book, which the Lutheran Heritage Foundation will send out soon, and Luther’s Small Catechism in Quechua, the language of many in the Christian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia, our newest partner church in Latin America (also distributed by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation).
The number of works translated and distributed by the project is remarkable, given the volume of work each translation requires to ensure the integrity of both the theological and linguistic aspects. We are thankful that the Lord has provided theologians and translators well-equipped for the often years-long task.
To date, the VDMA Project has translated and distributed 55 theological works in Spanish, 2 theological works in Portuguese, Luther’s Small Catechism in Quechua, twelve issues of daily devotions in Spanish (produced quarterly over the past 3 years), 25 issues of GOOD NEWS magazine (ten of which were entirely translated by VDMA), numerous articles, papers, and booklets in Spanish, and soon, the Lutheran Prayer Book in Spanish.
Many more books and materials are in various stages of the translation process for the VDMA Project. Lord willing, the Lutheran resources available for theological study and the number of theologians with access to the library will continue to grow.
If you would like to support the VDMA Project, please click on the giving link below.
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