Imagine you’re deep in rural Honduras at a church service among the Miskitu people. A Miskitu pastor stands in front of his congregation and opens up his Bible to preach a sermon from Ephesians 5. His church is located near the banks of the Patuca River in eastern Honduras. The gentle morning breeze from the river sweeps into the building made mostly of rough-cut pine. Sweat begins to form on his forehead as the hot Miskitu sun creeps into one of the open windows. The room is mostly quiet as the children have left for Sunday school underneath a large mango tree. The only noises are the tin roof cracking as it expands underneath the morning rays of sun and the soft cries of a hungry baby being held by her mom.
The Patuca River and the town of Wawina from above
This pastor had arrived to the community only two years prior and began living in the pastoral house beside the small church. He had the opportunity to go to seminary, just like his father, and had learned Spanish during that time. After graduation, he was sent to live in this small Miskitu community with his wife and daughter. Most of the population he serves are sustenance farmers with a few making extra cash growing cocoa for export. He is one of the few in the community who have higher education and can read Spanish well. The majority of people in his church have a 6th grade education or below and out of his 80 church members only five have Bibles. In the region, Bibles in the Miskitu language are hard to find and cost $60-70 each, which is roughly 10 days salary.
Predicament on Display
This Sunday the pastor’s sermon is on fornication, a topic most Miskitu people didn’t understand. Most of his congregation cannot read Spanish well, and some are only able to read and speak Miskitu. He chose the topic because he had noticed a concerning trend of young people in his community, especially those with little education, becoming openly sexually active at 13-14 years old. The elders blame a combination of factors, from the recent entrance of phones into the community to the lack of parental supervision. No matter what the reason, he hoped that a sermon regarding this topic in Ephesians would help clarify confusion in the church.
As he begins his sermon, he opens his Spanish Study Bible a missionary had given him. He had discarded his old Miskitu Bible the year before as it had completely fallen apart from use and age. He proudly uses his Spanish Study Bible knowing he is the only one in his community with a copy. He opens it as its pages move in the breeze and reads Ephesians 5:1-8. He then turns to a deacon to ask him to read the text in their native language of Miskitu. As the deacon reads, the pastor is distracted, reviewing his notes.
After the reading is completed, he asks the congregation in Miskitu about what the text says in verses 3 and 5. His congregation looks confused as the few owning Bibles bury their heads so as to not be called on. The breeze slowly pushes into the church again as the awkward silence deepens. The youth look eager to hear a response from the elders.
One member stands up and says that the Scripture clearly states that a man or woman can enter God’s kingdom although they are living together outside of wedlock. As heads begin to nod, the pastor looks surprised and leans over to the deacon on his left holding a Miskitu Bible. He had done his sermon prep with his Spanish Bible and was confused as to what the Miskitu text said. He immediately asks to review the deacon’s Miskitu Bible as he pushes his glasses back on his nose. The deacon holds out his Bible and allows the pastor to take it. The pastor begins to read and alarm fills his face. The elder was correct, the Bible does clearly state that those living in fornication will enter God’s kingdom. The pastor stands back, leaning on his roughly made wooden pulpit. The crowd begins to murmur.
The church of Bil Almuk, where this story takes place
The pastor admits that the elder was correct. The Miskitu Bible states that living in fornication does not separate a person from God’s kingdom. However, his Spanish study Bible clearly says the opposite. People are rightfully confused, and the pastor is nearly driven to tears as he realizes that the people he shepherds don’t understand what the Bible truly says on the matter. How can he argue with an audience and say that their rare and expensive copy of God’s Word in their native language is wrong?
This pastor is one of many pastors that Live Global national partner, Karlos Ambrocio, has trained and overseen. Pastor Karlos has shared with me that he has identified over 1,000 errors in the Miskitu Bible, yet it is the only text they have. Karlos laments to me that a revision to the Bible in Miskitu hasn’t been completed. He tells me that it is one of the largest burdens he carries for the Miskitu people. But how can he—a man almost 70 years old without a phone, computer, and very limited resources—make such a project happen?
Provision in Despair
A one-day journey from Pastor Karlos, a middle-aged Miskitu man, takes a sip of his third cup of coffee as he sits down at his computer in his traditional Miskitu home built on stilts. It is 11:00 pm, and he prays by himself before beginning his night’s work. He types on his old computer until he begins to fall asleep in his chair around roughly 2:00 am. His family has long since gone to bed, and he finds himself alone with the Lord and his rough draft of the Bible in Miskitu. He prays for someone to come alongside him and make the Miskitu Bible a reality before shuffling off to his bed for another 5-hour night of sleep. His pastoral and familial duties begin again in the morning.
Prayer Answered Through Partnership
In God’s amazing way, He answered this middle-aged Miskitu man’s prayer. Pastor Ludy Washington is now in the process of working with a Bible society and professional Bible translation software to complete the formal translation process of the Miskitu Bible. I and others serving with Live Global have simply come alongside Pastor Ludy to make these connections and offer a means for others in the United States to get involved financially and through prayer.
Ludy Washington in his home office where he spent many long hours.
Was It Worth It?
It wasn’t until 2025 that I was told about a pastor named Ludy Washington who had a huge burden for the 500,000+ Miskitu people to have a clear copy of God’s Word in their own language.
Due to a series of unplanned events, I found myself with a small team in Puerto Lempira, the “capital” of the Miskitu people in Honduras. During the trip, I met Ludy Washington and heard of his burden for the Miskitu people alongside my coworker Mark Henzler. This would begin a series of events that lead to the formation of the Miskitu Bible Translation Project.
Since February 2026, Ludy has been working with a team of three other translators to create a copy of God’s Word in Miskitu. Many steps are still to follow as the Miskitu look forward to the first accurate copy of God’s word in their language.
Ludy Washington using Bible Translation software and reviewing a passage with the team of translators.
The Danger of Speed and Efficiency
The average Bible translation contains over 750,000 words. To give context, that would be roughly 3,000 pages of a double-spaced Word document. Due to the enormous task, an accurate Bible translation typically takes 10 or more years to complete. It requires a massive number of people to translate, review, and share the text with others for commentary to catch every error. Additionally, consultants who understand the languages that the Bible was originally written in, collaborate to allow the text to be conveyed accurately. If the steps of peer review and consultation are omitted, the results can be less than optimal. That is what had happened with the prior Miskitu Bible Translations and many other Bible Translations in native languages throughout the Americas and beyond.
In the United States, we like to make things happen fast and efficiently. Due to extensive peer review, consultation, training, and cultural differences, Bible translation work can be slow and messy. Although difficult, this process is completely worth it to allow people to have a copy of God’s Word that they can call their own and meet them where they are.
I thought for years that the Miskitu pastors I worked with must not read God’s Word enough as they seemed to have many holes in their theology. What I found over time was that much of their confusion comes from the inaccuracies of their own Bible translation and nuances in their language. Many indigenous populations are in need of more access to materials in their own language. Are we willing to come alongside them there and help them fulfill The Great Commission?
Ludy Washington and the Miskitu Bible Project have a need of $2,000 monthly to operate. You can donate clicking the link below.