Tobias and Heather

Tobias and Heather, along with their family, have been serving in Mozambique for over ten years. Since the beginning, Tobias and Heather have been strongly committed to serving God in a way that makes a real difference in people’s lives.

After many years of language and cultural acquisition and investigating the needs for a Mozambican-specific Ciyawo Bible translation, Tobias and Heather have been working together to make the dream of a Mozambican Yawo Bible reality. Having Scripture in the heart language is a vital component to seeing communities develop their own distinctive ways of following Jesus.

Tobias and Heather are currently focused on Scripture engagement, and so Tobias is currently coordinating an Oral Bible Translation project in Mozambican Ciyawo. Focusing the project in orality ensures that the majority of Yawo people can engage with it, in contrast to the challenges of a traditional written version in communities where literacy rates are very low.

Tobias works daily with Yawo colleagues who function as translators, transcribers, and assistants. Checking the Bible translation work in Yawo communities also plays a big part of Tobias’ service among the Yawo in Mozambique and gives him the opportunity to visit a wide range of Yawo community members and leaders. Heather’s primary focus is to care for the home and educate Elijah, Rachel, and Lydia, which makes everything else possible.