LHF work renewed in Madagascar May 27, 2025

In the 2010s, LHF translation work flourished in Madagascar, an island nation off the east coast of Africa.

Coordinating LHF’s work was Rev. Dr. David Rakotonirina, then president of the Malagasy Lutheran Church (Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy – FLM). The books were eagerly received by the FLM’s 3.5 million members, and as soon as LHF printed a book such as Luther’s Small Catechism or Why I Am a Lutheran: Jesus at the Center, the supply was drained.

Then, tragedy struck.

In 2020, Rev. Rakotonirina contracted Covid and was called home to heaven. Without his leadership, LHF’s translation work floundered, then ceased.

“There are no more books to distribute,” said Rev. Dr. Dinku Bato, LHF’s coordinator for African projects. “Many more books are needed!”

Over the past year, Rev. Bato has been developing a new Malagasy translation team, comprised mainly of students at the FLM’s graduate school. Their principal serves as a liaison between the FLM and the young translators.

In their conversations, Rev. Bato stressed that LHF “works across the board to distribute materials to all Lutheran church bodies, and our goal is to make the correct teachings of the Bible, as explained in the Book of Concord, available to all people. They were very happy to hear that!” he exclaimed.

New publications on the way

The team’s first project was to translate the devotion booklet “Jesus Never Fails” into Malagasy, and 3,000 copies have now been printed. In the coming months, A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories will be available for the FLM’s many families and children (pictured with one of the Malagasy translators above).

Also underway is a top-priority project, translating the full Book of Concord. It’s a lot of work, but Rev. Bato believes the team is up for it.

“They are very energetic young people who are very, very happy to have this opportunity come to their attention,” he said. “Their work is very much needed, because books are very welcome and put into use in Madagascar. In the past, we saw that when we offer the good books of our faith, people will take them and will read them. For some, the books are the first seeds of the Gospel being planted; for others, the Holy Spirit will use this opportunity to water and nourish their faith.”