On behalf of the leaders at different levels, and on behalf of the wider community of the Seventh Day Adventist Church as important members of the Bible Society, the General Secretary greatly appreciated the efforts and energy of this church in Bible translation into Kinyarwanda.

In this church, they had educated people who were able to learn foreign languages, such as English and French, so that they could translate the contents of those languages into Kinyarwanda.

Besides the late Ezra Mpyisi, Pastor Amon, who was killed in the Genocide against the Tutsis in 1994, played a significant role in the translation of the Bible. He was in charge of Translation in Bible Society in Rwanda before the Genocide. He was taught French and English by the Adventists, so he could translate it into Kinyarwanda well.

Pastor Viateur Ruzibiza returned to the three versions of the Bible that arrived in Rwanda, namely the Holy Bible used by Catholics, the Holy Bible used by Religions and Churches of the Protestants which arrived in Rwanda for the first time, in 1957, and other Ezra Mpyisi named the Bible the Word of God.

In the General Assembly held in Biryogo in March 2004, this Bible had been translated, it was difficult for the participants to name it, and in the end Ezra Mpyisi was the one who chose it. Ezra Mpyisi who was in the proof readers group stood up and said: "This the book of G

od you call the Word of God. Don’t think about other names, because the Word of God is what unites us all. If you call it by any other name, it will be biased in certain attitudes and beliefs. I am giving you a name where we can all meet, there will be no place more than others, it is the Word of God." To this day, that is the name given to the Bible.

Ezra Mpyisi’s first born, Gerald Mpyisi, said that before his father dies, he gave 1,300 Bibles to people to read. Viateur Ruzibiza said that in just one year of 2023, between 10 and 12 million Bibles were sold, which Ezra Mpyisi bought to give to people or those he sent to buy them.

Before his death, he said that at his funeral attendance, there will be Bibles instead flowers. This has been adopted as a law and is now being implemented by collecting money to buy Bibles for all his funeral attendants. Apostle Mignonne Kabera of the Women Foundation, is one of those who decided to pay for these Bibles.

In the words of Pastor Ezra Mpyisi who was born on February 19, 1922 and died on January 27, 2024 that will not be forgotten, is telling people that they should have Jesus in their brains. Instead of possessing the Bible as an ornament, he asked people to possess it in their brains.

Pastor Viateur Ruzibiza said about significant role of late Ezra Mpyisi in Bible translation into Kinyarwanda

Apostle is the first one who will contribute in paying for the Bibles to be used by Ezra Mpyisi’s funeral attendants

Ezra Mpyisi played significant role in Bible translation into Kinyarwanda

He was 102 years old