A Passion for his people

Stefano is presently part of a Kunama language team who meets virtually every week to translate the New Testament. He has been instrumental in Kunama church growth in the United States. He has helped transition new Kunama arrivals, done medical and legal translations, and has helped produce the Jesus Film in the Kunama language. Most importantly, however, is that all these activities stream out of Stefano’s underlying sense that the scripture is vital for everyone in their own language.

“I don’t want any Kunama anywhere to be left behind because of language” Stefano Dago replied when I asked him why he was so passionate about having the Bible available in a good Kunama translation.

Stefano grew up in a Catholic family in Eritrea. Although he always loved God, he often struggled with the need for confession. This struggle drove him to read the Bible, to learn more.  He sensed that God was asking him to deepen his own faith, guide his family, and be a leader.

In Eritrea, in the context of endless wars and political upheaval, Stefano’s parents moved to a farm to provide safety for their family. In 1980, Stefano took responsibility for his 8 year old brother and fled to Sudan. There he lived and worked for 7 years as a pharmacy technician, changed his name to Mohammed, and learned Arabic.

In 1987, he resettled in Minneapolis.  The Catholic Church of St. Mark sponsored him.  He remembers receiving a welcome gift of $200, a hat, and a shirt. Stefano struggled with culture shock, intensified by raising his young brother, getting him to school every day, finding a babysitter and all the other requirements the child needed. At this point, Stefano realized how difficult it was for his brother and other Kunama children to grow up in America.  With so much freedom, the children were constantly tempted to take wrong turns.  God inspired Stefano to look for ways to provide healthy influences for kids, strong families, a Kunama church, and access to Scripture.

Stefano found a small Eritrean house church in Minneapolis.  Here he learned the meaning of being born again.  He decided that the church needed a proper place to meet and so Stefano put his leadership skills to work and found an American Pentecostal church that was willing to share its facilities by allowing them to meet in their basement.  They could not afford to pay rent, so Stefano worked as the church janitor in exchange for the use of their facilities. The pastor of this church helped him legally change his name back to Stefano.

In time, Stefano organized an outreach to the neighborhood, and this small Eritrean church grew from 12 attendees to 40. They added a communal meal after church, and the numbers continued to increase.  Stefano organized a conference with a special speaker, English translators, and hundreds of participants.  Eventually the church allowed them to use their main sanctuary--no longer did they have to meet in the basement! Finally, Stefano recruited an Eritrean pastor from Oklahoma to pastor the church. 

Beginning in the year 2000 many more Kunama refugees began to come to the US.  Stefano started serving these new arrivals by helping in their transition, arranging English classes, housing, jobs, enrollment in colleges, etc.  When I asked how he made a living at that time he said, “The new refugees often gave me their first paycheck as a way of thanking me”.  Stefano became well-known as a medical and legal translator for Arabic, Kunama, and Tigrinya. He continues to do that today.

Stefano’s closest Kunama friend, Solomon, saw Stefano’s heart for their people. and together they discussed producing the Jesus Film in Kunama.  A local contact helped them make it happen and the film was produced in Sioux Falls in 2016 in the studio of a marketing firm whose owner had befriended Stefano.  This film has had a tremendous impact on Kunama people everywhere.

Next, Stefano and Solomon along with church leaders and other believers decided that the Kunama needed a modern Bible.  The Kumana Scriptures that were currently available were very poor quality, and no one really used them.  Stefano contacted Wycliffe in Orlando to seek help, and was eventually connected to Rick Chiesa and Steve Salowitz, the project liaisons for Wycliffe USA.  The project is now well underway and a team of consultants is currently working to train and equip the Kunama team.

Throughout this time, God moved significantly in Stefano’s family. Stefano’s brother, Muru, and his family moved to Sioux Falls where many refugees work in large meat factories.  Muru accepted Jesus in a small Kunama church that met in a basement.  They prayed for a better place and God provided the facilities at a local Bible church where they now meet every Sunday afternoon.

Stefano also told me about the power of God’s Word in the life of his wife, Alganesh.  She was not a believer when they were married, and she had a wild lifestyle.  He begged her to read just one chapter of the Bible, and to attend church with him just once.  On the day she reluctantly attended, she was overcome by God’s Spirit and Stefano says that she is now a stronger believer than he is, full of fire for the Lord.  “God transformed my house,” says Stefano.

Currently the work on a new Kunama translation continues. A fellowship of church leaders representing all the Kunama churches in North America selected one translator from each church.  Eight translators now form the New Testament virtual translation team. Stefano is not one of the translators but the "mover & shaker" and facilitator for the project, behind the scenes. Stefano has a deep faith in God and in His provision.  He struggles with the idea of being paid for translating God’s Word, consequently, the US Kunama team all work as volunteers.  Each translator drafts Scripture, and every Saturday night they meet via Zoom to team check these Scriptures.  Consultants have been identified and they are now receiving training in translation processes and tools to enable work to progress more quickly and smoothly.  In the midst of it all, Stefano is pursuing his dream--that no Kunama is left behind.

[Stefano is currently facilitating a Wycliffe US, Wycliffe Ethiopia and

SIL-partnered translation project in the Kunama language.]