words for life summer 2015

wycliffe.org.uk

WordsforLife Now with Call to Prayer

Summer 2015

WelcomeThis edition of Words for Life is a matter of war and peace. The golden beaches and beautiful seas of the Pacific (pages 22–25) contrast starkly with reports from South Sudan, Colombia and Nigeria. The difference is dizzying.

But when we feel overwhelmed by the turmoil of the world, we can confidently say with the Apostle, ‘Hey there death! Where is your power?’ knowing that even life and death are in God’s hands. God’s control should leave us in no doubt: whether we respond to peace and war by praying, by giving, by telling others or by going in service, God can use our efforts for his eternal plans and glory.

Hannah Thomas EditorE: [email protected]

Wycliffe UK Ltd. is a charity registered in England and Wales,

number 251233 and a charity registered in Scotland,

number SC039140.

In this issue…P4 Following the Farmer From the directorP8 Land of tears South SudanP12 Do we still need missionaries?

Considering changes in missionP16 What next?P18 A persuasive project NigeriaP22 Golden beaches, palm trees and Bible translation

The PacificP26 Hearers of the word IndiaP28 Got the time? Wycliffe’s upcoming events Pray…April Easter, Republic of Congo, Asian Sign

Languages, South SudanMay Typesetting, Colombia, Partners in the UK,

Bible translation’s most wantedJune Projects in Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil

and the PacificJuly Audio Bibles, Engaging UK churches, News

and previously mentioned

New address

Wycliffe Bible Translators, The Clare Charity Centre,

Wycombe Road, Saunderton, High Wycombe HP14 4BF

T: 0300 303 1111E: [email protected]

Designed and produced by

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Isn’t it funny that sometimes the things that are most familiar to us turn out to be the most surprising?

The Parable of the Sower is like that. We all think we know how it goes. The farmer

sows his seed. On the path, the birds snatch it up. It lands on the rocky places and among the thorns. Finally, some seed lands on good soil. The good soil is the person who hears and understands the word. Jesus is telling us to be good soil.

But that wasn’t Jesus’ point. Jesus didn’t call it ‘the parable of the four soils’ but ‘the parable of the sower’. (Matt 13:18) He was teaching people about himself, explaining why his method for extending God’s kingdom doesn’t always appear successful. The farmer sowing the seed is Jesus teaching the good news. He teaches the same message to all the people, but different people respond differently. He wants us to understand that even if many people do not accept his message, it does not mean he has failed. The problem is not with the teacher, but with the hearers.

We experience this today. We excitedly tell our neighbours about why we celebrate Easter, but they respond with nothing more than polite nods.

Following the farmerJames Poole

Working rice paddies in Nepal

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We explain to a visitor at church why Jesus gives us joy, never to see her again.

Sometimes the lacklustre response might be because we need to explain the news better. But it isn’t just about us. We need to remember that Jesus faced the same challenge and he pointed out that there was a spiritual problem with the hearers.

Despite the mixed results, Jesus didn’t give up on this method. God’s kingdom grows when the good news is shared with more and more people. God’s kingdom spreads by word of mouth, as people pass the news on. That was how Jesus worked, and that is how we must continue today.

Wycliffe Bible Translators is working around the world to make God’s word available to people in their own language, so they can read it and hear it for themselves. When people read about Jesus, they can speak to others about him. Little seedling by little seeding, churches grow and nations are transformed for Christ.

Of course, not everyone will welcome the good news. Some Bible translation projects face obstacles and opposition. One Islamic country made it harder for our teams to get visas (though God provided an alternative route). In a former Soviet state with a long Christian presence, Christianity is now often considered a religion of oppression.

Instead of losing heart, we press on because we know that, when God’s word reaches good soil, it will produce a great harvest in people’s lives.

One of the main challenges Wycliffe faces at the moment is that there aren’t enough people to do the work. We don’t just need more linguists and translators; we need the workers who support and facilitate them: programme managers, IT and personnel support, administrators, bookkeepers, and so on – both in the UK and overseas. Above all, we need people who want to help others read and hear the message of Jesus. We want to see Christians spread the good news about Jesus throughout the world.

Would you pray that God would raise up the people needed so this can happen? You could

Watering the crops on a farm in Cameroon

pray that someone from your church might come forward for this work. Get in touch if you’re wondering if that might be you!

James Poole is Wycliffe Bible Translators UK director.

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This holy week This week, as we remember the crux of our faith, use Jesus’ priestly prayer in John 17 to pray for brothers and sisters around the world.

n I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you. (verse 8) Thank God for the gift of his Son, the truth of his message, and the turning of our hearts to accept it.

n The world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. (verse 14) Pray for Christians suffering persecution. Include those in Syria and Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan, India, Northern Nigeria.

n Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.

(verse 18) Pray that, where the word is taught faithfully, faithful workers will be sent into the world. Pray particularly for churches sending their first cross-cultural worker.

n I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. (verse 21) Pray for unity in the church worldwide, especially for organisations that seek to bring Christians together to proclaim the good news and to act in mercy.

n I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. (verse 26) Thank Jesus for his promise to keep revealing the Father. According to the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity, the highest proportions of people choosing to follow Jesus are in China, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Cambodia – surprising!

Bible quotations are from the New Living Translation.

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Call to Prayer Wednesday 1 – Sunday 19 April

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The other CongoThe Republic of Congo is the giant DR Congo’s smaller neighbour and home to more than 60 languages.

n Translators in five languages are working on parts of the Old Testament. Pray that that their translations would be clear, accurate, and natural.

n Pray for the translators’ physical and spiritual health.

n With work concentrated in the capital, the distribution of published materials is difficult. Pray that the SIL Congo* team would find a good way to consistently get the material to people who want it.

n The current priority is motivating language communities and local churches to support and guide the work in their language. Pray that God would give more and more people a vision for Bible translation.

n The Beembe New Testament was published in 2014 and the Kituba New Testament will be reprinted for its 10th anniversary this year. Pray for God’s word to take root in these communities: that churches would use the translated Scripture and that this would help people to know God better.

n Praise God for the two people who did internships in language development for their own languages last year. Language development includes developing writing systems for previously unwritten languages and compiling the first dictionary.

n Pray for more interns to do the initial linguistic work in their languages so that the foundation is built when churches are ready to start Bible translation.

*SIL is Wycliffe’s key partner organisation.

Sign language steps in South East Asia

It’s a bit of a tongue twister: Yayasan Lembaga Alkitab Bahasa Isyarat (YALABISI) is a group of Deaf people in Indonesia who are beginning to translate the Bible into a sign language.

n Give thanks: the team has already been training in project management, translation skills and the technical set up of the studio. (Sign language Bibles are often filmed, not written.)

n Pray for good relationships as work begins.

There are two sign language translation teams based in Bangkok, Thailand, one translating Mark and one translating chronological Bible stories.

n The teams have recently been able to spend time working together. Pray they would be mutually encouraged.

n One of the teams has appointed a new project manager after praying for one for some time. She’s a Deaf woman who wants to use her management skills for translation. Thank God for her and pray that she and the team will adapt well to one another.

n Pray that translations would speed along and be passionately received.

The SIL Global Sign Languages Team runs workshops for hearing teachers of Deaf students at a school in SE Asia. When Jana Lollis, who is Deaf herself, taught on the course last summer, she did her demonstration in a classroom. The students were thrilled to have someone Deaf teaching them and the teachers said it was eye-opening.

n Give thanks for the learning at the workshops and especially for Jana.

n Pray: plans are underway for a three-week follow-up workshop this summer.

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The team working in Congo after a seminar on mobilisation


Land of tearsIt was a Sunday night in mid-December 2013 when life changed for so many. A dispute between those loyal to the government and those loyal to the former vice president led to days of fighting in the streets of Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Foreign governments evacuated their citizens, and the South Sudanese who could began fleeing to neighbouring countries for safety. Staff from SIL South Sudan left the country on commercial flights and by road.

Fighting in the capital city only lasted a few days and SIL South Sudan staff returned to resume work in late February 2014. But peace talks between the two warring factions have stalled

and fighting continues in parts of the country. In just one year, this armed conflict has left nearly 2 million people displaced from their homes, 400,000 children out of school and as many as 50,000 people dead.1

SIL South Sudan is no stranger to difficult circumstances. Work in South Sudanese languages began in the 1970s and continued through almost three decades of war, war that led to South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011.

Throughout the current conflict, the South Sudanese church has joined together to pray for peace – a peace which can only come when people hear of Christ’s true and lasting peace.

1 Numbers from the UN Office for the Administration of Humanitarian Affairs and International Crisis Group.

Only a few years after independence, South Sudan has already seen heart-breaking turmoil, as Tanya Spronk from Wycliffe’s partner SIL South Sudan explains…

Drafting 2 Corinthians 3 in Keliko

Call to Prayer Monday 20 – Sunday 26 April

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And they can only understand this peace when it comes in a language they can understand.

There are still a million people in South Sudan waiting for the word of God in their language; continuing violence has not interrupted the translation and literacy work in two of South Sudan’s biggest cities, Juba and Wau.

SIL South Sudan is involved in eight Bible translation and literacy projects, including five New Testaments on track to be completed in the next three years. Preliminary work for translation has begun in five more language groups.

In addition to bringing the word of peace through Bible translation, SIL South Sudan has increased involvement in the translation of trauma healing materials and has been training church leaders to use those materials. Many community members have found healing, forgiveness and true reconciliation as a result of trauma healing.

SIL South Sudan has also been working in partnership with education-focused NGOs, responding to the needs of displaced children forced out of school. Partners have begun literacy classes for children in camps for internally displaced people as well as the UN’s camps, and SIL South Sudan has been training teachers and providing literacy books for the children in their languages. Teaching in their languages not only helps them learn better, but offers them comfort and familiarity when they’ve had to flee the comfort and familiarity of their homes.

South Sudan needs prayer for peace and healing, and for readiness for the coming of God’s word.

Pray…n For conviction, vision and courage for

government, church and community leaders to speak and work for the benefit of all the peoples of South Sudan.

n For the five language communities to complete New Testaments in the next few years; for plans to distribute and use the Scriptures; and for the work of the Holy Spirit among the communities to bring healing and transformation.

n For the Lord’s guidance and resources for SIL South Sudan as it finishes some Bible translations and starts new ones.

n For translators struggling to finish the Dinka Cam Old Testament and revise the New Testament because their community is caught up in the current conflict.

n For additional qualified translation consultants (national and expatriate) to train and supervise the translation teams. At present there are only three consultants, two of whom are part-time.

n That the current conflict will not spread to so-far unaffected areas, and that the groups involved will quickly reach agreement and live in peace again.

n For those who are talking to leaders from the five languages where it is hoped Bible translation will start in 2015. Pray that arrangements will go smoothly for an initial workshop in April.

See what a difference audio Scriptures in South Sudan make – video at wycliffe.org.uk/wflextra.

Reading the Avokaya Bible at the launch


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South Africa-based typesetter Steve Pillinger at work

Focus on: TypesettingBehind any page of a printed Bible hide dozens of decisions: what font is used? what text size? where do cross-references go? Getting the layout right is the work of a typesetter.

Janet Sweet works with translation teams in East Africa to get Bibles ready for printing. These are a few of the challenges she and her typesetting colleagues face…

n Typesetters need to keep on top of constantly changing technology, as well as dealing with unusual technical glitches. Pray that technology would be a blessing, not a barrier.

n Typesetting a New Testament is a big job, but getting the text ready for typesetting is a much bigger one. The majority of translation teams underestimate how much time they need for final checks, and typesetting is done against a deadline. Pray for typesetters and teams who find they have less time than they’d planned.

n It’s difficult to know where the translators’ work ends and the typesetters’ begins. After all, the translators have been working on this for

more than a decade! Pray for good teamwork and for clear communication.

n As well as working through email and video conferencing, translators and typesetters need to travel. Pray for protection for workers and their families, for endurance for the intense work and for good health.

n Praise God: this year, all the funding requests for typesetting were met. Thank God for the generous providers. There are still costs involved with travel during typesetting. Pray that no Scriptures would be delayed because of funding shortfalls.

n Getting copyright permission to include certain content, like translated book introductions, in a new publication can be a very long-winded process. Pray for good communication and cooperation between different Bible agencies.

n Pray for Janet and her husband Andrew: in March, they had their first child! Pray they would adjust well to their new family and that Janet would be able to enjoy her maternity leave.

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Call to Prayer Monday 27 April – Sunday 17 May

Worth waiting forThe Cassa and Nawa are neighbouring people groups living in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in the north of Colombia.

n Praise God: After 35 years of work, the Cassa team launched the New Testament with much celebration in mid-January!

n Along with the printed New Testament, the team also launched a solar-powered audio player that contains every verse. It’s particularly important because very few Cassa people read and write. Pray for its use.

n Alongside translation work, workshops have been running to equip Sunday school teachers. Pray for enthusiastic teachers.

n Last September, five Cassa people met for training in translation techniques and a computer programme so that they can begin translating the Old Testament. Pray their

Helping from homen MissionAssist supports world mission from

the UK. From 15–17 May, they are gathering for their annual conference. Pray for the main speaker, Rev Dr Viv Thomas; for the practical arrangements and travel plans; and that those gathering would be built up in passion for God’s service.

n Praise God for the completion of MissionAssist’s 20-year project, the EasyEnglish Bible. Pray that it would be well used, both in print and online, and that those working on accompanying commentaries would be equipped for their work.

n MissionAssist is changing its charitable status. Ask God to make this a valuable change, and pray for wisdom for the trustees, particularly the chair, Marie South.

n MissionAssist needs leaders. Pray with the team for coordinators, trainers, directors, administrators and managers who can steward at every level: ten, five and one ‘talent’s worth’.

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training will enable the translators to do an excellent job of translating.

n On 7 October 2014, during a community meeting in the neighbouring Nawa community, lightning struck the building. 11 people were killed and a further 20 injured. Many of those killed were leaders in the community. It’s a community of around 1,800 people so everyone’s affected. Pray particularly for the nine widows.

n The community has been relatively closed to the gospel. Pray for the ongoing witness of two Nawa Christians and ask that God would bring good even in this tragic event.

n Although the Cassa and Nawa cultures are similar, the languages are very different. Pray for the young Nawa man being trained for Bible translation.

Pseudonyms are used to protect the projects.

n Thank God for the current volunteers; they work part time and at a distance from one another, so it can be easy to feel disconnected. May they feel increasingly part of a unified team and motivated for the work.

n Pray for new volunteers of all ages, particularly people with specialist skills, who are looking to use their gifts to serve overseas mission workers and the worldwide church.

n As MissionAssist leaders plan for the future, pray for the training of volunteers; that leaders will be able to effectively identify new opportunities; and for good communication with mission workers so they can develop services to match real needs.

The MissionAssist team at last year’s conference


1985. A crisis was developing in Khartoum, Sudan. A coup looked possible. I was responsible for a small team working in the east of the country among people who had fled war and famine in the Horn of Africa. This was the year that the internet was founded. Today, I would have just sent an email, a text message, looked on Facebook or followed a Twitter feed. But then, I almost lived in the local telex office trying to keep in contact.

Martin Lee reflects on the changing face of mission. A changing world

The major global changes affecting mission today are endless: the communications revolution, migration, urbanisation, the power of multi-national organisations, the poverty gap, fundamentalism. Yet sometimes I wonder if we in the UK church know how these changes are affecting us and our ministry.

Do we still need missionaries?

“ Africa has become the heartland of Christian faith and Europe instead has become the mission field.”

A church in the Central African Republic hosts literacy classes

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As far back as 1991, the missiologist David Bosch said, ‘The church in general and Christian mission in particular are today confronted with issues they have never even dreamed of and which are crying out for responses that are both relevant to the times and in harmony with the essence of the Christian faith.’

Shifting groundPerhaps one of the biggest changes is the incredible shift of Christianity from the West to the non-Western world. God is truly at work across the globe and now, more than ever before, we can imagine the scene described in Revelation 7:9 ‘After this I looked, and there

before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.’ Many of the traditional frontiers of mission no longer exist. Africa, once the ‘mission field’, has become the heartland of Christian faith and Europe instead has become the mission field.

While enormous growth has happened in so many places, I often hear the comment that the non Western church is ‘one mile wide and an inch deep’. That is not my experience. Prayer is often more everyday than in the Western church and people expect to see God at work in their lives. Most non-Western Christians are more conservative in both beliefs and moral teaching than in the West. Of course there are excesses, such as the prosperity gospel, and huge needs for theological education. But as I travel, I see a marked contrast to the spiritual poverty of many churches in the West.

The commitment to mission from churches in the non-Western world is incredible. South Korea has sent out more than 20,000 missionaries to over 160 countries. India, Nigeria and Brazil are now large sending nations as are many countries in South America. Increasingly many missionaries are not related to the Western mission movement.

“ 85% of all Christian mission is aimed at other ‘Christians’.”

The pressing needWhile the numbers may no longer be in the West, money and its associated power are still solidly located there. Partnerships in which money is involved often end up in problems of dependency, destroying any mutuality. The words of Bishop VS Azariah still echo over a century later: ‘Through all the ages to come the Indian

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church will rise up in gratitude to attest the heroism and self-denying labours of the missionary body. You have given your goods to feed the poor. You have given your bodies to be burned. We also ask for love. Give us friends!’

Despite the enormous growth of the church in Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia, there are still vast numbers of people who have never heard of Christ. In many countries, Christians are few and far between. Yet according to the Atlas of Global Christianity, 85% of all Christian mission is aimed at other ‘Christians’.

What about us?Where does that leave UK Christians in mission today? Do these enormous changes mean that the days of the UK sending mission partners are over? By no means!

Mission is God’s way of loving and saving the world, so mission is never our invention or choice. The initiative in mission is God’s, not ours. We are simply called to be part of God’s mission as we follow Jesus who said, ‘As the Father has

sent me, so I am sending you.’ (John 20:21) It’s not the church of God that has a mission, but the God of mission who has a church – and the UK church must be part of that mission if we want to truly be God’s church.

The real question is: ‘What is the new role for the UK church and mission agencies as part of the worldwide church?’ At the Global Connections conference early in 2014, we reflected on input from church leaders outside the Western church. It raised key issues for the UK church such as:

Making prayer a priority, both for the world and for our part in mission.

Refocusing on the hard places where Christ is still not known.

Understanding that it cannot be more of the same. The role of mission partners today is very different, often one of working alongside and not one of control.

Redefining partnership and basing our relationship with the global church on a new footing of friendship, humility, respect, honour.

Becoming listeners and learners, and not always needing to be the teachers.

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Bible translation’s most wantedSupporting global mission in new ways needs new people. Pray with us for these much needed team members.

n More than half of Wycliffe’s personnel needs are for support staff. This includes people with experience of IT, communications, finance and personnel. Pray God would prompt people with these gifts to join the work.

n One of the greatest needs is for managers. At the moment, this includes needs for an administrative director for Togo and Benin, a facilities manager in Ethiopia and an operations coordinator in Congo.

n Another key need is in children’s education. Pray for teachers who can serve overseas so that other workers can keep working, knowing their children are learning.

n Continue to pray for language-lovers. For example, Wycliffe needs people to advise translators, lecture on linguistics, develop writing systems, coordinate literacy programmes, research languages, and typeset translations (more on page 10).

n Pray for people with the right skills to fill key gaps at the UK offices. Without people here, there would be no one to send workers’ money to them, visit churches or talk to enquirers!

n Three early-retired couples recently offered their teaching and administration skills to support Bible translation overseas. Pray for more people to consider a second career as part of the Bible translation team.

n Pray for the UK-based personnel team, especially for wisdom and understanding as they advise people in situations that are difficult or unplanned.

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Call to Prayer Monday 18 – Sunday 24 May

A dear friend, a missionary to the UK from Kenya, Peter Oyugi, summed it all up: ‘I believe that God’s mission demands a stepping out in faith and every step of faith is not devoid of risks… It is time for Christ’s church to arise as one people, serving one God who is Creator and Lord of the universe, to proclaim the good news of Jesus to those who are “without hope and without God in the world”.’ (Eph 2:12)

There is a key role for the UK church, but it is a different role to that of the past. In the words of Andrew Walls: ‘Together we can be a new community – a hundred places learning from each other, with no one single centre of Christianity or single type of mission activity.’ The challenges of change shouldn’t discourage us, but spur us on to new ways of engaging in God’s mission in God’s world.

Martin Lee is the director of Global Connections, a network of more than 250 organisations, churches and support services linked by a vision to see ‘mission at the heart of the church and the church at the heart of mission’. Find out more about Global Connections at globalconnections.org.uk.

“ The UK church must be part of mission if we want to truly be God’s church.”

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Jason Ramasami 12/14

M i s s i o n p r e p a r a t i o n l o n g b e f o r e y o u b o a r d t h a t p l a n e . . .

P R A Y

D I S C O V E R

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a s k a W y c l i ff e w o r k e r t o s p e a k a t y o u r c h u r c h

s t u d y t h r o u g h A c t s a n d s e e m i s s i o n w o r k f r o m 2 0 0 0 y e a r s a g o

a s a n u r s e , a l i n g u i s t , a t e a c h e r , a m e c h a n i c …

a t t e n d a t a s t e r e v e n t

s a v e r e g u l a r l y , c l e a r d e b t s a n d t a l k t o p e o p l e w h o m i g h t f u n d y o u

o r v i s i t a m i s s i o n w o r k e r

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Jason Ramasami 12/14

M i s s i o n p r e p a r a t i o n l o n g b e f o r e y o u b o a r d t h a t p l a n e . . .

P R A Y

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s t u d y t h r o u g h A c t s a n d s e e m i s s i o n w o r k f r o m 2 0 0 0 y e a r s a g o

a s a n u r s e , a l i n g u i s t , a t e a c h e r , a m e c h a n i c …

a t t e n d a t a s t e r e v e n t

s a v e r e g u l a r l y , c l e a r d e b t s a n d t a l k t o p e o p l e w h o m i g h t f u n d y o u

o r v i s i t a m i s s i o n w o r k e r

i n v o l v e y o u r l e a d e r s i n t h e p r o c e s s


The translation of Acts was nearly ready, and Sunday, a Nyankpa translator, was in the village of Mushe to check that the work the team had done was clear and natural. When he arrived, he met 15 people, mostly women. They knew about the translation, but hadn’t met any of the translators before or heard any of the translations.

He explained to them that he wanted their help. Surprised, they wondered how they could really help. ‘When I read,’ he said, ‘you will know how to help.’

Sunday started reading. When he reached a place that was unclear, the group interrupted him, telling him that didn’t sound right. He said, ‘There you go! You see! You are my teachers.’

An old man behind one of the houses heard the noise and came to see what was going on. But, once the testing was explained, he decided

he wasn’t interested in staying to listen. Sunday asked his name. ‘Olem,’ he replied (olem means ‘persuade’ or ‘convince’). ‘Okay, let me read you just a little bit.’

Sunday read the passage of Acts where Lydia persuades Paul to stay with her. Once he heard ‘Olem’, his name, the man became very excited. He sat down and joined the rest of the group as they checked the translation.

As well as translating the Bible and working with communities to check it, as Sunday has been doing, the four teams are working on complementary projects to persuade the communities about the work.

The Ashe team is preparing for an arts workshop. People at the workshop will learn to write worship songs in Ashe. Some church members believe that Ashe music is evil and can’t be used in worship. The team wants to

A persuasive project

Project: Koro – four translation teams working togetherLocation: Central Nigeria Speakers: 250,000 in four languages: Ashe, Nyankpa, Duya and Waci

Pray…n Jeremiah and Zachariah recently joined

the Waci and the Ashe teams as the new translators. Praise God.

n Pray that the new translators will quickly learn the skills they need. Pray for them to grasp the vision of the work and to be committed to it, so that they would persevere.

n Pray for the language committees (local people who support and promote the translation work): for good communication between members; for them to be able to receive relevant training about their role; and for them to persuade communities of the value of Bible translation.

n Pray for more advisors to support the teams: there is too much work for the current advisor to do alone. Pray for wisdom for the best way to help these language teams progress.

n Pray for the different activities the teams are involved in to complement the translation, including the arts workshop, The JESUS Film and the story collections. Pray that God would use these to build his church and bring people closer to him.

n Pray for those in the communities who have never heard the gospel clearly to hear and understand their need for Jesus as their saviour.

n Pray for God’s protection of the teams and their families, both in these projects and others in Nigeria, as they seek to serve him despite difficulties and opposition.

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Call to Prayer Monday 25 – Sunday 31 May

show the Ashe people that their music is a great way to praise God.

The Duya team is working on The JESUS Film. The script has been translated and distributed for local pastors to check and offer feedback, and the next stage is to find voice actors and publicise the film.

The Nyankpa team has been collecting stories in their language. These will be analysed to learn how people structure stories in Nyankpa – information they can use to make the Scripture translation sound more natural. The stories can also be used for literacy groups.

Although the teams have been working on different projects, their overall aim is the same: to provide their people with God’s word in their own languages, so that they can know him better and follow him more closely.

Sunday checks the Nyankpa translation in Mushe village

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The two Aghem translators hit a problem – Colossians 2:17: ‘These are just a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.’ In Aghem, it’s easy to talk about a person’s shadow but difficult to talk about a figurative shadow, like a shadow of future events. This verse took the team over an hour and a half to translate; even then, they decided it needed to be tested carefully among Aghem speakers.

Praise God…n The draft of Hebrews is now complete and the

team have been providing regular mother-tongue readings for Sunday church meetings.

n The literacy work is helped by good relationships with the local education authorities. Some schools are so enthusiastic about mother-tongue language lessons that they’ve started providing money for the literacy teachers.

n Leaders of local churches are taking it in turns

Shadows and songbooks in Cameroonthroughout the year to offer spiritual support and oversight for the project.

n ‘My dear sisters, this is a great thing!’ said the choir leader Mama Ewo Grace after the choir trialled the new hymn book. ‘This is our own hymn book and we can use it better than the English book which meant some of us could only chew our lips during some songs.’

Pray…n After an illness and much prayer, the Father took

the leading translator Wilfred to be with him late last year. Remember his family as well as the team in prayer.

n Many in the team are struggling to make ends meet after the cost of goods has gone up nationwide.

n For ongoing translation, literacy work – particularly in the primary schools – and distribution of the hymn book.

Socorro, the Nadëb translator, at work

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Call to Prayer Monday 1 – Sunday 14 June

Journey up the River SeaOnce thousands-strong, today the Nadëb people of the Brazilian Amazon number only 450, the result of a devastating epidemic of measles last century. The long work of language analysis, literacy and translation began in 1966. God’s word in Nadëb bore fruit; now the majority of the community follow Jesus! The New Testament was launched in 2012.

Praise God…n The church is led by 13 Nadëb leaders. They

use the Nadëb translation and more than 100 songs in their own language and musical style. Pray especially for Eduardo, the leading pastor.

n A bilingual school runs under the local Brazilian government and the Nadëb teachers receive a salary.

n More than a quarter of the Old Testament has been translated by a young Nadëb woman called Socorro. Pray for Socorro – as well as her translation work, she is a mum of five!

Pray…n The Nadëb people’s home is remote.

Their nearest mission contacts are Brazilian workers in a town 300km downriver. Wycliffe workers Rodolfo and Beatrice try to visit once a year. Pray for encouragement.

n Pray for the smooth working of the technology Socorro uses for translation and for sending drafts to Rodolfo for checking.

n The military wants to close down the local airstrip because they think it’s being used for drug trafficking. This would make visiting the Nadëb people more difficult.

n Pray for strength and growth among Nadëb Christians, particularly that young people would read God’s word. The young people’s workers in the church are called Andrade and Elisvaldo; another man, Cleto, and his wife also run a regular young people’s Bible study.

Watch a video about the amazing transformation among the Nadëb people: wycliffe.org.uk/wflextras.

The Nadëb homeland

Golden beaches, palm trees and Bible translation


What’s so terrific about the Pacific?The Pacific is a diverse region. Its 16 constituting island nations range from giant Australia – which is roughly the size of the continguous US – to Nauru – the world’s smallest island nation at 8 square miles.

Thirty-four million people live in the region, 0.5% of the world’s population. Half of them speak a variety of English. Given the small population and that so many speak English, why is Wycliffe so prolific in the Pacific?

The Pacific is both physically and linguistically spread out. At least 1,300 Pacific languages are spoken and of those, more than 400 need a Bible translation project to begin. That doesn’t include the 350 languages where translation is already in progress. The region includes Papua New Guinea, which has the second greatest need for Bible translation work, and Vanuatu, the world’s most linguistically dense country.

What has Wycliffe been doing?There are five Wycliffe organisations working in the Pacific: Wycliffe Australia was the first, followed by Wycliffe New Zealand, and, more recently, organisations in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Tonga. The latter are two of the newest Wycliffe organisations – they entered the Global Alliance in 2013.

These organisations engage with churches and many other partners in the Pacific, participating together in God’s mission through Bible translation, language research, literacy programmes, community development, and much more.

A quick introduction to Bible translation

in the Pacific

The windy Ramu River, Papua New GuineaPhot

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What’s changing?Given the scope of the work, it’s nearly impossible to pick out one big change from the work over the decades. Nico Daams, who works with the Isles of the Sea project which is focused on Polynesian and Micronesian languages, says that the trend he’d pick out is that translation is more ‘locally driven’; increasingly, churches and communities are taking responsibility for local projects, and committed Pacific Island men and women are trained to become translators and advisors.

One example is the Nukuoro project in Micronesia. The Nukuoro people number 860, but small numbers didn’t prevent them initiating a project to translate the Bible. In 1987, the New Testament was sent to the printers with community-raised funds to cover the printing costs. Now a highly qualified Nukuoro woman, Betty Amon, is revising the New Testament and translating the Old, walking in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.

Let’s get specific There have been mission workers in the Pacific for hundreds of years, but sending out Pacific Islanders as Bible translation advisors and consultants is still a new way of working. It’s not without its challenges.

Most people in the smaller islands of the region live on a significantly lower wage than in countries from which Wycliffe workers have traditionally come, making it harder to raise support for a mission worker.

‘Pacific Islanders live on the brink of the unexpected,’ says Nico: sickness, financial shortfall and equipment failure happen suddenly and

without the support infrastructure that many other countries have.

Although the workers know many languages, and often know a lot about translation and cross-cultural issues, many haven’t had access to good secondary or higher education. That makes it harder to learn in the training programmes that are already running, and designing new ones is a lot of work. A team in Papua New Guinea is doing just that though!

The Isles of the Sea team has seen many benefits from working with more local people:

Many adjust to the communities they are working with quickly – it’s a lot like home!

They are able to get involved in community activities that foreign workers might not be able to: for example, last Christmas Papua New Guinean translator Tom Puaria held an evangelistic outreach programme among the community he works with.

While raising money can be difficult, their churches are quick to pray passionately because they recognise the spiritual battleground. One Pacific team member says that she cries when she prays for difficult situations of fellow workers, even though she’s never met them!

They are in it for the long run and aren’t going to be stopped by needing new visas or by the end of a New Testament – they want to see complete Bibles and revisions in their own countries.

Take time to prayThe Pacific has some big challenges, but a new workforce – motivated for the long run – is being equipped for the work. The following pages provide ways you can pray for the needs in the region.

At the launch of the New Testament in Gapapaiwa, Papua New Guinea Ph

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Papua New Guinean translators at a training workshop

Micronesian Praise God for the launch of the

Kapingamarangi complete Bible just before Christmas 2014. Pray that passion for God’s word would keep growing!

Northern Mariana Islandsn The Saipan Carolinian team are completing the

New Testament. Pray for the consultant, who is checking from the Philippines. Ask God to keep all computers working well.

Papua New Guinean Tony Kotauga, the new director of the Bible

Translation Association (PNG BTA), met translators at a workshop. ‘As I watched the translators, old men and women with little education, I asked myself, “Here I am, educated, with management and leadership skills. What am I doing for the eight million people in this country?” That event cemented the decision to work with PNG BTA.’ Pray for Tony as he leads in the coming years.

n A Papua New Guinean multi-language translation project is inviting more language groups to join. Ask God to call those he has prepared from each community to be translators.

n Because many languages of Papua New Guinea still need researching, the language survey office is looking forward to gaining six new team members. Pray for prayer and financial supporters for the workers.

n Recently, two churches in Papua New Guinea that have not worked together for years reconciled as they celebrated the Bible in their language. These churches are now raising money for local Bible translators and literacy workers.

Vanuatun The Vanuatu team needs 60 more

translation advisors in order to go ahead with plans for translation. Ask God to send labourers.

A tour of Pacific projects

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Call to Prayer Monday 15 June – Sunday 5 July

Focus on the Solomon Islandsn Pray that churches, communities and

Bible translation partners in the Solomon Islands will work well together as they seek to develop strategies to reach all the language groups.

n Pray that people learning to read in Bible-based literacy courses will be changed as they read God’s word.

n Trauma healing training equips counsellors and church workers to minister from the Bible to those who have experienced trauma. Pray that those who have received training will have opportunities to minister and for God’s healing to touch lives.

n A pilot multi-lingual education programme in two languages is in its second year. Both languages have completed New Testaments which are being used as part of the curriculum. Pray for the administrators and teachers involved.

n Give thanks for a new recording studio and trained audio technicians; it will enable recordings of Scripture to become available in more languages. The recordings are loaded on mobile phones and can be easily shared with others.

n The New Testament is nearing completion in the Gela language and the entire Bible in Roviana. Pray for these translation teams as they finish and prepare for typesetting.

n Travel in the Solomon Islands is often by sea and it can be challenging and dangerous. Pray for safety for workers and their families as they travel between villages and the capital city.

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down under1954 saw the formation of Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia, the culmination of the vision and passion of Australian mission and church leaders and young people to contribute towards global mission.

Sixty years on, this passion remains strong. It was encouraging for Wycliffe Australia to celebrate with over 160 churches and to pray with more than 290 participants during 60 Days of Prayer last year. One of the most meaningful celebrations in 2014 was the rededication of commitment by Wycliffe members, supporters and friends to continue to trust God together for the future.

n Praise God for the 25 new Wycliffe Australia members preparing to begin work.

n Pray for these workers as they face a variety of challenging activities, including building a financial and prayer support team, location changes, and language and culture study.

n Praise God for the opportunities that have arisen from the 60th anniversary, including individuals who have indicated an interest in Wycliffe, people who have supported specific projects, and new prayer partners.

n Pray for active workers who have to manage significant uncertainty, whether it be financially with fluctuating currency valuations, emotionally with safety concerns, physically with health risks including dengue fever and malaria, or spiritually as they battle an unseen world.

n Praise God for giving Barry Borneman, the CEO of Wycliffe Australia, strength and wisdom as he took on an additional responsibility through 2014 as interim principal of the linguistics school.

n Pray for the right person to take on the role of principal for the linguistics school.

n After the encouragement of looking back and celebrating the past 60 years, pray for Wycliffe Australia as they look forward with anticipation for what God is going to do in the future.

A village on the coast, Solomon Islands


A translation worker tells us the difference audio Scriptures are making in the villages of India…

The Agadab people live in South-East India. Of every 100 Agadab people, only 15 can read or write. Many of the older generation have never gone to school.

When the consultant check of Mark was finished, we asked the Agadab believers, ‘How do you want Mark to be published: in print or as a recording?’ The decision of the local believers was unanimous: ‘We want a recording!’

As a translation team, we spent several weeks recording Mark. With the assistance of a

Two Agadab men listen to Mark

partnering agency, the Gospel was made available on audio players. About 50 sets were distributed in various villages of the community.

This first-time experience of listening to a recording in their own tongue brought change. Words can’t describe how happy people are when they listen to Mark. The young people copy and pass it to each other on their phones. They listen with great enthusiasm because it’s in their mother tongue!

Listening fellowship groups began in five villages. Groups of 10 to15 people gather in the evenings to listen to the recording and discuss it. People come asking questions about the Gospel and

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More about Faith Comes By Hearing and MegaVoice at wycliffe.org.uk/wflextra.

Call to Prayer Monday 6 – Sunday 12 July

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Pray…n Pray for the progress of audio recordings

among the Agadab people and other communities in India.

n Thank God that last year, 220 audio Bible players containing Mark and Abraham’s story were launched in Enga, a language of Papua New Guinea. One listener said, ‘We never read a whole chapter at once, but on the Audibible we can listen to the whole book in one sitting and not get tired!’

n Pray for the progress of audio recordings in other languages in Papua New Guinea.

Faith Comes By Hearing and MegaVoice record and distribute the New Testament in minority languages.

The Faith Comes By Hearing team asks that you pray:

n Pray that leaders in the church (local, national and international) would understand the value of mother-tongue Scripture recordings for evangelism and discipleship, and that more would endorse these recordings.

n At the time of going to print, the teams were running 24 field recordings and 15 virtual recordings, with 27 more in planning. Pray for the recorders, readers and proofreaders, especially those working in hostile environments.

The MegaVoice team asks for prayer:

n Pray that workers from different organisations, including SIL International and MegaVoice, would be able to partner well, as parts of a body, to see an end to the silence of being without the Bible. Pray that mission workers would make good use of the MegaVoice audio unit.

n Pray for the team as they continue to look for new and innovative ways to share God’s word, especially in the areas where it is difficult to share Scriptures.

about Jesus, and the believers are happy to answer them. In one Agadab village, a shopkeeper set aside part of his shop for the listening fellowship group to meet in the evening.

In another village, the village chief gave permission to use the loud speaker to play Mark so that everyone could listen in the mornings. When Ramu, who lives in this village, first heard the recording, he had been married for five years, but he and his wife had no children. Hearing over the loud speaker about the many miracles Jesus did, Ramu believed and prayed for a child. God answered and blessed the couple with a handsome son.

People have been leaving their old ways of life – some have given up alcoholism; others have given up witchcraft. Wycliffe India’s recording team has continued to record Scripture portions and the Agadabs are requesting more audio Bible passages.

Today the Agadab people live in peace and are experiencing new life in their families. The power of God communicated through the heart language is indescribable.

The author and her husband serve as Wycliffe translators alongside the Agadab people of India. Twenty books of the New Testament into Agadab have been completed.

The language name has been changed for security reasons.

Listening to a Bible recording while at work.


Got the time?We’re all busy, busy, busy, but with millions of people still waiting to hear God’s words in their language, now is the time to think about being involved with Bible translation. Whether you want to move to the other side of the world or help a prayer group bring a community’s needs before God, Wycliffe has an event to suit you.

First Steps Only have a day? The one-day First Steps event is for anyone interested in global Bible poverty and how they can serve, whether that’s by praying, supporting others, or using their skills for a community without the Bible.

This year there will be events across the country, in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Chesterfield.

wycliffe.org.uk/firststeps #wyfirst

Two Week StintIf God’s asking you to serve in mission, this two-week summer camp in the south of France is the perfect way to consider how to get stuck in. It’s an opportunity to learn about linguistics and literacy, while producing materials for Wycliffe’s work. With participants from across the continent, it’s also a great multicultural experience.

wycliffe.org.uk/twoweekstint#wystint 12–24 July 2015, France

GOfestA gathering of dozens of mission agencies and churches, GOfest is the place to ask any mission-related questions and a time to be re-invigorated with the powerful, motivating truths of God’s promises for the world.

gofestival.info #gofestival 19–21 June 2015, Buckinghamshire

Pray…Please pray for the church engagement team, which runs these events.

n Staff spend many hours travelling, often during the evening. Pray for safety in travel, and the time to productively prepare and prioritise opportunities.

n There are team members across the country, encouraging churches nationwide to get involved in outreach to the world. Pray for more team members particularly in the north of England and the north midlands.

n Some churches support Bible translators by praying for a translation project that’s already been fully funded. The church engagement team and US-based partners The Seed Company are looking for six more projects that churches can pray for. Ask God to match communities and churches with a heart for the gospel.

n The Two Week Stint camp runs in France this July. Pray particularly for students to sign up and find the money for the experience.

n The team is busy planning new Next Step weekends. In May, Wycliffe teamed up with a Manchester church for one event. Pray for more churches wanting to host events like this one.

n There have been a lot of staff changes on the team in past few months. Pray for the new Northern Ireland team leader, for the team’s efforts to draw alongside churches in Ireland, and for a bigger team in Scotland.

n Wycliffe and other mission agencies have been involved with a cross-cultural mission seminar, run at Christian Union meetings to the great enjoyment of participants. Pray for continued good partnerships and that many students would be challenged as the seminar is promoted through Christian Unions in the midlands, the south west and the north of England in the 2015–16 academic year.

Call to Prayer Monday 13 – Sunday 19 July

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The Next StepIs Wycliffe the right fit for me? Is now the right time to go? The Next Step is a weekend programme for people asking those two questions. The weekend is running in Manchester in May this year. Keep an eye on the website for more planned weekends.

wycliffe.org.uk/thenextstep #wynext

Bible weeks and summer conferencesIf you’re planning to be at a big Bible event this year, we’d love to meet up for a chat. This year, we’ll be at Word Alive, Bangor Worldwide Mission Convention, Westpoint and UCCF’s Forum.

wordaliveevent.orgworldwidemission.orgwestpointevent.org.ukuccf.org.uk/forum


Our latest newsA new New Testament, PhilippinesTerimanen keremut tyu Beres et Empu’ ipesled et seled atey tyu. Our hands and hearts receive the word of God.

After many years with only a few Bible books, the Palawano people launched their New Testament in Autumn 2014 with dancing and singing, prayer and Bible reading.

n Praise God with the Palawano people. Pray that the New Testament will be loved and used throughout the community.

Also in the Philippines…Three years ago, the Matigsalug people celebrated the completion of the New Testament Plus (some Old Testament books included). The team suffered a setback recently when, having completed 90% of the Old Testament, a theft slowed down work.

n Pray for the continuing work of the team and the restoration of all that has been lost.

The Palawano New Testament was launched last year

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Singing at the launch of the Matigsalug New Testament Plus

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Call to Prayer Monday 20 – Friday 31 July

We’d love to hear from you.Wycliffe Bible TranslatorsThe Clare Charity Centre, High Wycombe HP14 4BFT: 0300 303 1111 E: [email protected] On Twitter @wycliffeuk On Facebook WycliffeBibleTranslatorsUK

Previously you prayed for…n Wycliffe workers with school-age

families, especially those relocating or travelling during the summer. Keep praying that children will adapt well to new people and cultures.

n The Muria (Gaita Koitor) translation project in India. Praise God that Luke and The JESUS Film were completed in August 2014.

n UK church partnership projects with the Lunyole and Lugwere translations in Uganda. Both teams have completed drafting the New Testament, and are checking and preparing for publication.

n Song-writing workshops in the Pangu language, Nigeria. Praise God that the first Scripture in Pangu, Luke, is now available on CD and mobile phone memory cards. Pray for newly set up listening groups using audio Bibles and that many Pangu people would be changed by God’s word.

n The Bassar (Ncham) Bible, Ghana, which was completed and finally launched in January. Praise God!

n Frontline Prayer Live, Wycliffe’s annual prayer event. Many who came said the time was inspiring. Pray for ongoing work to encourage people to pray for those without the Bible.

New to the teamPlans for a Wycliffe Ethiopia organisation, begun in 1973 by the then-Africa Area director (and founder of Wycliffe in the UK) John Bendor-Samuel, were interrupted by national unrest. But in October 2014, the Wycliffe Global Alliance welcomed Wycliffe Ethiopia as the newest member organisation.

n Give thanks for the perseverance of the team in Ethiopia and for the new organisation.

n Pray for the chair of the board Dr Woyita Woza and director Tefera Endalew. Tefera studied at the UK training programme.

n Wycliffe Ethiopia is the 16th African organisation in the Global Alliance and the third in Ethiopia. Pray for strong partnerships between organisations.

A bit chillyIn the previous edition of Words for Life, we visited Scripture engagement worker Suvi on the Arctic Circle. Praise God that others in the Russian teams have had encouraging contact with five more language communities.

n Pray for them as they return to work with them this summer: they are aiming to translate and record 30 Bible stories in each language.

Ancient and modern: Ethiopia is home to the newest Wycliffe organisation and to ancient

Bibles like this one

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WordsforLife Now with Call to Prayer

words for life summer 2015

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