Call to
You fear not, you these little people who I stay looking after, because your Father who is in heaven, his stomach is sweet for your staying in his great chieftainship.
Prayer
Luke 12:32, ‘Bëlï, South Sudan
May – June 2013 Bible translation bonuses Translation teams in Cameroon are using blessings that come from Bible translation – like literacy and writing systems – to serve their communities in action as well as in the word… and garnering support for the translation along the way. (Matthew 5:16) ■ Wed 1 May The first ever Weh diary was published this year. The Fon (chief) said he would use it to organise all his appointments. Pray that he will be reminded of the impact of Bible translation every time he looks at it. Pray that the diaries will be advocates, stirring up interest in what the team is doing.
Language class
give them eyes to see the transformation that translation could bring. The inter-church committee was set up to support the translation but for the past few months, it has not been meeting. The project leader, Aseh Derick, has had to visit people individually to get their input, which has slowed down the work.
■ Thu 2 Men at one of the Weh Catholic churches had a low opinion of Scripture, but a man on the translation team has been telling them what he’s learning about God’s word as he translates. Gradually they are seeing the importance of Scripture and of the translation work. Pray for growth in enthusiasm in this church.
■ Sun 5 The team are struggling with the dictionary they are producing. Some of the contributors are monolingual, so it’s not as simple as asking, ‘What’s the Weh word for this English word?’ Pray that team members would be filled with patience, and would not be discouraged from asking people to be involved.
■ Fri 3 The weekend starts now, as people from across the UK travel to the GO2013 mission festival. It’s a chance to explore how God could use them in different ways around the world. Ask God to give people a heart to see the nations come to him, and pray for all the missions represented there as they answer questions and inspire enquirers.
■ Mon 6 The Aghem team are seeing positive responses from churches as they share the Scriptures. Recently they have been focusing on translating portions specifically for Sunday readings. Pray that these readings would foster enthusiasm and excitement, and that they would reveal truth to people who, before now, have only heard it in a language that’s not their own.
■ Sat 4 (cont) Other Weh churches are waning in enthusiasm. Please pray that God would 1
■ Tue 7 There has been a U-turn at one Aghem church. In the past, the church paid little attention to the translation; the pastor refused to help and information never reached the congregation. The new pastor was concerned about the translation, particularly how ‘baptism’ is translated. After grilling the project coordinator, he promised to join the consulting committee, saying, ‘This is not a project to be taken lightly, because it has an impact on the salvation of people.’
■ Fri 10 ‘More people are committed to Christ and entrust their children to God rather than marabouts [Muslim religious leaders] and fetishes,’ say the Banen team. One local woman says that marabouts will become less popular now people can understand God’s word, and is thankful that most of her children have now come to God. ■ Sat 11 After a new pastor included readings from Luke done in French and Tunen in a service, someone from the congregation stopped him: ‘The text read in Tunen was not right – there was a letter b that we never use.’ The problem is differences in dialects and needs the team’s sensitivity.
■ Wed 8 School administrators have decided not to include marks from Aghem language classes in reports, and pupils have shown less enthusiasm in the classes, knowing it won’t affect their marks. Pray that the schools and officials would encourage a passion for the language among young people.
You prayed: Translation work in the Mbembe language of Cameroon was slow because all the drafts were being done by hand.
■ Thu 9 Conversely in the Banen region, enthusiasm in the Tunen language classes is growing, with a surprising cause: the national anthem. It was translated into Tunen in 2006, but only used occasionally. The new principal at one school decided that it would be sung once a month in assemblies and the trend is catching on.
■ Sun 12 God used the prayer in Call to Prayer to provide a new printer for the team. Pray that it will speed along translation and that the technology will stay in good condition.
an open door for the Deaf ■ Mon 13 In March, the Kenyan Sign Language team launched and dedicated a complete set of 110 Bible stories on DVD. It is a great milestone: the Kenyan Deaf have waited a long time to have God’s word! Praise God for this launch. ■ Tue 14 Bible story sets, like this Kenyan Sign Language set, are common in ‘oral’ cultures, where God’s word has always been passed down in the form of stories. It may seem ironic, but
Deaf communities often learn in similar ways to ‘oral’ learners, preferring stories for example. A worker for Deaf Opportunity Outreach (DOOR) International, a key agency in Deaf translation, says, ‘Chronological Bible storying is equal to no other when it comes to teaching the Deaf about God’s mighty word.’ Pray for the stories to reach many Deaf people. doorinternational.com 2
Sign language teams at work
■ Wed 15 DOOR has also been involved in a brand new initiative: the first website of on-demand sign language Bibles. It hosts videos of more than 200 Bible stories in seven different languages. Now Deaf from Kerala in India, Kenya,
Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania can access Bible stories in their mother language. It makes the gospel available to over 3 million Deaf people and by the end of the summer, after the addition of more Kenya, Kerala and American Sign Language stories, it could reach up to 10 million! Pray for work next year as stories in Nigerian, Russian and another major sign language are added. Deafbibles.org ■ Thu 16 Pray for protection and safety for Deaf translation teams and their families: translators often have to work away from their families in other countries. ■ Fri 17 The work is increasing all the time and many workers feel increasingly overwhelmed and stressed. Pray especially for the Deaf editors as their work load gets very heavy, especially when they near production of Bible DVDs. Ask that God will help them to look to him to carry their burdens. ■ Sat 18 Pray for the impact of sign language Scriptures, for Deaf around the world who are ‘seeing’ and understanding God’s word for the first time. Pray for the work of DOOR International, as they long to see more and more Deaf turning to God as a result of the translated Scriptures. ■ Sun 19 Deaf translators themselves are being changed as they grow in knowledge of God’s word. One Deaf translation team member
was re-baptised after they translated Scriptures about baptism. He said, ‘I realised that when I got baptised, I really did not understand what it all meant and was not a believer. I went home to my wife and when she heard what I had to say, she decided to join me and we got baptised together on 30th December. We ushered in the new year feeling secure in Jesus’ fold.’ You prayed: At the end of February, we focused on translation among sign languages in Europe, where there are still no complete New Testaments. ■ Mon 20 ‘Thank God for a great kick-off day for the Netherlands Sign Language translation of Mark and for a number of new people who are enthusiastic about working on this project.’ Please continue to pray for cooperation and good communication within the team. ■ Tue 21 Please continue to ask God to provide the funds that Netherlands Sign Language team need – there has been no progress on this yet and it is slowing down the work. ■ Wed 22 The Austrian Sign Language translation team still need prayer for the production of a video of Jonah. They need creativity to find funding and discipline as they work. 3
■ Thu 23 Praise God for the progress on the Irish Sign Language Alpha course. It’s 95% done, but now there is a delay in getting feedback. The translation will give many Deaf the chance to find out more about God. alphacourse.ie ■ Fri 24 New software to help with dictionary development will have an impact on sign language work around the world, not just in Europe. Good progress is being made. A beta (test) version has been completed and is being tested by two sign language translation teams, one in Asia and one in the Pacific. Feedback will help to enhance the software.
catch up with previous prayers You prayed: The Banyole people of Uganda are nearing completion on the New Testament in their language.
You prayed: Nigeria is one of the areas of greatest need for Bible translation work. Surveys around the country determine the extent of the work yet to begin.
■ Sat 25 The second half of John is now ready to be checked by a consultant. The newest translation team member, Judith, said that she loves her role: ‘There is no better job to do than translating the word of God, because it provides time to interact with the word daily. As I translate, I have been translated in some areas in my life.’
■ Wed 29 Praise God for progress made towards a Scripture engagement survey in Nigeria to assess what factors are encouraging or inhibiting people from using the mothertongue Scriptures. During the first few months of 2013, workers from several organisations were able to discuss the survey – and the Spirit kept them united in goal and plans.
■ Sun 26 Supporting churches St John’s and St Mark’s, Clacton, asked for prayer for their visit to the Banyole, and now they are praising God: ‘It was a fantastic trip. We are looking forward to returning soon – some of us have left parts of our hearts in Uganda!’ You can read more about their visit in the latest Words for Life magazine. wycliffe.org.uk/wordsforlife
■ Thu 30 Pray that this unity would continue to flourish. Special wisdom is needed as at least one survey has been rescheduled due to security concerns. ■ Fri 31 The new executive director of the Nigeria Bible Translation Trust, Yakubu A. La’ah, has a vision for closer partnership with likeminded organisations and for a new emphasis on linguistics and literacy. Partners are encouraged by his humble attitude and godly character. His appointment, and the new team he is putting in place, is an answer to many prayers!
■ Mon 27 One church group was supporting the building of a new school among another Ugandan people group: the ground-breaking has been celebrated and construction is well underway. Pray for the continued building work and that it will be a place blessed for learning. You prayed: Last November, Wycliffe ran a day of prayer at three different venues in the UK. ■ Tue 28 ‘Brilliant, informative, interesting and inspiring’ was one way that Pray 10/11/12, the Wycliffe prayer day, was described. Praise God that his presence was tangible, new interest was stirred and that many were re-envisioned for the part that they play in Bible translation.
Visitors to Uganda
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june the new sounds of translation If modern Bible translation had a noise, it would be tapping computer keyboards, digital audio players and internet conference calls. Bible translators have one vision – for more people to know God through his word – but the way it happens has been revolutionised by technology. ■ Sat 1 June MegaVoice produce hand-held, solarpowered audio players that hold recorded Scripture. At one MegaVoice distribution, a local pastor said, ‘This machine is great. I would like to have 50 for each individual in our congregation!’ Pray that God would continue to use audio players to bring his word to communities. ■ Sun 2 In a language in South Asia, recordings of 22 New Testament books were ready for distribution in mid-2011. But the audio players’ speakers melted when charging so the launch had to be set back to December 2013. In the middle of last year, workers were denied access to the country. Believers in the country are facing increasing opposition. Pray they would be encouraged and that translation would be able to continue.
■ Mon 3 There are nearly 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions around the world, more than 4.5 billion of those in the majority world. ‘Smart’ phones allow people to download from the internet, anything from Scripture to films. Pray for organisations like The JESUS Film and Faith Comes By Hearing who are trying to make Scripture films and recordings available by using mobile technology. wycliffe.org.uk/mobile ■ Tue 4 Pray particularly for people still waiting for Scripture in countries where Christians are persecuted. New technology, especially the internet and mobile phones, allows Scripture to pass through national borders and to be stored much more discreetly than in book form. Pray that God’s word would reach many in places where hope is needed most. 5
■ Wed 5 In Papua New Guinea, planning has begun for a major project to digitally archive literacy materials from local languages. The materials cover hundreds of languages. Storing them electronically means future generations will use them to learn to read. Pray for the funds and personnel to make this happen. ■ Thu 6 A workshop for people affected by trauma is running in a refugee camp in the far north of South Sudan. Pray for the 32 participants from seven language groups in the Nuba Mountains who are learning Bible stories: pray that God would use these stories to bring healing to them and their communities. Pray for the team of Sudanese and western workers running the workshop, that they will remain healthy in a physically demanding setting.
■ Fri 7 One translation consultant working with an Asian language but living in Europe says, ‘I’m checking Acts at the moment. There are six of us involved in the checking process, and we are in three different countries. The marvels of modern technology make it possible for us to meet together through internet teleconferencing – but finding a time that suits all of us is not easy, so progress is a bit slow.’ Pray for enabling for this translation and others using technology like this. ■ Sat 8 A new program, FlexBridge, has been developed to make linguistic research easier and more efficient. It takes information form edits translators make and automatically add it to a database of linguistic information. Thank God for the initial testing of FlexBridge in Dallas. Pray that any problems will be found soon and that it will be an effective tool for God’s work.
You prayed: Last year, teams producing The JESUS Film worked with six languages in South Sudan. The teams dubbed the film into local languages from a script based on Luke. ■ Sun 9 In the ‘Bëlï, Bongo and Mundari languages, Luke – the first Scripture in the languages – has been gladly received, and the recording of the film went well. Actors read or repeated their lines well, despite low levels of literacy. In each case, a week of work on the film was concluded with a grand premiere for the local community. Pray that many speakers will come to know Jesus through the film. ■ Mon 10 The film was also recorded in three languages where the complete New Testament was already available, and met with rave reviews. The Avokaya
chief said, ‘Now Jesus really is an Avokaya!’ When the Jur Mödö JESUS Film was premiered, more than 300 people turned out to watch it and the ensuing party lasted all night. You prayed: Through Ramadan last year, we asked for prayer for a people group from South Asia. Many from this group live in the UK. Workers are trying to find ways to share newly translated Scriptures. ■ Tue 11 The Gospel of Luke is now available in the * Palesi language as a 3-disk DVD set. This is the first Scripture in the language! Thank God for the progress that has been made. Pray for the distribution of the DVD set: it is hoped that it will soon be available on a *Palesilanguage website. * pseudonym
the training programme’s ‘moving home’ checklist Wycliffe’s training programme is moving to Redcliffe College in Gloucester. It’s an exciting move but every move comes with challenging change.
programme. New seminar rooms have now been prepared and are being equipped to cater for the teaching programme. Continue to pray for the space needed for staff rooms and offices: the work looks manageable in the time remaining, but the final decisions and details still need prayer.
■ Wed 12 One very noticeable change is that the training will take on a new name: the Centre for Linguistics, Translation and Literacy. Some things don’t change however: thank God for his constancy in using this programme to equip many workers for the harvest field. Many more to come!
■ Fri 14 Today is the last day of classes at the Wycliffe Centre. Over the past 40 years, God has blessed the training work at the Centre. It is encouraging to see how he has used the work of ordinary people for his glory in sharing his word around the world.
■ Thu 13 When we asked you to pray in January, one of the big issues was how Redcliffe College was physically making space for the new 6
■ Sat 15 Continue to pray for the library move. The catalogue has been shared, and lots of work is underway to plan for the physical move and to merge the catalogues electronically. Pray for the right movers and protection over the resources. Relabelling and recataloguing over 8,000 books will need careful preparation and an eye for detail. ■ Sun 16 Thank God for his presence at the retreat in January for staff working with the training programme. It was a time of mutual support and affirmation. The process for each person, and their way of dealing with the change, will be different. Ask that God will provide for all their needs.
is a very good spirit of goodwill and cooperation, but please pray for a continued sense of unity and common purpose,’ says Simon Caudwell, the new programme director. Simon and Lynn are now settled into Gloucester and their new patterns of work.
■ Mon 17 Computers and technology are used extensively in Wycliffe’s work, so students need to have a thorough knowledge of the specialised technology we use. Decisions have now been made about the software and hardware needed at Redcliffe to support the training. Pray for the staff who are testing this specialist software, so that all will be running smoothly by August.
You prayed: In Nigeria, the training centre – The Theological College of Northern Nigeria – was in the process of being affiliated with the University of Jos. ■ Wed 19 Praise: The college has been notified unofficially that it has been re-affiliated by the university. This is a good step forward. The prayer request remains the same: pray that the theological degrees will be re-accredited soon and the Bible translation degrees for the first time.
■ Tue 18 Continue to pray for good communication and effective working relationships among everyone involved. ‘There
sharing the word in sensitive regions
■ Thu 20 Translation progress on one project has been encouraging. Proverbs has been drafted and is being consultant checked; Esther has passed an exegetical check; a first draft of 1 Samuel is ready for checking; work has begun
on a draft of Daniel. The project leader says, ‘After many months of plodding, it’s nice to see some movement! The downside is that I’ve got a lot of work to juggle.’ ■ Fri 21 Praise God: the Mardini New Testament has been printed, and copies have arrived at several strategic locations where Mardini speakers live! Pray for effective distribution, both in Asia and among the diaspora. A bishop in 7
So/ ren Kjldgaard
In some projects around the world, names and places are kept secret to protect workers, but ‘anonymous’ projects need prayer support too.
the USA is helping to get them to Mardini readers in North America. Arrangements have been made to record the New Testament.
■ Sat 22 Language survey of the many Roma groups in Europe is a priority. The Roma team is investigating different ways this might get done. One team is thinking of taking on a temporary survey role in the wider area before they take up a translation assignment. Pray for wisdom for everyone involved. ■ Sun 23 A new website has been launched for ‘W’ believers. It’s designed to share God’s word
in ways that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. Pray that it will be used by many people in the region as a tool to come nearer to God. ■ Mon 24 One team is in the initial stages of planning a picture dictionary. Pray for consensus as they work together to decide the audience and ultimate purpose of the project. Pray that their decisions would lead to long-term opportunities
keep it in the family For many Bible translation workers, their children and families experience with them the exciting and demanding cross-cultural life. ■ Wed 26 Pray for children in ‘transition mode’ having to make significant decisions about the future. Some young people who have returned to the UK may feel they don’t quite fit in. Pray for them as they approach exams and choices about universities, gap years or taking another direction. Pray for parents as they support their children in these decisions. ■ Thu 27 Pray for those who are in their last year of school overseas and will move on to further education in another country. This means leaving school friends who will be dispersing to different parts of the world, leaving the place they know as home and entering a ‘new world’.
in the community, such as education in the mother tongue. ■ Tue 25 Another team praises God for a new opportunity to connect with speakers of a language for which language data was collected years ago. With access to other speakers, this team will now be able to do further research on a language that has no Bible translation project begun yet. Pray for God’s direction in this new beginning.
■ Fri 28 Over the summer, some families will come to the UK for a few weeks to visit relatives and friends. Pray for a good balance of rest and refreshment, for a time when families can re-connect with each other, and for good contact with supporting churches and friends. ■ Sat 29 Pray particularly for families who have had to leave their place of work suddenly because of political unrest or because residence permits have been withdrawn. Pray for God’s peace in the midst of uncertainty for whole families. Pray that Wycliffe offices would provide good support and that family, friends and supporters would have understanding. ■ Sun 30 Overseas teachers, tutors and dorm parents are like gold dust. Pray for teachers needed in schools around the world. Pray for the right dorm parents, so that boarding pupils can flourish in their education. Pray for home-schooling tutors and for those parents who are the main teachers for their children; they need rest over the summer to be prepared for the next academic year.
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