Words for Life - Summer 2013

WordsforLife

Summer 2013

wycliffe.org.uk

Front cover: Children pose for the camera in the Central African Republic. Photo by Mark Ewell.

Below: A man listens to the New Testament in his language. Photo by Zeke du Plessis.

‘For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.’ – Isaiah 43:19

Welcome

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Imagine a world without words, or worse – a world with words but no meaning, just random scribbles on a page. It’s a world that millions of people inhabit because they can’t read or because their language has never been written down.

The man on the opposite page speaks Naro. It’s a language of Botswana, and he’s one of around 14,000 speakers. It was only last December that the New Testament was launched in his language for the first time. The mobile phone-like device he’s holding makes a way for non-readers to dive into the words of life: it contains a recording of the whole New Testament. For him, it’s a river God has made in the wilderness.

It’s not just Botswana. Around the world Bibles are being launched not just as books, but as recordings, as films, as pictures, as songs and drama, and online. In this edition you’ll see how new techniques are taking the translated word into closed, dark countries and to the ears of oral learners. The point isn’t to be new and innovative: it’s to see God’s word reaching every corner of every continent for his honour and praise!

Hannah Thomas Editor E: hannah_thomas@wycliffe.org

Wycliffe Bible Translators, The Wycliffe Centre, FREEPOST, High Wycombe, Bucks HP14 3BR T: 0300 303 1111 E: askus@wycliffe.org Scottish Office: 342 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LY T: 0141 248 5555 E: scotland_uk@wycliffe.org Northern Ireland Office: 342 Beersbridge Road, Belfast BT5 5DY T: 028 9046 9905 E: nireland_uk@wycliffe.org

Contents P3 P4 P6 P9 P12 P16 P18

Welcome Changing ways, constant vision Telling the Bible Songs, sewing and words of life Serving the church on planet Bible Translation MP3 evangelists News and answers to prayer

Wycliffe UK Ltd. is a charity registered in England and Wales, number 251233 and a charity registered in Scotland, number SC039140.

Changing ways, constant vision Do you have a vision for the things you do or the reason you do them? It is a question that all Christians need to ask from time to time.

In Christian ministry, the work can be so absorbing Eddie Arthur and interesting that we easily get bound up in it and lose sight of why we are doing it. When we focus on what we are doing rather than the goal, we become reluctant to change or to adapt to circumstances: ‘We’ve never done it that way before!’

When my wife Sue and I joined Wycliffe in the 1980s, we were excited about what we were going to do. We were going to live in a village, learning the local language, doing language research, teaching literacy and helping to lead a

Celebrating the Kouya New Testament

translation project. After many years of work we were able to hold a newly-printed Kouya New Testament in our hands.

That approach was typical of many hundreds of Wycliffe workers all round the world. This was how we did things. But the important thing was not what we did, but why we did it. Today, Kouya people are able to read the New Testament in their language and are drawn into a deeper relationship with God as a result.

Our vision is not to ‘do translation’; it is to see people engaging with God’s word in the language they understand the best. This means that we have to be flexible. We work in new and different ways to help people engage with the Bible.

In some parts of the world, Wycliffe members do something very similar to what Sue and

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Recording Christian radio programmes in the Philippines. Photo

by Janeen Michie

I did: living in a village, learning the language and heading up the translation. For those circumstances, it’s the best approach. There are other places where the day-to-day work of translation goes ahead without a Wycliffe missionary anywhere in sight. Local Christians lead the work, with expatriates serving as advisors and consultants.

Most projects still aim to produce printed Scriptures, just as we did in Kouya. But in some situations, the translated Scriptures aren’t actually printed, but are downloadable from the web and shared on mobile phones; persecuted Christians can’t carry around a big Bible the way that we can!

We worked on a book to be read, but millions of people around the world can’t read. They can

gather together and listen to the Scriptures read out on an MP3 player – just as the very first Christians listened to Scripture being read to them.

The vision doesn’t change, but the things we do to accomplish it do.

Eddie Arthur is the UK director of Wycliffe Bible Translators.To read more from him, visit kouya.net.

At the storytelling workshop

Telling the Bible Papua New Guinea We had been working in the Pouye translation project for many years. The translation committee has finished several parts of the Bible, including much of Genesis and Exodus, Jonah, Ruth, Mark, Luke, Acts and Titus.Trial versions had circulated among the community, but were little used: many people can’t read them.The strong oral culture remains while literacy has yet to take hold.

Enter Oral Bible Storytelling In May last year, four Pouye speakers travelled to the first oral Bible storytelling training session.

During the course, the team translated Bible stories into their language and learned to tell them effectively to people in their churches and communities. They learned the stories of creation, the fall, Cain and Abel, Abraham and Sarah’s three visitors, and Isaac’s ‘sacrifice’. When the course finished, they were excited to go home to share these stories among the seven Pouye villages nestled in the rugged, rainforest-covered hills of the region.

Their first chance to tell the stories: the large ‘bush church’ of their home village was packed.

People stood outside because all the seats were taken. Even several elderly ‘big men’ who did not regularly attend church came to hear. The first storyteller introduced the story and was soon in full-swing. His gestures, facial expressions and dramatic telling drew the crowd in. He finished and there was silence.

‘Namii naratwarku! Tell us the story again!’

There was a buzz of agreement. Instead of moving on to the next storyteller, he started his story again. After he finished the second time, they wanted him to tell it a third time! Another storyteller stood up to tell the same story again.

Afterwards the storytellers asked for feedback from the whole group, who had now received a triple dose of God’s word in their own language.

The response came like a flood, and the church service went well over time. One of the elderly ‘big men’ was so enthusiastic that he said,

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Telling stories

‘If church was like this every Sunday, I would be here every Sunday morning and evening!’

Demand for the stories grew. The four storytellers hiked to the surrounding villages and the response was always the same. One of the storytellers called to tell me that his feet hurt from hiking so far and often.

Because of these Bible stories, more people in these forests of Papua New Guinea are hearing God’s word. Projects like this aren’t limited to this region either: across Africa, Asia and in parts of Europe and the Americas, training people to tell accurate and meaningful Bible stories is changing lives.

Account by Rocky Dede. Additional material and photos by Luke Warrington, Laura Warrington and Gary Abbas.

What response have other storytellers in the area seen?

‘A pastor shared how after telling the story of Adam and Eve, everyone had wanted to say something or ask something, to respond, to discuss what they had heard – the meeting went on for nearly five hours!’

‘One mother shared that after she told the story of Cain and Abel to her family, one of her sons had cried inconsolably. This son had been a worry to her as he was becoming increasingly violent and proud. He later confessed to her that he felt he was just like Cain in the story and wanted to mend his ways.’

Two Week Stint What: a fortnight-long bilingual cross-cultural holiday that makes a difference, time spent with God and some adventure thrown in too!

Where: holiday camp near Valence, South of France When: 27 July to 10 August 2013 Who: Perfect for students joining a group from across Europe with Wycliffe Bible Translators and ATB France. w closer to God In the mornings we’ll worship, dra world.Then and reflect on his mission to the e tracks: participants choose one of thre Creatives – will work on a video project with an eternal impact, Language-lovers – will gain insights on into language and the Bible translati and movement, Hands-on educators – will produce materials for use in literacy programmes overseas Afternoons and weekends are free at nearby attractions! for relaxing or getting adventurous bulletin?

Why not share this in your church a poster for Alternatively, we can email you nt – you to print and advertise the eve . .org liffe just askus@wyc wycliffe.org.uk/twoweekstint

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Songs, sewing and the words of life

When a team from two churches in Clacton exchanged the sunny beaches of their hometown for the farmland of rural Uganda for a week, they discovered that there’s much more to a translation project than translation.

On the team’s last day with the Banyole people, Caroline Mulryne and Brenda O’Brien saw firsthand the transformation translation brings.

The church service at the Kanghalabba Church of Uganda began traditionally, in Luganda, a widely spoken language in Uganda. The congregation responded traditionally and routinely. But when the sermon began in the local language Lunyole, the congregation woke up. Despite the language barrier, Caroline noticed the change: ‘Suddenly, everyone was engaging with the service, laughing at the jokes. The worship took off.’

He does too. Throughout his translation work, he has continued his work as a rice farmer.

He can’t afford to stop farming – his family need the income – but he can’t afford to stop translating either!

The preacher was Aristarcus Gesa, who first heard about the translation project in 2000, when he was pastoring a church; now he leads the Lunyole translation team. The people, he says, ‘lap after the Scriptures in Lunyole like thirsty cows.’

A couple of years after Aristarchus took the lead, the linked churches of St John’s and St Mark’s committed to the Lunyole New Testament translation, supporting it financially and in prayer.

The progress of the translation is something

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes

The Clacton team: Helen Wadhwa, Robin Whitworth, Shirley Griffiths and Caroline Mulryne

to praise God about: only three books remain to be translated, Matthew, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. Celebrations to launch the New Testament are expected in the next few years.

Caroline and Brenda were part of a sevenperson team, four from the churches and three who work with Wycliffe. They began by meeting Aristarchus and the translation team, but they soon realised that the team was bigger than just these workers. They met a group of local pastors, many of whom consult on the translation. One

of the visiting team, Robin Whitworth, unsealed and read a greeting they brought from Rev Guy Thorburn, the minister of the two churches in Clacton: ‘It was like something from the New Testament,’ he says. ‘They all listened. It was important to them. It was a great occasion.’

The ‘great occasion’ was just one of many.

Wherever the group went, they were greeted by the community: in local schools, an orphanage and even a tailoring school, they were met with songs and dancing.

The team met Pastor Samson, who is known for his passion for the language and the translation.

As he held onto new copies of Acts in Lunyole and the Lunyole dictionary, the team were told, ‘He writes poems, riddles, rhymes and tongue twisters in Lunyole. The schools commission him.’

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A local pastor proudly holds the Banyole dictionary and Luke’s Gospel

They think of the poet in their own church congregation!

Not all the pastors, even those who now advise on the translation, had been immediately convinced by the need for a Lunyole New Testament. Many people in Uganda speak English or Luganda, and church services and Bibles are generally in those languages. People get by. But now church leaders are seeing the change God’s word in the mother tongue is having: at Lunyole Bible studies, people are coming to know Jesus for the first time. For one pastor, the conviction about the Lunyole translation was an intensely personal experience: he was first convinced when he saw his own father’s response to a Lunyole film based on Luke in a way he had never responded to Scripture before.

The visitors headed home on an overnight flight from Entebbe Airport. This translation has changed them too. Since the churches began supporting the project, one regular says, ‘Now we know we all have a mission. We are all asked to do something, not just the leadership, overseas and locally.’ Once the New Testament is complete, St John’s and St Mark’s will continue to support the Banyole community. ‘When’s the next visit?’, we ask Shirley Griffiths. ‘As soon as I can go!’

St John’s and St Mark’s Churches connect with the Banyole people through the InFocus programme. Find out more about how your church could connect to a translation project at wycliffe.org.uk/infocus, or give us a call (details on page 3).

Serving the church on planet Bible Translation

Stewart and Jo Johnson have been working with Wycliffe for 15 years, most recently in the UK offices as Church Engagement Director and Prayer Coordinator.

We chatted to them about their work with Wycliffe, the church that commissioned and supports them and their dreams for serving in the UK.

How did you become convinced Wycliffe was for you?

Tell us about your mission so far with Wycliffe.

Stewart: I was a modern languages teacher and volunteered for Youth for Christ. I always knew that teaching was a stepping stone into something else God would reveal. When I went to Egypt with Youth for Christ, I realised that I was cut out for cross-cultural work. All of the stuff that had happened through my life seemed to converge.

Jo: Some people who have known about Wycliffe for a long time still expect us to go to a village on our own and translate the Bible, rather than help others do Bible translation.

Jo: I never, ever saw myself going overseas, but as a student I felt God was calling me. I thought that would be just for a year or two, but when I ended up in Haiti, I became really passionate about overseas mission. At the same time Stewart and I had a budding relationship: he was already getting involved in Wycliffe. Gradually God showed me that this was the route.

Stewart: I started as a ‘real’ Bible translator for the Logo language in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. One of my most precious moments of the last 20 years happened when I first visited Todro, the village where that Logo translation project was based.

I met an old man called Madrangi. He shook me by the hand and said, ‘I have prayed for you every day of your life.’ I was speechless! He was one of the first Logos to become a Christian in the 1930s. He knew that they needed God’s word,

WordsforLife 13 Stewart translates at Wycliffe’s international conference

and that it was too difficult for them to do alone, but he was confident that God would send people. So he started praying for those people.

To meet somebody who had been praying for me at least 35 years before I was born – I am staggered by God’s provision, and by the importance of the call to translate Scripture. It blows me out of the water.

Jo: We were based in the town with two preschoolers and a baby on the way. Because of the security problems in the country at the time, it wasn’t safe to have things like computers and solar panels in the village, so everything was written into exercise books and I put the translated Scripture on the computer.

Since then, we moved into more administrative roles and later into communications for Frenchspeaking Africa. We came back to the UK in July

2011, for the children to do A Levels and GCSEs in the UK. Stewart: The teams we are part of are here to encourage the UK church with the fact that the most significant input we can make to overseas mission is giving a people group access to the word of God in the heart language. I meet church leaders, take Christian Union meetings, am out on the road, and Jo is mobilising people to pray, because we think prayer is the springboard for what we do.

What are your dreams for serving the UK church in the next few years?

Stewart: If I had my Christmas list completely filled, it would be that every church in the

UK is clear about the mission field. Where that’s overseas, and where that’s within this complicated Bible translation movement, then Wycliffe are there to help the church fulfil its role.

Jo: I’d love for eyes to be lifted, to be more aware about what’s happening around the world, and as part of that, that people know praying makes a difference. Prayer is absolutely vital to seeing the kingdom of God extend.

Tell us about your own church support.

Stewart: We’d always prayed for a local church which was a little bit like the Starship Enterprise, and we were the ‘away team’ – part of the crew, but beamed down to planet ‘Bible translation’.

We don’t just get rolled out as ‘the missionaries’. We are part of the team.

Jo: At the beginning of 2011 we had a rough spot. We put a bulletin out, and just said, ‘If the Lord directs you to a Scripture or gives you a word of encouragement for us, please share it.’ We had 97 responses!

That was amazing. We cried our way through them, because knowing that people had actually gone to God to say ‘What do you want to say to Stewart and Jo through me?’ was just incredible.

Could you be part of Stewart and Jo’s support team by praying for them, hearing their news or giving to their work?

If so, please get in touch – contact details are on page 3.

Other brilliant news from Wycliffe We hope that you enjoy the stories of big impact from Bible translation in Words for Life. Between editions, there are lots of ways you can keep in touch with what’s going on: wycliffe.org.uk/blog Our pick-and-mix goodies, with everything from events, resources, videos, stories, links to other news and mission, and even the odd look back at the history of Bible translation, with new posts every week.

E-news To keep up to date with the latest news, the bimonthly e-newsletter lets you know about upcoming events, recent stories about the impact of the translated Scriptures and new ways for you to be involved.

Go to wycliffe.org.uk/subscriptions or call 0300 303 1111 to find out more about how you can get all the latest from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Call to Prayer With just one minute’s prayer each day, you can find out much more about the work all around the world and make a difference through prayer.

Get it by post, as a bimonthly email, or as a daily email.

Wycliffe also produces one-off resources to help individuals and small groups explore the Bible and mission. Go to wycliffe.org.uk/live to find the resource for you or contact us (details on page 3).

MP3 evangelists

Africa Two men head east and stop in a large village. Evening comes, and people gather in the chief’s compound to see what the men have brought. Jesus fills the screen, speaking their language. The people watch, among them, a young man, only there by chance visiting the chief’s son.

The men have also brought audio players and memory cards, each loaded with Old Testament Scriptures in their language. The young man stays after the film is finished, and he and his friend spend the night watching films of Genesis and Luke, and listening through recordings of Genesis, Exodus and Numbers on the players.

These events took place in an area where work like this is very sensitive. Names and places have been removed to protect these new Christians. Photos are only illustrative.

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Photo: Zeke du Plessis

Morning comes. The young man prepares to leave, and asks the two men for a DVD of the films, an audio player and a memory card to take with him, so that the people in his village can watch and listen too.

Time passes, and the two Christian men receive a call. ‘Please come to our village!’ the young man implores. ‘There are a group of us here who want to become Christians.’

They arrive at the village, and fifty men greet them; many of them are heads of households.

They meet under a shelter in one of the men’s large compound, where they have been listening to the Scriptures and watching the films.

The two men talk. They explain what being a Christian means, and how you become one. They ask if anyone wants to become Christian. Thirtyfive of the men raise their hands; one leaves; the other fourteen wait. The thirty-five pray together with the men. Afterwards, the new Christians speak among themselves, declaring that they will not accept any other message than this one about Jesus.

Nothing like this has ever happened among this language community before. In the past, people in this area have been totally against Christians and

Photo: Zeke du Plessis

Christianity. If a Christian had drunk water from a bowl, they would have thrown the bowl away afterwards.

On that day, more of these people had become Christians that in the previous fifty years combined.

The new Christians continue to face ridicule and persecution for the choice they made.

At the same time some way further to the east, three men from the same people group travel to find an evangelist: ‘We have come to see you because we want to become Christians.’ Several weeks earlier, the two men sharing the films and recordings had dropped off copies in their village, at the place where the ’bush taxis’* stop. After watching and listening to these, nine men had become interested in turning to Jesus, and three of them had travelled to find the evangelist.

More recently, a phone call from the village brings news of four more traders who have heard the recordings and want to turn to Jesus. As God’s word goes out through films and recordings, more people of this community chose to follow Jesus against the odds. * A ‘bush taxi’ is a shared taxi: drivers take passengers to requested destinations, but tend to stop at certain places and don’t leave until all the seats are full. They are common in this part of Africa.

News

and answers to prayer ‘Brilliant and informative’ – Pray 10/11/12 Prayer is a key way to be involved in Bible translation. On 10th November 2012 we held a prayer event simultaneously in three venues across the UK. It was described later as ‘brilliant, informative, interesting and inspiring’.

We found the day exciting and encouraging, not least because God was faithful to his word that when we gather in his name he is there with us (Matthew 18:20). His presence was tangible, faith rose during the day, those who did not have a previous link with Wycliffe were inspired and those who have worked in this area for a long time had their vision renewed.

We are already planning for Frontline Prayer on 9th November 2013 – we hope that you can join us.

More on Mary Pearce In the previous Words for Life and Call to Prayer, Mary Pearce talked about her work in linguistics in Chad and around the world, and about the need for more partners in her work. A surprise response recently encouraged her: ‘I was given a financial gift yesterday from someone I don’t know! It was noted that it was a response to Call to Prayer – one of the days that mentioned me.’

Prayers and financial gifts from you are a huge encouragement to mission workers – thank you!

You can continue to find out about Mary’s work on the website, wycliffe.org.uk/mpearce.

Have a look at pages 12-14 for this edition’s ‘featured members’.

Parties and premieres as God answers prayer Last year in Call to Prayer, we mentioned that teams in South Sudan were recording The JESUS Film. This report came back: Three of the languages the recording team worked with already had the complete New Testament. The JESUS Film was met with rave reviews. A local chief of the Avokaya people 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.

This is one of lots of answered prayers that we’ve included in the latest Call to Prayer.

Redcliffe College: Wycliffe training’s new home

The move Thank you for praying for Wycliffe in light of the news that the training and administration offices are moving from the Wycliffe Centre, our home for over 40 years.This summer, the training programme is making the transition to join Redcliffe College in Gloucester – an example of God using all circumstances to build fantastic new things!

The Wycliffe Centre has now been sold, and work is beginning to get the administration offices to a new home locally. By the time you get your next edition of Words for Life, there’ll be a new address on page 3! But don’t worry: until then you can contact us just as before.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

WordsforLife

Frontline Prayer Save the date: Saturday 9th November 2013

At Frontline Prayer you will be joining Christians around the world, praying together for every people group of the world to have God’s word in their language.

At last year’s event people said ■

‘Brilliant; informative, interesting and inspiring’

■

‘It’s so exciting’

■

‘The best prayer day I have ever been to’

Frontline Prayer will at multiple venues throughout the UK. Don’t miss this great opportunity to be inspired and make a difference through praying. Keep an eye on wycliffe.org.uk/frontlineprayer or give us a call to find out more about venues and times for the day.

wycliffe.org.uk Wycliffe UK Ltd., a company registered in England and Wales, no 819788; a charity registered in England and Wales, no 251233; and in Scotland, no SC039140 Registered office: The Wycliffe Centre, Horsleys Green, High Wycombe, HP14 3XL.VAT no 195702346