Equip and more

Equip

January was a great time, welcoming 26 new colleagues for their Wycliffe USA orientation: Equip. Among the “newbies” are pilots and linguists and teachers and accountants and animators and IT folks. They are headed all around the globe to do their part to help eradicate Bible poverty. As you prayed for them and for me, your partnership now extends to reap the blessing for all God will accomplish through their service.

So what does Equip look like for me? I am teaching again, using skills practiced during 20 years of school teaching, just with different content. Part of what I get to teach is the use of software I learned while in the offices at Faith. Then, I help out with the logistics (another skill I got to practice at Faith!) needed to keep a large group together and functioning for two weeks. It is a privilege to be able to walk alongside these new co-workers early in their journey and to serve with such a committed and godly team of facilitators.

The Big Picture

Can you remember suddenly understanding something significant for the first time…? You might have been feeling pretty excited and joyful. Marinne Weststrate observed that excitement and joy in a service in central Nigeria as some heard Scripture for the first time in their heart language.

I attended a church where services were held in the national language. Many of those who attended spoke Gworog, a minority language. A guest speaker was invited to preach, but since he did not speak the national language, he preached in English. Someone then translated the sermon into the national language.

As the service continued, one of the translators was asked to read Scripture. He read from a recently translated passage in Gworog. Everyone listened attentively. From everywhere in church, I heard chuckles and whispering. One of the women later exclaimed, “Hearing the Word in Gworog is so sweet!”*

There are nearly 1800 languages who still do not have access to a single verse of the Bible in the language that best speaks to their hearts. Thank you for your part in helping bring that sweetness to them.

*Story Source: https://www.wycliffe.org.uk/blog/2015/12/the-sweetness-of-scripture/