The Word in practice—putting the translated Scriptures to use

Translating the Bible is just the one step towards changed lives. As the translated Word becomes accessible, the broad work of engaging individuals and communities with newly completed Scripture begins.

The process of promoting the translated Word of God and equipping the local community to use it can be challenging. People must be informed of its availability, supplied with the resources to use it well, and encouraged to apply it to their everyday lives.

Scripture-use workers may enlist any number of ways to promote a finished translation—through radio broadcasts, videos and films, and other media. Scripture-inspired dramas, songs, and other artistic creations help awaken people to the truth of the Word. Other projects might also include the development of children’s materials to introduce the Bible to young people; the production of training tools to aid Bible teachers and pastors as they instruct others; and the formation of Bible studies to encourage daily practice and application of the Word.

These endeavors lead to a more finished product of the whole translation work—changed lives, deeper churches, youth ministries, Sunday schools, women’s fellowships, counseling, and so much more.

• Praise God that through the efforts of Scripture-use workers, people understand that they can relate to God in their own language.
• Pray for more Scripture-use workers to help with the immense task ahead; ask God to call people who enjoy planting the Word and seeing the fruit of their labor.
• Pray for wisdom and strength for these workers as they seek to connect people to God’s Word and its relevancy to their lives.

Watch what Scripture-use workers say about how people respond to Scripture in their heart language.

Resource: Wycliffe Pray Today Blog

Working in Sensitive Areas
Conducting work in potentially unsafe locations

Many of the world’s remaining translation needs are located in nations considered “hard to reach.” Often, these language communities are unnamed for fear of jeopardizing the safety of colleagues and their work. Workers need to be prudent in the way they live and in what they communicate about what they do. In some places spiritual opposition is a constant factor to be dealt with. For many, the logistical, spiritual, and emotional support from colleagues at home and on the field, from churches, and from families is a lifeline.

• Pray that those who provide support, in whatever form, will remain faithful to their role in the ministry to these faithful workers.
• Ask for God’s wisdom for those who are living and working in sensitive areas as they communicate about their work.
• Pray that they will be protected from spiritual attack, and that they will maintain good physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
• Pray especially that they will stand firm in their faith and knowledge of God as Job did when he said, ” I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you” (Job 42:2, NLT).

Learn more about how to pray for missionaries on the field.

Here’s the list of the The Twenty, “hard to reach” nations:

1. Papua New Guinea

2. Nigeria

3. Indonesia

4. China

5. India

6. Democratic Republic of the Congo

7. Cameroon

a life in the field

Leaving home and living abroad.

Not only are there challenges just to get ready to go on an overseas work assignment, but Bible translation workers in all types of roles often face the challenges of adjusting to new assignments, locations and cultures multiple times in their careers. Staying ahead of today’s fast-paced world seems to lead to more changes in a lifetime than ever before. As you pray through this list of common challenges to life on the field for translation workers, try to put yourself in their place and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind other challenges for which they might need prayer.

• Pray for God’s protection over missionaries’ physical and spiritual health and that of their family, friends, and colleagues. Ask God to bring good Christian fellowship and support whenever possible.
• Pray that they will find appropriate housing at a reasonable cost and God’s provision of vehicles needed for transportation. Thank the Lord for colleagues and others in some locations who can help newcomers get settled.
• Pray for productive language learning as well as comfort with using the language and relating to the culture in everyday life.
• Pray for children as they adjust to new school situations and develop relationships.Pray also for the ones who remain in their home countries or attend school away from their parents.

Watch this video to see how Chris and Christie Winkler adjust to life in Nigeria while serving with Wycliffe.

Watch the first video of this series to learn more about the Winklers as they made preparations to leave for the field.

Resource: Wycliffe Pray Today Blog

Elivio, a Bible translator, shared the challenges and blessings he experienced while checking the effectiveness of his Old Testament translation draft with the local communities:

“Some of my travel between villages—by canoe, sometimes with and sometimes without an outboard motor—was very long and dangerous. There were times when we were hungry, cold, and even discouraged until we finally got to the next village.

“While I was away from my family, they worried about me and felt sad. But I knew I was doing the right thing checking the translation we had done with my own people. Little by little, we did it with God’s help.”

Many of the remaining language communities that are without Scripture in the mother tongue live in relatively remote locations. This means that to bring God’s Word to the people of these areas, boat, plane, and even motor vehicle travel requires an extra measure of courage and commitment on the part of personnel. Travel in and out of an area can present risks and delays. Weather is a factor. Appropriate vehicles are needed. Medical emergencies are complicated by distance. Personal morale can be affected by isolation from family and colleagues.

• Praise God for JAARS, a partner organization that serves Wycliffe Bible Translators and related organizations worldwide by taking translators wherever Bibleless people are located—even to areas that were previously inaccessible! They provide safe, effective, and economical transportation via land, air, or water.
• Pray for the JAARS aviation team of professional pilots, mechanics, and avionics technicians throughout the world who work to speed Bible translation.
• Pray for the Land Transportation team that provides training, consultations, and equipment for translators and support personnel who travel by land—often over harsh terrain.
• Pray for JAARS Maritime Services as they provide training, consultations, and equipment to translators and support personnel who travel by water—often under distressing conditions.

Read more about maritime travel on Wycliffe’s website. And for a closer look at this topic,watch this video.

Resource: Wycliffe Pray Today Blog