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by Martin Horton, Wycliffe UK Hannah joined Wycliffe last year and is now on her first placement in West Africa. She shares some of her first discoveries: My work involves considering how to write in a language that has up until now only been spoken. As you can imagine, it’s not easy, but it’s a role that God had planned for me, long before I arrived here in West Africa. I had already been on various short-term placements here and there and been convinced of the need for all to hear about Jesus, so things seemed to be falling into place. After spending time studying at the School of Language and Scripture – which included making weird and wonderful sounds with my mouth in phonetics classes, culture learning, and three weeks learning Arabic – I moved to a country in West Africa. Before considering how to write the language, I needed to learn it, and it felt like being a toddler all over again. As you can probably imagine, I’d love for it to go quicker. Sometimes it can be hard to sit in on yet another thing and understand practically nothing. Sometimes I really don’t feel like going out and being so incompetent and not even being able to properly thank or make small talk with the people I meet. I’ve found that praying before language learning lessons has been a good reminder of the fact that all wisdom and knowledge belong to the one who created all things and people. There is one who speaks and understands every single language! If you are able to do something, that’s because God has given you that ability. If you possess things or have any family, that’s because God has given them to you. That goes for everyone everywhere. Nothing just happens, that is, where God is not involved. My work involves considering how to write in yet another language that has up until now only been spoken. It is so important to have a good writing system so that translated Scriptures actually get used. It’s a privilege to work together with two local translators and to facilitate and learn from them. I’ve been enjoying spending time getting to know local people and finding out what life is like for them. I’ve been so warmly welcomed and generously hosted on many occasions. It’s been refreshing to see God’s image being reflected by the people he’s created here. They share with and care for each other so naturally. The main challenges for me have been limited social interaction and church. It’s been great to visit local churches, but it’s been difficult to get to know people and at times discouraging to not hear much about Jesus. However, these difficulties have pushed me closer to God. This is really his work, and he cares about people so much more than I do. Please join me in praying that God’s grace would spur me on to love him above all else. Please pray that the church here would always proclaim the message of God’s incredible gift of grace. Written by Martin Horton , based on conversations with Hannah Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Bible Translators UK

Which mountain was the Samaritan woman referring to when speaking to Jesus at the well? “Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” - John 4:20 From the geographical references in John 4, the mountain referred to by the Samaritan woman was Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain of the Samaritans, which overlooked Shechem. The geographical clues in verses 4-6: Jesus was at Sychar (Shechem), on his way from Judea to Galilee; Jacob had purchased land near Shechem (Gen 33: 18-19), and his well would have been dug there. Samaria was the area between Judea in the south and Galilee in the north. This was part of what had been the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Samaritans were a mixed people with both Jewish and pagan ancestry, and were looked down on by the Jews. They accepted the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua (with many differences from the Jewish versions) as holy, but not the rest of the Jewish scriptures. Samaritans claimed Mount Gerizim as the holiest site on earth (believing it to be the site of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac), and rejected rival claims by the Jews that Mount Zion in Jerusalem was the holiest site.

“If not for the school, we could not be here.” - Missionary parent When parents become missionaries, what happens to their children? They move to another country with their parents, but are not (and shouldn’t be) expected to be ‘mini-missionaries’. Whether at home or on the field, they need all the same things that any child needs to grow and thrive, like education and friends. One of the major concerns for missionary parents is how to provide an adequate education for their children so that they can eventually transition well into the education system in their home country. But what if the parents are serving in a location where the local schools are not suitable? Even if there are international schools there, those run on commercial lines charge very high fees. Not all families are able to homeschool, which also ties up at least one parent for significant amounts of time each day. Missionaries are often torn between their call to serve God overseas and their responsibility as parents. Many missionary families are forced to leave the field prematurely because they are unable to find suitable educational provision for their children. A solution: MK schools One solution which has been a Godsend to many missionary families is “missionary kid school” (MK school). These are schools set up in field locations to educate the children of missionaries. They may be day schools or boarding schools (often both), and fees are considerably lower than commercial international schools as the teachers raise their own financial support. These teachers are also full-time missionaries whose mission is to educate missionary kids on the field, directly supporting the work of the missionary parents. Students are able to attend school while living with their parents, or at least board near enough to see them frequently. Such schools do a lot more than just fill an educational need. Parents benefit from hearing the experiences of other parents who have been there longer, and can support one another in helping their children through cross-cultural transitions. The children get to interact with others who have been through the same transitions and face similar challenges. MK schools around the world have blessed many missionary families by providing a Christ-centered education for missionary kids, thus enabling their parents to serve wherever they have been called to. A couple whose children attend one of these schools says: “Knowing that our children's educational, social and spiritual needs are taken care of means we can do ministry while the children are in good hands.” Some MK schools in Asia are: Faith International Academy (Davao City, Philippines) Faith Academy (Manila, Philippines) Dalat International School (Penang, Malaysia) Grace International School (Chiangmai, Thailand) The great need – teachers! MK schools can only serve missionary communities if there are teachers and administrators who are willing to serve. If there is no teacher for a particular subject, the school may not be able to offer that subject. This is especially so for higher-level subjects. As one student said, “Because of the nature of missionaries - they come and go - there is no guarantee you will have a teacher, or that a specific subject will be offered the following year, or even the following term.” This can be a cause of anxiety for families as they make plans for their children’s futures. Are you a teacher, and do you have a desire to serve in missions? As a teacher of missionary kids, you will minister to their educational, spiritual and social needs, and enable their parents to serve with peace of mind. If God is calling you to use your teaching gifts in missions, contact us ! Watch this video: Traditional MK Schools

by Wycliffe UK Future generations of Lunyole speakers, like Rev Enoch Wandera’s grandchildren, will be able to read the New Testament in their language – so they will know God better, and avoid being ‘swept into the world’ as Enoch was. ‘I think that if I had been able to read the Bible in my language when I was younger,’ Rev Enoch Wandera says, ‘I wouldn’t have had all those problems in my life.’ Enoch knows that being able to understand what God says in the Bible transforms lives – he has experienced it in his own life, and he has seen it in the lives of people in his church. That is why he has poured his passion and skills into translating the New Testament into his language, Lunyole. But before the light of Jesus transformed his life, Enoch’s story had some difficult and dark years. ‘Swept into the world’ ‘I lived a very bad life before I became a Christian,’ Enoch explains. ‘I grew up in a Christian family, but when I finished school I started work in the prison service of Uganda. I thought: “I’ve got my independence,” so I got swept into the world – the world of drinking, the world of partying, the world of immorality. I drank myself out of my job.’ Enoch went back to his village, but still, he says, ‘I continued with that type of life.’ For over five years he hadn’t been to church – but one day a friend invited him to go back. That day was the first step to the transformation that God brought about in his life. ‘Later I sort of saw a vision,’ Enoch explains, ‘as if the whole of my life was shown to me as a video. And I fell on my knees and said: “Oh Lord, I’m not worthy, I need your grace.” And I gave my life to Jesus Christ.’ ‘That opened my eyes to the great need’ Enoch became a pastor and that led him to see how vital Bible translation is. ‘I was overseeing eight churches, and once when I was away at one of those churches my assistant preached from 1 John 5:12: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” But because my assistant wasn’t able to read it in his own language, he misunderstood the verse. He preached that if you don’t have children then you don’t have a place in the kingdom of God! ‘It is a dream come true to have the Lunyole New Testament’ ‘There was an older Christian in the church, a really committed man, and he was so hurt. He came to me and said: “Reverend, is it really true that those of us who have no children have no hope at all?” ‘I said: “Who said that?” And when I realized what had happened I was able to explain the true meaning of the verse to him. That opened my eyes to the great need for people to have the word of God in their own language.’ ‘It is a dream come true’ ‘From that point on,’ Enoch says, ‘I have had a passion for Bible translation. It is a dream come true to have the Lunyole New Testament published and to see people reading it in church every week. That has given us even more motivation to finish the Old Testament.’ Enoch wants to thank you for your prayers and giving, which enable the Lunyole translation to happen: ‘I want to express my gratitude and thanks to all those people and churches in the UK and Ireland who have helped us. ‘For my grandchildren, when they grow up reading the New Testament, and the whole Bible when it is published, things will be a lot different. Their understanding of God will be better than mine when I was younger.’ Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Bible Translators UK

Why was Paul proud to say he was from Tarsus, “no ordinary city”? Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city.” - Acts 21:39 Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem for causing a riot, and was asking permission to address the people. By asserting that he was from Tarsus, Paul was implying that he should not be dismissed as a sua ku (Singapore slang for ‘country bumpkin’). Tarsus (in present-day Turkey) was certainly ‘no ordinary city’ – it was prosperous, privileged to be exempted from Roman taxation, and a leading cultural and educational centre. As a Roman citizen (Acts 22) from Tarsus, Paul was from a family of considerable wealth and status. Set in a fertile agricultural plain, one of Tarsus’ famous products was a thick, waterproof material woven from the hair of black goats. The black tents of Tarsus were used by travellers, nomads and armies all over the region. Although not stated in the Bible, it is likely that tentmaking was Paul’s family’s business which he learned as a boy. The skill came in useful later to support himself in his ministry (Acts 18).

EMDC Online conducted an online webinar, “From Media to Movements”, where various members from the Media To Movements team shared the impact of media and how we can make disciples through the use of media and technology by engaging spiritual seekers all over the world. As the internet has been growing exponentially over the years (with about 1 billion new internet users every 2.7 years globally!), media becomes increasingly significant in how it can bring people together to learn more about Christ and seek information about Christianity. They also explained the different stages enquirers might go through as they seek information about various religions and embark on their spiritual journey, and how disciple-makers can make use of media to engage with these people and lead them to learn more about Christ and the faith. Successful media-to-movements initiatives need to have these 6 characteristics: A trained core team with at least 2 or more people with a defined vision and mission A plan to catalyse prayer Contextualized branded website and/or social media platform(s) Digital conversations with seekers to understand their spiritual openness and needs A system to organize and manage seekers Trained disciple-makers ready to meet seekers face-to-face Additionally, they shared how it is critical to also use media as a way to filter out those who are genuinely interested in the faith by asking these questions: How spiritually open are they? Are they willing to meet face-to-face to learn more? Where are they located? Are they willing to share what they have learnt with others? Our team thought that it was rather interesting to learn the various ways in which media can impact one’s spiritual journey in this digital age, and we hope to be able to utilize such platforms to impact many more people in the near future. Read more about Media To Movements and their initiatives toward bringing God’s Word to people all over the world. There are also other types of courses held by EMDC Online .

Stories from the Field, 7 June 2022 To launch the first ‘Stories from the Field’ for 2022, we invited Grace Chou to share. She has served as a linguist, Bible translation trainer, facilitator, consultant and language program coordinator in Malaysia, Myanmar and other Asia-Pacific countries. She served in Myanmar for 12 years until 2016. While in Myanmar, she was based in Yangon as it was difficult for foreigners to move about the country. Her work was mainly with ethnic minority groups who already identified as Christian. Her love for the country came through clearly as she shared some ‘voices’ of the people: Voice of a friend: she remembers a local lady working as a house helper to another missionary saying that serving the missionaries was serving her people and her country. Voice from the culture: she was puzzled in the early days when her neighbour saw her eating fried rice, and asked “Why aren’t you eating rice?” She wondered, “Isn’t ‘fried rice’ also ‘rice’?” She eventually discovered that when someone asked her “Have you eaten rice yet?”, she was being asked if she had eaten a meal consisting of rice with several dishes of food. This would be a main meal cooked for the whole household. On the other hand, ‘fried rice’ was leftover rice fried with peas or lentils and onions, and regarded as only a snack! Voice of those she helped to facilitate: at one point, it was decided that the mother tongue translators of the project should return to live in their home area, and the local church leaders said: “It is our project; we will help our Bible translators.” This enabled the local community to get more involved more in the translation project. Voice of the pastor who had the vision for Bible translation in his language: This is a song he wrote in 2009. All of our people should praise our father God. Don't forget his kindness. Always remember him. All of our people should read our language. Don't forget our language. Always speak it. Please continue to pray for the country of Myanmar, the many different ethnic groups, and the difficult situations that many people find themselves in. This project is being supported by Wycliffe Singapore’s R200 Programme. To find out how you can help support this and other projects, please contact us . Stories from the Field will be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Get on our mailing list to be notified of future events.

Why did Demetrius, the silversmith in Ephesus, complain about Paul’s preaching? [Demetrius, Ephesian silversmith]: "There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty." - Acts 19:27 At the time of Paul, Ephesus was a major city in Asia Minor (in present-day Turkey). Not only was it the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was also a major centre of trade, communication and Roman government. The temple also served as a bank. There had already been a ‘Lady of Ephesus’ worshipped as a goddess of fertility and childbirth there since ancient times. The Greeks had a habit of assimilating foreign gods under one of their familiar gods, and the ‘Lady of Ephesus’ was obviously conflated with Artemis (even though Artemis was a virgin huntress!) The Ephesian Artemis was not only worshipped by the Ephesians but also by the many visitors who came to the city. If people stopped worshipping her, those who made their livings by producing shrines and images to her would lose their incomes. The city would also lose one of its major claims to fame. It was no wonder that the silversmiths and other artisans opposed Paul’s preaching against idolatry.

Joint Partnership Event, 28 May 2022 After two years of no in-person events, it was really so exciting to have over 80 people gathered together for the annual Joint Partnership Event organised by Wycliffe Singapore, Wycliffe Asia Pacific and nearly 20 other entities. Guests were eager to hear about the projects that are underway in various countries and to find out how they could support the work. The keynote speaker, Rev Dr Bambang Widjaja, in a pre-recorded message , gave a heartfelt call for the Word of God to be communicated in the “heart language” of hearers so that the scripture is able to bring about life transformation. His stories raised much laughter from the listeners. Two beautiful videos were screened to illustrate the many forms Bible translation projects can take, and how lives are changed when people encounter the Word of God in their own language: “The Mosaic of Bible Translation” (7 min) “Life Transformation” (8 min) Invited speakers also shared about a multilingual education project in South Asia, and an oral Bible storying project in Indonesia. It was very inspiring to hear about the work that has been done, and the way God is working through these projects. If you would like to support or find out more about projects in the field supported by Wycliffe Singapore’s R200 Programme, please contact us .

When times get tough, hearing God’s Word enables believers to keep going. Here are a few accounts of how Bible stories have been a source of strength and comfort, and the lengths the crafters will go to in order to continue the work. Strength and encouragement from Bible stories The Oma* team started crafting Bible stories in March 2020, but since then, their work has been interrupted again and again by Covid-19 and by unrest. The Oma crafters have been forced to flee many times, and for a period, the project team (in the city) lost touch with them. One of the crafters had to relocate to another town. During this time, she gave birth to a child, and her house back home was burned to the ground. She shared that during this incredibly difficult season, she drew encouragement and strength from the Bible stories she had been crafting. And she is continuing to work on the project as much as she is able. Another two women have joined the crafting team in the Oma area. They also help the many internally displaced refugees, and have been sharing the Bible stories to encourage them. These women shared that they themselves learned much through these Bible stories during difficult times, and so they use them to minister to the refugees as well. Joy in the midst of unrest The Genera* people group does not have any known Christians, yet there is a group of them who are crafting Bible stories in their own language! In November, one of the crafters fell sick with Covid-19. This crafter shared a computer with another for studying Bible passages and making notes. They continued to carry the computer back and forth between their homes, each time disinfecting the computer to the best of their ability before each trip. Crafting of oral Bible stories in this language continues. The crafters share that when they discuss a topic and discover something new about a story, it brings them joy unlike what they had ever hoped for. One of the story crafters shared that she feels she is living a meaningful life working on the project. In these past six months, this team has completed 5 stories from the New Testament, and they are now excitedly working on 6 more. In their own language The Yam* people group is a small ethnic group who live in the tall mountains. One of the Yam facilitators was invited to preach in a village church and gave this account: As in most village churches, there aren’t enough teachers so the children join the adults in the worship service. But since sermons aren’t designed for children, the children get bored and they just want to play. When I got up to give the message, the children were playing noisily. I decided to tell a Bible story in their own language instead of reading a passage out of the Bible (which isn’t in their language). I chose to tell the story of Jesus healing Bartimaeus of his blindness (Mark 10:46-52). While telling the story, the room went quiet. The children were all completely fascinated by the story and listening intently. So were the adults. After the service, some of the people told me, “Teacher, it’s wonderful hearing the stories of the Bible in our own language. It’s so rich. It makes me more interested in the Bible and I really want to hear more stories. These stories even make me actually interested in church. In future, please tell us more of these stories in our own language!” That day, I saw the impact of hearing the stories of the Bible in your own language. It helps children and adults to better understand God’s Word. It also strengthens their worship and their faith in God. In search of a mobile phone signal Two WRK* story crafters have had to flee their homes. One moved into the forested mountains where there is no electricity. He uses solar panels to charge a battery to run his devices. To find a place where he can use his phone to contact the team, he has to hike up one mountain and down the next until he can find a place where he can get a mobile phone signal. And even then, the signal isn’t reliable. If the wind is blowing, for example, the service might vanish. He then has to keep hiking, searching for another place where he can make a phone call. He often takes pictures of the different places he has to go to work. Another crafter is now living in his parent’s village where the phone and electric towers have been destroyed. He also has to go outside the village to hunt for a mobile phone signal. Praise God that these two men have persevered working for the Lord despite these difficulties. They are actively serving the WRK community, and still crafting oral Bible stories as they are able. * For security reasons, pseudonyms are used for the names of people groups.