It’s never too early to create an awareness of missions in children! Much of missions is working among ‘unreached people groups’ (ethnic groups which do not have enough believing Christians to evangelise the rest of their people group). This is usually defined as those where under 2% of the population are Christians. These groups are generally among the most marginalised and needy groups in the world, requiring assistance in many areas, such as community development, income generation, healthcare, education and literacy, as well as Bible translation, with the ultimate aim of bringing them to a knowledge of God’s salvation. Do you know how many such groups there are in the world? Joshua Project estimates that there are still over 4,500 unreached people groups, many in the Asia-Pacific region. Here are short introductions to 6 unreached people groups from 6 different Asian countries. The upcoming school holidays might be a good opportunity to share these with children! For each people group, we have provided: A prayer card from Joshua Project and some brief information about the ethnic group. A short Youtube video to show something of the culture, lifestyle and location where the people group lives. 3 prayer points. And since most families will not be travelling during the year-end school holiday this year, perhaps the children can ‘travel’ virtually by reading more about these countries (e.g. on a website such as the Kids World Travel Guide). They can even start planning future family trips! If you wish to find out more about supporting an unreached people group in prayer and/or financially, please contact us. The Bisu people live in the border areas of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. They have been persecuted by neighbouring groups, and are looked down on by the majority groups where they live. They hold firmly to their own identity, wear their own distinct dress, and speak their own language. They are animists who fear evil spirits which they believe will bring suffering, sickness and disaster. The few Bisu who have become Christians face persecution within their communities. Although the New Testament has been translated, many are not able to read it. There is work ongoing to translate Bible stories into the Bisu language, and teach the people to read their own language. Watch a video (3 mins) that shows the villages and costumes of hill tribes in North Thailand. 1. Pray for the Christian workers who are helping the Bisu people to develop ways to increase their income, read and write their own language, or in other ways. 2. Pray that the believers will be strong in their faith when they face persecution from their families and communities. 3. Pray for those who are translating scripture materials such as stories and songs into the Bisu language so that the people can hear the Word of God in their own language. The Danau people live in remote locations in eastern Myanmar. The name Danau is derived from donake, meaning 'brave archers'. Now, they are mainly fishermen and cotton farmers. Only a few Danau people are Christians, and about 95% of them are Buddhists. In the area where they live, the Pindaya limestone caves contain more than 8,000 Buddha images which have been put there over the centuries. Watch a video (9 mins) which shows scenes of living and working (fishing, farming, weaving) on Inle Lake in Myanmar, in the area where the Danau live. 1. Pray for more Christian workers to go to the Danau people despite the difficulties of reaching their remote locations. 2. Pray for Danau believers to be good witnesses to their families and communities, even though their numbers are small. 3. Pray for Bible stories and scripture to be translated into the Danau language so more can hear the Word of God. The Hmong Bua, or Black Hmong, are an ethnic group within the Miao nationality in China. Many live in mountainous areas of southern China and Vietnam. Hmong Bua women's clothing features a black shirt with embroidery on the cuffs. The men wear a black or dark blue jacket without a collar. The majority of Hmong Bua are animists who worship spirits. Although the Bible has been translated, there are many dialects, and speakers of one dialect usually do not understand others. Many dialects do not have the Bible and very few of them can read their own language. Watch a video (5.5 mins) showing scenes of a Miao village and their dancing (a bit touristy). 1. Pray for Christian workers who are working among this people group to help increase their incomes and standard of living. 2. Pray that the people will be open to hear about God’s salvation through Jesus. 3. Pray that the Bible will be translated into more dialects so that the people can hear God’s Word in their heart language, and that the people will learn to read their own language. Most Khmer people live in Cambodia where they are the majority ethnic group. Their religion is mainly Buddhism, but elements of Hinduism and animism are mixed with the Buddhist beliefs. There are few Christians. The early Cambodian church almost disappeared in the 1970s, but now there are churches in almost all districts. However, over 11,000 villages have no church. Although the Bible has been translated into Khmer, not many are reading it. Watch a video (6.5 mins) of scenes of village life in Cambodia. 1. Pray for the Christian workers who are living and working among the Khmer people to help them in various ways. 2. Pray that the Christians will strong in their faith when they face opposition from their families and communities. 3. Pray for the Khmer church to be passionate about reaching out to their own people. The Luwu live in South Sulawesi and are mostly farmers who use traditional methods of subsistence farming. They are well known in the area for their houses which are decorated with complex carvings. The ancient Kingdom of Luwu is generally thought to be the oldest kingdom in South Sulawesi, dating back to the 10th century. Most Luwu are Muslim, but many animistic practices from their traditional religions influence their culture. Watch a video (3 mins) showing village scenes from South Sulawesi. 1. Pray for Christian workers with the right skills and knowledge to help the Luwu people improve their farming methods so they can produce more. 2. Pray for open hearts among the Luwu people to read or hear the scriptures which are being translated into their language. 3. Pray for the Luwu Christians to be good witnesses among their own people. The Sangil people live on islands in the southern Philippines, but originally came from eastern Indonesia. The Sangil language is related to a language spoken in eastern Indonesia and East Malaysia. The tribe was already Muslim long before they came to the Philippines, but the people still hold on to some traditional beliefs in spirits. They make their living by fishing, farming and boat-building. Watch a video (7 mins) of a visit to Balut Island in southern Philippines, and watch someone eat balut (a fertilized duck egg boiled and eaten in the shell while still warm)! 1. Pray for more Christian workers to help the Sangil people find ways to increase their incomes. 2. Pray that the Sangil will have open hearts to hear God’s message. 3. Pray for safety as many make their living on the sea, and their villages are also very exposed to storms.

Did you know? There are at least 392 sign languages worldwide (and counting!) Sign languages have their own grammatical structures that are different from the spoken languages in the same areas. Those who use sign languages often also have their own unique cultural expressions and artforms. Sign languages are diverse! Just like with the spoken languages of the world, people who use one sign language won’t necessarily understand another. Less than 2% of the world’s 70 million Deaf people know God. Around 90% of Deaf people worldwide struggle to read, so printed Bibles can be difficult to understand. The American Sign Language (ASL) Bible translation was completed in 2020* – the first sign language in the world to have the whole Bible! Pray for those involved in sign language translation Bible translation work has begun in around 5% of sign languages. ‘Pray to the Lord of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.’ (Matthew 9:38) Praise God for the video technology used in sign language translation, and for the technology people use to access Scripture in sign languages, such as mobile apps and microSD cards. Pray that technology will continue to be developed and used so that more Deaf people can know Jesus through the Bible in their own languages. Pray that God will give all those involved in sign language translation – both hearing and Deaf – special insight so they can translate accurately and in ways that touch the hearts of Deaf people. *The American Sign Language Bible was completed by Deaf Missions in collaboration with partners like DOOR International, Deaf Bible Society, and Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Bible Translators UK

by Tony Chan Language and Translation in the Mission of God Editor’s Note: From December 2020 to April 2021, Dr Bryan Harmelink, the Alliance’s Director for Collaboration, has conducted a Language & Translation in the Mission of God course for trainers in the Asia-Pacific Area. Twenty-one translators and consultants from Asia have completed the online course. Here is a report from Tony Chan, the Associate Director for Administration Services for the Area. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Today, in order to reach language communities still waiting for God’s Word, the task is increasingly found in the hands of local Christians. The task of Bible translation is increasingly found in the hands of local Christians. (A team of translators in the West Kalimantan is working on translating the Scriptures into their heart language.) Photo: Marc Ewell The Need In the latest 2020 Scripture access statistics, 167 million people, speaking 2,014 languages, still need translation work to begin. Asia alone has 836 of these languages spoken by 141 million people. The great multitude that will stand before the throne before the Lamb are waiting for these tribes, people and languages (Rev. 7:9). They need someone to bring God’s Word to them, yet many are either in remote locations or in areas closed to expatriates. We believe this is an opportunity for the local church to participate in the mission of God in reaching these minority language groups within their national borders with the gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples by teaching the Word in the heart languages. The Locals Mission is now “From Everyone to Everywhere”. As the global church recognises that many people and communities do not have any of God’s Word in the language they understand best, many changes can be observed in the Bible Translation movement. Among these is empowering target language speakers to do translation: They know the language, culture and context which takes an expat translator years to acquire. The local community has a stronger sense of ownership of the translation and motivation to use it. When translation does not depend on expat translators in learning the target language, the local community becomes the resource for translators. For related language groups close by, a cluster project can be used to work on them in parallel. Many smaller language groups are non-literate, so oral translation may be more appropriate. The Course The Basic Language & Translation in the Mission of God (LTMG) course seeks to train and prepare people — particularly national and local Christians, Bible translators, programme managers and project facilitators — to translate the Bible, building on their background knowledge and familiarity with local languages, cultural and social contexts. The LTMG curriculum is particularly helpful as a language community gets started on a translation project. Train the Trainers: The First Round In 2020, Wycliffe Asia-Pacific Area invited Dr Bryan Harmelink, the Alliance’s Director for Collaboration, to conduct Language & Translation in the Mission of God for Trainers (LTMG-T) to a group of translators and consultants from Asia. The course was conducted over Zoom over five months. Lectures were supported by notes and reading references, group discussions and presentations, and a final term paper. Early in 2021, the cohort met again for three days of review, Q&A and introduction to pedagogy for adults. A total of 21 people from East Asia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan received certificates of completion. Next Steps As an ongoing outcome, teams have been formed around language groups: Chinese, English, Filipino and Indonesian. Each will work on contextualising the materials and develop the LTMG curriculum in their respective languages, incorporating it into existing training programmes, as well as preparing presentations for churches as introduction to Bible translation. Dr Bryan Harmelink is the key training of LTMG course. Photo: Ling Lam Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Global Alliance Asia-Pacific

From August to October, two of our members spearheaded online English Language classes for our Indonesian partners. We caught up with the coordinator William to find out more about teaching English as a second language with partners in ministry. 1. Tell us more about these classes; how did it start? The Indonesian English Class Ministry started out of a request from our Indonesian partners. This request came at a time when my spouse, Michelle, and I were in the middle of a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification course. We had returned to Singapore after many years in the field and did this course as a retool for further deployment. His prefect timing! From our Indonesian coordinator we realized there were 42 students interested in this English class. This meant we had to recruit teachers to conduct these classes. We crafted a flyer and received quite a good response. Out of the 30+ responses, I narrowed down the list to 10 teachers. Only 2 were members of Wycliffe Singapore, and the remaining 7 were from various churches in Singapore and 1 from Malaysia. With the help of the Indonesian coordinator, we had each student participate in a placement test as well as submit an audio recording of themselves answering 5 questions to determine their English level. With this, we divided the group into 3 levels and 5 classes (2 beginner classes, 2 intermediate classes and 1 advanced class). We paid for an online curriculum so the teachers could have this as a resource in their preparation of the lessons. We began the class this year in Aug, and the last lesson will be on Oct 28, 2021; a total of 22 lessons for these 5 classes, twice a week, an hour each lesson. 2. What has been most challenging about teaching English as a foreign language? The placement test gave us an indication of the students’ level but was not very precise. So, early on, the teachers had difficulty pitching the lesson to the students’ level. But after the first two weeks, as the teachers got to know the students and vice versa, I could tell that learning was beginning to take flight. Another challenge we faced is that some of the students are in remote locations where the internet is not very stable, and they have to be allocated back into their breakout rooms upon reconnecting. 3. What is your greatest takeaway from this programme? Our aim for providing this English class was to build capacity in these Indonesian partners so they will be more effective in their bible translation roles. To see these students come in lesson after lesson and see their enthusiasm and improvement through the weeks is probably the greatest reward the teachers can ask for. We see the students grow in confidence using the language in and outside the Zoom classroom e.g., in social media. They are no longer just students and teachers; no longer just partners in the bible translation movement but brothers and sisters in Christ. We rejoiced together with students who got married during this period, graduated from their formal and informal education programmes, etc. We also mourned with those who suffered illness, had family members pass away, etc. We have become family and look forward to the day we can meet face to face. 4. Words of advice for volunteer teachers? Due to the students’ unreliable internet bandwidth, minimising the use of technology (other than the Zoom meeting room itself) makes classes easier on the students. For students with English as their second language, less teaching and more practice and speaking opportunities are more useful for them. Interested in teaching, language learning, or simply making a difference? We welcome short- and long-term volunteers all year round; bless others with your God-given gifts: serve with us.

Who sealed a property transaction by taking off his sandal? Unnamed in the Bible, the male relative who had the duty of being Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer removed his sandal to legalise a property transaction. Ruth 4 provides an account of the exchange between Boaz and this man, with an explanation that “for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalising transactions in Israel”. Some commentators suggest that the action of removing the sandal was a visible and physical act representing the divesting of a possession, practised in an age when literacy and written records were probably not common.

Scripture Resources in Many Languages “My grandma mostly speaks Hakka! How can I share verses from the Bible with her?” Have you ever felt helpless when trying to share scripture with those who have difficulty understanding a majority language like English or Mandarin? We know that the word of God has much greater impact on a person if he hears it in his ‘heart language’. For evangelism, and especially for discipleship, the word of God is best communicated in a language that resonates with a person’s heart. It is not just the elderly who may need to hear the scripture in a minority language; many immigrants who live and work in Singapore are more comfortable in their native languages. There is good news! Over the years, Bible translators have been working to make scripture available in more languages – over 3,400 languages to date. The extent of scripture in each language varies – it could be a complete Bible, or a New Testament, or just selected scripture portions or stories. Many projects are still in progress now, or waiting to begin. In the past, these translations were only available in printed form. But now, audio and/or video recordings of scripture are also available in many languages and accessible online or via mobile apps. Sign language bibles in video formats are also available. Just as examples, here are the search results from ScriptureEarth for Hakka and Telugu: Search tools: So if you are seeking scripture resources in a particular language, try one of these sites below! ScriptureEarth is a search site which aims to provide access to Scripture products for the languages of the world. It provides links to text, video, audio, PDFs, mobile apps, and also links to purchase printed Bibles and other resources. It is managed by SIL International. Find-a-Bible aims to simplify the search for Bibles and Bible resources in every language. It lists major sources of Scripture in many languages and multiple formats. It is a collaborative project of the Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBAI) and is designed and maintained by the Digital Bible Society (DBS). Scripture sources: Bible.is, a ministry of Faith Comes By Hearing, combines Scripture text with audio recordings in over 1,500 languages. Faith Comes By Hearing has partnered Bible translation organisations to make God’s Word accessible online or via a mobile app. YouVersion’s Bible app or website Bible.com provides scripture in nearly 1,500 languages. Many versions can be downloaded from the app for offline use. LUMO provides video dramatisations of the four Gospels with narration of the full Gospel text in various languages. Faith Comes By Hearing is dubbing these into hundreds of languages which are available on Bible.is. The JESUS Film, based on the Gospel of Luke, has been pro­duced in more than 1,800 languages. Most of these can be viewed online at JesusFilm.org or through one of the apps listed above. Deaf.Bible, the sign language Scripture app of Deaf Bible Society, provides access to sign language Scriptures in 30 sign languages so far. Languages of Singapore Do you know how many languages are spoken in Singapore? Besides the four official languages of English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, just walking through any busy marketplace will show you that many other languages are spoken here. Traditionally, ethnic groups in Singapore have been divided into four larger groupings: Chinese, Malay, Indian, and a catch-all Others. However, each of these actually comprises many language groups. For example: There are also languages that are indigenous to Singapore and Malaysia such as Singlish, Baba (or Peranakan) Malay, and Kristang.

“If you really valued (loved) me, you could learn to sign. I cannot learn to hear.”[1] First celebrated as part of the International Week of the Deaf in 2018, the United Nations marked 23 September the International Day of Sign Languages[2]. According to the Deaf Bible Society, more than 70 million people worldwide use sign language as their first or only language. Written language is a second language that requires extra effort for Deaf that can read. More than 80 per cent of Deaf live in developing countries, using over 400 different sign languages[3]. Distinct from spoken languages, sign languages are natural languages in their own right. A natural language is one that has evolved naturally in humans through use and repetition without conscious planning. These can take different forms, such as speech or signing. While there is an international sign language, it has a limited vocabulary and is only used often while travelling or at international gatherings. Considered a pidgin (a mixture of 2 or more languages), it is simpler than natural sign languages. Deaf people view themselves as members of a minority language group with their own distinct culture and experiences; they do not regard themselves as disabled. The difficulty of being deaf is not in the inability to hear, but the barrier to communicating with the dominant culture, especially when it comes to acquiring information. Thanks to video and the internet, sharing the hope of Jesus with the Deaf is a growing global movement. Deaf Bibles are in video form; at present, at least 95 per cent of sign languages have no Bible translation[4]. TBSR - Romanian Sign Language Wycliffe Singapore supports multiple sign language projects in Asia, one being the Romanian Sign Language project. The Romanian Deaf community largely cannot read the Romanian Scriptures. The religious ceremonies of hearing worship are also often confusing to them. Through the support of Wycliffe Singapore’s R200 programme, since 2020, the Gospel (book of Mark) is being translated into Romanian Sign Language. The project team had previously translated 32 chronological Bible stories in 2019. The current project also aims to promote the use of these stories. Throughout the translation process, the project team and the members of the Deaf community involved also gain greater clarity on Scripture, and in turn, are impacted more deeply by the Word of God. Despite delays in checking the translation with the Deaf community due to the pandemic, the team expects to complete translating the Gospel of Mark in 2022. Help us share God’s Word to deaf communities globally in their heart language. If you would like to find out more about supporting sign language projects, please contact us. [1] From a Deaf person [2] UN International Day of Sign Languages [3] SIL - Sign Languages [4] Deaf Bible Society

Is gleaning still practised today? In Leviticus 19:9-10, farmers were instructed not to harvest to the edge of their fields, or to go over their crops a second time. Instead, they were to intentionally leave some of the produce to be gathered by the poor and the foreigners. This was a way to enable those in need to share in the harvest. An example of this practice is described in the story of Ruth, where she gleaned in Boaz’s fields to gather grain for herself and her mother-in-law. Gleaning_by_Arthur_Hughes Today, food-waste recovery programmes can be regarded as modern forms of gleaning. It is estimated that about one-third of the food produced in the world is wasted each year, while nearly 10% of the world’s population does not have enough to eat. In order to reduce food waste and put it to good use, food banks and food rescue organisations collect usable or unsold food to distribute to those in need. This also includes food discarded due to cosmetic filtering, i.e. edible food considered unsuitable for sale simply because of their shape, colour or size.

Thinking about missions? Wondering how to spend your next break? Our most recent batch of interns share their experience at Wycliffe and how they have put their skills to good use while learning more about the work of Bible translation. 1. Tell us more about your role at Wycliffe during your internship. Andrea: I worked with the Teochew storying project team with members from both Wycliffe Singapore and Wycliffe Malaysia. In this project, we aimed to craft audio Bible stories for people whose heart language is Teochew. After several training sessions, I was involved in processes like back-translation and preparation of questions for community testing. I even got to translate stories into our home language – Singlish! I also had the chance to test the suitability of some Teochew Bible stories with native Teochew speakers. Ruth: During my internship, I supported the work of two groups of people. The first group served Wycliffe’s ministry in Indonesia. I was tasked to assist the preparation of materials for workshops they would run with believers who are members of the target people groups. There were two workshops I was involved in preparing for. The first one was a scripture engagement workshop which aimed at training families to memorise scripture. My main task was to help add credits (a creative commons license label and the ministry’s logo) at the end of the videos and documents produced for this workshop. The second workshop I helped to prepare materials for is about the living and the dead. My main task was to look up scripture (from a list of scripture references provided) and sort them according to their relevance in answering questions on the living and the dead (also from a list that was provided). The next group I helped was the communications team at Wycliffe Singapore. My task was to redesign the brochure for Wycliffe Singapore. Joanna: At my internship with Wycliffe during my school holidays, I was assigned to the Wycliffe Thailand office to help draft an updated website for them as well as to help out with a member’s translation project. I first picked up very basic Thai with a friend after being motivated by mission trips and visits to Thailand; thereafter, I self-learnt for a short while before eventually formally enrolling in the Thai language course as a minor in university, which I have since successfully completed. 2. What was most enjoyable/memorable and what did you find most challenging (and why)? Andrea: I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to do story testing and carrying out a story testing session! I had the privilege of going to a colleague’s grandmother’s house to test a Teochew story. It was so memorable because after listening to the story about the blind man at Jericho being healed, she spoke about how she believed in Jesus, and she was able to walk again after the surgery for her hip fracture. This heart-warming moment made me realise that the translation process has so much potential to bring people to Christ. In the process of checking whether the story is clear and natural, the people listening to it also hear about Christ and His wonderful works! My internship took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that everyone had to work from home, instead of together at the office. This was a slight challenge to adjust to, because my supervisors told me that much of the learning comes from conversations in the office. Being stuck at home meant that I was not able to have those conversations as much as I would have liked. Nonetheless, the work that I was able to do at home with my team was undoubtedly beneficial to me. Ruth: The most interesting experience for me was the orientation sessions at the start of the internship. I found them insightful and thought-provoking. My favourites were the sessions on bible translation and literacy, perhaps because they are the newest to me. The most enjoyable part of actually working, though, was probably be redesigning the corporate brochure. Although it was not without frustration, there’s more to feel accomplished about with the end-product for this project compared to the others, since it involves more creativity. The most challenging project was the preparation for the workshop on the living and the dead. I think this is due to the difficulty in communication and coordination with the team members in different parts of the world, since there was the difference in time zones to work with. Secondly, sometimes it was challenging to coordinate working on the same project because of different ways of working. The preparation for this workshop in particular was challenging also because of the nature of the task – there were many questions and scripture references to pore over. Joanna: I think the most enjoyable aspect of the internship was the relatively free rein given to me to change up the website’s design and organisation (as long as it fit with the general colour scheme of the original website), which greatly helped as I explored the different possible colour, background and font combinations. While the website could be more aesthetically pleasing, I think that the user experience has definitely improved (if I might say so myself, haha). Hope the website will be officially published soon! On the flipside, the most challenging – though not insurmountable – aspect of the internship was the translation project that I was asked to work on. While I have had some experience in translating English to Thai texts before, most of the translation that I had done were conversational sentences and not narrative descriptions, which this project had as it was a book. It was important to learn how to grasp the essence of the atmosphere that the narrative text was trying to convey instead of stubbornly trying to translate the expressions word for word. 3. What is your biggest takeaway? Andrea: Preaching to people in their heart language is more essential than I had previously thought. There are more groups that are non-literate, so our conventional means of evangelising by giving them the written Word will not be effective. Hearing the Word in their native/heart language connects their souls with the Word in a way that would not be possible if they were to hear it in a second or third language. In summary, I learnt that reaching out to others in love may mean reaching out to people in their heart language. Ruth: It’s important to know and remember the purpose of your work. Joanna: My biggest takeaway would be the fact that I managed to make use of and develop my existing skills during this internship. I had some prior experience in both website design and translation, but my tasks enabled me to learn more – I must thank my supervisor Hoong Yen for assigning me to such appropriate projects. For the former, I was able to learn more about the Wix website design interface and its various functions; for the latter, I gained experience in translating more narrative structures as well as learning Thai words relating to a biblical context. 4. Any words of advice for those considering an internship at Wycliffe? Andrea: Go for it! This internship has been more than fruitful. It’s truly a unique opportunity: as someone studying linguistics, where else would I be able to find a job that applies what I study AND actively exercises my faith through work? Ruth: Be open to learn and receive as much as you intend to give of yourself through the work you do. Follow up on things that interest you in the work, rather than thinking of work and non-work as a strict binary. For example, if you come across scripture that you don’t understand or encounter an interpretation that is different from your current understanding, don’t brush away the questions that emerge in your mind just because answering those questions is not necessary for executing the tasks you’ve been given. Search for answers to the questions because as much as you’re doing the work for God ultimately, He could also teach you a thing or two through it. Joanna: Just go for it! If you are someone that would like to learn new things while doing work that you know will help contribute in some small way or another to something meaningful (i.e., the work that Wycliffe does), then this is for you. Also, a major plus point: the people at Wycliffe are friendly and welcoming – having scary supervisors or scheming co-workers found in movies or horror stories from friends will be the least of your worries. If you’re looking for some work experience or just want to give time to serve the Lord in a mission agency, we welcome you to join us! Serve from one month to a year, as a support worker or in the field – we’re sure that God will speak to you through this experience. You can also volunteer with us on a regular or ad hoc basis. I would like to serve!

Despite not being able to meet in-person, Wycliffe Singapore held a virtual workshop to give participants an opportunity to try their hand at telling a Bible story in a Chinese dialect (or Singlish). First, participants were asked to think about how people living in a multilingual society use different languages in different contexts. Those of us who grew up in multilingual environments instinctively understand that individuals respond differently to different languages. Indeed, the past months of Covid-19 have shone a spotlight on how certain groups can be isolated by language. Even if people have some understanding of one of the four official languages, important information often has to be communicated in the ‘right’ language to be accepted and acted upon. For those who are less literate, information is also better communicated orally and in a colloquial style. This was, of course, about physical health; what more when it comes to spiritual things? During the breakouts, participants tried their hand a retelling the story of Jesus healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6) in an oral style. Most found it difficult to avoid translating word for word from the Bible text, and most found some Biblical terms (e.g., Sabbath, Pharisee) difficult to translate. All realised that getting a story into a form suitable for oral retelling was a challenge! Of course, there are Bible stories and other resources in Chinese dialects from elsewhere, e.g., Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, etc., but these dialects will differ in vocabulary and usage from the Singaporean varieties. To really communicate spiritual truths to the hearts of listeners, there is a need for materials which minimise the barriers of language, time and culture, education and even learning styles. That is why Wycliffe Singapore recently launched a Chinese Dialect storying project. The aim is to start story fellowship groups using oral retellings of Bible stories in a Chinese dialect to impart biblical truths to those whose ‘heart language’ is a local Chinese dialect. Currently, there is one group working in the Teochew dialect. If you or someone you know is interested in participating in this ministry, contact us.