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By David Tan A confession: I am a Star Wars fan and have watched all eight episodes of the film series so far. The first film came out in 1977 when I was a teenager and my Sunday school teacher brought our class to watch it. Some fans regard Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back as the best in the series, possibly because it revealed that Darth Vader was the father of Luke Skywalker, to everyone’s surprise and horror. In this instalment of the Star Wars saga, the Galactic Empire, having suffered the destruction of its Death Star, hunts down and attempts to destroy the Rebel Alliance. But what has Star Wars got to do with missions? Well, I feel that perhaps the best summary of God’s plan for mankind and creation can be expressed as “The Kingdom Strikes Back”. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and everything was good under God’s reign. But the first man, Adam, disobeyed God and brought sin into God’s Kingdom. Subsequently, mankind continued to rebel against God until he felt it necessary to destroy almost all of mankind in a flood, leaving just one man, Noah, and his family. However, that did not solve the problem of sin as mankind’s rebellion against God continued. Photo: Elyse Patten, Wycliffe Global Alliance. In fact, mankind even deliberately ignored God’s command to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen 1:28) In Gen 11, the people said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen 11:4) So God confused the language of human beings so they were not able to complete the Tower of Babel project. Instead, they were scattered all over the earth. It seemed that mankind was determined to rebel against God. But all was not lost – in Gen 12, God launched his plan for restoring his Kingdom (or redemption) by calling Abraham and promising that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him. The whole biblical narrative is basically the story of how the Kingdom of God fell and how God restored and continues to restore his Kingdom through Abraham, Christ and the Church. When God called Abraham, he told him that he would not only bless him, but would also bring blessing to the nations through him. This blessing eventually came through the seed of Abraham, namely Christ. When Christ was on earth, he often preached about the Kingdom having come through him, e.g. “‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mk 1:15). The Tower of Babel event marked the height of mankind’s rebellion against God’s rule. God’s punishment of confusing the language of mankind created different ethnic groups or nations that were spread over the earth. The good news is that all these will one day be restored to God’s reign under Christ. This was always God’s plan for humanity, that in the end, “every nation, tribe, people and language” will worship before the Lamb (Rev 7:9). The Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost gave a foretaste of what this would be like by enabling the early believers to declare the praises of God in different languages which they had not learned. So what does this mean for Christians? Well, contrary to what many believers may think, salvation is not just about receiving forgiveness for our sins. Yes, it does include that, but the true meaning of salvation is really the restoration of God’s Kingdom and rule over all creation. We, having been justified by faith and forgiven, enter into God’s Kingdom. And we are commanded to be God’s ambassadors to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to others too. In particular, we are commanded to go and make disciples from every nation so that all nations will be represented in worship before God for all eternity. The Great Commission given by Christ is a clarion call to his people to join forces with him to strike back against sin and restore his Kingdom – The Kingdom Strikes Back! To God be the glory! Dr David Tan is the Executive Director of Wycliffe Singapore. He and his wife, Sharon, served overseas for several years.

Languages around the world have been disappearing at an alarming rate, many of which are spoken by indigenous peoples. In a bid to preserve, revitalize, and promote indigenous languages, the United Nations has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL2019). While the UN considers this a "matter for development, peace building, and reconciliation", we at Wycliffe also believe that the value in these indigenous languages lies in their ability to connect with and reach people who speak these languages in a deeper spiritual and emotional way. Watch video "Your Language Matters" on Youtube. What language do you speak? When people come to know Christ, they need the Word of God to be able to grow in faith. While the Word may already be available to them in a language they are literate in, it is only when they read God's word in their heart language - the language they grew up with, think in, dream in, and understand best - that they can be truly touched not just in mind, but also in heart; subsequently, whole families, communities and generations come to be touched by God's love. This is why at Wycliffe, we persist in our mission to provide a Bible translation for every people group that needs it, "... for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Gal 6:9

At a village church in the Kabwa language area in Tanzania, a large group of people have gathered to listen together to the Word of God. But no pastor is preaching; no one reads from a Bible. Instead, they’re using audio recordings of Scripture translated into their language — stored on tiny solar-powered MP3 players. “Many of them are church leaders from the area,” explained Michiel Louter, a translation adviser with the Mara Cluster Project in northern Tanzania. “They were involved in ‘listening workshops’ like this about a year ago. This one is a follow-up, so they have opportunity to tell us about their experience using the audio Scriptures.” The testimonies share common themes. The players and recordings helped some people better understand Scripture — “especially children and older adults,” Louter emphasized, “since they often don’t yet understand Swahili well.” Several people also described listening to the Kabwa language recordings at home with their families. The sound attracted neighbors — even those of other major religions — curious to know what the families were listening to. This led to discussion about how to reach those neighbors with the gospel. One participant gave advice, saying: “When we use these audio Scriptures, we should believe that it is the words of the Holy Spirit we hear. So, before you switch on the player — pray! And after you’ve listened to a chapter — pray! Then the Holy Spirit can do his work.” As the listening workshop continued, people formed smaller groups to listen to and discuss a chapter or story from the Bible. “One group listened to the whole book of Jonah,” said Louter. “Then they talked together about what God teaches us through that story.” One man summed up the main point of the book, which seemed most clear to them: “We shouldn’t say, ‘Those people are so difficult; they are so stubborn, we can’t tell them about the gospel.’ No, that is our task — to go and tell people. God will see to it that they change.” This article first appeared in Frontlines , Winter 2019, © Wycliffe Bible Translators US. Reproduced with permission.

Much of the remaining work of Bible translation is happening in countries where the gospel isn’t welcome. As believers, we can connect with people groups and their work through prayer. It’s a significant part of Bible translation! But how can we pray when we often don’t know specific details? How can we pray when we don’t know the real language name, or maybe even the country that the people live in? The important thing is that God knows exactly who we’re praying for, where they live and what’s happening in their community. Here are five different groups of people in difficult places you can pray for right now. Believers in underground churches Pray that these believers will know God as their comforter and source of hope. Pray that Scripture will reach them through online distribution and encourage them in their faith. Those who needed to leave their home country Pray they will come to know God and the assurance of his presence. Pray for opportunities to distribute Scripture to language speakers. Those persevering in Bible translation Pray that God will provide the team with unity, smooth progress and the right team members. Pray for each team member to grow in wisdom, creativity and skill. Pray that the team will gain better contact with speakers of the language in their home country. Pray for those who haven’t received the gospel yet. Pray they will have the opportunity to learn and respond to the Good News. Communities and Governments Pray for leaders to be prepared to welcome and receive translation work and, ultimately, the gospel. Praise God that he hears our prayers and will answer. This article first appeared in Frontlines , Winter 2019, © Wycliffe Bible Translators US. Reproduced with permission.

by Deb Fox Spices. Photo: Marc Ewell, Wycliffe Global Alliance. As a Consultant in Training among the Rampi people of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, God has certainly taken Yenny on an adventure over the past 12 years. After completing Bible college in Jakarta, an opportunity opened up for Yenny to travel to South Sulawesi and join a translation team working in the remote Rampi Valley. She joined the Wycliffe Global Alliance organisation, Kartidaya, in 2006 as a Bible translation facilitator. Since then, Yenny and her team have been working and partnering with local churches to see the translation of the New Testament in the Rampi language come to fruition. In November 2017, that vision became a reality with the dedication of the Rampi New Testament. Bringing in the Rampi New Testaments at the dedication ceremony. Photo: Marc Ewell, Wycliffe Global Alliance. The dedication service was the responsibility of the local churches. Despite many challenges, they had faith that God would provide the food and resources they needed. In faith, they all put aside some rice each day for a month, which was later sold to pay for the dedication service. Seven villages took part and the entire service was conducted in the Rampi culture. When the New Testaments were presented, many people were in tears. Why was this such an emotional occasion? Yenny explains that for the Rampi people to have Scripture available in their own language, Jesus suddenly becomes more accessible to them. No longer is he a stranger from a foreign religion but a friend who loves them and knows them more intimately than their own family. Yenny witnessed first-hand the difference it makes having local believers involved in translation workshops as they hear and understand God’s Word in their own language and cultural context. But for many of these people, there is a huge personal cost involved. Quarterly translation cluster project workshops run for three weeks at a time and participants often need to leave their livelihoods and families behind in order to travel to the workshop location. “Most of these people need to manage their farms, rice fields, cacao or corn fields”, Yenny explains. “When they have to sit all day long with laptops and think of sentences, it is a difficult time for them. They also need to work harder before they leave to ensure that there will be enough money and firewood to last until they return so their families can survive.” For Yenny and her team, their journey to the isolated Rampi Valley involves a dangerous 12-hour motorbike ride across narrow, muddy paths and rugged terrain. Then they face a steep climb up the mountains and a significant trek on foot through forests and rivers. The villages are often difficult to get to and internet access is scarce. (Yenny went two years without being able to contact friends and family!) The work is difficult. There are long days and it can be challenging coordinating such a diverse team. But Yenny says the challenges are worth it: "This is God’s work. I see his hand in every situation. He is so good to me. He loves the Rampi people and he is the one who works in their hearts, enabling them to take part in this translation work. For me, working among the Rampi people is like bringing Jesus into the kitchen. When you visit someone’s house here, it is only the family and close friends who are allowed into the kitchen — everyone else stays in the living room. Jesus doesn’t want to be a guest that only sits in the living room; he wants to be part of the family. He wants to visit the Rampi people, sit in their kitchens and have deep conversations with them." Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Australia.

by Deb Tan and Deb Fox The director of a Bible translation organisation in Indonesia considers the difference it could make to God’s mission if we truly believed that translation is the task of the Church. Marnix Riupassa, Director of Kartidaya [Wycliffe Global Alliance organisation in Indonesia], is reminiscing with Barry and Marg Borneman [Wycliffe Australia CEO and his wife] over a cuppa. It has been over five years now since a unique partnership with Wycliffe Australia was formed. He says, “Wycliffe Australia answered the one thing that was not answered by our own projects (at that time), and that maybe many [other] organisations do not understand. This thing, this project, was not about Bible translation but about how we build a strong relationship with the local church.” Out of Kartidaya’s unique vision and Wycliffe Australia’s willingness to support it, Kartidaya’s Partnership project was birthed. Its commitment was to serve the local church to help them understand God’s mission, so that it is the Church in Indonesia that reaches the end goal. Marnix notes, “We [used to] come to the Church and ask for money to help a translation project. But we didn’t help the Church to understand God’s mission to help them to lead the direction of Bible translation.” If translation is the task of the Church, then Marnix knew that they would need to partner with churches, denominational leaders, parachurch groups and organisations to gain momentum. Along with his team at Kartidaya, Marnix prayed and fasted that God would help create connections for more leaders to get on board with the vision. Marnix explains that the translation is the easy part — establishing community is where it gets difficult. “We’ve seen many spiritual battles happen in the field… not when we are starting to print the Bible, but when we start [building]…community. The enemy wants to create division. But we know that the best way to achieve God’s mission is by working together.” Working together to create local, missional churches points to a significant paradigm shift — putting the work in the hands of local people, without just relying on training, resourcing and funding by foreign organisations. It also helps to ensure a sustainable long-term witness to language groups, as future generations are trained by their own local leaders. Marnix shares, “The local church then becomes the umbrella, the host for the translation cluster. Kartidaya and Wycliffe come to serve and provide the resources to support them.” Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Australia.

Professor Lamin Sanneh, D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity at Yale Divinity School, passed away unexpectedly from a stroke on 6 January 2019 at the age of 76. Born in a rural Muslim family in Gambia, Lamin Sanneh converted to Christianity as a teenager. He went on to become a renowned scholar in the field of World Christianity. He authored or edited more than 20 books, and wrote over 200 scholarly articles. In his book, Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture , Sanneh points out the uniqueness of Christianity in always translating the words of the founder (Jesus) into vernacular languages rather than the original Aramaic. In his opinion, Christianity was a preserver rather than a destroyer of indigenous languages and cultures. He attributed the successful spread of Christianity to missionaries who fitted into local cultures, delivering the Christian message in the vernacular languages, and encouraging the people to adapt their own customs to it. In an interview with Dr Graham Hill of the GlobalChurch Project about World Christianity, he said, “Probably no factor has been as decisive for the appropriation of Christianity anywhere it has succeeded than that of mother-tongue adoption, and in the modern period this has been demonstrated with abundant evidence.” In 2018, the Sanneh Institute at the University of Ghana was established as a multi-faith and multi-disciplinary research institute for the advanced study of religion and society. It will be formally inaugurated in 2020. Read more: A Condensed Version of a Conversation Between Professor Lamin Sanneh and Graham Hill On World Christianity, Christian-Muslim Relations, & Translating the Christian Message. A Justification for Translation: Why Every Christian Should Care About Gospel Resources in Languages Beyond Their Own / by Tyler Kenney. Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture / by Lamin Sanneh (2nd ed., 2009).

On 22 December 2018, members, staff, volunteers and friends of WBTS gathered to dedicate and celebrate our new office. Levene, who served in Wycliffe for the past 2 years, designed a beautiful poster to mark the occasion. The Bible verse on the poster, “it was a time of great and joyful celebration because they could hear and understand God’s words” (Nehemiah 8:12), describes the Israelites’ response when the Book of the Law was read and translated for them after their return from exile. This verse was chosen to remind us of our vision to provide every people group with God’s word in a language that speaks to their hearts. Although we plan to be here for only two years, we look forward to serving God faithfully from this new location. ... Saying Farewell to the Old After spending weeks packing, moving, discarding, selling and giving away things, all movable items had been cleared from the old office by the end of 2018. On 8 January 2019, the keys were handed over to Chinatown Plaza’s lawyers and the official date for the completion of sale is 15 January. Please pray for wisdom and guidance for those responsible for managing the proceeds from the sale as well as the Property Search Committee who will have to start looking for permanent office premises.

When women are taught to read and write, families and communities reap the benefits. In the villages of this South Asian country, few adult women are literate. One team has begun a multilingual education project for young children as well as adult literacy classes in both the local and national languages in several villages. Most of the adult participants are women. Here are the stories of two women whose lives have been transformed by literacy. C, 42, never had a chance to go to school as she had to help with the housework. By 19, she was married with a family of her own. She wanted to borrow some money from the village mothers’ group’s loan scheme to build a house but was unable to write her name on the required forms and so gave up her dream. When a literacy class was begun in her village, she made time to attend. Now, she can not only read and write, but also do simple calculations. She says, “My eyes have been opened! I have realised the importance of education and I will encourage my children to also study hard and not suffer like me.” Village house. Photo: Ari Vitikainen, Wycliffe Global Alliance K, 40, is now the chairman of the village mothers’ group of another village. She learned to read and write in the literacy classes and firmly believes in the importance of education. Despite a busy schedule, she makes it a point to be on time for classes and also encourages other women to attend. She monitors the classes, taking attendance, visiting those who are absent, and reporting to the field coordinator during his visits. Her aim is that every woman in the village should be able to at least write her name and guide her children, and in this way improve the lives of the whole community. Beyond these benefits, these literacy skills will equip the people to read the mother tongue Scriptures which are currently being translated, so that they can experience even greater life transformation through encountering the Word of God in their own language.

by Wycliffe Global Alliance As we celebrate the milestone of translated Scripture in more than 3350 languages, we celebrate that God is accomplishing His mission through His power and through partnership. More mission organisations, churches and Christian communities are becoming involved in the Bible translation movement. At least 1.5 billion people do not have the full Bible available in their first language. Over 700 million of these have the New Testament; others have portions or at least some level of translation or preparatory work begun. There are known active translation and/or linguistic development happening in 2658 languages across more than 170 countries. Because of improved accuracy in collecting information from around the world about Bible translation needs, and other factors, the number of estimated translation needs worldwide has increased. As of 1 October 2018, over 180 million people, using 1879 spoken languages and 284 sign languages, are likely to need some form of Bible translation to begin. Translation need is not as simple as determining which languages do or do not have Scripture. Most of the languages with only “some Scripture” are in need of more, and even full Bibles undergo revisions from time to time. Find out more in the FAQ sheet . Today approximately 100 organisations from more than 60 nations form the Wycliffe Global Alliance. By providing staff, funds, training, translation and support services, Alliance organisations are currently involved in at least 2139 of the 2658 languages known to have active work. Wycliffe Global Alliance organisations and personnel have been involved in the translation of Bibles and New Testaments in more than 1000 languages. At least one of the Bible’s 66 books has been published in an additional 700 languages. Many other languages have other initial portions published. Thanks to the work of ministries including Faith Comes By Hearing , Jesus Film , Bibles.org , YouVersion , Scripture Earth , and software such as Paratext and Scripture App Builder, Scripture is available online and in digital forms that can be shared phone to phone in over 1600 languages. Find.Bible maintains a growing public list of where to find Scripture across these and other sites. There are many additional partnerships and new initiatives contributing to the growth of Bible translation movements and the distribution and use of God’s Word. Working in community partnerships, Alliance personnel not only assist in Scripture-related goals but also help produce thousands of resources for literacy, education, health and other community-based objectives alongside Scripture. We report precise numbers on what we know but we frequently hear of new work and of translations previously uncounted, meaning these numbers continue to fluctuate. Additionally, we do not have a figure for the number of people who have prayed or given financially so that others might give their time and sometimes their lives to this work. More importantly, we cannot count how many lives have been positively affected as a result of Bible translation. We speak on behalf of millions of lives across the world when we say, "Thank you!" Statistics are rarely as simple as the numbers imply. Please read the FAQ sheet before quoting these figures. Wycliffe Global Alliance presentations of Scripture and Language Statistics are compiled from data provided through Progress.Bible by Wycliffe Organisations, SIL International, United Bible Societies and many other partners. Data is current as of 1 October 2018. Population data is based on available information about first language speakers in SIL’s Ethnologue. Further stories about people and projects are available at www.wycliffe.net and from your nearest Wycliffe organization .