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by Adan Burke with Melissa Paredes, Wycliffe US In 2020 an exciting milestone was reached in the world of Bible translation when the American Sign Language Version (ASLV) of the Bible was completed! After nearly 20 years of work, Deaf Missions and partner organizations finished the complete translation — making ASL the first sign language to have the whole Bible.* With only one full sign language Bible complete, the Deaf represent the largest unreached people group in the world. Today there are more than 350 sign languages known around the world representing 70 million signers. Of this population, less than 2% have encountered Jesus in a language and format they clearly understand. With only one full sign language Bible complete, the Deaf represent the largest unreached people group in the world. But God is on the move, and technology is being developed that could change the landscape of Deaf Bible translation for sign languages around the world. Adan Burke is a sign language partnership specialist at Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. His life was changed when he encountered Jesus through Scripture in a language and format he could clearly understand: ASL. Today Adan plays a vital role in Deaf Bible translation. Read on and learn from Adan as he shares about this exciting new technology called Chameleon! Chameleon: Changing the Way the Deaf Community Discovers Jesus When I was two years old, my parents discovered I was Deaf. With Christ at the center of our home, it wasn’t long before they found a Deaf church for me to attend — ensuring I had access to God’s Word at a young age. By the age of seven, I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, thanks partly to this community of Christian signers. In my work with the global Deaf community, I’ve discovered that less than 2% of the Deaf identify as followers of Jesus. But new technology offered by Wycliffe Bible Translators and our global partners is trying to change that. A new form of motion capture technology can now transform the way we present Scripture to a person who is Deaf. Dubbed “Chameleon” by its creators, the technology features a digital avatar — or animated character — who signs the Bible to the viewer. Sign language Scriptures are delivered in a video format, with someone signing the translated message in the unique sign language utilized by individual people groups. The Chameleon technology captures the movements of a person signing Scripture and converts their appearance to an avatar. Groundbreaking for the global Deaf community, Chameleon is digital, changeable and protects the translator’s identity. Since the invention of sign language, people have been signing to one another in the Deaf community. Unfortunately, in the work of Deaf Bible translation, the person presenting the sign language is automatically associated with the Scripture they are depicting. Using an avatar removes connection to the individual and instead highlights the message. This removes the risk that a signer’s lifestyle, choices or beliefs could ever compromise, and therefore devalue, the Bible’s message. No human is visibly attached to the Scripture verse. The Chameleon technology captures the movements of a person signing Scripture and converts their appearance to an avatar. For years, I have worked as a signer in Deaf Bible translation. People know me as the “Jesus guy” or the guy who signs for Jesus. In fact, the Good Friday passage is one of the most viewed ASL Scripture, and I’m the Jesus guy telling the story of His crucifixion and resurrection. But my goal is for viewers to focus on what the Bible is saying, not on me. Chameleon offers that. Chameleon’s avatar technology also transcends race and culture. As a white man, if I sign the book of Mark, for example, and present it to another culture, I don’t want that culture to assume the Scripture is merely the “white man’s beliefs.” Chameleon’s avatar technology removes that notion, allowing the viewer to convert the avatar to one presenting as from their own culture and nationality — making the translator’s appearance anonymous but identifiable. Using an avatar also protects the translator from incrimination. Some Christians live in places hostile to the gospel. Filming someone in one of these countries while they are signing the Bible can be dangerous. The avatar allows sign language to be presented in countries unfriendly to the Bible while protecting the person responsible for the translation. A win for the Deaf community, Chameleon has taken Bible translation to the next level. Deaf Bible translation requires capturing the intricate details of a rich, visual language as signers are filmed providing the translation. Each gesture and facial expression must accurately and authentically convey the message of Scripture. Any mistake or adjustment currently requires another round of filming, and the process goes on until a passage is approved. But with Chameleon, changes can be made and digitally applied in multiple passages! This is similar to the ability to selectively replace a single word or phrase in Microsoft Word across an entire document. Chameleon allows similar editing and revision. Chameleon now provides the opportunity to get God’s Word into the hands of one of the most unreached people groups across the globe. The core of Chameleon, the avatar, has been in the works for more than 10 years by multiple groups and partners, so it’s not entirely new. As a steward of the technology, Wycliffe has helped it across the finish line. Moving forward, the goal is to have the system in use worldwide. The Deaf community has not always been prioritized in terms of technology until recent years. The global effort that led to the development of Chameleon now provides the opportunity to get God’s Word into the hands of one of the most unreached people groups across the globe. Philippians 2:11 reminds us that one day “every tongue [will] declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (NLT). Chameleon advances this truth allowing a previously sidelined group more immediate access to the God of the ages who changes lives. This is the heart of the Great Commission. Every people group worldwide deserves the opportunity to access and engage with the gospel; the Deaf are no exception. I am excited to share this innovative technology with the global Deaf community and witness more people come into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ because of it. *This is based on the translation standards established by the Forum of Bible Agencies International. The American Sign Language Bible was completed by Deaf Missions in collaboration with partners like American Bible Society, Seed Company, DOOR International, Deaf Bible Society, Pioneer Bible Translators and Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Chameleon is an innovative technology that has the potential to change the landscape of Deaf Bible translation! Watch this demo video for a glimpse behind the scenes of Chameleon, and join us in praying that God would utilize this technology to accelerate the pace of Deaf Bible translation around the world. Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe US

by Alfred Thompson, Wycliffe UK ‘Forgive me for getting a bit emotional; I just couldn’t believe that your colleagues would spend many years working on a Nastaliq-style Arabic digital font with the hope that Scripture might be translated into this language one day. The devotion, commitment, and sacrifices are what we won’t be able to find in our business and social enterprise. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for what your team has done for our Father and his kingdom! Thank you!’ So said a potential new funding partner in the middle of a meeting in Asia last year. The font she was talking about is called Awami Nastaliq, and it was developed by the Writing Systems Technology team of Wycliffe’s main partner, SIL International. Awami Nastaliq is an Arabic-script font specifically intended for a wide variety of languages of Southwest Asia. Awami is an Urdu word meaning ‘of the people’ and Nastaliq is the name given to the sloping style of Arabic writing which is based on a centuries-old calligraphic tradition and, because of its beauty, has sometimes been called the ‘bride of calligraphy.’ Its sloping beauty (see the image, right) means that it is a much more complex font to render on computers than the flat Naskh-style Arabic font. Peter Martin, who is based in Scotland, was the type designer for Awami Nastaliq, working alongside programmer colleagues Sharon Correll (USA) and Martin Hosken (Asia) to produce the correct shaping for the slope of the font, while avoiding any overlapping of dots and diacritics – no small task. ‘When people start typing the first letter it starts on the base line, but then when the second letter is typed, the first one gets pushed up in the air so the second character is on the base line,’ Peter explains. ‘And that dancing effect continues as the word gets longer. It is bamboozling the first time you see it, but as you work on it, your eye adapts to it and you realise the beauty of it.’ A flat Naskh-style Arabic character usually needs around four shapes to enable it to be typed, but a Nastaliq character typically has more than 20 shapes as it is so fluid and complex. ‘For me as a designer,’ Peter notes, ‘it was very, very daunting. It is by far the most complex project I have ever worked on.’ Peter explains why he does this work: ‘We see font development as primarily a critical component of Bible translation and literacy. However, it is also a service to the wider community in that it is enabling that culture to have a voice in communications – you can’t print books or newspapers, use a mobile phone, or email, or have a website in your language if you don’t have a font for it.’ The Writing Systems Technology team give away for free the fonts they develop, to fulfil this service to the wider community. ‘A number of our fonts have been added to the Google fonts library which gives them huge exposure,’ Peter notes. ‘People download an unbelievable number of our fonts – hundreds of thousands of times. So as well as Bible translation, our fonts are being used for tens of millions of webpages around the world to enable communication that otherwise couldn’t happen in that language.’

How was casting lots used in the Bible? Jonah 1:7b, 12: “They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. … ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied, ‘and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.’” Many modern-day Christians frown on casting lots as they regard it as a form of gambling. However, in the ancient world, casting lots was widely used as a way of discovering the will of the gods/God. God instructed the Israelites to cast lots for various reasons – assigning temple duties, assigning land, etc. (Joshua, Numbers, 1 Chronicles). Those who relied on casting lots believed that the result was controlled by God (Proverbs 16:33). In Jonah’s case, he and the sailors all accepted that the result reflected God’s decision, and he offered himself to be thrown into the sea. However, post-Pentecost, Christians need not cast lots to discern God’s will as we have the indwelling Holy Spirit as well as the written scriptures to guide us.

Stories from the Field, 4 April 2023 Does serving with Wycliffe only involve Bible Translation? What about those gifted with different skill sets? Mike and Eve Brooks have served in missions since 1989. Mike had been a military pilot in the US Air Force until 1984, but felt God calling him into full-time service while serving in Guam in the Pacific. He later served as a pilot with the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) for 21 years (1989-2010) in Irian Jaya (now Papua) and Kenya, piloting the small planes which provided transportation to missionaries and others who served in remote regions. This also included transporting all sorts of items such as printed Bibles, produce and even animals! During their time with MAF, Eve, a speech pathologist, volunteered her services to missionary kids and local children. This was a great blessing to the missionary families, as some would have had to return home prematurely if their children had not been able to get help in the field. In 2010, Mike and Eve joined Wycliffe, and Mike served as Director of Aviation at JAARS (an organisation that provides logistical services to Bible translation teams) until 2015, when they returned to Indonesia with Wycliffe. Now, they serve alongside Indonesian colleagues at the UBB (Language and Culture Unit) office in Kupang, West Timor, facilitating translation and literacy projects to some of the 66+ mother tongue languages in the province. Teams of trained mother tongue translators do the translation, with support from overseas trainers and consultants who travel in or work remotely. They are thankful that the teams were able to keep going through the pandemic. Eve also serves as a literacy and education specialist in a Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) project which is now in its second year. The project currently involves 6 languages, and aims to provide instruction in the mother tongue for preschool and Grade 1, introduce the national language in Grade 2, and gradually increase national language content up to Grade 6. After that, students will be able to continue their education in national schools. The curriculum follows the national Indonesian curriculum with some additional cultural material and Bible stories. The project not only produces the curriculum and teaching materials, but also trains teachers to teach the MLE curriculum. Teachers have reported that the MLE curriculum has made a great difference to the children. They say that young children who did not understand the national language simply copied what their classmates did, but teaching them in their local language means they are able to understand instructions and work independently. Mike and Eve’s enthusiasm and dedication to their work shone through in their sharing. Mike’s parting words to encourage those who are considering serving in missions: Remember that it is God’s work, not ours; and we have to be willing to take a step of faith.

by Stacy Cawley, Wycliffe US One of the best letters my children received while we were serving in Cameroon was a letter from friends at our home church. It was only one page printed, had a few pictures and a simple focus: our friends’ dog, Maude. After sharing a cute story about Maude, our friends posed a few questions: “Do you have any pets? What kinds of pets would you like to have?” My daughter tacked the letter to the wall in her room (who can resist colorful pictures of an adorable dog?) and immediately wanted to email our friends to share about our pets and the animals she encountered regularly: lizards, giant snails, snakes, birds and more. Despite being world travelers, they’re still just kids with “normal kid” likes and interests! When we returned to the U.S. for furlough, she couldn’t wait to go visit Maude and her family! Our friends understood something about missionary kids (MKs) that it can sometimes be difficult to remember. Despite being world travelers who live in different (sometimes exotic) places and speak several languages, they’re still just kids with “normal kid” likes and interests! Although it might feel easier for you to connect with your adult missionary friends, their children value you and your partnership just as much as their parents do! It’s likely that they pray for you by name and would really appreciate a deeper relationship with you. Here are a few ways you could connect with them. ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS “Tell me about” is a great phrase to use to engage with an MK of any age! You’ll get to learn about their lives from their perspectives without asking them to compare. With a few follow-up comments, you’ll be able to have a robust conversation. Try saying things like: “Tell me about your school.” “Tell me about your church.” “Tell me about your best friend.” “Tell me about your flight.” “Tell me about your Christmas/school break/vacation.” If you want to connect with a younger MK, it’s better to keep your questions simple and open ended, and then follow up with another question. You can ask things like: “What’s your favorite book? Which character do you like the most?” “What’s your favorite subject in school? Why do you like it?” “What’s your favorite food? How do you make it?” “What do you like to do to have fun? What do you like most about it?” AVOID COMPARISON Many MKs don’t think of their passport country as “home.” Instead, home is where they live, go to school and hang out with their friends. Traveling to the U.S. isn’t returning home; it’s visiting. And if they return to the U.S. to stay, they may feel like they have left or lost their home. With this in mind, if you ask MKs to compare the different places they have lived, you may inadvertently stop a conversation instead of starting it. And while some older MKs may be comfortable with deeper questions like this, others (including younger MKs) might be unsure how to answer. They may lack the experience or the vocabulary or wonder if you’ll be upset if they prefer the place they usually live to the U.S. They might not want to criticize either location and might have very strong feelings, either positive or negative, that comparison ignites. Many MKs don’t think of their passport country as “home.” MKs do often have unique perspectives that they are excited to share, and asking open-ended questions like those above will give them the opportunity to comfortably share with you. OPEN UP It’s great to learn about MKs and their lives, but if you really want to connect with them, you have to have real conversations. If they share about their school, tell them something you remember about your school (or maybe even about where your kids or grandkids go to school). If they tell you that they love the music in their church, share your favorite worship song with them. If you really want to connect with them, you have to have real conversations. The letter our friends sent to our kids about Maude opened a door for relationship because it shared something personal that they could relate to. That’s what made them excited to write back. Other emails we received for them that contained a list of questions weren’t nearly so appealing — those communications didn’t initiate relationships. MAKING A DIFFERENCE Whether you’re sending a letter or an email to MKs on the field with their parents or you’re talking with an MK after a church service, your investment of time and care makes a difference! Many MKs are accustomed to their parents having long talks with other adults about their ministries and lives, but they often don’t get the chance to share in those situations. Psalm 127:3 reminds us that “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him,” and Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:5, “… anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me” (NLT). The time you invest in connecting with MKs is valuable, and you’re likely to hear some very interesting stories! Learn a little more about how MKs see things from a different perspective by reading a former MK’s story: “My Life as a Missionary Kid.” Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe US

by Alfred Thompson, Wycliffe UK ‘Mapping is used to visualise information about what languages are spoken in different parts of the world,’ explains Eva Horton, a member of the mapping team of Wycliffe’s main partner, SIL International. Eva’s colleague, Marcus Love, explains further that ‘mapping in general shows people what the actual situation is on the ground. You can have lots of information and data about a group of people who speak a particular language, but often it is when you see that information presented in a map that it all comes into focus.’ The mapping team takes the data that language surveyors collect and turns it into maps. ‘That sounds quite simple,’ Eva notes, ‘but it can actually be quite complex, especially in places like Southeast Asia where one language can be spoken in several different places, in a number of different countries, and be known by various different names. And sometimes they are unwritten languages. So working on those maps can be very complicated; it can often be like detective work to make sure the map is accurate.’ ‘It is important in the work of Bible translation to help everyone know where the language is spoken.’ The mapping team works closely with the language survey teams. ‘Sometimes we prepare maps for survey teams before they go to an area, to help them find where they are going,’ Eva explains, ‘but mostly we collect information from the survey teams.’ Mapping is done before translation starts, and gives translators a clear picture of where people live. ‘It is important in the work of Bible translation to help everyone know where the language is spoken,’ Marcus says. ‘It helps people make strategic decisions about translation projects. Our maps are often used in materials that go out to people who pray for the people groups. We are also working to create maps that show the Bible translation status (like the map of Central African Republic above) as well as many other indicators for each language area.’ These maps are invaluable in the process of planning translation work and making decisions about allocating resources. However, they are not just about translation. Maps are also valuable for our parallel literacy and Scripture engagement work. ‘The maps are used throughout all the different stages of Bible translation,’ Eva observes. ‘And then also for distribution of the translated Bible and in evangelism – knowing that there are people from the same language groups living in a few different places, sometimes in different countries, enables us to distribute the translated Bible to people speaking that language as widely as possible.’ The language maps are also used by Christian radio stations – like the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) – so that they can know which language to use when broadcasting to different areas. Often these radio broadcasts may be the only way many people will hear the Bible. ‘Maps are used throughout all the different stages of Bible translation.’ The maps our mapping team produces are generally considered to be the most authoritative language maps available and are used by both Christian and secular organisations around the world. ‘I think the high standards of the mapping work we do helps people from many different religions respect Bible translation work and helps point people to God,’ says Marcus. ‘By producing maps that are very comprehensive, I believe we earn respect for our work as people who care about minority groups, even from those who may not believe in the Bible.’ In all of these ways, mapping plays a central role in the journey of Bible translation – and in enabling the transformation that can come from people having the Bible in their own language. Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe UK

Stories from the Field, 7 March 2023 by Blessy How do you start working on a Bible translation from scratch? How can you start translating the Bible into a language that has no existing writing system? Why would you leave your comfortable life to start anew in a country with a culture you barely know? This is exactly what Greg and Rosie Blok faced when they responded to God’s call to become Bible translators. They went to seminary for three years and brought their two young children with them. When God opened a door for them to reach out to the Eastern Lawa people group in Thailand, they entered! The Eastern Lawa people group numbers around 10,000 and is found in north Thailand at an elevation of about 1,000 meters above sea level. Their livelihood is mostly farming, mainly rice which they grow for their own consumption. Their traditional beliefs are animistic. For example, they will consult a witch doctor if a family member is sick, and may be told to offer a sacrifice to ask for healing. A water buffalo can cost up to around S$1,000, which is a huge sum for the family. As a result, many families fall into debt. The people mostly speak their native language – Eastern Lawa. Although there is a school in their village, Thai is the language of instruction, not their spoken language. Because of this, the children find it hard to cope with the lessons taught in Thai, and this results in lower confidence. Most of them only attend about six years of schooling before stopping. At the time the Bloks started their work among the Eastern Lawa, the people’s language was entirely oral. There was no alphabet or writing system. So, for the first 10 years, the couple worked on studying the sounds in the language and creating a writing system based on the Thai alphabet. However, they discovered that the language contains 15 consonant and 14 vowel sounds that are not in the Thai language, so the alphabet had to be modified. Once the alphabet was completed, they started making literacy primers to teach the people how to read their own language, and translating Christian worship songs. They also went on to craft 50 oral Bible stories in the Eastern Lawa language taken from across the Bible, starting from the creation account to stories about the early church. However, as the Christian teachings counter local beliefs, the couple and believers face persecution. They also experience spiritual attacks in different forms. Those who came to hear the oral stories are often anxious as they fear the spirits will be angry with them if they stop making offerings to them. Still, the couple press on. They have translated the book of Ruth and have begun translating the Gospel of Mark. Aside from Bible translation, the couple are also serving the felt needs of the community. The local school has reached out to them for help in developing resources for teaching 3 to 5-year-old children in their own language, and the teachers have begun using the materials. Rosie also pioneered a sewing project which aims to help the local ladies generate more income. Other efforts to open up opportunities to build relationships with other Christians and people from other villages include initiatives such as a mushroom-growing workshop! Greg and Rosie have now lived in Thailand for 15 years, and can see how much more work needs to be done to complete the translation work and to help the local people. Although God has faithfully sent them people to help carry the burden, more help is needed. Much of the work requires long-term efforts, but short-term missions could potentially help the people, especially in finding ways to generate more income. If you are trying to discern God’s call to go to the mission field, may God build your faith as you respond to God. Perhaps you will be challenged to leave your comfortable life and go somewhere to start from scratch!

by Emily Lupfer There are a lot of things I don’t understand: physics, the general logistics behind air traffic control and why I turn down the radio when I’m driving so I can see better. Another skill my brain has never fully been able to grasp is the ability to learn different languages. It’s always been a challenge; just ask my high school and college French instructors! Artificial intelligence translation programs like Google Translate are used all over the world to interpret everyday conversations, website content and more. But what you end up with can often sound closer to one of my second grade attempts at writing poetry than intelligible thoughts. The work of Bible translation is complex, and it requires teams of passionate and talented individuals working through unique scenarios on a daily basis. Don’t just take my word for it, though! Here are five real-life reasons why human translators, not computer programs, are needed for clear, accurate and natural Bible translations. 1. How complex can one word be? Quick: What’s the longest English word you can think of? Maybe it’s a scientific term or the name of a specific phobia. For me, it’s probably the nonsensical phrase my favorite fictional British nanny tends to sing about. (That counts, right?) Whatever the case, the longest word you can think of probably can’t compete with this one: yanataycaćhayalpachiwshillacmanlätacchućh-cansi. That’s a single grammatical word in the Wanca Quechua language of Peru. It’s made up of 46 letters containing a root and a series of suffixes. That one word in Wanca Quechua roughly translates to a full (though not grammatically correct) sentence in English: “Furthermore, I’m not sure I’ll even be able to be helping you turn it completely black or not, sir.” And you thought your elementary school grammar class was hard! 2. Wait, this word doesn’t even exist! Something that fascinates me about different languages is that they don’t always share the same words. It feels like we have a word for every situation and item in English, but that’s not necessarily the case. For example, mencolek is an Indonesian word that describes the action of tapping someone on the opposite shoulder to get them to look in the wrong direction. Tartle in Scots refers to that moment of hesitation before introducing someone because you can’t remember their name. I know I’ve been there! There are also words in English that don’t exist in other languages. The Chuka speakers of Kenya don’t have a word for “ambassador.” This became problematic when the Chuka Bible translation team was translating the verse: “I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador” (Ephesians 6:20a, NLT). The team consulted community members about the word, and they determined the closest options were words for “spy,” “spokesman,” “messenger” and “representative.” The team decided to replace the noun “ambassador” with “messenger” and reinforce the word with the verb “represent.” The verse was translated: “I am in chains now, still representing this message as God’s messenger.” In a culture without ambassadors, the translation team found a way to preserve the meaning of the verse in a way Chuka speakers can understand. 3. This is why we edit. Editing usually includes verifying that the text is grammatically correct, the sentences are structured well and that everything makes sense. It usually doesn’t include wondering if something that makes total sense should actually be communicating something entirely different. For the Mbe translation team in Nigeria, this became an issue when they were reviewing Luke 2:7, where Jesus is described as lying in a manger. The team had used the word ókpáng — a traditional cradle used by the Mbe — for the term “manger.” The problem is that an ókpáng is something every Mbe mother wants her newborn to be placed in, so the meaning was lost. One translator said, “We feed our animals out of an old worn-out basket that is not usable anymore except to feed the animals. We call it ‘ɛ́dzábrí.’” The team tested it by reading the story of Jesus’ birth to church groups and individuals in Mbe villages. As the Mbe listened, they were visibly moved. Picturing the newborn baby lying in the animals’ feeding basket, they understood that Jesus was willing to do whatever it took to reach them. 4. Digging beyond the dictionary. When I’m learning a new skill or subject, I’ve found that discovering consistencies can expedite the learning process. Inconsistencies on the other hand aren’t so helpful. For example, if you were studying English for the first time and learned that the plural of “goose” is “geese,” what could you logically assume the plural of “moose” is? (See how fun English is?) But Hdi translators in Cameroon learned that for almost every verb, they could consistently find forms ending in -i, -a and -u. But when it came to the word for “love,” they could only find forms ending in -i and -a: dvi and dva. So why no -u? The translators learned that in Hdi, that kind of love — dvu — couldn’t exist because it meant that you’d love someone no matter what. That’s when the translators realized this is how God loves people. With one simple vowel, everything changed. For centuries, that little word, dvu, was there — unused but available, grammatically correct and quite understandable. 5. Verbs that are more detailed than I’ll ever be. As a writer, sometimes I’ll whip out a thesaurus (not really, I’ll just type into a search engine) when I’ve overused a word. In other languages, people sometimes have even more choices for different words — but with very specific meanings. If I was looking for a different word in the sentence: “I carried the baby and walked around the room,” I could probably exchange the phrase “carry” with “to hold.” But the Tzeltal language in Southern Mexico has 26 very specific verbs for “to carry.” Lat’ means “to carry in a plate or container,” cats’ means “to carry tightly gripped between two objects” and tuch means “to carry in a vertical position.” And that’s just three of the options! It’s important that these verbs are used correctly or the entire meaning of the sentence could change. That makes Bible translation a little tricky, but it adds a great layer of visual detail we can miss in English. Imagine how a Tzeltal speaker would feel about our one English word for “carry”! Bible translators constantly amaze me with their skills and perseverance. Someday, the last word of the last bit of Scripture for the last language will be translated, and everyone will be able to understand the story of God’s love. But until then, thank God for giving translators the unique gifts and passions they need to participate in this important work. Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe US.

The R200 Programme is an initiative of Wycliffe Singapore. It provides an avenue for individuals and churches in Singapore to be involved in supporting language work in a specific minority language community. Projects may include a variety of activities such as Bible translation, literacy, scripture use and community development. In many poorly-resourced minority groups, this work is only possible through financial and prayer support of Christians from other countries. Supporters are sent a quarterly update of the project they support to report on progress and guide their prayers. What does a language project entail? What are their goals and challenges? How can you support them by praying or giving? Storytelling in an ethnic style. Wycliffe Singapore’s R200 Programme began in 2008 with the aim of raising prayer and financial support for language projects from individuals and churches in Singapore. Since then, it has helped raise support (varied amounts and durations) for over 80 language communities, mainly in Asia. It has also enabled supporters in Singapore to get a deeper insight into the work of specific field projects. Recently, we asked a few supporters to reflect on their experiences of being involved with the R200 Programme. The respondents comprise several individuals/couples and a church, Covenant Presbyterian Church (CPC). These supporters had all become involved through different routes – a member of Wycliffe US attended CPC in Singapore and brought a team from the church to visit a project; one couple attended the launch of the R200 Programme at the invitation of friends; another couple heard a sermon preached by a Wycliffe Sg member; while one supporter read about it on the Wycliffe Sg website. All were convicted of the need to help unreached people groups to access scripture in their heart language, especially as such people groups are often also among the most disadvantaged in their countries. One of them said, “Supporting a project among such peoples means putting into action the command to reach the uttermost parts of the world with the Gospel.” From another supporter: “The best, most effective, helpful and long-lasting gift is for them to receive the Word of God in their heart language.” “We can appreciate more clearly the difficulty in translating and testing the materials” Every quarter, an update about the project(s) supported is sent to supporters. This is a crucial part of helping them stay in touch with the project(s) they support. These updates provide a snapshot of key information about the projects (e.g. background, goals, progress, financial needs), stories and testimonies, and prayer requests. All the supporters were appreciative of the quarterly updates. The updates allow supporters to journey alongside the project teams by following their progress, rejoicing in their successes, hearing about challenges and setbacks, and lifting them up in prayer. “God is transforming us” Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Supporters of projects have experienced these blessings too! One of them said that she was “humbled by the perseverance of the members on the team who continue to introduce Jesus to the people in different ways, despite personal difficulties and the current Covid situation.” Several supporters have developed a longer-term relationship and involvement with Wycliffe’s ministries, including visiting a field project. CPC used their support of R200 projects as a means to directly involve church members in missions – children as well as adults were encouraged to pledge support to the projects or give one-time gifts, pray and participate in mission trips. This raised awareness in church members of the importance of heart language ministries in missions. “Our view of Bible translation has been enlarged” In pre-Covid times, some supporters had the opportunity to participate in a mission trip to a project or meet a project manager when they passed through Singapore. In this way, some supporters have been able to observe part of a workshop or recording session, or bless the communities with English lessons, children’s activities or parenting workshops. Although this might not necessarily have been with the project they supported, seeing the work and people in person helped supporters better understand the work and the challenges faced by language projects. Why support a project? The supporters were unanimous in agreeing that they would encourage others to support a project! Reasons given: To play a part in God’s work in spreading the gospel to unreached people groups; To bring transformation through God’s word to minority groups which are typically impoverished and poorly educated; To align our hearts and minds with God’s purpose and love for all people groups by praying and giving; To stretch our faith and be transformed ourselves in the course of giving and going; To enlarge our view of Bible translation and what it means to reach people in their heart language. To find out more about language projects, see https://www.wycliffe.sg/heart-language. If you would like to find out more about the R200 Programme, please contact us at hello@wycliffe.sg.

Why did Obadiah prophesy against Edom/Esau? Obadiah 1:8: “ In that day,” declares the Lord, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, those of understanding in the mountains of Esau? ” ‘Edom’ comes from the Semetic word meaning ‘red’, which could refer to the rocks of the region where they lived beside the Dead Sea, or the colour of Esau at birth (Genesis 25:25). The Edomites were descended from Esau, the twin brother of Jacob (Israel). Although the people were related and should have been at peace, there was considerable enmity between the Israelites and the Edomites. For example, the Edomites would not allow the Israelites to pass through their land as they fled Egypt to the Promised Land (Numbers 20:14-20), and biblical texts also indicate that Edom played a part in the Babylonian destruction of Judah and Jerusalem (Obadiah 1:10-14). These actions probably explain why Obadiah and other prophets spoke such harsh words against Edom.