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World Water Day focuses on the importance of clean and safe fresh water for life. It has been held on 22 March every year since 1993. Many of the unreached people groups served by Wycliffe and other partner organisations are living in areas with limited access to safe and clean water. Although our core ministries may be language-related, living and serving a people group also involves concern for their physical and other needs. See how community development works hand in hand with language work to bring God’s word and transformation to people groups. Watch: The Road to Transformation Read: Community Development: Meeting Felt Needs

by Sharon Tan Thoughts on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2022 According to UNESCO’s 2018 data (the latest readily available), the global literacy rate of all people 15 years and above is 86.3% (all males – 90.0%, all females – 82.7%). However, the disparity between the developed and less developed world is stark – with there being nearly 100% literacy in developed nations but well under 50% in some less-developed nations. And of the illiterate, about two-thirds are women. What is literacy? UNESCO defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Why does female illiteracy matter? Of course, we know that literacy improves a society’s overall development by enabling people to get better jobs and increase their incomes. But there are other reasons why literacy in women, specifically, can have many positive impacts for themselves, their families and their societies. Here are a few: improved self-esteem, better creative and critical thinking skills better nutrition, fewer health problems and lower infant mortality positive impacts on economic development at local and community levels higher school attendance in their children, especially girls International organisations such as UNESCO, the World Bank and many charities make it a priority to promote literacy in adults and children. Wycliffe and partner organisations also make literacy a key thrust, not only to enable all people to read the Word of God for themselves, but also for all the other benefits that literacy brings to individuals and their communities. While audio and video formats may deliver the text more quickly and easily, enabling people to read and study the Word for themselves brings even more benefits. Several of the projects supported by Wycliffe Singapore have literacy components that aim to help ethnic minorities to read and write their own languages, which also helps them transfer those skills to reading and writing in their national/school language. If you would like to find out more about these projects and what they do, please contact us! To read more about literacy: 1. Literacy has empowering effect on women, UN officials say , UN, 8 September 2010. https://news.un.org/en/story/2010/09/350122-literacy-has-empowering-effect-women-un-officials-say 2. Girls’ and women’s literacy with a lifelong learning perspective: issues, trends and implications for the Sustainable Development Goals , by Louise Wetheridge, UNESCO, May 2016. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000244959 Link to previous articles on our website: I Can Write My Name! Holistic Ministry – Literacy, Healthcare and Ducks!

by Sharon Tan Why is there a need for more versions of the Bible in English, when there are already so many? This is certainly a valid question. The simplest answer would be that it really depends on whether a particular group is able to hear God speaking clearly through an existing translation. If there isn’t one, then perhaps there is a need for one more version. Clear, accurate, natural, appropriate Every translation seeks to be clear and accurate. In addition, it should be natural and appropriate. The last two goals, in particular, are what makes every translation different. There are many different ‘Englishes’ in the world, some used only by a group defined by a specific culture or locality or time. What is ‘natural’ for one group of English speakers may differ greatly from another (e.g. modern British English vs Singlish, or modern US English vs King James’ English). What is ‘appropriate’ for a seminary student who needs a text that is close to a word-for-word translation from the original languages will not be very helpful to the average person doing his daily Bible reading. Finding the right balance between these factors is a challenge. The ordinary person today usually finds some of the English translations too old-fashioned or scholarly to understand easily, and others may find the style or vocabulary not what they are accustomed to. What every group needs is a version that uses the words and phrases that they might use in their day-to-day lives. After all, the original Koine Greek of the New Testament was the vernacular, or common language, of the day – the language of the working man. Bible storying, the oral retelling of Bible stories, has a very similar idea – to tell scriptural truths in ordinary language. Wycliffe has an ongoing project translating Bible stories into Teochew for those who are more comfortable using that dialect than Mandarin or English. If you are keen to explore such an endeavour, do contact us! Here are some English translations tailored for specific groups: The Message (Eugene Peterson) The goal of The Message is to give people a ‘reading Bible’ rather than a ‘study Bible’. Eugene Peterson, the translator of The Message , wrote, “I knew that the early readers of the New Testament were captured and engaged by these writings and I wanted my congregation to be impacted in the same way. I hoped to bring the New Testament to life for two different types of people: those who hadn't read the Bible because it seemed too distant and irrelevant and those who had read the Bible so much that it had become 'old hat.’” His main aim was to capture the tone and meaning, using the contemporary idioms and slang of modern-day American English as spoken by his parishioners. Read or listen to The Message . Plain English Version (Australian Society for Indigenous Languages) This English translation of the Bible is for speakers of Australian Indigenous languages who do not use Standard English. It seeks to convey the same meaning as the biblical authors conveyed to the original readers, using language features that are common to most Australian Aboriginal languages. About 70% of the New Testament, with Old Testament portions, will be published in 2022. Retired Wycliffe Australia member, Dave Glasgow, said, “People may speak English as a learned language but they still think in terms of their mother tongue. There may be some features they share in common with the learned language, but those that differ can cause significant misunderstandings. We are modifying the English contained in the Scriptures to conform to their Indigenous thought, culture, grammar and semantic patterns.” Read or listen to portions of the Plain English Version. First Nations Version (Terry Wildman) Terry Wildman, himself a Native American and a pastor, felt the need for a translation of the Bible “in English worded for Native people”. He began by experimenting with rewording Scripture passages to give them a “Native traditional sound” – the traditional style in which Native elders spoke. He found that listeners, including young people, “just loved listening to it because it didn’t have the church language. It didn’t have the colonial language.” Young people said it sounded like one of their elders telling them a story. Elders have said it resonates with how they heard traditional stories from their parents and grandparents. Megan Murdock Krischke, national director of Native InterVarsity, said, “Even though it’s still English, it feels like it’s made by us for us… It’s one less barrier between Native people and being able to follow Jesus.” Watch an animated film of the story of Matthew 14:13-33 (Feeding the Five Thousand) as told from the First Nations Version for North American Native People. More on oral storying: Would You Like to Hear a Story? Crafting Stories -- Reflect, Internalise, Tell Behind the Scenes: Storying Part II

by Kate Lim, Methodist Message Animated banter in Mandarin and Teochew, punctuated with laughter while someone searches for the most appropriate dialect word as a Bible story is re-told from memory—this is a common scene when two full-time workers at Wycliffe Singapore, Beatrice Wong and Grace Lim (not their real names*), collaborate with a team of volunteer translators from Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church (PLCMC) to re-tell Bible stories in Teochew. A demand for Bible stories in Chinese dialects Are you able to tell Bible stories about Jesus’ ministry in a Chinese dialect, such as Teochew? Not many people will be able to answer in the affirmative. And yet, there are still dialect-speakers in Singapore who have yet to hear the gospel, due to illiteracy, language barriers, or a lack of resources in their dialect. Wycliffe Singapore, an organisation known for its Bible translation work and Bible literacy programmes, embarked on a Teochew translation project, starting with classic Bible stories. “We want to improve each person’s access to God’s word in his or her ‘heart language’,” Beatrice said, referring to the native tongues of the dialect-speaking communities. Wycliffe Singapore ran a series of training workshops with speakers from various dialect groups (Hokkien, Hainanese, Teochew) in late 2020 and early 2021 because it saw the need to develop oral Bible stories to reach out to the dialect speakers. A project involving the telling and recording of Bible stories in Teochew, a commonly-spoken Chinese dialect in Singapore, came about when a group of Teochew-speaking participants was interested and committed to do more oral Bible stories in Teochew after the workshops. Currently, a group comprising 4 Teochew-speaking translators form the core team for the project. These volunteer translators, led by Mr Tay LM, are senior citizens with ages ranging from the 60s to the 80s, and attend PLCMC’s Teochew service. The team is also supported by some overseas translation consultants and facilitators. The story-crafting process The translation of the Bible stories into Teochew is more than a literal exercise. It involves a painstaking process of choosing the story, story crafting, and several rounds of testing and revision. Bible stories about Jesus healing the sick, exorcism and wealth are chosen because of the “cultural bridges” that help to connect with the Teochew audience, according to Beatrice. Story crafting—the process which involves multiple group discussions around the key themes, words and concepts for each Bible story—forms the bulk of the work. The team members also have to grapple with different worldviews between themselves and the target audience, and select the most appropriate phrasing to use in the translation. “We put in considerable effort to prepare for each discussion. We try to read many different versions of the Chinese Bible and anticipate as many potential discussion points as possible with the translators,” Beatrice said. The team of translators are guided through the processes of reflection and internalisation of the selected Bible passage. They are asked to listen to, re-tell, reflect on and discuss the chosen Bible passage. “The process of reflection and internalisation includes exegesis, understanding the key Biblical concepts and jargon, the key themes and the historical-cultural background of the passage,” Grace, an intern at Wycliffe Singapore, explained. The translators and facilitators also create storyboards which help the translators visualise the events and remember the details of each Bible story. Being personally engaged with the story helps the translators to retell the story from memory, expressing it naturally and fluently in colloquial Teochew. Ann Goh, a translator in her 70s, said, “Through the exploration of the key points of the Bible stories and my own reflection, I developed a deeper understanding of the Biblical truths. Sometimes, I also discover something about a Bible story that I had known for years. These all help me to tell the Bible story without a script.” Another translator, David, who in his 60s and a relatively new believer, said, “The whole story crafting process is helpful for my own discipleship.” Being part of the Great Commission “I feel blessed and motivated by this mission of improving access to Scripture in a language that is not commonly used in Bible translations,” Grace said. “I am thankful that each working day is spent discussing the Word of God to devise more ways of sharing the Gospel,” Beatrice told Methodist Message . Ann said, “After all these years of reading the Bible in its printed form, I am not used to telling the stories from memory. That was something very new to me. I felt inadequate and was not keen to participate in the storying project initially. I am glad that I picked up a new skill and grew in my walk with God. It has also been fulfilling to contribute this way to the Great Commission.” More workers needed ahead There are seven more oral Bible story projects in the pipeline that are now in the process of being checked and revised, with plans to work on the Creation and the Easter stories. The team members hope that more Teochew-speaking members from various churches will join them. This will contribute to a richer discussion of the Bible stories to meet the increasingly diversified needs of the target audience. “We hope to see more people join us!” Mr Tay said. If you know someone with whom you want to share the gospel in Teochew, share the video in this link, https://www.wycliffe.sg/post/first-fruits-teochew-storying-project If you are interested in joining this project, please contact hello@wycliffe.sg. *Beatrice and Grace are protecting their identities as they prepare for future postings as missionaries. Kate Lim worships at Aldersgate Methodist Church and is a volunteer writer with Methodist Message. / Photos courtesy of Wycliffe Singapore Reproduced with permission from Methodist Message Related articles: First Fruits of the Teochew Storying Project: 3 Bible Stories!

Confused about what the differences are? Here is a brief explanation! First, the similarities: Oral… Some studies have concluded that a majority of the world’s population are oral learners. This would include those who are completely illiterate or have low levels of literacy, as well as others who simply prefer to hear rather than read. With the rise of digital media, these would include many literate people who prefer to receive information through videos, podcasts and other non-written media. One of the hallmarks of both Oral Bible Storying (OBS) and Oral Bible Translation (OBT) projects is that oral methods are used, and that the products (Bible stories, scripture) are in oral form. The story crafters and translators may read the source text, but they may also simply hear the text in audio form. However, no writing is used in the crafting or translation process. Instead, they may make use of techniques such as kinaesthetic learning, drama/skits and storyboards to craft and refine the material. This helps to ensure that the output sounds natural. The final products will be in the form of orally told stories, and audio or video recordings. One benefit of these methods is that there is no need to first devise an accepted orthography for languages that may not have a written form, or when there is no generally accepted writing system. For groups which have few literate members, there is no need to take the time to teach enough people to read and write, and so expands the pool of participants to include the non-literate. All this means that the oral stories or scripture can be translated and delivered to all in a much shorter time, and in a more culturally appropriate way, than with traditional written translation projects. Another benefit is that story crafters and translators are forced to engage with Scripture more deeply right from the beginning of the process in order to retell the stories. They begin with hearing the passage, discussing it, asking questions and internalising the story or passage. They have to think about the tone of voice used, the feelings and emotions, etc. God’s word can thus start making an impact on lives early on. There are also some places where the security environment is such that it may not be feasible to distribute printed Scripture widely, while oral products can be distributed more safely. …Bible… Both OBS and OBT share the aim of communicating God’s Word to hearers in a way that is clear, accurate and natural. Whether in crafting a Bible story or any other Bible passage, the handling of God’s Word is taken just as seriously as for any written translation. And this is where they differ: …Storying/Translation OBS projects typically focus on crafting a set of Bible stories, ranging from 20 to 50, or even 100. The project may begin with a “panorama” set from Creation to Christ, with other stories chosen based on the needs and cultural background of the people group. These stories, once crafted, are learned, practised and shared with others. This could be in Story Fellowship Groups, told from church pulpits, or in one-on-one evangelism and discipleship. In terms of methodology, every storying method requires that the stories be tested and checked before they are widely used. OBT projects aim to translate Scripture into a target language through oral means into an oral form. This could range from the gospel to the New Testament, or the whole Bible. In terms of methodology, the requirements for testing and checking are no less than in written translation projects. Whether OBS or OBT, those working in these projects firmly believe that access to God’s Word transforms lives, and their desire is to make sure that the Word of God is delivered to those who need it, more speedily, and in a form that they will accept readily. Wycliffe Singapore has been facilitating the crafting of Bible stories in Teochew. If you or someone you know is interested in participating in this ministry (in Teochew or some other dialect or language), or finding out more about oral Bible storying, contact us . Read more: First Fruits of the Teochew Storying Project: 3 Bible Stories! Stories from the Field – Oral Bible in Borneo Through a Consultant’s Eyes: A Glimpse of Oral Bible Translation Oral Bible Translation Moves to the Forefront

Have you ever wondered how Bible translation was done in the pre-computer age? Wycliffe Bible Translators was founded in 1942, but of course, Bible translation was carried out by others long before that. A member of Wycliffe Singapore, Poh San, began her Bible translation career in 1977, just about the time computers were beginning to be used by Bible translators. She shared some of her memories: One of the major concerns for missionary parents is how to provide an adequate education for their children so that they can eventually transition well into the education system in their home country. But what if the parents are serving in a location where the local schools are not suitable? Even if there are international schools there, those run on commercial lines charge very high fees. Not all families are able to homeschool, which also ties up at least one parent for significant amounts of time each day. Missionaries are often torn between their call to serve God overseas and their responsibility as parents. Many missionary families are forced to leave the field prematurely because they are unable to find suitable educational provision for their children. She was first asked to work on a computer in 1977 in Ukarumpa, the headquarters of SIL Papua New Guinea. While waiting to begin an advanced linguistics course in Sydney, she was assigned to help one of the teams input corrections to their translation. The work was done on a Datapoint computer terminal, the ancestor of the PC. It had a small screen showing only 8 lines in green and had about 8KB of memory (this is NOT a typo error!). She recalls being terribly nervous the first few days, fearful of pressing the wrong key. In those days, there were no “delete” or “backspace” keys! Mistakes made could not be deleted or corrected immediately. Before the use of computers, many translation teams recorded their data and notes on index cards and stored them in shoeboxes. By the time Poh San and her teammate, Liisa, began their project, the Ukarumpa carpentry dept was selling wooden “shoeboxes” as cardboard in the hot tropics was susceptible to damp or white ants. The first book they translated was Mark, and the drafts were all done on a typewriter. Whenever they made a mistake, corrections had to be made on several copies. And they went through 10 drafts of the translation before they could typeset that first translation! It was slow and tedious work. In the early 1980s, they purchased their first personal computer – a Radio Shack Notebook. It might not seem like much compared to modern laptops, but it meant they no longer needed to travel from their village to Ukarumpa to use the computers there. Best of all, the Notebook ran on AA batteries. However, the storage capacity was so small (8-24KB depending on model) that they could only do a chapter of translation at a time, and then the data had to be stored – on audio tapes! Poh San recalls: "So we all had to get recorder machines, that went yi-or-yi-or for an hour to record that one chapter of text. And then some teams reported that their recordings were not 100 percent. They lost some parts of the text in between. So, to be on the safe side, we would put in another tape as backup, so another hour of yi-or-yi-or .” Those Radio Shack Notebooks were sturdy – one team realised that something had gone wrong with a recording only after they had deleted the data from their Notebook. In anger, a team member flung the Notebook across the room. She immediately regretted her action, thinking that it must have been damaged. To her surprise, it still worked fine. In 1985, colleagues returned to Ukarumpa with a Sharp laptop. It was the latest model, a clamshell design with the screen on the cover, the forerunner of modern laptops. Running on MS-DOS, this was more like the laptops we know today. And although the screen was still small, data could be stored on a floppy disk – there was no more need to use a recorder that went yi-or-yi-or . Two years later, Poh San and Liisa finally bought Toshiba laptops which really speeded up their work. Corrections could be made immediately, storage was on 1.44MB 3.5” floppy disks (the machines had no hard drive), and copies could be printed out on dot matrix printers for distribution to the village checking committee and eventually for distribution to the villages. In order to run the laptops and printers, they installed more solar panels, batteries and transformers to convert 12V to 240V power. They thanked God for advances in technology which enabled them to have lights and machines to help in their work. Along with the faster processing power and bigger storage capacities of laptop computers, developments in software also increased the speed and functions available to Bible translators. A computer program, Shoebox (named after the beloved shoeboxes of the past), was developed by SIL to help field linguists integrate lexical, cultural, grammatical, and other data; build a dictionary; and analyse and interlinearise text. Translators could reduce the time spent organising their data and spend more time interacting with the people. Shoebox initially ran on MS-DOS but later also ran on Windows. It has now been superseded by other programs. More and more programs have been developed to take advantage of the growth of computer storage and retrieval capabilities. Just to name a few ( longer list ): Translator’s Workplace - a library of reference materials selected for the work of Bible Translation, including Bibles, Greek and Hebrew texts, dictionaries, commentaries, translation handbooks, articles and other reference materials. [SIL] BART (Biblical Analysis Research Tool) – used with Translator’s Workplace for translators to analyse words of the Scriptures in the original languages, and how they are used in context. [SIL] Paratext – for drafting and editing a translation of the Bible in any language, using any writing system; ability to view original language texts and other resources next to the active translation editing window; special features for checking the accuracy, quality, and consistency of the translated text; allows collaboration between team members in dispersed locations. [SIL and United Bible Societies] Computers have truly changed the way Bible translation is done. Texts only need to be typed once instead of multiple times. Computers make it possible to search for, count and sort words and phrases. The ability to open multiple windows on a screen has made comparing and checking so much easier. There are now specialised programs which help Bible translators more easily listen to, identify and write down the sounds of each language. There are programs to aid font design, literacy, app development, publishing, and much more. With all that, there is still a need for Bible translators to go to an unreached group, learn their language and culture, and put the word of God into that language. And Bible translators have the IT experts to help them use the technology available to maintain the quality and speed of their work. If you are an IT professional and would like to find out more about how your skills can contribute to Bible Translation, do contact us ! Related articles: Translation and Technology A Unified Mission

by Jennifer Stasak, Wycliffe US Deaf in Japan are meeting God through Scripture. One of the first things that happened when I met the Japanese Sign Language (JSL) translation team was that they gave me my own sign name. I didn’t realize, until later on, that this was important. They saw me as part of the team. The sign that I received had to do with my curly hair; one of the staff members showed me by holding her hands up on either side of her head, slowly making a fluffing motion from top to bottom, as if outlining the hair. Before I met the Japanese Sign Language team, I didn’t know all that much about the complex world of sign language. When I tried it, the team smiled and clapped to indicate that I had gotten it right. (Later on, one of the JSL team members would tell me that my sign name is also the sign for a popular coffee chain. I felt even more elated with my sign name after that.) To be honest, before I met the Japanese Sign Language team, I didn’t know all that much about the complex world of sign language. According to the Deaf Bible Society, there are more than 350 known sign languages in use around the world today. Yet only one of these has a full Bible in a language and format they understand and only 5% of sign languages even have Bible translation work started.* The Deaf are often considered to be the largest unreached people group for that reason. And because they’re a minority, the Deaf are often at a disadvantage when it comes to operating within a hearing culture. Some of the JSL team members have experienced hardships because of being Deaf and many expressed the same sentiments: they were taught, growing up, that they needed to speak and not sign. Even in school, JSL team members noted that they were instructed to learn written Japanese. Imagine being taught a language in school that would make everyday communication difficult. Now imagine trying to understand a Bible in that language. For the Deaf to easily understand and engage with the Bible, it must be conveyed in video format. That’s why, in 1992, leaders of Deaf ministries in Japan gathered together to discuss the need for a Japanese Sign Language Bible. And in 1993, ViBi (which stands for “Visual Bible and Video Bible”) was born; this is the group I met with who are working to translate Scripture into Japanese Sign Language. Sign language communication involves a person’s whole body: their hands, their eyes, their facial expressions, their body movements, and even the space in front of and around them. A word can take on an entirely new or unintentional meaning depending on the facial expressions — down to the movement of the eyebrows — used to accompany a sign. For the Deaf to easily understand and engage with the Bible, it must be conveyed in video format. EVERY SIGN MATTERS When I met the JSL team, they were working on translating the book of Daniel. They had already published Daniel 1‑6 and it was available on an app for the Japanese Deaf. They began outlining Daniel 7‑12 on a grey and gloomy morning, but we were all thankful that the intermittent rain outside was cooling the city down. The team of translators and exegetical consultants gathered around two folding tables with their laptops, pens, Japanese Bibles and Post-It notes in front of them. They were huddled upstairs in ViBi’s office which consisted of a small house with two rooms upstairs and one downstairs. Because of the lack of space, the administrative staff members work in a building less than a quarter of a mile down the road above a milk delivery place. Uiko Yano, the ViBi project leader, led the group as they went back and forth among themselves trying to determine how to explain and summarize the big picture of Daniel 7‑12. Daniel chapters 1‑6 are pretty concrete and contain the stories most of us have known since we were young: Daniel and the lion’s den, the statue and the fiery furnace. Nearly everyone, Christian or not, knows those stories. But Daniel 7‑12 features so many visions with complicated details, beasts and characters. Trying to determine exactly how to portray even one verse can be difficult. Because sign languages are dependent on facial expressions, hand movements and body language, no detail is wasted. Every movement matters. Every sign matters. The workgroup broke for lunch and we sat around the table together downstairs in the ViBi conference room, dragging a variety of chairs around the office’s table. Some of the translation team members brought their lunches, while some walked nearby to a grocery store to purchase salad, chicken and desserts. When the JSL team is around the lunch table, they don’t mention work until they have to. They laugh, ask about life and try to swipe each others’ desserts. After lunch, they began to draft the first few verses of Daniel 7. It took hours. I peeked into the room a few times during the afternoon and asked my translator friend, Donna, from Deaf Bible Society , what was happening. She kindly informed me that the team was debating the meaning of Daniel 7:6, which says: “Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four bird’s wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast” (NLT; emphasis mine). When I asked about why the team was debating the meaning of this particular verse, Donna elaborated: In a hearing culture, she explained, we know the Bible is open to interpretation. So when a hearing person reads a verse like Daniel 7:6, we can conjure an image in our heads of whatever we’d like. For example: What do you imagine the four wings look like? You can picture big wings, small wings, wings on the beast’s back or wings on its side. But for a Deaf person to understand a passage, they need to see it visually. And in Japanese Sign Language, there isn’t just one way to say “wings” like there is in the English written language. There are specific, different signs to say “wings on the back” or “wings on the side” or “big wings.” Context is everything. It might seem odd to us — a 15‑ or 20‑minute debate between team members over the best sign to use for “wings” in Daniel 7:6. But being clear and accurate are two things that the JSL team members value. Whether it’s Daniel 7:6 or John 3:16, every verse matters. UNBURDENED FROM STRESS When people are able to understand Scripture in a language and format that reaches their hearts, lives are transformed. But there are practical, subtle transformations that happen too. Until I watched Tadashi Nagasawa, a member of the Yamagata Deaf Christ Church , sign about his experience, I never considered that reading might be stressful for a Deaf person: “A few years ago I had a stomach ache and was hospitalized. The doctor explained to me that it was due to stress. I wasn’t sure where I got the stress. … I think I didn’t preach for a year or something. Then later I was asked … to preach. … It’d been a long time since I had preached, but I accepted it and opened my Bible to prepare. … So I opened my Bible, started reading and studying it. Then I felt the pain in my stomach. I thought to myself: ‘This is probably the same stress that the doctor mentioned to me when I was in the hospital.’ “After that, I was asked again to preach, but this time I said no because of the pain in my stomach. But Pastor Matsumoto kindly offered to help me and explained the content of the Bible in JSL for my preparation for preaching. And when he did that, I did not feel any pain.” Sign languages and spoken languages have completely different syntaxes. The way that we order words in spoken languages differs from the way that words and phrases are ordered in sign languages. And spoken languages are phonetic, relying on connections between text and sound. As Uiko explained: “For Deaf people … they need something that’s visual. … As hearing people read, there’s a connection between text and sound. For us as Deaf people, we cannot hear and we’re never going to have that connection between the sound and the text. … Visually seeing the hand movement in sign language is very important for us.” THE LOVE OF GOD IN SIGN LANGUAGE The Deaf need Scripture in a format that makes sense to them: video. And they deserve to understand God’s love for them in their language. Toshie Otsubo, the administrative assistant for the ViBi team, is an older woman who acts as the team’s “grandmother”; she arranges everyone’s shoes into neat rows at the front door of the ViBi house. She cleans dishes and takes out the garbage. She takes care of the team. Toshie has spent most of her life reading the Japanese Bible. “But when I started working for ViBi, it really changed my perspective,” she signed. “What I really didn't get in [written] Japanese, I understood so easily in the JSL Bible. For example in John 3:16, it says that God so loved the world [that] he gave us eternal life. When I read this Scripture in Japanese, I thought that God gave eternal life to someone. But when I watched [it] in JSL … I truly understood that it includes everyone.” She concluded: “I was finally able to grasp the deeper context … [and] I'm so thankful for that. It is my hope and prayer that more and more Deaf people will be reached through JSL Bible with more understanding of the Word of God.” Toshie cried after she shared her story. I did too. There’s nothing more powerful than understanding God’s love in your own language. Sign Language Translation You can help bring the hope of Scripture to Deaf people around the world by praying for the Japanese Sign Language project and other translation projects like it. LEARN AND PRAY *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, Deaf Bible Society, Pioneer Bible Translators and Wycliffe USA. Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe US

What’s wrong with loving raisin cakes? “…as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” - Hosea 3:1 In this verse, God accuses the Israelites of turning to other gods and loving ‘sacred raisin cakes’ rather than loving Him. So does that mean we should avoid eating baked goods with raisins in them? In Hosea’s time, and even today, dried fruits such as raisins were dried and pressed together into blocks or cakes for easier preservation, storage and transportation. Prized for their concentrated sweetness and nutrients, dried fruits were delicious treats. The ‘sacred’ cakes of raisins were probably offered at the altars of gods, and eaten during temple feasts. Certainly, we should not participate in the worship of other gods, and should avoid anything that draws us away from God, but non-‘sacred’ raisin bread for breakfast is ok!

What are ploughshares and pruning hooks? Joel 3:10a: “ Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears.” Micah 4:3b: “ They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” In an agricultural society, tools which increase agricultural production are highly valued. Ploughshares (or plowshares) and knives made with iron were important cutting tools. So farmers would only sacrifice them to make something else if the necessity was dire – like making weapons to fight off enemy attacks. Conversely, using iron from weapons to make agricultural tools demonstrates the belief that there is no longer any fear of attacks, and an expectation of peace and safety. This was prophesied to take place “ in the last days ” in Micah 4:3 and Isaiah 4:2. Ploughshare: A sharp metal blade on a plough used to break up the earth before sowing seeds. Pruning hook: A harvesting tool, with a curved metal blade for cutting branches and other parts of plants.

What is your plumb line? Amos 7:8b: “ Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.’ ” A plumb line is a cord that has a weight attached at one end. Suspended from a point, it will define a vertical line. This is especially important when building walls to make sure they are perfectly upright. In Amos, the image of a plumb line illustrates God’s perfect standard. God had placed a plumb line among the people of Israel so that it could be clearly seen how much they deviated from His laws and commandments. Since Israel had persisted in sinning, and the people had not aligned themselves to God’s perfect standard, God declared that he would call judgement down on them.