The Veil Removed

I am writing this blog a few weeks removed from my first experience in the field with Wycliffe Associates in September. It was an incredibly fun, inspiring, heart-warming, exhausting, and encouraging trip overseas to help facilitate a revision workshop in a sensitive region of the world. For the sake of protecting our translators and the ongoing project in this country I will not mention the specific country or names of translators online.

I had never been to this country before and only had preconceived ideas in my head from news and other places. I arrived ready to be surprised, and I sure was. I met 12 nationals who were overwhelmingly welcoming and excited that we were there. They were incredibly dedicated Christ-followers who were ridiculously intelligent, capable, and passionate friends; twelve highly credentialed individuals.

We set out to revise Wycliffe Associates’ open-license Bible translation of the Gateway Language for that region. This will be the source-text used to translate into hundreds of heart-languages found in this country without Bibles, or without complete Bibles. We spent the week talking about how when we translate the Bible, we are picking up and continuing the legacy of Christ by bringing his Word to people who are dying for it. We instructed on values and translation methodology; then we spent the last 2 days getting a jump start on the work of revising the translation. Then we wrapped up the week by commissioning these translation partners to continue the work. We finished the week with great excitement and momentum for the work ahead in this project. Now, the hard work really begins. Please join me in praying for these men as they follow-through on their commitment to continue this work.

For those who have already asked me about my time there, my response has been the same: I feel like I saw two sides of the country. The first experience was the 12 national translators who we worked with in this workshop. I already described their disposition, these men were full of the Spirit! My experience with them was so good; they were kind and welcoming to us and they were loving and fun. You could see the impact of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

The contrasting side was obvious to see when we ventured outside of the compound that we were working and staying in. Whether we were looking out the windows along the street as we drove by, or walking through a market, what we saw was hopelessness. Men, women and children seemed to stand around without purpose. The ones I got to know were beautiful people, but very obviously living under a cloud of darkness. I don’t think that this reality is any different here at home or anywhere else in the world, to be honest. There are those who are alive, living in the light, filled with the spirit, and then there are people who are dead in the dark. In places like the country where I visited it is just more obvious because the veil of distraction or wealth or something else does not exist.

Let us pray together for those who are lost in the darkness, separated from God, living in hopelessness. Not just this country, but all over the world, even here at home. May they see the light and come to Christ. May all those who the Father is calling to Himself come to His feet and see that they have an advocate in Christ. God’s Word plays a central role in bringing the lost to faith in Christ. Pray for the legacy of these men in translating the Bible would leave an enduring legacy in that region.