Least Asked Questions

(questions about Bible Translation that you were afraid to ask)

If our goal were simply to produce a book (i.e., the Bible) and drop it in the hands of villagers, then, theoretically, after learning the vernacular, we could work on the translation from America. But the goal is much bigger than that! If we limited our work to translation, who would be able to read the Scriptures once they were translated? Bible translation in a traditional culture involves:

• teaching literacy in the vernacular
• teaching the background of the New Testament times
• evangelism and strengthening of the church

That's a great point.  And if you're called to be a missionary in the US, we hope you'll respond to that call.  We've seen many talented Christians heed God's call to be Christian workers in the US.  But, that doesn't happen to be our calling.  God gave us a heart for Bible Translation.

The goal is to translate the entire New Testament, plus other literacy materials, Bible story books, Old Testament selections and Psalms, and educational materials.

That's a great idea, and some of the locals would love to speak and read English, especially for economic reasons. And if you have a passion for that, we invite you to get involved in that work! But our passion is for people to know God's truths in the language they speak best, so they can know Him best! 

When I was in youth group fellowship, our church had car washes as fundraisers.  We actually let the 16 year olds drive the cars from the rinse station to the soap station, to the vacuum station, to the dry station. It was moderately fun to drive around other people's cars. But if a corvette or jaguar drove up, the teenagers really competed for the chance to drive that car around from station to station. Those fancy cars were desirable.  Large influential people groups in industrial countries are desirable. We like the convenience and comfort found in those cultures. Poor, hidden, tiny people groups in forgotten countries are not as convenient or glamorous, but God desires them! He desires their worship, and that the "Ford Pintos" of cultures, the small people groups with little influence in the world, would know Him as their Heavenly Father, and would love him and be satisfied in Him. That's why we work with a small people group (2500 people) whose language may disappear in the next 100 years.