Scripture engagement Archives - Wycliffe Australia

Creating change from the inside out

By Deb Fox | Wycliffe Today Spring 2024 Edition |

Nelson Tapineng with his wife, Georgina.

Nelson Tapineng is the new Executive Director of the Bible Translation Association (BTA) of Papua New Guinea – one of Wycliffe Australia’s close partners. A key focus for Nelson as the leader of BTA is ensuring that his team creates change from the inside out. He wants everyone involved in the work of Bible translation to not only be helping others be changed by God’s Word but also be in the process of being transformed themselves. Nelson says:

The vision of BTA is transforming Papua New Guineans through the translated Word of God. I’m challenging myself that, before another Papua New Guinean is transformed, I have to be transformed myself first. The Word of God is not really preaching from a nicely prepared sermon to make people understand. No, it is also the way we live our lives. That transformed life has to flow from within us. How can you transform others if you’re not transformed yourself? I am being changed in the process of supporting Bible translation and so is my family.

Nelson meets with administration and translation staff on the ground on a regular basis to encourage them and to help identify any areas where they need help. He mentions:

The relationship is so important! People need to know they are appreciated and that we care about their needs. We are committed to capacity building, not only with infrastructure and systems but also building up our people. We have done recruitment and training to identify where people fit in and how their gifts can best be used.

BTA has 69 language projects on its books but Nelson says that of these, only 18 are active. More help and resources are needed before the other 51 can be reopened. Of the more than 800 languages spoken in PNG, there are also many more languages needing a translation project to begin. Nelson is planning to create greater awareness among churches and individuals about the crucial role Bible translation plays in not only spiritual transformation but also preserving language and transforming culture. Nelson says:

We’ve got to protect our languages! We thank God for Bible translation and the way it helps with language preservation. The work that BTA and its partners are doing is vitally important for that. I grew up in the church but my knowledge of the importance of Bible translation was very low before I joined BTA. That’s why we are focusing on awareness. We recently held an event with politicians and leaders to make them aware of the needs for translation. Papua New Guineans must understand the importance of Bible translation. We believe that as we do our part, God will provide what we need.

Nelson says that BTA is grateful for the support of churches and individuals who want to help transform individuals and whole communities with the good news found in God’s Word:

I must thank our international friends and families who have been supporting BTA, including our friends in Australia. It’s evidence of the relationship and love you have for us.

PRAY:

for the 5 million PNG kina (around $1.9 million AUD) needed to support the needs of BTA
that the Lord will help BTA to position itself in a way that honours God
for more young people to join the organisation and for opportunities to help them receive training.

The ripple effect of Scripture engagement

By Helen Sahl | Wycliffe Today Spring 2024 Edition |

So much of what we think and say and how we interact with one another has been influenced by the Bible. Phrases such as ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ and ‘salt of the earth’ have become part of our everyday vernacular. Many people in Australia no longer realise the impact Bible translation into English has had on our society. Yet what we see in modern Bible translation projects is a powerful ripple effect that creates lasting change among communities.

Kim and Annie Colich are a couple I met while I was a teacher in Papua New Guinea. The Colichs were working on the New Testament for about 20 years in the Tami language. They did not feel like they were close to completing the translation but Annie thought ‘We’ve done a lot of translation work. It’s not ready to be published yet but I’m going to take what we’ve got and start a women’s Bible study’. She sent word around the village and the women began meeting together.

Annie gave them pieces of paper with the translated verses written on them in Tami. The women would listen intently during the teaching times. Hearing the Bible verses read aloud in their own language was so exciting! Many said ‘Oh, this speaks to my heart!’ They would gather around the fire in the evenings with family and friends and share what they were learning, applying the truths of God’s Word to their lives.

Aikiba is one of the women who attended the studies. Her husband, Angham, was angry and abusive. After years of living in fear of him, when Aikiba heard God’s Word being read in her language, her heart filled with joy. She began taking the verses she received from the Bible study home with her. Aikiba started showing her husband the written verses but he would grab them away from her and throw them on the ground. Yet one day, he took the paper and read Scripture in his mother tongue for the first time. His heart was ready to encounter the Living God, and he asked her, ‘Do you think I could attend this Bible study?’

The next week, Angham sat quietly at the back of the group of women and listened to the Scripture verses being read. The words began impacting him and he realised that he needed to turn his life around. Aikiba saw her husband become a new creature in Christ right before her eyes! The whole community recognised that Angham was a changed man. Angham later shared with Annie:

I felt like I was the man in the Bible with the evil spirit who lived in the graveyard, and when I met Jesus, my chains fell off and I was free!

Angham wanted others to know that Jesus was the reason for this change. Later, he even became the coordinator for the Tami Bible translation project. Many people in the village are coming to a new understanding of the power of God’s Word and its ability to change their lives.

Annie’s countenance was glowing when she told me how one life transformed by God’s Word can create greater change in the world, and for eternity. Annie shares:

If this was the only ‘glimpse’ of what the Lord did in my 33 years among the Tami, it would be worth it all. But it hasn’t been the only one! We have seen so much evidence of God at work, particularly as a result of the Scripture Engagement courses we have held in the Tami villages. His Word really does change lives!

Christ transforming culture: A safari adventure in Kenya

By Deb Fox | Wycliffe Today Autumn 2024 Edition

In September 2023, Wycliffe Australia sent a team of nine people from Australia to Kenya to facilitate seven training events. The first three events were in far northern Kenya and mostly delivered in the Borana language. One major event was a Contextualisation Workshop, where Borana pastors and lay people studied their culture and worldviews in light of Scripture. Those involved in the workshop learned a new Bible story each day then went to local schools, where the stories were eagerly accepted by the children. At the same time, a different group of Boranas were learning The Matthew Drama script to help bring the words in the Bible to life. Over 900 Borana speakers (most not from a Christian background) attended the performances.

Team leader, Keith Benn, explains that the purpose of the trip was to provide training and support for African pastors and those involved in Bible translation, while also encouraging Aussies to consider how they can support the global church in Scripture engagement and Bible storytelling. As Keith says, ‘An important goal for every church is making God’s Word relevant for their people’.

Philemon was one of the Kenyan pastors who expressed gratitude for attending the workshops:

In our contextualisation class today, I learnt about the different rituals and the different festivals we do. I realised that, as Scripture depicts, Christ transforms culture – all culture. There is no culture that does not need transformation. Scripture says that God can transform them in a better way to ensure that God is the anchor of everything.

One of the Australian team members, Robert Love, was encouraged by the insights the Kenyan leaders shared during the workshops:

We’ve had a particularly fruitful and interesting time looking at traditional Mbeere beliefs and what the Bible says about them. In particular, we’ve been looking at how the Mbeere people believe that they go to sacrifice and make prayers to Gai (God) at special trees in order to get things that they want. Then we turn to the Bible, looking at some verses that help to throw some light on that particular belief. One passage in particular that has been helpful is Acts 17:24–25, ‘The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

Images: Evan Mercer

Trained to share the good news

Wycliffe Today Winter 2023

The Bible is filled with stories that point to God’s love for us. How can we share these stories with others? Wycliffe Australia has been running Story the Bible workshops for many years to engage the church and equip people with skills to share Bible stories in simple, accurate and engaging ways.

Josh Bartlett is a Wycliffe Australia member and Board member who has been involved in leading several of these workshops. He says, ‘It is so encouraging to hear of participants applying what they’ve learnt’. Josh recalls a workshop held in Maleny, Queensland, at the end of 2022 that left a particular impression on one of the participants. After attending the training, a young man by the name of Liam immediately began using the skills he had acquired in his walk-up evangelism. Liam reflected:

I had a bit of a funny encounter doing walk-up evangelism –the guy we were chatting to asked me, out of the blue, if I had any Bible stories to tell him. So I told him the crucifixion story. We spent some time chatting about the different ways people respond to Jesus. He asked if good people go to heaven, so we looked at the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Towards the end of the conversation, he was able to identify himself as a sinner who’s ignoring God and needing forgiveness. He was amazed at the switch between Barabbas and Jesus, and likewise that the tax collector was the one who was justified by God, not the Pharisee.

For more information about a Story the Bible workshop in your area, go to https://wycliffe.org.au/eventtype/story-the-bible-workshop/.

‘Sitting at Jesus’ feet’: leaning into God’s grace

By Deb Fox | Wycliffe Today Winter 2022 edition |

Tim and Jane Letcher have been serving in Epenarra, Central Australia, with their three young children. After marrying, they both attended Sydney Missionary and Bible College and started praying about how they could serve the Lord.

Tim developed a passion for Aboriginal ministry. He shares how his experience with Scripture engagement among Indigenous Australian communities continues to motivate him in the work God has laid on his heart:

I spent some time teaching at Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley (northern Western Australia). I saw many people having trouble engaging with Scripture – it was in English but not available in the languages that they understood best. So that’s been a huge motivator – helping people understand God’s Word as clearly as possible.

Tim has been working with some local speakers to record the first few chapters of 1 Samuel into Alyawarr. This Old Testament book, in particular, speaks to animistic cultures about learning to trust in God rather than other people, powers or spirits. It also demonstrates God’s desire for personal relationship and a change of heart, rather than something transactional. As Samuel says to King Saul, ‘What pleases the Lord more? Burnt offerings and sacrifices, or obeying the Lord?’ – 1 Samuel 15:22a (NIRV). Tim explains:

Many people here are quite nominal in their faith. They want to follow God as their ‘boss man’ but there is so much social pressure that pulls them away from church. They have trouble understanding grace. They think that they have to be these ‘perfect’ people in order to come back to God and learn more about him. We want to encourage them that God wants them to come to him just as they are.

Jane adds that they have been encouraged by the power of the gospel changing lives from the inside out:

Our neighbour became a Christian last year and it has totally transformed her life! She witnesses her faith wherever she goes. She told us that she was in a really bad spot when God reached her. She uses this to encourage people that the gospel actually does make a difference in people’s lives and it touches people at different times.

Jane shares how this experience, in addition to her own Bible reading, has reminded her to lean into God’s grace:

We are learning to implement safe boundaries with others and give the hard things over to God. Recently, a few really heavy things landed on me and I was feeling unsettled. I was buzzing around the kitchen to make things for those who were suffering and I was reading the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was concerned with urgent needs around her, yet Jesus said that only one thing was needed – to enjoy his presence. I realised that I also really just needed to sit at Jesus’ feet. When there is so much going on, it can feel like you’re wading through darkness. BUT our job is to sit at Jesus’ feet and encourage others to sit at his feet with us.

Please pray for:

Indigenous Australian Christians to persevere in their faith
more men to be changed by the gospel
God to continue moving in the hearts and minds of people in Epenarra
the Letchers as they settle back into life in Perth for a period of rest.

The legacy of a 60-year friendship and Scripture engagement

Dr Joseph Havel is a retired forestry officer now living in Western Australia. He has been a faithful supporter of Bible translation through the years, giving in various ways to Vision 2025 projects, Next Step Development projects and Wycliffe members, including friends, Richard and Aretta Loving (d). Dr Havel shares the story behind the deep friendships he formed in Papua New Guinea that gave him a heart for Bible translation:

By Dr Joseph Havel, Western Australia

My contact with Richard and Aretta Loving started rather informally but it lasted for 60 years. Back in 1957, I was working as a forestry officer for the Australian administration of what was then the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. I was working at Bulolo, a gold mining and timber town.

The project employed several hundred local workers, mainly hired in the highlands for a period of 18 months at a time. Some of the people we employed were from the Awa language group. On Sundays, I used to drive up to their camp in the rainforest above us, to run an adult Sunday school class. This was only possible because of an Awa translator and foreman, Yeda.

I used a New Testament in Neo-Melanesian (now called Tok Pisin)—a trade language used for contact between locals, administrators, traders and missionaries. I would read the lesson and make comments on it in Tok Pisin and Yeda would translate it into Awa.

A few months into our lessons, I had a visit from a rather tall American, not unlike Abraham Lincoln in looks, who introduced himself as Dick Loving. He explained that he was involved in translating the New Testament into the Awa language and he wanted to know who was running the Awa Sunday school class. When he found out that I was theologically sound, Dick gave me a partial copy of the Awa NT translation, and showed me how to read it phonetically.

After the translation for the Awa New Testament was completed, the Lovings moved around PNG before eventually heading to East Africa. By 1997, they were back in Papua New Guinea at the Ukarumpa centre, working on a revision of the New Testament translation. We continued correspondence and I supported them through Wycliffe.

I kept my contact with the Lovings afterwards until replies stopped in 2018. It was only recently that I learned that they passed away to be with the Lord ahead of me. I am grateful for the contact I had with them. Our friendship opened doors for me to experience firsthand the power of people receiving God’s Word in their own language. My connection to Wycliffe over the years has influenced my understanding and appreciation for mission and how we can all play a part in God’s work.

If you are thinking of leaving a legacy to Wycliffe, go to https://wycliffe.org.au/support/make-a-bequest/ for details. If you would prefer to talk directly with someone about this, please contact ceo@wycliffe.org.au.