Tennis to translation
By Belinda Fox | Wycliffe Today Winter 2023 |
‘God doesn’t want your money. He wants you!’
It was as though God was speaking directly to me when the preacher spoke those words at my church’s missions conference in 2007. I thought that, by giving financially, I had done what he was asking me to do. But that night in my heart I told God, ‘I don’t know when, where, how or why, but if you want me to serve you, I will’.
One year later, I was chatting with my mixed doubles tennis opponent in between matches. The topic of linguistics (my university major) came up and I learned that he used to be a Wycliffe Australia member involved with Bible translation in Africa. I hadn’t heard of Wycliffe before but I knew that God was behind this encounter. Less than a week later, I had an appointment to meet with Jenny Austin, Wycliffe Australia’s Assignments Coordinator!
My journey since then has not followed the typical route. I got to the field quickly and bypassed language school because I had already studied Indonesian at primary school, high school and university. I was assigned to a project in Papua (eastern Indonesia) largely because I had basic bookkeeping skills from my time as Treasurer of my tennis club! Through that role, God exposed me to a wide variety of ministry and cultural experiences, and to a people and place that won my heart.
I never expected or wanted to be a leader. It was hard enough to believe that God would use me as a cross-cultural worker; let alone a leader! But I knew he was asking me to take on the leadership of the Papuan Malay team in 2017 and that he would equip and teach me as I went. It wasn’t easy and many times I felt I had failed miserably. But when I was forced to take a step back, God stepped in and brought that team to where they are today: thriving, passionate and driven by a sense of genuine ownership of the work God has entrusted them with.
As God was strengthening and growing the Papuan Malay team, he was also working on renewing me through a season of recovery from burnout. With a slight twist on the words he used to call me to ministry all those years ago, he spoke to me again: ‘I don’t need your service. I want you’. I spent a year just enjoying his presence and learning that anything I do for him can only bear fruit if it comes from my being with him (John 15:5).
I could never have written a story like the one he is writing for me!
Is this for me?
How do you know if Wycliffe, or any other mission or ministry, is the right one for you? Graham Scott shares some of the insights he has gained after spending time serving on the field and training with SIL Australia.
By Graham Scott
After eight years of trying to find a good fit, God led us into Wycliffe. We later faced a change of direction from West Africa to South-East Asia and had to wrestle with discerning what context would suit us. More recently, health issues have challenged us to again ask God what his good fit is for us. But through it
all, we remain confident that God will guide and lead us. We have not
always felt 100% certain about our decisions but we have definitely felt the Lord prompting and leading us at each stage of our journey.
In Scripture, God guides his people through:
His Word with the Spirit’s help
The principles in God’s Word light our paths (Psalm 119:105).
The gathered church
There is a consistent pattern of faithful believers appointing others for ministry and mission (Acts 13:1-2; 14:23; 2 Cor 8:19; Tit 1:5).
Events and circumstances
A shipwreck may seem like an accident for the apostle Paul, but God used it
to lead him into ministry in Malta (Acts 27:27-44). In the wilderness, Philip
met the Ethiopian man who had been forced to leave Jerusalem due to
persecution (Acts 8:26-40). Through the poverty and needs of the early
church, the apostles were led by God to appoint the first deacons to serve
the family of believers (Acts 6:1-6).
Wisdom
God’s people need wisdom to live godly lives in a challenging world. Old Testament books like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and the faithful lives of Esther and Daniel, demonstrate how God gives practical wisdom for daily life to people who desire to know Him.
A whole variety of other ways
We see this through Scripture – God even used a speaking donkey (Num 2:28-30) He is a great God who is interested in each person and patiently prompts and nudges us as we need.
So how can you discern if Wycliffe would be a good fit for you?
Begin by asking yourself these questions:
1. What gifts, abilities and skills has God given me that I can contribute?
2. Do I long to see disciples of Jesus from minority language groups of the world grow through the Scriptures in their heart language?
3. Do I desire to serve the Wycliffe community and local communities around the world by walking alongside, training, supporting, and encouraging in practical ways?
4. Are there believers in my life who are supportive of cross-cultural mission and willing to pray for and advise me? (If not, ask God to bring someone alongside you to share the journey.)
5. Is Wycliffe a community I want to be part of? Joining the work of Wycliffe
means joining the Wycliffe family. You could visit a project to see what the work looks like in action, or visit the Wycliffe Australia headquarters at Kangaroo Ground and meet some of the Aussie Wycliffe family.
Thanks for your patience...