Trenem Tingting: Training the trainers

By Ross and Lyndal Webb  |  Wycliffe Today Winter 2024 Edition

John teaching

Meet Loui and John. These faithful leaders are good friends and from the same language group in Vanuatu. They are passionate about seeing their communities grow in their knowledge of God and his Word. Both attended one of the first ‘Trenem Tingting Kos’ (TTK ‘Train Your Mind Course’) which Wycliffe Australia members Ross and Lyndal Webb, seconded to SIL Vanuatu, began offering in 2011. Through working as a gardener for SIL, Loui became vitally interested in learning and teaching the course, particularly the Bible Overview portion.

SIL Vanuatu facilitates the course which is designed to equip those involved in Bible translation and local church and community leadership with critical thinking skills that can be applied to Bible reading, analysis of cultural practices, and other daily life situations. John never forgot his initial training and more recently was eager to train as a trainer for TTKs. He has grown in his ability to understand and apply Scripture and participates with infectious enthusiasm! Now both of these students have become teachers of the course.

Loui preparing for a talk

The TTK is conducted over three two-week residential sessions. Each intake of the course is offered to up to 15 participants from around the country. However, there is more demand than opportunity with the course in that format, so Loui and John recently led a shorter three-day version of the course for church leaders on their own island (Epi). They also accepted invitations to teach Sunday School teachers a Bible Overview and run a similar seminar at a local high school. Loui led them through a few verses of Psalm 100 to demonstrate how they can read a text carefully and determine the meaning the author had in mind when he wrote. He was excited to pass his knowledge onto others, sharing with Lyndal ‘I taught everything, just like we teach at TTK!’

Ross and Lyndal will be returning to Vanuatu in June with the plan to offer the Trenem Tingting course on another island so more communities have the opportunity to receive the training. Please pray for the Webbs, and for new trainers including Loui and John, as they raise up more leaders to carry on the work of Bible translation and Scripture engagement in the languages that people understand best.

To support the work of the TTK, visit https://wycliffe.org.au/projects/translator-training-vanuatu or read more about it in the Ministry Resources section.