Many words in Bislama are duplicated English words. For example lukluk is look and fatfat is fat. It is easy to make the mistake of thinking this applies to the majority of words. A missionary trying hard to do things the Ni-vanuatu way told the visitors arriving at his hut to come sitsit. Unfortunately, the Bislama word for sit is sidaon; sitsit means (to put it politely) go to the bathroom. Not quite what the missionary intended! —Vanuatu
“I would I had a thousand lives that I might give them to…China.” —Lottie Moon
Lottie looked all around her to see that the people whom she loved so dearly were starving to death. She didn’t have much to give them, but what she did have, she gave. But now Lottie’s health was failing; her weight was down to fifty pounds. Fellow laborers felt it was time for her to go home. At the golden age of seventy-two, she boarded a ship headed for the United States and home, but she never made it out of Asia. On Christmas Eve 1912, Lottie Moon died on board the ship in the harbor at Kobe, Japan.
To some, this woman’s dedication was a miracle. If you were to ask her relatives if they thought she would die for Christ, they would have scoffed. Lottie Moon, at the height of four feet three inches, was an unruly child, full of mischief and rebellion. She made it a point to make a mockery of the Gospel and her family’s Baptist faith.
While Lottie was in Virginia attending Albemarle Female Institute, a local Baptist church hosted a revival meeting. Some of Lottie’s friends invited her to go, but she refused. They got together to pray for her by name, and God answered. She went to one of the services to appease those friends but had no idea what was about to occur. That evening, when she could not sleep, Lottie fell to her knees and trusted Christ as her Saviour. Her family noticed an immediate change in her.
Lottie’s sister, who had already served in China, pleaded with Lottie to consider overseas service. This, coupled with God’s leading, took Lottie to China where she would serve Him faithfully until she died forty years later. She became one with the Chinese; she learned their language, dressed as them, ate as them, and poured her very life into them.
Missionary men could not minister to women in China; only women could reach Chinese women. One way in which Lottie evangelized them was by taking little tea cakes or cookies to them. That got the attention of both the women and the children! They called her the Cookie Lady and listened to her. She traveled many miles to witness and proclaim Jesus. As a result of her faithfulness, hundreds of converts came to Christ. She pleaded with the churches in the States to send more laborers and more funds to help with the much-needed ministry in China, but they could not see the burden as Lottie saw it.
Lottie lived, worked, breathed, and died in the service of her Lord. She is an example of what a true servant of the Lord is; one willing to sacrifice everything and leave all to follow Christ. What an example for us to follow! He is worthy of our all!
Cherith began literacy work among the Kamea in 2009 as a single woman. Today, she continues that ministry along with her husband, Jason Ottosen. She wrote the following report of their ministry during the early days.
The four Kamea primers were finished, and I, Cherith, was introducing and testing them in local villages where they had never seen their language written. Two men, Nicodemus and Lazarus, immediately became immersed in the excitement of reading the primers. I started them both in primer one and left to visit some other villages. When I came back several hours later, they were still reading. They made it to primer three before they headed home.
As the day wore on the women got closer and closer to me. Eventually, I was able to pull out the primers and explain that the purpose of the primers is to teach them to read so that they can read the Bible. At first, they did not respond. But then I started reading to them and asked them to help me make corrections if I said anything wrong. Page after page, they got more interested, delighted in the black and white drawings and thrilled that I was speaking their talk. Every time I stopped they would say, “anta fi”(some more). They finished my sentences and often would retell the stories to new ladies walking up.
That night as we sat around the fire, Rosalyn, the pastor’s wife, spoke with tears in her eyes, “The men will learn how to read, my sons will learn to read, but who will teach the women to read their Bibles?” As she continued, I thought through a typical Kamea woman’s day—work the garden, carry heavy bilums, fetch water and firewood, fix dinner, care for the many children, do laundry, etc. Pray the Lord gives us a way to implement reading for the ladies that will make it achievable. Before heading down the trail the next morning, I sat with Rosalyn for about a half hour and told her that she could learn to read. When I opened the primer, an irreplaceable smile swept over her face. We worked through the first five pages, and if you had asked Rosalyn, she would have told you that she was learning to read.
Winter 2020-21
The Brunei Malay people are a native Malay ethnic group that live in Brunei, a little-known nation on the island of Borneo. The country is tiny (a little larger than Delaware), but enjoys the wealth from oil resources. The Brunei also live in Malaysia, Canada, and the United States. The in-country population is 184,000; the worldwide population is 556,000.
Their language, also called Brunei Malay, is different in sound from Malay. Brunei Malay is the language of everyday communication for most Bruneians and is a sign of a speaker’s wish to identify himself as Bruneian. Brunei Malay is currently replacing the minority languages. There is no Bible, and no other known Christian resources in this language.
Brunei’s government is a monarchy with a line of sultans dating back to the 14th century. The current sultan became the absolute ruler in 1967. As such, he is both the head of state and the head of government. He is also at the head of the official religion, Islam, which he promotes by building mosques. (It is estimated that Brunei has more mosques per square kilometer than any other country in the world.) He also protects Islam by making it illegal to proselytize or for Muslims to convert from Islam.
The future is uncertain. Rapid depletion of oil reserves is an economic concern. The helpless state of lost souls, however, is of greater concern. How shall they hear? Pray for laborers!
Winter 2020-21
King Solomon said,“of making many books there is no end.” There are millions of books, both true and ficticious, covering every possible subject. Imagine how many things we read in a day besides books, newspapers, or magazines. We read instructions (sooner or later), road signs, billboards, medicine bottles, letters, signs for businesses, house numbers, labels on food or drink containers, T-shirts, tattoos, bumper stickers, the Yellow Pages, text messages, and so on. However, this is only possible if ours is a written language, and if we are literate. Many in our world do not have this skill that most of us take for granted. Where would we be in this world without the skill of literacy? Can you imagine a GI overseas asking his buddy to read him the love letter he just received from his gal back home? Illiteracy can be dangerous. When someone cannot read the sign that says “Wrong Way” and enters the freeway going the opposite direction of traffic flow, or when an illiterate mother gives her child the wrong medicine because she cannot read the label, lives are endangered. We owe a great debt to those who patiently taught us to read!
Literacy is like the ability to ride a bicycle. Once you have it, it stays with you for life. Monolingual people who speak an unwritten language, however, are always illiterate, and there are still well over three thousand unwritten languages in our world. These unwritten languages are without a single verse of the Bible. As Christians, we realize the importance of the written Word of God and Christian literature in the heart language of all people. To reach this goal on the foreign field, the missionary must learn the language, analyze the sounds, develop an alphabet, and then write or translate books. The Advanced Missionary Training program of Baptist Bible Translators Institute (BBTI) trains missionaries to do all of this.
The first step is to create an alphabet. Languages vary greatly, and an alphabet that serves one language may not work well for another. The linguistic skill to develop a well-suited alphabet for a particular language is called phonemics. A phonemic alphabet has one letter for each significant sound in that particular language, makes the ability to read and write much easier. This is one reason why Spanish is relatively easy to read. Our English alphabet, however, is not phonemic—our symbols often do not match our sounds and achieving literacy is a long process. Furthermore, our reading ability is often poor and our spelling skills atrocious.
Having only five vowel symbols to represent eleven vowel sounds makes English vowels especially difficult. Listen to eleven different vowel sounds as you pronounce these words: beat, bit, bait, bet, bat, Bob, but, boot, book, boat, and ball. If English had a phonemic alphabet, it would contain a separate symbol for each of these vowel sounds. It is several centuries too late to write English phonemically, but it is not too late for the thousands of unwritten languages. We need well-trained missionaries who will go, learn the language, develop a writing system, translate Scripture, and teach the people to read it.
Between the making of books and the reading of them is the missing link of literacy. A book, however true and helpful, is of no value to a man who cannot read it. Those mysterious marks on the pages may be as intimidating to him as Einstein’s theory of relativity is to us normal folk. Handing a Bible to a man in his heart language is of little or no use if he cannot read it, but he can be taught. Both children and adults can learn to read. However, they must first be motivated. I once offered a man a free booklet containing a Bible story that we had translated into his formerly unwritten language. I expected him to be excited about finally having a portion of God’s Word in his language, but he asked, “What do I need that for?” He had lived his entire life without a book. Neither his father, nor his grandfather, nor any of his ancestors had ever owned one. Why would he need a book? Obviously, he needed to be motivated. People simply do not read if they do not want to. A skilled literacy teacher works to create a desire to read by providing plenty of relevant and interesting reading material such as their folk tales or history. He wants to get the people “hooked” on reading.
Using the science of phonemics, a BBTI graduate can give an unwritten language an alphabet that precisely symbolizes the sounds the native hears. Then choosing a literacy method that matches the people’s way of thinking and doing, he can teach them to read. BBTI graduates have used the knowledge gained in phonemics and literacy classes in several parts of the world. Cherith developed an alphabet for the Kamea language of Papua New Guinea. She and Sarah have taught the Kamea people to read their language and the trade language, Pidgin. Michele did the same in Vanuatu with the formerly unwritten language of Akei. Dan not only taught literacy in Uganda, but also trained several native literacy teachers. Bruce worked with the government of his Latin American country to teach literacy in the public schools. Sarah trained literacy teachers in a closed Asian country.
Putting a previously unwritten language into print gives it a special identity and dignity. When a man reads the Bible in his own language, it becomes personal instead of foreign as he sees that neither he nor his language are inferior to God and realizes that the message of God’s love is for him. A people’s culture, history, and heritage are all tied up in their language, and unwritten languages are on the endangered list. If they become extinct, at least one generation is left in a linguistic “no man’s land” where the people lose their heart language but do not fully understand the trade language. Writing these languages and teaching people to read them helps to preserve cultures, but more importantly, it gives them God’s words —words that they can learn to read for themselves!
A newly arrived missionary in Costa Rica wanted to go to the market and begin learning Spanish. He looked up how to ask the price of things in his Spanish-English dictionary and found the words for “how” and “much” to be “como” and “mucho.” Then he walked around the market pointing at things and saying, “Como mucho.” Everyone laughed because he was actually saying, “I eat much.”
While preaching in an open air market I was giving an illustration using clean water and dirty water. I held up the clean water bottle and said, “If I hit this water, it brings satisfaction.” Realizing immediately that hitting water is an expression meaning to drink hard liquor, I tried to correct myself before anyone had enough time to let it sink in—but it was too late. The crowd one by one slowly “lost it” with snickering. —Rodney, Tanzania
A missionary preaching in Mexico City from the story of Hannah read where Hannah told her husband that she wouldn’t take the child Samuel up to the tabernacle until he was weaned. Instead of saying “destetado” (weaned), he said “destazado” (to chop up). It was even more hilarious when Elkanah responded, “Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have ‘chopped’ him.” —RLC
On May 10, 1968, the pastor’s wife and another lady from Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, were visiting new arrivals in their area. The house they planned to visit had whiskey bottles in the front window. The intended message was “Bad people live here; don’t mess with them.” The residents, Robert and Linda Huddleston, had bought the house and recently moved in. They had met at the Player’s Lounge where Linda was a bartender. The church ladies considered skipping this house, but they didn’t. Instead they won Bob and Linda to Christ!
Bob was born and raised in Oregon. He served as a Korean language specialist in the United States Air Force and was also trained in data processing. Linda, born and raised in Dallas, Texas, was a high school dropout but later earned her GED at Baptist Bible College (BBC) in Springfield, Missouri, where she and Bob prepared to serve the Lord on the foreign field. While a student at BBC, Bob began Maranatha Baptist Church in nearby Richland. Some of the missionary students from the nearby linguistic training school of New Tribes Mission (NTM) attended their services. The NTM people told the Huddlestons about the many unreached, Bibleless tribal people of the world, and God began to burden their hearts to reach them. At NTM, they met Baptist missionaries George and Sharon Anderson. The Andersons had left Mexico to attend the NTM Boot Camp and Language School with the stated purpose of learning all they could from NTM so they could begin a similar school to train Baptist missionaries.
That school, Baptist Bible Translators Institute (BBTI), began in September 1973 in Forth Worth, Texas. Bob and Linda were in the first class along with the Andersons and two other families. Early in 1976, the Huddlestons went to Colombia, South America, and began learning Spanish. Their BBTI training, especially the phonetics, helped them to speak the new language much better than most foreigners. Their goal was to work with unreached jungle tribes, but unfortunately, the communist guerrillas were making major inroads and controlling the jungle areas. The Huddlestons were allowed to stay in Colombia but were forbidden by the government to work in the jungle. They began churches in Villavicencio and the Llano (plains). They also began a Bible institute. During the beginning days of their ministry there, they adopted a Colombian baby girl whom they named Jody Lynn. After approximately ten years in Colombia, Bob and Linda were denied visas and were forced to leave. Jody became a US citizen at age nine.
The Huddlestons did not quit serving the Lord; they just changed locations. For the next ten years, Bob pastored the Trinity Baptist Fellowship Church in Phoenix, Arizona. During those years, Bob finished his BA and got his MA and CPE. After that, he became a chaplain in the Texas State Prison system. His bilingualism was a great help in these places. Linda also was hired by the prison to work in the mail room. All prison correspondence, entering and leaving, must be read by prison officials, and her ability in two languages was especially useful. During his tenure in the prison system, Bob began pastoring a church in the East Texas city of Jacksonville. There he taught the people why we hold to the Authorized Version of the Bible and established a faith promise missionary giving program that still continues. Bob stepped down from the full-time pastorate in 2009. He is a Trustee of Baptist Bible Translators Institute and continues to preach and serve the Lord in East Texas, witnessing in both English and Spanish as the Lord gives him open doors. The Huddlestons are helping to home school their ten-year old granddaughter. It has been over fifty-two years since they kept whiskey bottles in the window!
Fall 2020
Tayler and Lorin Norris with Eden, Deacon, and Enoch www.missions2moz.org
By Tayler Norris
In the early 1980s, my parents were reached with the Gospel through military missions while they were stationed in Germany as young Airmen. Little did they know that they would someday have five sons, including me, who would be born in Portugal while they were involved in a military mission church. Later in life, I would go on a missions trip to Zambia, Africa, and through that trip, God would burden my heart to give my life to be a missionary to the foreign field.
My call to the mission field was a culmination of my parents keeping missions as an important part of our family life. Growing up, our family attended every service of our church’s missions conferences. My brothers and I were always the first ones at the missionaries’ display tables asking questions. There were many times that my family opened the doors of our home to house missionaries while they were presenting at our church. At a young age, I was taught to not only give my tithes but also to give to missions on a monthly basis. I remember the napkin holder that sat in our dining room, stuffed with hundreds of missionary prayer cards. These were some of the things God used to prepare my heart to surrender to take the Gospel to the lost.
I prayed for two years before God, at the end of our church’s missions conference, burdened my heart for the country of Mozambique. A year later, after talking with my wife and seeking council from our pastor, my wife and I visited Mozambique. While there, God confirmed in our hearts that Mozambique is where He is leading us.
Throughout my life, God has used missions to make His will evident for me. The involvement of others in missions has also influenced me. It is clear that He uses missions to call laborers to reach the lost. Would you pray for laborers, about missions, and what God would have you to do?
Fall 2020
Lavern and Evelyn RodgersA bomb wrestled through the air, while the loud cracks of the blast set homes ablaze. The people of war-torn Japan sat in the darkness of an uncertain eternity. Soon after, former Navy man Lavern Rodgers and his wife, Evelyn, arrived with the good news of the Gospel.
In 1945, Lavern Rodgers first heard his Macedonian call through the exhortation of General Douglas MacArthur who, quoting Matthew 5:44a: “Love your enemies,” made the appeal for 15,000 missionaries to come to Japan. Lavern Rodgers knew that in order to follow God’s call on his life, he would have to replace his personal hatred for the Japanese with God’s love for them. He wrestled with the Lord. Would he do the unimaginable and go tell His enemies about Christ? Knowing he could never win a fight with God, he surrendered.
To prepare, he attended Bible Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, where God spoke to him through a quote from William Carey: “Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God.” With these words ringing in his ears, he and his wife, Evelyn, took the rocky boat voyage to Japan in September 1950. After thirty-three days, the Rodgers finally arrived in the bombed out city of Yokohama. Even Shizuoka, the city where they began their first work, was 60% destroyed. In the midst of these depressing surroundings, they kept their eyes on Jesus.
The Lord opened up amazing opportunities for church plants to begin. They were able to start churches in nine different cities between 1950 and 1967. Lavern Rodgers said that “Planting churches is like planting trees. They are foundational to a Biblical ministry. These are our trees.” But building a church in post-war Japan was not going to be an easy task. He and his friends had to tear down buildings and reuse the scraps to build their first church in the city of Shizuoka. This was a great lesson for the Japanese people, because it taught them to use what God provides.
Many young Japanese would soon attend the services. A girl named Sachiko Saigo Yasuba described the church as having a warmth and brightness she had never experienced. As a struggling wife, she came looking for pity but instead found a warm greeting from Evelyn Rodgers who took her by the hand and showed her the Romans Road. Sachiko was amazed to learn that she did not know God. This was the reason she had so much trouble and wrong in her life! Overcome with the knowledge of her sin, she wanted to throw herself on the Lord and no one else. With open arms, she received the Lord as her Saviour that day, and all the darkness became light.
Lavern Rodgers is ninety-three years old and still resides in Japan. He once said, “There is nothing more rewarding in life, than going where God’s finger points.” Will we go where God’s finger points us? Or will we, like Jonah, refuse to go? We must spread the message of Jesus, for only His light can vanquish the darkness!
The Tama people live in eastern Chad and western Sudan. Statistics vary according to source; reports include a population of anywhere from 170,000 to 300,000. The Kimr tribe, numbering 169,000, belongs to the Tama people group and speaks the same language.
Tama (also known as Tamok, Tamot, or Tamongobo) is a language in which tone, stress, and length can all change the meaning of words. It is the language spoken in homes. It is unknown if Tama has ever been written or is only spoken. There are no Scriptures in this, the people’s heart language.
The Tama are sedentary and most of them are farmers of an assortment of crops, including cereals. They also raise livestock such as goats and camels. Because Chad is a landlocked country, they do not always have a long rainy season which means that drought is a serious problem. Gardens are the main livelihood and source of food. If the rains do not come, they may not have any crops that year. This is compounded by fights with neighboring people over the desperately needed land. There is much unrest, and one never knows when bandits or rebels will strike.
Islam is the main religion of the Tama with 95% claiming to be Muslim. The other 5% is made up of ethnic and animistic religions. Because of their extreme poverty and sense of hopelessness, alcohol is a real issue for many Tama. When will they hear the great news of the Gospel? Who will bring them hope? Will you go?
Fall 2020
A young Christian, whom we will call Bill, was beginning to learn about the work of missions. He was intrigued by the missionaries that visited his church, and it concerned him that many in the world have little or no chance of hearing the Gospel and that most of the preachers were staying in the United States. A missionary on his way to Honduras had shown slides and preached in Bill’s church. As he left that day, Bill said the nice things that people say to missionaries. The missionary replied, “Thank you. Maybe you will come to Honduras and help us.” Not knowing how to respond to this challenge, Bill repeated something he had once heard, “God has not called me to be a missionary.”
The young missionary, wise beyond his years, did not let Bill get away with this glib answer. He opened his Bible to Matthew 9:38 and said, “Read this. This is a command; will you do it?” The verse says that we are to pray for laborers. Bill told the missionary that he would, and he did. Bill has now been a laborer in the harvest for half a century.
Many, like Bill, believe the five-syllable sentence, God has not called me, because they have heard repeatedly that a missionary must receive a special, supernatural call. No one has told them that they can volunteer. If a person has not had an overwhelming emotional experience, he may assume God has not called him. He concludes that he is free to choose his own career, unlike the called one who must do exactly what God has called him to do. Everyone needs to hear Romans 12:1-2 and be reminded that he is to present his body a living sacrifice. Only then will he know God’s perfect will. Why would God show His will to a Christian who is not dedicated to do it? After surrendering, he must seriously ask God what he should do and where he should go. He should consider foreign missions for at least two reasons: First, it is a command to go and preach Christ to every creature. Second, common sense tells us that people with the least opportunity deserve top priority. The Apostle Paul strove to go where Christ had not been named. Oswald J. Smith asked, “Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice until everyone has heard it once?” Christians who say, “Lord, anywhere but the mission field,” are rebels and disqualified from knowing God’s will!
Most would not think or say it, but with so many Christians exempting themselves from missionary service by saying God has not called me, we may be inadvertently accusing the Lord of failing to call enough missionaries. God loves every man and sent His Son to die for all. He commands all men everywhere to repent. God wants no one to go to Hell. He has no alternative plan other than faith in Christ. He has commanded us to go everywhere telling the Good News. Has He not called enough people to do it? God wants churches established at home and abroad, but thousands of places have none. He wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. He wants no one ignorant of His Word, yet more than half of the seven thousand one hundred languages in our world still have not one verse of Scripture. Jesus has commanded us to evangelize all people groups; there are over sixteen thousand! And we have done little or nothing in half of them. Is it possible that our all-powerful, all-wise God would do all this for man’s salvation but not call enough men to proclaim it? Someone is at fault, but it is not God!
There’s another group that claims God has not called me. It is their pretext and shield to deflect any challenge or question that might get near them. These words protect them from becoming a pastor, a youth director, an itinerant evangelist, and especially from the dreadful fate of a missionary. The one who has declared himself uncalled can go abroad if he wants to—if the job pays well—or he can stay home. He can work in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia or in an auto plant in Detroit, it is his call (pun intended). But he is not required to preach the Gospel in these places because, after all, he is not called. He can learn a few foreign phrases as a tourist but needs not labor eight hours a day learning a language. He can visit any place in the world, but he is not required to live anywhere he deems dirty or unpleasant. He can spend his entire life with his people and never experience the discomfort of living with those of a different culture. God has not called me guarantees him comfort socially, economically, and physically. He can make it sound so convincing that others believe he has struggled with the issue of fulltime service and concluded that it is not God’s will for him. The truth is that he has not given it a minute’s consideration. Also, the unspoken implication is: Drop it! Leave me alone. The matter is settled. I have no further word.
Saying these five magic words may free a man, at least in his own mind, from any obligation to be a spectacle in the world, to go where he might feel uncomfortable, or to do anything that he does not want to do. He may use these words to opt out of any full-time service for God. Oh, he can mow the church yard or pass out a gospel tract, but he is free from speaking from a pulpit and running the risk of embarrassment. He believes God has not called me automatically exempts him from any personal involvement in the Great Commission of Christ other than dropping a dollar in the offering plate or praying, “God bless our missionaries around the world. Amen.” He can ignore the command of God to give the Good News to the heathen; that only applies to the called. This rebellious brother needs to be reminded of a few biblical truths: First, “Ye are not your own; … ye are bought with a price.” Second, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” Or as someone put it, “Losers finders, keepers weepers.” And finally, his empty words, God has not called me, are not going to help him when he looks at the nailed-pierced hands of His Saviour. He may be in the majority now claiming this, but at the Judgment Seat of Christ, he will appear alone and speechless.
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I knew a little Spanish, so our Spanish Pastor asked me to translate his remarks to the English congregation
because he was uncomfortable addressing them with his broken English. I was dismissed from this translation
assignment after the first practice run. I would have thanked the English congregation for all of their help and chicken
(pollo) rather than for their help and support (apoyo). —MW
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When our language helper, Lilee, asked me what kind of meat I like to eat, I attempted to say “kai kap muu kap NGUA” (chicken and pork and beef). But instead, I came up with ‘kai kap muu kap NGU” (chicken and pork and SNAKE)! Lilee gave me a funny look and replied in English, “Really?!” –K.R, Laos
Our language tutor was teaching us to pray in the Indonesian language. We write out our prayer for his review and then read/pray them before class begins. My wife was thanking God for his mercy, but omitted an “h” sound in the middle of the word. She thanked God for his spider webs instead! —D.C.
After dismissing his congregation, a missionary in Germany went to the back door to greet people as they left. He greeted each member with a handshake and smile and told them, “Gutten nackt.” They realized that he meant to say “Gutten nacht” meaning good night, but grinned or snickered because he had actually said good naked. The preacher was greatly embarrassed when a member at the end of the line corrected him. —Christine
A basic conversation goes something like this: Sabaidii! Jao sabaidii baww? (Hello, how are you?)
Khoi sabaidii. Jao dee? (I’m fine. [How are] you?)
Khoi sabaidii. (I’m fine.)
It’s a good thing Jon was only practicing his language skills because instead of saying,
Jao dee (How are you?), he accidentally said, Jao dai! (You die.)!
—Chris, Laos
I knew a little Spanish, so our Spanish Pastor asked me to translate his remarks to the English congregation because he was uncomfortable addressing them with his broken English. I was dismissed from this translation assignment after the first practice run. I would have thanked the English congregation for all of their help and chicken (pollo) rather than for their help and support (apoyo). —MW
Bob and Liz PattonIt was September 1986 and the Pattons’ plans were drastically changed when Dr. Patton opted to move to the city rather than join forces with the liberal group in control of medical practice in the interior of the country. It had been just two weeks since the couple had moved to Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, when civil war broke out in the interior. Had the couple stayed in the interior, they would have been cut off from their mission while in only the beginning stages of language learning. God had a definite plan for them in Paramaribo.
Upon graduating from the University of Rochester in 1971 as an Internal Medicine Specialist, Robert Patton had embarked for Liberia, Africa, where he served as professor and head of Internal Medicine at the University of Liberia until 1976. More importantly, it was there in Liberia that he accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour in 1974. Surely, he never imagined then where God would later lead him and what monumental tasks he would accomplish in just twenty-four years.
In 1986, the Pattons found themselves in Suriname learning the national languages of Dutch and Sranantongo. For the first five years he was in Suriname, Dr. Patton taught at University Hospital in the mornings and dedicated his afternoons and evenings to soul-winning, language learning, church planting, training national pastors, and establishing various ministries. During this time, Dr. Patton grew increasingly frustrated with the limited scriptures available in the Sranantongo language. He was using a Moravian translation of the New Testament from the 1800s, but its imprecision and antiquity made it a less than desirable version upon which to build a ministry. Furthermore, Dr. Patton longed for a translation of the Old Testament. In 1991, God showed him clearly that he should resign his teaching position and begin translating.
Dr. Patton approached this very serious project with fear and trembling. He worked carefully and steadily to translate a Bible faithful to the Received Text into Sranantongo. The translation team included himself and six natives. First, Dr. Patton studied the scriptures under consideration, consulting a conservative commentary when necessary for clear understanding; then he made a preliminary translation and passed it off for independent review by two nationals (separately). Two more cycles of revision by Dr. Patton and review by other nationals then followed. After a final revision, it was considered complete. The entire Bible was translated by 1997 and published by Bearing Precious Seed in 1998.
God blessed the Pattons’ diligent work. Not only is their Bible translation the most sold version of the Sranantongo Bible in Suriname, but it has also been shared through their radio programs. Dr. Patton has synthesized commentaries using his translation notes and their corresponding scriptures. These commentaries are helpful resources for national pastors and have also been broadcasted via radio.
You can read more about Dr. Patton on his website, teachingmissions.com.
Summer 2020
Far removed from the metropolis of Tehran, the Khorasani people have survived centuries of numerous invasions of other peoples. They have retained their culture despite the influences and governing of various Turks, Mongols, Arabs and Afghans. While farming is the main livelihood, they also produce magnificent, original rugs and tapestries. Because of their Islamic beliefs, family is an extremely significant part of their lives. Isolated for many years, schools are now being established throughout the province and education is becoming increasingly important. Over 800 thousand Khorasani inhabit the northeastern part of Iran, where there is no known witness of the Gospel. Not only is there no one to tell them of God’s salvation, but they also do not have a Bible in their language. Therefore, the Truth of the Gospel is virtually inaccessible.
Khorasan translated means “land of the rising sun.” Of course this refers to the sun in the sky, but what these people really need is someone to share with them the Risen Son, “the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings” (Mal. 4:2). While physical healing is important to all, what the Khorasani people need even more is the glorious healing they can have spiritually through a relationship with the Risen Son.
Fall 2011
Far removed from the metropolis of Tehran, the Khorasani people have survived centuries of numerous invasions of other peoples. They have retained their culture despite the influences and governing of various Turks, Mongols, Arabs and Afghans. While farming is the main livelihood, they also produce magnificent, original rugs and tapestries. Because of their Islamic beliefs, family is an extremely significant part of their lives. Isolated for many years, schools are now being established throughout the province and education is becoming increasingly important. Over 800 thousand Khorasani inhabit the northeastern part of Iran, where there is no known witness of the Gospel. Not only is there no one to tell them of God’s salvation, but they also do not have a Bible in their language. Therefore, the Truth of the Gospel is virtually inaccessible.
Khorasan translated means “land of the rising sun.” Of course this refers to the sun in the sky, but what these people really need is someone to share with them the Risen Son, “the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings” (Mal. 4:2). While physical healing is important to all, what the Khorasani people need even more is the glorious healing they can have spiritually through a relationship with the Risen Son.
Fall 2011
Surely only the most isolated people are without a Bible in their language. Well, that is what one might think, but it is not always the case. There is a people group of over 5 million without Scripture in their native language. A society that produced renowned artists, explorers, and scientists: the Sicilians!
Once the central location of the known civilized world, Sicily was a great treasure that European, African and Persian empires desired to own. Nearly 3000 years of history are on this island, roughly the size of New Jersey. There are stone ruins, temples of ancient people, monasteries, amphitheaters, and endless vineyards and olive groves. The family is at the heart of Sicilian culture. Family members often live close together, sometimes in the same housing complex, and sons and daughters usually remain at home with their parents until marriage. The Catholic Church is an important fixture in Sicilian life. Almost all public places are adorned with crucifixes, and most Sicilian homes contain pictures of saints, statues, and other relics. Each town and city has its own patron saint, and the feast days are marked by gaudy processions through the streets with marching bands and displays of fireworks.
Although many of the younger people are bilingual, speaking Italian and Sicilian, there are several previous generations that know only the Sicilian tongue, and consequently have no Bible! Perhaps this has not been of importance to them as they trust their “church” to tell them what they need to know. However, we know that they are being given error—error that will result in an eternity without Christ.
The Agaria is not only a tribe, but also a caste whose occupation is iron smelting. Their name is a reference to their iron ore kilns; historians state that it comes from either the Hindu god of fire (Agni) or their tribal demon who was born in flame (Agyasur). There are numerous other important deities (both tribal and Hindu), including the supreme sun god, their ancestral god, and the iron demon, Lohasur. When there is sickness, a village sorcerer determines which deity is offended and must be appeased.
Iron smelting is a family affair. Both men and women collect the iron ore and make charcoal for the kilns. The women operate the bellows while the men pound the iron ore to shape it. When a new kiln is constructed, even the children help.
Over the last decade, progress has been made in Bible translation for the people groups of India, but groups like the Agaria have even more hope in the future. South
India Baptist Bible College and Seminary is offering their first linguistics and translation classes, beginning on June 20th. Pray for the students, for an ever increasing commitment from the college leadership, and for strength and wisdom for the missionaries involved in helping to establish this course of study.
“The just shall live by faith.” What an illumination this Scripture brought to the heart of Martin Luther, Roman Catholic monk. God’s work through His Word changed a man, a nation, and the course of church history. Perhaps God would do the same for the 247,000 Seba as they read the Word, freeing them from the darkness of Catholicism – but they have no Bible.
The Seba live in Katanga, a province in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The mining of copper and cobalt is a primary industry. Poor households rely heavily on fishing for their supply of protein-rich food and many rural farmers supplement their income with fishing. The life expectancy is fifty-four; the median age is sixteen. The Seba live spiritually empty lives. Ninety-five percent of them claim Roman Catholicism as their belief system.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see the Seba people discover the joys of salvation by faith alone as clearly presented in Scripture? What might God do if the truth were placed in their hands in their heart language?
Winter 2010-11
The 144,000 Antankarana, meaning “people of the rocks,” are one of forty people groups of Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island. Though previously ruled by the Sakalava, the Merina, and the French, they have retained their group identity. Their present leader, Ampanjaka Tsimiharo III (see picture), is a descendant of King Tsimiaro I (1812-1825), who vowed that his people would convert to Islam if they survived the Merina invasion.
There is much syncretism of Islam with ethnic animistic religions. Some traditions, like the feeding of the sacred crocodiles (in which, according to legend, the inhabitants of a village which disappeared under Lake Anivorano are believed to live), are observed by most of the people. The Tsangan festival, which is aimed at consecrating royal power, includes the sacrifice of cattle and a pilgrimage to the sacred caves which were a burial place for the kings.
The Antankarana are fishermen and cattle owners. They speak a distinct dialect of Malagasy and have no Bible or Christian media. Madagascar’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom is generally respected by the government.
Fall 2010
Hidden away from the normal trade routes of the Indian Ocean lies North Sentinel Island, a tiny tropical land all but unknown to the modern world. Within the jungle walls of this island live the Sentinelese, a people thought by many experts to be the most isolated tribe on earth. Although they are officially citizens of India, no one has ever established a lasting contact with this Stone Age tribe. Since they have a history of killing any intruder who ventures onto their white, sandy beaches, it is not known how many Sentinelese inhabit this tiny land.
The tribesmen live by hunting and fishing. They wear no clothes and are believed to be cannibals. Their language is completely unknown. In the thirteenth century, Marco Polo wrote, “They are a most violent and cruel generation who seem to eat everybody they catch.”
Although very little is known about their customs or beliefs, it is certain that this is a people living in extreme spiritual darkness. Will you pray that God will send someone to carry His Word to these isolated tribesmen?
Summer 2010
The 7,600,000 (1996) Sanaani reside in the northern mountains and north-eastern deserts of Yemen, a country located on the Arabian Peninsula. This area was once ruled by the Queen of Sheba, and the roots of this proud, tribal people group stem back to pre-Islamic days. Their language is a distinctive variety of Arabic with some unique features.
Coffee, vegetables, fruit trees and grapes are grown at this high altitude. Also grown is Qat, a narcotic drug and important money crop that is chewed by most men and half the women for its stimulant and euphoric effect.
Ancestry determines the Sanaanis’ place in society, and Islam dominates their lives.
There are no scriptures in Sanaani Arabic and only 0.02 % are professing Christians. Yemen is not open to Christian testimony—nine missionaries were kidnapped in the province of Saada last year.
Will you ask God to reveal the keys He has placed in the Sanaani culture and grant His servants the wisdom and courage to use them in proclaiming Christ?
Spring 2010
The 367,000 Maba, also known as Ouaddai (pronounced Wad-aye), are the dominant people group of the Wadai Mountains in eastern Chad. Many living in rural areas speak only their own language, Maba; but most town-based Maba are bilingual, also speaking Chad Arabic. There are no Maba Scriptures.
These are non-Arab Muslims, loyal to their local form of Islam (though elements of animism from the 16th century remain). There is official freedom of religion, but oppression in the form of public insult is common and some death threats even occur. A sultan heads the tribal kingdom and is a descendant of the line of Abbas (said to be an uncle of Mohammed). Though not a part of the state, sultans run their own courts based on Islamic law and rule in some civil affairs.
Possessing a strong sense of identity, the Maba are resistant to change; but technology (satellite TV and mobile phones) is making inroads in their tradition and younger people are becoming more open.
Fall 2009
Twelve people groups in India speak Kangri as their primary language. The smallest group has only eighty speakers, but the largest, the Hindu Ghirath, has 164,000. Other names for Kangri include Pahari and Dogri.
Kangri is written with Hindi script, and Hindi is spoken to outsiders. A Hindi Bible is available, but Kangri speakers are still waiting for their own scriptures. Listen to a Kangri gospel recording: globalrecordings.net/program/C03121
Most Kangri speakers practice Hinduism, the world’s third largest religion. Hinduism has evolved over the centuries from many religious traditions and has no single founder or authority. This results in widely diverse beliefs; though the main goal in life is to attain freedom from the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth (reincarnation) by reaching a state identical to Brahman, the supreme soul.
Summer 2009
The Kho, natives of northern Pakistan, live isolated among the world’s highest mountain peaks. The dry, rugged terrain barely supports herding and subsistence farming. Due to poor nutrition and water quality, health problems are many.
Generous and hospitable, quiet and peace-loving but also brave, the Kho resent their long domination by the Pushtan. Traditional poems and songs are sung to new generations to the accompaniment of the sitar, an instrument of mulberry wood with five strings.
The Kho do not marry outsiders. They have three social classes: nobility, landowners, and laborers. Urdu is the national language and Arabic is the religious (Islam) language, but Khowar is the language of heart and home. There are no Scriptures in Khowar.
Spring 2009
