For this first post I wanted to share my heart with you on some things that have been going on in my life. I know that I got out of blogging because I didn't feel like a lay person like myself with no formal training had any business discussing the important truths contained in God's word. For that matter, I felt like I was doing harm to those with half a brain and a heart for seeing the Word proclaimed accurately by posting at all. As it turns out, I missed something in my assessment. First of all, we are all called to be Bereans and to search out the Scriptures. Second of all, the real benefit of blogging is the edifying relationships we build with like minded and blood bought brothers and sisters in Christ. So, even though that number is few on this site, I wanted to re-establish a connection with them.
I want to let you know that I am also a part of something much bigger than myself. Several years ago a friend of mine came to me and asked if I thought there was a need for the Bible to be translated into languages where no Bible currently exists. Of course, the answer to that was a no brainer--of course! The second thing he asked as not so easily answered. "Do you think we should do something about it?" Um, I don't know about you, but I am the least qualified person to Bible translation work. Fortunately, this friend of mine, Jarrette Allen, has a degree in Linguistics and speaks at least 3 languages fluently. He had something else in mind, however. He asked me to partner with him in something new--a new paradigm for missions work. With a lot of prayer and God's grace we founded an organization that was originally called "World Mission International." (The name has now changed to Wordwinds International for reasons you can read about on the website).
WORDWINDS INTERNATIONAL
This organization was created with the National or Native Missionary in mind. What we discovered early on in our planning is that there are missionaries all over the world--not American Foreign Missionaries--but Christians living in their own homelands in Brazil, India, Africa, and so many other places that are laboring to bring the Gospel to people in their own countries. Here in America we have Bible translation organizations like Wycliffe Bible Translators, but these organizations send Americans overseas to do the translation work. As you may realize, this costs money and time to train people in a foreign language, train them to live in a new culture, and train them to read the original Biblical texts. What our organization seeks to do is come alongside and support the missionaries who are already living in their own countries. They do not face a culture barrier like the one Americans experience overseas, and there is no need to pay to keep these missionaries living in an American lifestyle that people here are used to. To get to the point, by supporting Native Missions we can produce a translation of the Bible in a third of the time it takes for foreign missionaries to do it and at a major fraction of the cost.
THE PROBLEM:
Foreign countries like Brazil are rich in human resources--missionaries with a heart for God and a will to go--but they are poor in financial resources..
America is rich in economic resources and capital, but poor in the numbers of people who actually want to go overseas to be foreign missionaries
THE SOLUTION:
Our organization raises support for native missionaries working among people groups in their own countries to translate the Bible into languages where none currently exists. We believe that the Christians who comprise the the Church in America can raise more than enough support to fund the translation projects that are out there.
Here are some staggering facts:
According to the website of Wycliffe Bible Translators, there are 6912 languages in the world. And of these 6912 languages . . .
Isn't it time we all get involved in supporting the proclamation of God's name and word to all nations an tongues?
http://www.theworldview.org/windcasts/episode%202007-05.mp3
