Postscript

Wycliffe has just announced a new program for supporting Bible translation projects–recycling your old cell phone. Wycliffe receives charitable dollars for every cell phone donated, regardless of age or condition. Your gift can even go towards our ministry account by choosing missionary ministry under select a fund and including our names and account number (Jeff & Heather Pubols, 219208) in the additional information box on the donation form.  The idonate web site also lists other non-cash gifts that can be given to support Bible translation and our ministry.

By setting up a collection box, a group or entire church congregation could become involved.

To get started visit www.wycliffe.org/cellphones for instructions and helpful resources.

The Journey program is a cross-cultural missions simulation experience that helps participants know what it is like to become a cross-cultural missionary. This past Saturday BTL (a partner organization of Wycliffe Bible Translators in Kenya) had about 90 people from local churches attend their Journey program.

Participants started in the comfort zone–a room with snacks and cartoons playing on a TV. They went from there to the call where they learned more about missions and Bible translation. Then, they experienced simulations of going to a local church to get financial support, and participated in simulations of Bible school, and language and cross-cultural training.

Each of these training courses had to be paid for with Journey money they received from their local church. If they ran out of the money on the way, they had to go back to their local church and raise more financial support. When they completed all their training, they were commissioned by their local church to go.

Then, participants worked to secure passports and visas. Their experience was topped off with a meal featuring foreign foods, their arrival to the foreign land where they were sent (including getting hassled by people pretending to be customs agents), and time to interact with a group of people they were called to serve.

Even though the whole experience was only a few hours for each participant, it still had characteristics of what we experienced as we went from our home to here. If you ever have the chance to do it, we recommend it.

Carol Kamau, Resource Development Manager for BTL, said, “…many of the participants renewed their resolve to be more involved in missions…. For some the Journey made them realize that missions is not for a select group of people. Even they, too, needed to be involved. Others resolved to begin supporting missions through prayer and finances.”

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Dr. Napo Jeremie Poidi grew up in a non-Christian family in a small town in Togo. He had his first encounter with the gospel when the Gideons gave him a Bible. “When I left [my home] to continue school, then I really began to go to church, and I gave my life to Christ. “

In university, he joined a fellowship of Christian students. One evening a Wycliffe missionary came and spoke to the group. “He talked about Bible translation and why it was so important.”

Napo said that he asked God how his people could have the gospel in their language–Basar. 157,000 people in Togo and Ghana speak Basar. “It was at that very meeting that the Lord spoke to me and said that this is what the He wanted me to be involved in.”

At first Napo’s family did not want him to be involved in Bible translation. They thought he should get another kind of job. However, during Napo’s time in his home town, his whole family came into relationship with Jesus Christ. “My family has now been a spiritual support to me.”

In 1990, the New Testament in Basar was complete. Napo started to share the vision of Bible translation all around Togo.

That led to the birth of Wycliffe Togo in 2000. Napo serves as the Executive Director.

Today, Wycliffe Togo continues to cast vision for Bible translation, encourages mother tongue literacy, encourages people to use the mother tongue scripture that is available, and is sending Togolese out to work in more Bible translation projects.

“To me, the word of God being translated is not just stories. I’ve been through it. I know how it transforms.”

We visited Radio Maranatha, where Daniel used to work. It’s a Christian radio station in Cotonou. It now partners with Wycliffe Benin and broadcasts some of the programming that Wycliffe Benin produces. Wycliffe Benin is producing Christian radio programming in local languages in order to encourage the use of scriptures in local languages.

We went on a tour of the whole station. We saw their recording studio, where their DJs sit, their broadcast antenna. They even had us sit where their DJs do for some photos .

We met with the staff at the Wycliffe Benin office in Cotonou. Their office staff, mostly volunteers, is involved in personnel, finance, church relations, prayer coordination, recording radio programming, literacy and general administration.

Like Wycliffe Togo, Wycliffe Benin is recruiting people to work in Bible translation. They currently have six people assigned to work in Bible translation projects, and they continue to cast vision for Bible translation to churches in Benin.

Daniel Dedji serves as the Director.