March news from Jim & Lauren Killam, Wycliffe Bible Translators
Here’s why heart language is so important
Part of my (Jim's) Wycliffe role is to teach basic journalism to people who work in ministry. The impact is potentially huge: When God’s stories are reported well, ministries get re-energized. People and churches engage through prayer, giving, sending and even going. Above all, God is glorified.
In 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, my workshop audience was 20 Amharic-speaking Bible translation project leaders. They work with local groups to translate Scripture into the other languages in their regions. I taught the first day using an interpreter, even though many in the group spoke some English. They seemed to be getting it – attentive, nodding, polite.
Then on Day 2, something fantastic happened.
I had been working with an Ethiopian woman named Zetseat, training her in communications. This was the second workshop she had organized with me, so I asked her to handle some of the teaching. Zetseat led a session on how to interview people … and she taught in Amharic.
Well. Suddenly this group of reserved Ethiopians was animated and fully engaged — laughing, telling stories and interviewing each other for the assignment. So I had Zetseat lead the next session, too. And the next one. The hard work of learning through an interpreter was done. By the end of the day, a workshop that had started in English finished mostly in Amharic.
Workshop attendees interview each other in their heart language, Amharic.
And there, like a flashing neon sign, I saw the reason for Bible translation.
There’s a night-and-day difference when people learn, think, speak and pray in their heart language instead of a secondary language — even when they know the second language fairly well.
When people encounter the Bible in their heart language, it changes everything. They go from knowing about God to knowing Him. (This, by the way, is the answer to “Why can’t they just learn a language that already has the Bible?”)
I also saw the future of my calling that day. Sure, part of it will still be to report stories of God’s work around the world, and I love doing that. But the wider impact will come as I get to train leaders and teachers, who then go home and train people in their own languages and contexts.
The Church is growing and maturing all over the world. Often that means Westerners’ work now is to come alongside the local church – wherever that might be – and help them reach people in their own regions.
That’s how missions are supposed to work.
• • •
Thank you!
After about a month of partnership development for our new assignment, we’re already at 21 percent of our monthly budget need. And we have a few more pending commitments. We hope to reach full funding and begin by this summer, as Jim’s Wycliffe Global Alliance team waits patiently for him.
We are feeling very thankful for God’s guidance and provision during this new season.
Jim will travel to Calgary the week of March 4-8 for continuing work with Wycliffe Canada. Please pray for a great week with that team.
We have a heavy schedule during the next few weeks as we both work full-time and then spend lots of extra time developing Wycliffe partnerships. Please pray for energy and good health.
Please let us know how we can pray for you.
To our Texas friends:
We will be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area April 4-7 (Thursday through Sunday).
Hope to see many of you! We’ll be in touch.
Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and partnership. It's a joy to serve with you.
In Christ,
Jim and Lauren
Previous issues of our newsletter can be found here.
