Translations
written at Friday, August 13, 2010
David Foris from Wycliffe Bible Translators came to give a talk during today's OCF Friday evening meeting. David and Christine Foris has worked with the Sochiapam Chinantec of Mexico. Their sharing today about the life of the people in this little region of Mexico was thought-provoking. It really brings to life the verse from Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The ends of the earth, beyond Jerusalem. We are blessed to have been born into a society where its language is one of the most spoken and written in the world.
I was curious, so I got back home and searched some statistics for the worldwide status of Bible Translation (Updated as of 2010):
6,900+ - The number of languages spoken in the world today
2,000+ - The number of languages without any of the Bible, but with a possible need of a Bible translation to begin
350,000,000+ - The number of people who speak the 2,200 languages where translation projects have not yet begun
1,300+ - The number of translation programs where Wycliffe is currently at work
Nearly 75% - The amount of the world’s remaining Bible translation needs that are located in the three areas of greatest need
1,185 - The number of language communities which have access to the New Testament in their heart language
451 - The number of language communities which have access to the entire Bible in the language they understand best
6.5 billion+ - The population of the world
Wycliffe looks to begin a Bible translation program in every language that needs one by the year 2025, indigenous linguists, translators and literacy workers are not only bringing the Word to their own people, but also to neighboring language groups.
I only speak English, rudimentary Chinese (Enough to bring about a hawker centre transaction), and a shameful amount of Hainanese (My dialect group). So what can I do? Nothing really. We can only give these people the support, both in prayer and in encouragement. Praise the Lord for their contributions and efforts! I found this on their statement of beliefs on their website.
"Each person who participates in the Bible translation movement has been created by God, gifted by God and called by God. While we are a diverse community, we are driven by a single passion: The glory of God through the translation of the Word for every person on earth in the language they understand best."
Translations
written at Friday, August 13, 2010
David Foris from Wycliffe Bible Translators came to give a talk during today's OCF Friday evening meeting. David and Christine Foris has worked with the Sochiapam Chinantec of Mexico. Their sharing today about the life of the people in this little region of Mexico was thought-provoking. It really brings to life the verse from Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The ends of the earth, beyond Jerusalem. We are blessed to have been born into a society where its language is one of the most spoken and written in the world.
I was curious, so I got back home and searched some statistics for the worldwide status of Bible Translation (Updated as of 2010):
6,900+ - The number of languages spoken in the world today
2,000+ - The number of languages without any of the Bible, but with a possible need of a Bible translation to begin
350,000,000+ - The number of people who speak the 2,200 languages where translation projects have not yet begun
1,300+ - The number of translation programs where Wycliffe is currently at work
Nearly 75% - The amount of the world’s remaining Bible translation needs that are located in the three areas of greatest need
1,185 - The number of language communities which have access to the New Testament in their heart language
451 - The number of language communities which have access to the entire Bible in the language they understand best
6.5 billion+ - The population of the world
Wycliffe looks to begin a Bible translation program in every language that needs one by the year 2025, indigenous linguists, translators and literacy workers are not only bringing the Word to their own people, but also to neighboring language groups.
I only speak English, rudimentary Chinese (Enough to bring about a hawker centre transaction), and a shameful amount of Hainanese (My dialect group). So what can I do? Nothing really. We can only give these people the support, both in prayer and in encouragement. Praise the Lord for their contributions and efforts! I found this on their statement of beliefs on their website.
"Each person who participates in the Bible translation movement has been created by God, gifted by God and called by God. While we are a diverse community, we are driven by a single passion: The glory of God through the translation of the Word for every person on earth in the language they understand best."
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Knowing
What matters supremely, therefore, is not
in the last analysis, the fact that I know God,
but the larger fact which underlies it --
the fact that He knows me.
J. I. Packer
