Streams of Prayer for 26 February 2024
The Streams of Prayer for 26 February 2024, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
February 25, 2024 – March 2, 2024
Training
Many people with various areas of expertise are needed to translate the Bible in a clear, accurate and natural way. Training in Bible translation roles is therefore one of the seven Alliance Participation Streams. The skills are so important that many Alliance organisations regularly offer courses or training workshops, often in cooperation with other organisations.
We will pray for those who are teaching, the students, and the organisations and institutions that host these training programmes. We will ask God to provide instructors, administrative staff, finances, materials and equipment. Pray also for unity of purpose, excellent teaching and energy for learning, all of which result in well-equipped staff to serve in Bible translation movements.
Participants of a Vernacular Phonics Course at the Ukarumpa Training Centre drawing a circle for an illustration to be displayed on the board during the course. Photo: Anita Sam
Serving the missions community and the church: Switzerland
From 29 February to 1 March, Wycliffe Switzerland is sponsoring a training on partnership development for French-speaking Swiss. Participants will include new Wycliffe Switzerland staff members as well as workers from other mission organisations. Praise God for this opportunity to serve other organisations. Pray that all the participants will be encouraged by the practical aspects of the training as well as through networking with each other. On 16 March, Wycliffe Switzerland will help run a seminar focusing on how churches can support people in missions, and how they can benefit from mission workers’ experiences. Pray for increasing collaboration between churches and mission organisations, and an awareness of the importance of supporting people who serve in missions.
Consultant mentoring and linguistics training: Canada
Pray for wisdom for the staff of the Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL) as they work to meet training needs in an ever-changing world. With the launch of a new competency-based master’s degree two years ago, CanIL began offering on-location consultant mentoring for highly experienced translators. They are struggling to meet the requests from field partners for more of this training and are praying for mentors who can join the faculty team. CanIL also offers a new doctoral programme, a new bachelor’s programme in language and linguistics, and is working with a local seminary to make linguistics training available in another major world language. Pray for these initiatives as well as for recruitment of young people called to missions for CanIL’s programmes in Vancouver and Toronto.
Ten training workshops scheduled: Burkina Faso
Association Nationale pour la Traduction de la Bible et l’Alphabétisation (ANTBA) has revitalised its Research and Training Department. They have sent two consultants-in-training to Israel, to provide the organisation with specialists trained in Hebrew. Over the past two years, the organisation has helped begin about 10 New Testament projects. They are training more consultants and translators as they anticipate the launch of additional projects. Ongoing training courses are also organised for all staff in their areas of expertise, to ensure quality service. Give thanks to the Lord for the funding of some of these training courses, including linguistics, language technology, anthropology, ethnomusicology, Scripture engagement and church relations. Pray for the 10 workshops scheduled from January to September.
Translation workshop for language cluster: Indonesia
The 11th OneStory Bible translation workshop for the Sadang Sapa cluster will take place 2-4 March. In the workshop, each language team will prepare 20 stories from the Bible which will then be checked by consultants. The Sadang Sapa cluster includes the Hatam, Sougb, Kokoda, Tehit and Mpur languages. Pray for the translators—that God will boost their commitment to Bible translation, protect their health, and give them the ability to reach their translation goals. Ask God to protect their families as well.
Online training for Deaf translators: Brazil
On 26 October 2023, DOOR International met with three organisations that work with sign language translation in Brazil to introduce a new online course DOOR has developed for training Deaf translators. A total of 34 people participated in the Zoom meeting, including Deaf translators and hearing facilitators. After the meeting, the three organisations expressed interest in using DOOR´s material, but the material will need to be translated from American Sign Language into Brazilian Sign Language. Pray for continued collaboration between DOOR and the Brazilian Bible translation organisations as they seek to improve training for sign language teams in Brazil.
Biblical Hebrew and increased training opportunities: Israel
Praise God for a new cohort of 12 students for Jerusalem Seminary‘s “Hebrew for the Nations” course of that started in January. Three students are already committed to serve in God’s Mission. Pray for God to call more native Hebrew-speaking Israeli believers to be trained to teach Biblical Hebrew to Bible translators and consultants online and internationally. Jerusalem Seminary also aims to launch a graduate school later this year that will include M.Div and M.A. degrees as well as further biblical Hebrew training. They seek to grow a strong Bible-based program that brings a Jesus (Yeshua)-centred Hebraic perspective to ministry and Bible translation. Ask God to bring the needed staff, partners and students. Pray for students and staff, especially during this time of war. Pray that Micah 4:2—”For instruction will proceed from Zion, the Lord’s message from Jerusalem”—will be realised for God’s glory among all nations.
Nek website development: Papua New Guinea
Pray for two Nek speakers who attended a workshop in Ukarumpa on 12-22 February to learn to set up a website for their language. Pray that this training will bear good fruit. The Nek translator is also translating the SALT (Scripture Application and Leadership Training) course posters, as one of the local Lutheran congregations has tentatively offered to host the course in June. Please pray that the congregation will make a firm decision on the matter soon.
Streams of Prayer is the prayer bulletin of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.
Valrie McCarthy
Language Development Officer
Wycliffe Caribbean
7A South Avenue
Kingston 5
JAMAICA, W. I.
876 754 9334, 908 2970, 582 6592
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