Streams of Prayer for 9 August 2025
The Streams of Prayer for August 9, 2025, is a circular from the Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
August 10, 2025 – August 16, 2025
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 collaborating with other organisations.
We will pray for those who are teaching, the students, and the organisations and institutions hosting 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. Pray too, that God will use these times of training to prepare them not only with more than technical skills, but also with spiritual and collaborative skills.
A teacher conducts a literacy course in the Central African Republic (2012). Photo: Zeke de Plessis
Translation and language work training programme: UK, Global
Please pray for students planning to study from September 2025 through February 2026 at the School of Language and Scripture, Moorlands College in the UK. Some still need visas. Others need to put childcare in place. Ask God to provide all that they need for their training, so that they can flourish serving in Bible translation and language and development work for years to come.
Promoting mission training and resources: France
While Wycliffe France itself does not organise training sessions, staff members do pass along information about training courses their partners offer, such as the missionary orientation course organised by Connect-Missions (of which Wycliffe France is a member). This course teaches basic principles useful for all missions in an intercultural context. Wycliffe France has also published a booklet to encourage churches to send missionaries and help them to know how to support them in their work. It’s based on a booklet published by Wycliffe UK. Pray that these initiatives will inspire church members and be effective tools to propel people into mission service.
Vital efforts for equipping staff: Cameroon
CABTAL has an ongoing investment in the academic growth of its staff. Training in linguistics, translation, management and language technology is helping staff members grow in competence while remaining active in their ministry roles. Thank God for the continuous training events taking place in the three regional training centres of CABTAL and in local communities. These include advanced Paratext workshops for multiple teams, a translation principles course for participants from several cluster projects, internships, consultant training, Scripture engagement workshops, and community leadership training. Thank God for these vital efforts, equipping people to faithfully assist in making available God’s transformative Word in the heart language of Cameroonians. Pray that the impact of these training sessions will be lasting and fruitful. Ask the Lord to open doors for more training opportunities to continue to strengthen those involved in Bible translation.
Online and in-person training: Argentina
Letra Argentina offers a basic linguistic training course both online and in person. The three-month online course began in August and finishes in November. A three-week, in-person course will be offered in January 2026. The Curso Fundamental provides training in phonetics, linguistics and second language acquisition. Pray for the students enrolled in the online course, that they will be able to retain what they learn and use it well in future translation or mission work. Ask God to bring the students he wants to attend the in-person course offered in January. Pray that he will guide the instructors and each student as they prepare. Ask God to prepare each student not only academically but also spiritually for the work he is preparing them to do among the people he wants them to serve.
Celebrating 40 years of training: Canada
The Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL) is celebrating 40 years of training students who serve in Bible translation. Praise God for hundreds of alumni who work in more than 40 countries. Praise him also for the funding raised through the Beyond Words Campaign to invest in essential building improvements and upgraded technology to better serve both in-person and remote students. CanIL has also expanded the Master of Arts degree in Translation of Scripture (MATS) to be available in French, and work has begun to also launch it in Spanish next year. This programme supports experienced mother-tongue translators around the world and qualifies them to serve as translation consultants.
- Pray for CanIL staff as they continue to innovate their training to respond to needs on the field, and for the students as they graduate and begin their assignments.
- Pray for continued success of the MATS programme as it expands to serve more field partners, and that it would continue to help meet the global need for translation consultants.
Equipping staff: Burkina Faso
As part of its mission and objectives, the Association Nationale pour la Traduction de la Bible et l’Alphabétisation (ANTBA) attaches great importance to the ongoing academic training of its staff. It supports them in their careers through ongoing training. Training of translation consultants and exegetes includes visits to Israel to acquire skills in biblical languages. Thanks to the good training received in written translation, translators are easily redeployed in oral translation programmes.
- Thank God for the people already involved in professional and academic training.
- Pray for the continuation of staff training sessions in areas such as exegesis, linguistics, computer science and anthropology.
- Pray that this training will enable ANTBA staff to have greater impact in communities through their expanded skills and expertise.
Hebrew and consultant training to serve Old Testament projects: Israel, Global
Whole Word Institute offers immersion Hebrew courses in Jerusalem, online and in partner locations. They also offer MA programmes that combine biblical Hebrew, translation consulting skills and a field internship. Specialisations can be added in Hebrew teaching, oral Bible translation or Deaf Bible translation. In 2024, over 128 students enrolled in Whole Word Institute programmes, representing work in 123 projects, as well as 86 languages still needing Old Testament translation. Studying in the land of the Bible deepens their understanding of biblical culture, places and traditions, which enhances their ability to translate with accuracy and depth. In a recent intensive Hebrew course by Whole Word Institute held in Benin for 17 West African translators, the student who had the highest score on the final exam was gifted with a Hebrew Bible. Nes, whose name means ‘miracle’ in Hebrew, had not been able to afford to buy a Hebrew Bible. He was delighted to receive this special gift. ‘God has given me this book,’ he said.
- Pray for students as they absorb biblical Hebrew and consultant training skills so they will be able to retain what they learn when they return to their countries.
- Pray for staff and teachers as they work hard to make this a helpful and positive experience for students.
Pray for Hebrew teachers who travel outside of Israel to teach in other locations.
Streams of Prayer is the prayer bulletin of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.
Copyright © 2025 Wycliffe Global Alliance, All rights reserved
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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