As believers, each and everyday we are faced with situations which test our ability to discern right from wrong. Sometimes, these decisions rock our foundation of faith and seem to be blurry and gray. They leave us feeling uncertain, disoriented, and hopefully into a relentless search to find the Father's truth regardless of the mystery we immediately see. However, there are other times when right and wrong, good and bad, holy and evil are far more obvious to us. They are so clearly black and white, we can only see one answer and there can be no question.
In recent days, these are the situations we are facing in Bible translation. On the front lines, there have been events which have launched Bibles around the world at an unprecedented rate, and events which have proved heartrendingly tragic: good and evil.
In the very last days of February this year, five national translators ("MTTs" as we refer to them) were working diligently on several different translations in a very closed country in the Middle East. Our teammates carried in their possession endless talents and skills, as well as POD (print on demand) equipment provided to them. In the midst of their work and faithfulness, the week ended in tragedy. The first two national believers were shot down by militants during a raid on their translation office. In addition, two more native translators were bludgeoned to death as the fifth man laid buried beneath them in protection. The fifth man was spared, but four precious lives were lost that day for the sake of the Word.
These deaths are tragic without question. Their final moments bring no pleasure or lovely feeling to our souls. With these men, we lost three years worth of translation work, as well as the POD equipment. As we recount these men who loved and served God with their entire being until the very end, these faithful saints who died for the cost so that others may hear-- perhaps we walk away wondering, "Where is their justice? Did these men die for nothing?" Every believer who dies in the serving of the Lord brings eternal glory to the Most High.
Amidst a time of such tragedy during the later part of February, Wycliffe Associates released their translation application for computers and Android tablets called "Translation Studio." It is a self contained mobile application which carries the entire text of the Old and New Testament. Along with the scripture, the app also contains our Open Bible Stories to be used as "source text." The application has hundreds of languages already built into the software (which correspond to another app called "Translation Keyboard") to be used as "target text." Finally, "Translation Studio" bears four different resources to help translators: Commentary notes, Important terms, Comprehension questions, and a paraphrase we (Wycliffe Associates) created.
This is the very first easily accessible resource my team and I have been working on for the last few years. This is the place where these four lost lives in the Middle East and I converge. "Translation Studio" will accelerate the rate of Bible translation and communication by believers so that persecutions and deaths of national translators will not be in vain. If we can minimize breaks in communication and almost instantaneously assist those on the front lines, perhaps less lives will be lost and more hearts will be won.
This painful truth update broke my wife and I within this last month, just as I hope your heart breaks for the families recovering and the persecution of the saints continues. But our team's faithfulness and hope is unending, perhaps even in hotter pursuit of our mission. As you process the good and bad from these recent events, may I encourage you to keep this hope that pushes me in mind:
The more time we (my team and I at Wycliffe Associates) can spend on this side of the equation providing resources, the more time our brothers and sisters in volatile places do not have to risk their lives fulfilling "the mundane", but can participate solely in translating and by being of the utmost effect.For more information about the souls lost in the Middle East please read this Fox News article.
"Bible Charity vows to continue translation work after murders of four employees"
Thank for you praying and for supporting the ministry and I the way that you do. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. May we continue deep in our pursuit of the Lord, individually and as one global body of believers.
In the Lord,
Andrew J. Belcher
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