Diving In - the application process

I have officially started my application to work with Wycliffe Bible Translators. What does that mean, exactly? Well, it means that I will be a member for life. Yes, it is a career. And I will (if all goes according to plan) soon be an official Bible translator.

You might want to know how I decided on this as a career. So I will tell you.

It all started when I was about twelve years old. My Grandmother asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said, "Well, I don't know, but I like codes and foreign languages." Now, that was an odd thing for me to say for several reasons. First, I didn't know any foreign languages. I hadn't even had a Spanish class. But I knew I enjoyed learning about them when I could. Moreover, I had lots of other talents and hobbies that I enjoyed. Why I had chosen to tell her that at that moment of my life, I do not know.

She told me, "Well, you could be a translator." That sounded cool. I don't think I had considered it before, so I asked, "What would I translate?" She said, "Well you could translate for a travel agency." That sounded cool - the idea of showing people new things and communicating between travelers and locals. Then she said, "Or you could translate for the United Nations." That was a definite "no." My social studies class put me to sleep. I certainly didn't want to be in politics for the rest of my life. But then she said something that really hit me. "You could be a Bible translator."

What? I thought. There are people in the world who don't have a Bible in their own language!?

Yes. There are. An astounding amount, too.

*Of the 6,909 identified languages in the world, there are almost 2,100 languages without any part of Scripture. That is more than 340,000,000 people. That is 340 million people who cannot go home and read about the saving message of Jesus Christ because it is not in a language they understand.

There is a wonderful organization called Wycliffe Bible Translators who has been working very hard since 1942 to change that. They have a very interesting history, but so as not to bore you with details, you can read their story here if you so wish:
http://www.wycliffe.org/About/OurHistory.aspx



A lot of people will probably ask,
"Well have you been called to work with Wycliffe?"

I certainly believe so.
First, we are all called to share the love of Christ with the world.

Matthew 28:18-20 says, "¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” It wouldn't make sense to teach them in a language they don't understand. And he says "all nations."

Second, I have been given a gift - a strange and insatiable passion for language-learning. No one else I know gets a thrill out of a class in phonetics, or would spend their free time looking up Portuguese grammar rules online. I would be a failure at sports ministry or medical missions, but language, I can handle.

This is something I have been leaning towards (and gone back and forth a little about) for nearly nine years. I have been praying about it, and at this point, I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. I welcome any prayers you want to offer. Now especially for guidance through the application process, and direction as to where in the world I will serve. I felt it was important to inform you from the very beginning to what I am getting myself into. If you have any questions, please post them!

Que Dios les bendiga a todos,
God bless you all,

Diane

*Stats come from http://www.wycliffe.org/About/Statistics.aspx