Tag Archives: Wycliffe Bible Translators

Northern Translation Brief 03Jun2014

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Our Dear Partners,

This Sunday, June 8, we are scheduled to travel to the “First Nations Bible Translation Capacity-Building Gathering“, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. This meeting will be attended by First Nations (Native) church leaders from Anglican, Catholic, Christian and Missionary Alliance, and Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, and Cree language speakers from several communities across the Prairie Provinces.

First Nations Capacity Building Map1aDuring this two-day meeting, we will represent Wycliffe Bible Translators along side the Canadian Bible Society, as we listen to the needs and concerns of these people-groups that still do not yet have adequate access to God’s Word in their own languages.

Two Naskapi women, Cheyenne and Marianne, have been invited and are planning to travel from Northern Quebec to share how having God’s Word in the Naskapi language has helped them to know God better. This is the community that we served in since 1988 helping them to translate the New Testament into their language.

Please pray for all the delegates as they travel on Sunday and Monday; for safety and protection. Pray that all participants would be sensitive to God’s presence and guidance during the meetings, and that His will for how we should proceed to meet the translation needs in this region of Canada’s north will be clear to us, including how the work that God has begun with the Naskapi can result in more people knowing God in the language of their hearts.

It was 26 years ago now that God gave us the privilege of beginning our time in the Naskapi language community in 1988.

Almost 7 years ago now, they dedicated their New Testament in Naskapi in 2007. Today, more Naskapi speakers than ever are reading and hearing God speak in their own language, and there are Old Testament books finished and more underway.

This month, they are reaching out to speakers of other Algonquian languages at the meeting in Prince Albert. Thank you for prayig that God will be at work in their hearts and ours as we follow Him in the work He has already begun.

Serving with you, Bill and Norma Jean

Northern Translation Brief 10May2014

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Our Dear Partners and Friends,

More Answered Prayer!

The Anglican Healing Fund (Anglican Church of Canada) has agreed to fund the Naskapi participation at the First Nations Bible Translation Capacity Building Gathering to be held this June in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

This means that the tickets that were purchased last week for Cheyenne and Marianne to come to the meeting have been fully paid for.

One purpose of this meeting is to hear from the First Nations language speakers who still do not have access to God’s Word in their language, so we can listen to their need and respond appropriately.

It is also an opportunity for the Naskapi to share how God’s Word in their language continues to help them, and how they might participate in showing their Cree brothers and sisters how they might do the same thing.

The gathering is scheduled for June 9 and 10 at the Anglican diocesan office in Prince Albert. Church leaders from Anglican, Catholic, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Pentecostal Assemblies and other denominations that serve First Nations people are invited to meet with the Bible Society and Wycliffe Bible Translators at this two-day gathering. We are expecting about 20 persons, lay-persons and clergy, First-Nations language speakers and linguistics resource persons to listen and share and plan for the future.

Our prayer is that God will continue to work out the details of this meeting in a way that all the other First Nations languages that still need His message in their mother tongues can begin to participate themselves for their communities as well, and that Norma Jean and I will see and respond to the opportunities we may have to work along side the Cree, Naskapi and Innu people in the languages that speak to their hearts.

Thank you for your prayers. God is hearing and answering!

We look forward to sharing more news of how God is at work in our lives and the lives of those we serve and will be serving in the months and years to come.

Love, Bill and Norma Jean