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Wycliffe Canada • Fall 2002
Honour Thy
Father
Pastor Chadwin Mak has always
urged Toronto’s Chinese Christians to
engage in cross-cultural ministry—
even his own daughter Janfer.
ALSO:
Looking to Distant Shores A Change of Direction
Reality Check
c o n t e n t s
Fall 2002 • Volume 20, Number 3
Connecting you to Bible translation
F
e
a
t
u
r
e
s
Articles by Doug Lockhart | Photographs by Dave Crough
(except as noted below)



Relationship building led Wycliffe’s Garland and Mavis Hoel to
encourage Edward and Diane Tong (above) to invest their lives in
Bible translation. (See related article, page 10.) Now also Wycliffe
Canada members, the Tongs believe God is calling them to help
train nationals in Central Africa. The Tongs possess a wealth of
skills. Diane worked at IBM for 16 years in various positions,
including personnel and project management. Edward has a
master’s degree from both Tyndale Seminary and the Canada
Institute of Linguistics.
d



Quoteworthy
“The Bible is the constitution of Christianity.”
—Dr. Billy Graham, Evangelist
Honour Thy Father
Pastor Chadwin Mak has always urged Toronto’s
Chinese Christians to engage in cross-cultural
ministry—even his own daughter Janfer.
Open Hearts, Open Doors
Toronto pastor Joe Kok applauds a growing
interest among Chinese churches to reach all
peoples with the gospel.
The Relationship Builders
Garland and Mavis Hoel lead a Wycliffe team
to mobilize Asian Christians and others in
multi-ethnic Toronto—one step at a time.
By Dwayne Janke
e
Focus
Cover story
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
An introduction to this issue
Word Watch
Eureka!
Bible translation news from around the world
The challenge and impact of translating God’s Word
Word Alive, which takes its name from Hebrews 4:12a, is the
official publication of Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada. Its mission
is to inform, inspire and involve the Christian public as partners in the
worldwide Bible translation movement.
Director of Communications: Marilyn Henne
Editors: Dwayne Janke, Dave Crough
Staff Writers: Janet Seever,
Doug Lockhart, Deborah Crough
Design: Laird Salkeld
2
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
s
Wycliffe Canada • Fall 2002
Cover
HonourThy
Father
Pastor Chadwin Mak has always
urged Toronto’s Chinese Christians to
engage in cross-cultural ministry—
even his own daughter Janfer.
ALSO:
Looking to Distant Shores A Change of Direction
Reality Check
Toronto pastor Chadwin Mak and daughter Janfer
represent a growing movement in Canadian
Chinese churches to reach out to other ethnic
groups around the world. Janfer is a Wycliffe
Canada member serving overseas.
Whose
Job Is It?
By
Dwayne
Janke
M
Marett Geroux was working on a music major
Photograph by Dave Crough
at a Bible college a year ago when Derryl
Friesen, a Wycliffe representative, presented a
seminar on Bible translation there. The student
Looking to
Distant Shores
f o c u s

Led by Pastor Paul Wang, a vibrant Burnaby
church partners with a Wycliffe missionary
headed for Asia.

Moved to be
Messengers

A Change of
Direction
Convinced of the need for Bible translation,
a dedicated B.C. couple is helping involve
more Chinese churches in the task.
Dr. Peter Wang’s dramatic career move
two decades ago symbolizes today’s shifting
perspective in Canada’s Chinese churches.
Note to readers: References are made in this magazine to “SIL”
(normally shortened from the full name “SIL International”). SIL is a
partner organization of Wycliffe, dedicated to training, language
research, translation and literacy.
Word Alive is published four times annually by Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada, 4316 10 St NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6K3. Publications
Mail Agreement No. 40062756. Printed in Canada. Copyright 2002 by
Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada. Permission to reprint articles and
other magazine contents may be obtained by written request to the
editor. A donation of $10 annually is suggested to cover the cost of
printing and mailing the magazine. (Use the reply form in this issue.)
Member: The Canadian Church Press, Evangelical Press Association
E-mail Word Alive editors at: [email protected]
E-mail address changes to: [email protected]
was bent on a musical career. Three days later, however,
she changed her degree to linguistics. Marett’s heart was
gripped by Derryl’s computer printout of the world’s
3,000 Bibleless people groups, which he left behind to
be stretched across the wall of the school’s cafeteria.
“I could continue playing the piano to entertain people,” she recently told Derryl. “But I decided that day I
wanted to do something significant with my life.”
The young woman is answering Christ’s Great
Commission to reach the world with God’s Word. It’s not
Wycliffe Bible Translators who must ultimately do the job,
but God’s people like Marett and those who will partner
with her.
Sometimes, as we apply the command of Matthew
28 to our contemporary setting, we can get confused
about Christ’s actual intended audience. Was His charge to
spread God’s Kingdom directed at mission organizations,
parachurch groups and large ministries?
No, Christ first gave these crucial instructions to His
followers. He was asking His body—the Church—to go
into all the world. That hasn’t changed in 2,000 years.
In this issue of Word Alive, we give you stories about
individuals, groups and churches getting a vision that they
are the answer to fulfilling the Great Commission. This
includes Bible translation and related tasks.
Even more interesting is that these people are Chinese
Christians in Canada. Awakening to their unique role in
global missions, these brothers and sisters are part of
the broad ethnic Church in our multi-cultural nation.
Whether you’re Chinese or not, you will likely identify
with many of the ways God has challenged their beliefs,
tested their hearts and guided their steps.
How appropriate: God’s people from all over the world,
in Canada, going into all the world, from Canada.
Wycliffe Canada Vision Statement:
By 2025, together with partners worldwide, we envision Bible translation in
progress for every language that needs it, thereby empowering all peoples to
use Scripture, establish churches and disciple believers.
Canadian Head Office:
4316 10 St NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6K3. Phone: (403) 250-5411 or toll free
1-800-463-1143, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. mountain time (Francophone: sans frais
1-877-201-1123). Fax: (403) 250-2623. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site:
www.wycliffe.ca.
To find the Wycliffe office nearest you, visit our Web site or call
1-800-463-1143.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
3
Honour
Thy
Father
Pastor Chadwin Mak has always urged
Toronto’s Chinese Christians to engage
in cross-cultural ministry—even his
own daughter Janfer.
by D oug L ockhart
P hotographs by DAVE CROUGH
“Following Jesus Without
Dishonouring Your Parents.” That was
the Sunday sermon title recently at
Milliken Gospel Church near Toronto.
It’s the kind of message you’d expect
in a church led by Pastor Chadwin
Mak. As Milliken’s senior pastor, Mak
encourages Chinese youth to honour
their parents as they follow God’s leading. At the same time, he challenges
parents to release their children into the
Father’s hands.
“In our Chinese Christian families,
we always put high expectations on our
children to be medical doctors, engineers, accountants—all kinds of higher
careers,” he says.
“I have had the same thoughts, but
I told my children, ‘When you pray for
your future, for your career . . . open
your heart. Ask God that if He calls you
to full-time ministry . . . you will be
willing to consider that option.’ ”
All three of Mak’s children got the
message. His youngest daughter Janfer
is a Wycliffe Canada member assigned
to language survey in North Eurasia.
Her two siblings and their families are
also involved in cross-cultural work
overseas.
Janfer, who graduated in 1998 from
Wycliffe’s training program at the
Canada Institute of Linguistics, now
serves in North Eurasia as part of a
research team helping to determine language-related needs, including translation. (See Word Alive, Spring 2000 for
related coverage.)
Pastor Mak and his youngest daughter Janfer
enjoy a lighter moment together at Milliken
Gospel Church in Markham, Ont. They both
exhibit mature Christian character that brings
honour to their heavenly Father and builds up
His Kingdom.
4
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
Early Training
me to use for your kingdom?’”
After graduating from Queen’s
University in 1994, Janfer studied
for two years at Ontario Theological
Seminary. During a summer break in
1995, she also participated in Wycliffe’s
short-term Discovery program, visiting
Papua New Guinea to learn more about
Bible translation.
In this, her father’s influence was
clearly evident.
“During their high school and university years, I always encouraged our
children to go on a short-term mission,”
says Pastor Mak.
Pastor Mak and his wife Freda taught
their children early to develop their
personal walk with God. To help them,
Mak devised a daily regimen that
included studying the Scriptures, taking
notes and asking plenty of questions
about what they were reading.
“Our family had regular family devotions with praying, reading the Bible
and singing . . . that started when
we were very young,” Janfer recalls. “I
didn’t always enjoy it at the beginning,
but now I look back and I see the
value of . . . ingraining that love for the
Scriptures.”
Mak also provided his children with
plenty of missionary biographies and
invited visiting missionaries home for
dinner. And, Janfer recalls, her dad
insisted that each of his kids attend the
Urbana missions conference in Illinois.
“I went to Urbana because Dad paid,”
quips Janfer. “He sent in my application
and he said, ‘You’re going.’ So I went.
“I didn’t want to go, but it really was
the first time I thought about missions
and realized I could be involved.”
At the 1990 Urbana event, a Wycliffe
member’s testimony stirred the 18-yearold student’s heart. Then, two years
later at a missions conference near
Vancouver, Janfer met Wycliffe’s Dr.
Peter Wang (see story, page 24). Wang
encouraged her to use her skills to further God’s kingdom.
“I was studying linguistics in university, so that’s when I started to pray,
‘God, is linguistics something you want
“God’s kingdom is
so great, so big,
so wide. We need
to rethink our
contribution. . . .”
– Pastor Chadwin Mak
Challenging the Church
Courtesy of Janfer Mak
Mak has been urging his kinsmen
to be involved in cross-cultural missions for much of his adult life. In his
native Hong Kong, he worked with
Western missionaries for many years
During the summer of 2001,
Janfer visits with local villagers
as part of her language research
work in North Eurasia.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
5
to distribute gospel literature. Moving
to Toronto in 1974, he became associate director of a ministry to students,
Ambassadors for Christ.
In 1987, Mak joined the Toronto
office of the Chinese Coordination
Centre of World Evangelization
(CCCOWE), a worldwide movement
that helps motivate Chinese churches
“
Ask God that if He calls you to
full-time ministry . . . you will be
willing to consider that option.”
– Pastor Chadwin Mak
to be involved in world evangelization.
“Pastor Mak is a humble man,” says
Toronto pastor and Wycliffe Canada
board member Joe Kok. “He is respected as one of the leaders of Chinese pastors in the Greater Toronto area, and
throughout Canada. He sets a good
example for me as a true servant leader.”
Since becoming senior pastor of
Milliken Gospel Church in 1996, Mak
has prayed that God will open the eyes
of Chinese parents to world need and
encourage their children to follow their
Father’s leading.
“I always tell them, ‘Don’t worry
about your children’s future. They have
a life purpose to follow the Lord, to live
for the Lord; He will take care of them.’
“If you honour God, God will honour you . . . that’s a biblical principle. If
you still have fear, then that means that
you don’t have faith in the Lord.”
Mak says that for many Chinese
Christian families, materialism often
stands in the way.
“Chinese parents are used to supplying so many material things for their
children. They give cars and all kinds
of things, but they don’t think of the
spiritual stuff.”
He believes a lack of missionary
vision has its roots in history.
“When foreign missionaries came to
China, they helped us to know the
Lord and form local churches. But they
didn’t help our people to realize we
have the opportunity, the responsibility
to respond to the Great Commission.
Courtesy of Janfer Mak
Living testimonies to the faithful
upbringing by their parents, Janfer (left,
holding niece Amy) and her brother
and sister enjoy a brief reunion during
Christmas, 2001. All three are involved
in overseas cross-cultural work.
6
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
“World evangelization, world missions—those are new terms to our
Chinese Church.”
Mak wants these terms to become
part of the Chinese Church’s everyday
vocabulary.
“The Chinese live in a small corner,”
Mak says. “We don’t know the kingdom.
God’s kingdom is so great, so big, and
so wide. We need to rethink our contribution. . . .
“So in my ministry, I’ve tried so
often to help myself, my family and
my church, and also the Chinese as a
whole . . . to open our hearts and our
eyes, to gain momentum to go into
world missions.”
From all appearances, the movement
to evangelize all nations is gaining
momentum among Canada’s Chinese
churches.
That can only bless the Father’s heart.
Atop Toronto’s CN Tower overlooking Lake
Ontario, Janfer (holding brochure) says goodbye
to newfound friend and Wycliffe colleague, Diane
Tong (see photos, pages 2 and 10). Meeting for
the first time earlier that day, the two quickly
connected—and so they should. They are on
the forefront of Chinese Christian churches in
Toronto sending out their own to work among
minority language groups overseas.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
7
Open Hearts,
Toronto pastor Joe Kok applauds
a growing interest among Chinese
churches to reach all peoples with
the gospel.
J
Joe Kok believes God is challenging and broadening the traditional view held by many Chinese Canadian believers—that
China or the Chinese themselves should be the sole targets of
missionary outreach.
“The focus is beginning to change,” says Kok, who serves
on Wycliffe Canada’s board of directors. “It’s no longer just
China, but all the world. Secondly, it’s shifting from reaching
ethnic Chinese, to reaching all peoples.
“I’m not saying we’re there yet, but we’re opening up,”
explains the senior pastor of Zion Alliance Church in
Markham, Ont.
Kok says this new outlook has been influenced in part
by the leaders behind a missions movement known as
the Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelization
(CCCOWE), based in Hong Kong. The movement draws
together Chinese leaders from around the world, through
conferences and consultations.
The organization aims to instil vision for world evangelization and strengthen local churches.
“These global leaders . . . have a big heart for the world,”
says Kok. “They are talking about going into all the world.”
Kok, who first left Hong Kong in 1973 to study at the
University of Waterloo, also credits a new generation of
Chinese missionaries.
“They are the people who really influence by sharing their
call and ministry with the Chinese churches,” he says. “They
are involved in cross-cultural missions and some of them are
involved in Bible translation.”
Business as usual—checking dates on their electronic
calendars during a lunch meeting, Joe Kok and Garland
Hoel, Wycliffe’s eastern regional director, arrange a
future meeting in Canada’s largest city. With a population of almost five million, the Greater Toronto area is
home to a major concentration of the country’s Chinese
churches. Their involvement is crucial to finishing Bible
translation worldwide for at least 250 million people.
8
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
BY DOUG LOCKHART
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE CROUGH
A Life-changing Invitation
Kok’s involvement in Bible translation began shortly after he
returned to Hong Kong in 1986 to join the pastoral staff of
his home church, North Point Alliance. Shortly after arriving,
he was introduced to a leader from SIL, Wycliffe’s partner
organization, who asked him to help inform Hong Kong’s
churches about the need for Bible translation.
For the next eight years, Kok helped introduce Wycliffe to
local pastors and other church leaders. Initially, the SIL leader,
Kok and a small team of volunteers began by mailing out
copies of Wycliffe’s U.S. magazine, In Other Words.
“I licked a lot of stamps,” Kok says with a chuckle. “We held
meetings but we didn’t know much [about Wycliffe]. After
about two years, somebody came to us and said, ‘I want to be
involved in Bible translation and join Wycliffe.’ We just about
fell off our chairs.”
“We were hardly ready, but God had clearly been working.”
Although Kok and other volunteers struggled to get organized, eventually they established the Wycliffe Hong Kong
office with help from other Wycliffe organizations in Asia and
the Pacific. They also received training in church relations.
As well, Kok participated in SIL’s Asia Area meetings, where
he interacted with colleagues and expanded his knowledge of
both SIL and Wycliffe.
Kok was serving as chairman of the Wycliffe Hong Kong
Council in 1994 when family circumstances led him and his
wife Prisca to return to Canada with their two daughters.
Settling in Markham, he became Zion’s senior pastor in
1995. Kok joined Wycliffe Canada’s board of directors in 1996.
Whenever possible, he works with people like Garland Hoel,
director of Wycliffe’s eastern regional office (see story, page
10) and Wycliffe Hong Kong director Wayne Leung, to help
build relationships with other Chinese church leaders around
the country.
“One reason I’m committed to the board,” Kok says, “is
that it gives me an opportunity to keep on nudging, keep on
encouraging [Wycliffe] to build these relations.”
“God is already calling
Canada’s Chinese Christians
to Bible translation.”
– Pastor Joe Kok
As Wycliffe looks to the future, Chinese churches figure
prominently in its vision to accelerate the pace of Bible translation. Through the Asian Diaspora Initiative, Wycliffe leaders
are seeking ways to involve at least 2,000 more Asian believers
during this first decade of the new millennium.
As part of the Asian Diaspora leadership team, Leung works
to help mobilize Chinese believers in Asia and in Western
countries.
While Kok supports this strategic initiative, he also believes
Wycliffe faces some huge challenges in implementing the
vision.
“I’d like to see more resources made available for this
initiative. The opportunities are there . . . but we also need
to use different approaches when communicating with ethnic
groups.”
At a recent board meeting at Wycliffe Canada’s Calgary headquarters,
Kok (at right, arms folded) helps shape vision for Wycliffe’s future ministry.
The former Wycliffe Hong Kong council chairman brings to the table
both an Asian perspective and a gentle, caring heart for the people
with whom he works. Kok says his role as a board member gives
him opportunities to encourage Wycliffe Canada to involve more Asian
Canadians in Bible translation.
Building Bridges
Those different approaches include communicating in
Chinese, using both printed materials and videos (see our
Web site at www.wycliffe.ca/videos). But Kok believes the best
way to involve more Chinese believers is through building
relationships.
“We can talk about strategy but we must have people who
are committed to building bridges to the churches and potential candidates over a long period of time. Then we will see
a lot of fruit.”
So far, Chinese Canadians account for less than three per
cent of Wycliffe Canada’s 450 members serving around the
world. While Kok would be thrilled to see that percentage
grow, he sees another priority.
“My prayer is for the Chinese Church to slow down. We’re
very activity-oriented,” he says. “We need to slow down and
feel the pulse of the Father, so that we will know His desire for
the world and for us.
“God is already calling Canada’s Chinese Christians to Bible
translation, but they need prayer and encouragement.”
Joe Kok is helping build bridges between Chinese churches
and the Bible translation movement and he speaks to both
from a shepherd’s heart.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
9
The
Relationship
Builders
I
Garland and Mavis
Hoel lead a Wycliffe
team to mobilize Asian Christians and others
in multi-ethnic Toronto—one step at a time.
If Garland and Mavis Hoel are known
for anything, it is the huge effort
they put into building long-term personal relationships. The couple is gifted
at formally and informally networking
with God’s people here at home to
further Bible translation worldwide—
something they began doing as Wycliffe
representatives in Edmonton in the
early ’90s.
Experience has taught the Hoels that
these days people can’t be rushed into
joining the Bible translation movement.
10
B y D wayne J anke
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
DAVE CROUGH
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
“People want to get to know you;
they’re going to check you out. They
dance around the perimeter for years,”
explains Garland, currently Wycliffe’s
eastern regional director. “I can think of
a couple that went to the field in 1999.
We started relating to them when they
were students in 1991.”
This personal and patient
approach—showing God’s people one
step at a time how He may be leading
them to involvement in Bible translation—has proven especially helpful to
the Hoels in their current assignment.
They serve at Wycliffe Canada’s eastern
regional office in multiethnic Toronto,
where thousands of Asian Christians
put more stock in relationships than in
“10 easy steps and here we go.”
In working with the Chinese
Christian community there, for example, the Hoels came to realize that
young people are faced with their parents’ expectations: get a good education, find a well-paying job and look
after them in their old age. Joining
a missionary organization like Wycliffe
just doesn’t seem to fit their cultural
perspective.
“So it can be a long process,” says
Garland. “I admire these young people
that God is calling from the Chinese
community, for the way they show
respect to their parents, and the way
that they trust the Lord to help
their parents understand. Sometimes it
means that they have to hold back a
number of years before they actually get
going.”
But gradually, God is working—
through the Hoels, the seven office staff
in Etobicoke, and several others in campus ministry—to encourage Chinese
Christians into Bible translation.
“Six years ago, we didn’t have any
Asian members from Eastern Canada,”
recalls Garland. “Now we have 14 who
are actually members or are in the
application process. So that’s a start.”
Toronto is home to some 120
Chinese churches, 130 Korean congregations, 50 Filipino churches and many
The World
in One City
In a recent issue on Canadian’s
multicultural diversity, Canadian
Geographic magazine called Toronto
“the world in one city.” Statistics lend
support to it being arguably the most
multicultural city on earth.
• 50% of the city’s population is
foreign born.
• Torontonians come from 169 countries
and speak more than 100 languages
(Chinese [Cantonese] leads all foreign
languages).
• Toronto has one-quarter of the nation’s
immigrants.
• Toronto’s visible minority population
is greater than all of the residents
in any Atlantic province, Saskatchewan
or Manitoba.
Source: Canadian Geographic magazine
(Left) At a Toronto area restaurant, Garland
and Mavis Hoel reminisce with friends Edward
and Diane Tong. God has used their relationship, which began about seven years ago, to
encourage the Tongs to invest their lives in
Bible translation. They look forward to their
overseas assignment in Central Africa.
“We have to have some people who are
willing to go cross-culturally,” says Edward.
other South Asian Christian groups.
The Hoels are excited about the potential to mobilize many more non-Caucasians. In fact, they see multiethnic,
multiracial involvement as a key part of
God’s vision to reach the world.
“We believe that just as the gospel is
for everyone from every tribe and nation
and people and language, so the task
of Bible translation needs to be shared
by those who have been redeemed from
every tribe and nation and people and
language,” explains Garland. “I guess
that’s one of the things that keeps us
here in Toronto. We have many representatives here from so many of those
backgrounds.”
The Hoels yearn to spend more time
hosting Asian believers in their home,
meeting them in restaurants, joining
them in their churches and getting
acquainted with their pastors.
“That’s really where the productivity
comes from,” explains Garland. “The
frustration is that we have very few
labourers, especially from those ethnic
communities who can represent
Wycliffe in their own communities.”
As Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos and
Indians are mobilized and do field
work, however, they will be available to
return to Canada at times to reach their
own people with the Bible translation
challenge. In the meantime, the Hoels
are also training and orienting Asians in
It will take more than mirrors to multiply
Wycliffe’s small contingent of staff and volunteers at the eastern regional office. Together,
they work hard to keep up with the growing
requests for information and face-to-face contact from inquirers in Toronto’s Christian community. Hoel prays for more co-workers to
enable the team to address the overwhelming
opportunities and to handle an ever-growing
workload.
Toronto to work as lay representatives
for Wycliffe.
“We’re a little frustrated sometimes,
but we see God moving,” says Garland.
“We believe there’s great potential here,
and we’re starting to see results.”
Help Wanted
Wycliffe Canada’s eastern regional
office operates out of a 2,200-sq.-ft.
office in Etobicoke, Ont. Seven people
there handle a variety of activities. They
oversee or do Wycliffe representation in
Eastern Canada, promote the need for
Bible translation, handle inquiries and
applications, distribute media, and relate
to Wycliffe workers returning from the
field. More staff is needed to serve in this
crucial part of Canada.
For more information, contact the office:
#4, 14 Steinway Blvd.
Etobicoke, ON M9W 6M6
Phone: (416) 675-6473
E-mail: [email protected]
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
11
Looking to Dist
Led by Pastor Paul Wang, a vibrant
Burnaby church partners with a
Wycliffe missionary headed for Asia.
L
Last January, Pastor Paul Wang and other leaders at the
Evangelical Chinese Bible Church (ECBC) in Burnaby, B.C.,
gathered around one of their own to commission him for
missionary service in Asia. Although the church has sent out
many young people on short-term missions, this particular
ceremony was notable because Oliver “O.J.” Gamache
is neither Chinese, nor a long-time member of the church. Furthermore, ECBC has pledged to provide 50 per cent of
Gamache’s required financial support on the field—a percentage any missionary would consider more than generous.
This unique relationship began about two years ago, when
leaders at ECBC felt led by God to support Bible translation
as part of their missions program. To that end, they contacted
the Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL), Wycliffe’s
training program in Langley, B.C.
“We were particularly looking to support a Bible
translation project in Asia,” recalls Paul Wang, ECBC’s senior
12
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
pastor, “simply because Asia is close to our hearts. When we
met with [CanIL Director] Mike Walrod (see page 20), he
highly recommended O.J. to us.”
At the time, Gamache was completing a master’s degree in
linguistics and exegesis, and preparing for a language assignment in Southeast Asia. Later, he was introduced to Pastor
Wang and other church leaders.
“I was very, very impressed with his solid commitment to
the Lord,” says Wang. “He knew at that time what the Lord
wanted him to do. After that first meeting, we said, ‘Thank
you Lord for [leading us to] O.J.’ ”
tant
Shores
B y D oug L ockhart
Dave Crough
Building Relationships
After identifying Gamache as a potential missionary partner,
ECBC created a flexible internship program for him that
included teaching a Sunday School class, sharing his testimony and joining the young adults’ fellowship. Meanwhile,
he even managed to stay connected with his home fellowship
(the Evangelical Free Church in Fort Langley, B.C.), prepare
for his move overseas and teach a grammar course at CanIL.
“The internship helped us—the whole church—to get to
know him,” says Wang. “I believe that before we send a
With a missionary vision already established in his church, Pastor Paul
Wang is thinking beyond the present. “As we consider our vision for
the next 10 years,” he says, “we want to help advance the cause of
frontier missions. Where there is no gospel, no Bible—our hearts go out
to these areas.”
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
13
(Below) Who’s next? These young friends of Gamache’s from Evangelical
Chinese Bible Church (ECBC) in Burnaby, B.C., could represent the congregation’s future missionary force in long-term, overseas service to those
without God’s Word in their heart language.
© www.craigpulsifer.com (both)
missionary out, we need to know who he is and he needs to
know us.
“We don’t want him to be just another name. When we
pray for him, we want to pray for someone who is close to
our heart.”
As for Gamache, he says the people of ECBC received him
with open arms.
“They were very welcoming and supportive and generous,”
says the 27-year-old Wycliffe Canada member, from Quadra
Island, B.C. “Every time I attended ECBC, I was warmly
greeted and I felt like part of the family.”
The church commissioned Gamache during a Sunday service this past Jan. 20. Since then, Gamache has completed a
field orientation course in the Philippines and is now beginning national language study in Thailand.
In the future he will study the language of a Bibleless people
group in Southeast Asia and eventually help them translate
the Scriptures into their language.
Much has happened in Gamache’s life since the January
commissioning service at ECBC, an event that Pastor Wang
says sent a significant message to his congregation.
“It was a visible and powerful picture for our church,
including our young people. It says we are serious about
frontier missions.
“The church is excited because . . . someday, we will be part
of putting in the hands of these [unreached peoples] a copy
of the Word of God.”
Wang is hopeful that Gamache’s obedience to the Lord will
inspire others at ECBC to get involved in long-term, overseas
missionary service.
“We will not stop with O.J.,” he says. “This has just whetted
our appetite for more.”
(Right) Pastoral staff and elders at ECBC pray over Gamache at his
commissioning service on January 20, 2002. Pastor Wang emphasizes the
importance of the church’s personal relationship to Gamache. “We don’t
want him to be just another name. When we pray for him, we want to
pray for someone who is close to our heart.”
A Heart for the Nations
As an intern at Burnaby’s Evangelical
Chinese Bible Church (ECBC), Wycliffe’s O.J.
Gamache soon discovered that God had
linked him up with a church solidly committed to advancing the gospel, in its own
neighbourhood and around the world.
Founded by former senior pastor John Sun
in 1972, ECBC has since grown to include
three branch churches in nearby Coquitlam,
Richmond and Surrey, with a combined
attendance of about 1,600 people.
Since the early ‘90s, the church has
been reaching out to the growing influx of
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| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
Mandarin-speaking immigrants and visiting
seamen from Mainland China.
“We have seen such a tremendous [spiritual] hunger among the seamen,” says
Senior Pastor Paul Wang. “Last year alone,
the Harbour Ministry team saw more than
330 decisions for Christ. Since the ministry
began about four years ago, team members
have shared the gospel with almost 3,000
Chinese sailors, about a third of whom have
prayed to receive Christ.
But even as the people of ECBC reach
out to those around them, they are mindful
of the many nations still unreached by the
gospel.
“As we consider our vision for the next
10 years,” says Wang, “we want to help
advance the cause of frontier missions.
Where there is no gospel, no Bible—our
hearts go out to these areas.
“The Scriptures talk about people on distant shores worshipping the Lord, so [frontier missions] is an important goal. We want
to venture out with other organizations that
are also doing frontier missions . . . and
Wycliffe is one of them.”
Convinced of the need for Bible
translation, this dedicated B.C.
couple is helping involve more
Chinese churches in the task.
Moved to be
BY DOUG LOCKHART | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE CROUGH
16
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
S
Sharon Leung used to think that missions began—and ended—in her own
back yard. Whenever she heard missionaries or pastors speak about reaching out to other nations, she told herself there were plenty of needy Chinese
people all around her in Burnaby, B.C.
“I really wasn’t into overseas missions at all,” she says. “I thought it was a
waste of money, time and effort to send
people abroad.”
But Sharon’s attitude began to change
two years ago, after she and her husband
Jolland attended a missions banquet at
a Vancouver restaurant. There, a visiting
Wycliffe missionary spoke about his 16
years of ministry among an unreached
people group in South Asia, helping
translate the New Testament.
“As he shared about his work, I was
really moved and touched by the Lord,”
Sharon recalls. “I realized that I was
privileged, because from the first day I
came into contact with Christianity, I
had access to a Bible that spoke to me
in my mother tongue.
“I had never realized that there are
so many people out there who are still
without a Bible in their language.”
The Bible had little meaning to
Sharon until she became a Christian
more than 20 years ago. Born in Hong
Kong, she moved to Toronto in 1973
and married Jolland, a fellow Hong
Kong immigrant who had become
a Christian through the ministry of
Sharon and Jolland Leung recognize the
importance of networking. They see their role
of connecting God’s people in Vancouver with
God’s heart for Bibleless peoples worldwide
as not only urgent, but strategic.
Messengers
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
17
Pastor Sam Chan (holding Bible) greets
members of his congregation. With his church
located in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown
district, Chan and many other Chinese pastors
minister to increasing numbers of Mandarin
speakers. Like the Leungs, Pastor Chan also
demonstrates a growing passion for Bible
translation and cross-cultural missions.
Billy Graham. The couple moved to
Vancouver six years later.
Although Sharon hadn’t yet received
Christ, she agreed to attend church with
Jolland so they could make new friends.
They began attending one of the city’s
oldest Chinese churches, Vancouver
Christ Church of China (VCCC), which
celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2001.
“
We felt we needed a new
missions focus . . . to adopt people
groups that don’t have the Bible
in their own languages.”
–Pastor Sam Chan
Eventually, Sharon saw her need for
Christ and was baptized in 1981.
The couple later began attending a sister church in nearby Coquitlam, and
now attend another sister church in
Burnaby.
A Church at the Crossroads
Pastor Sam Chan, senior pastor of
VCCC, supports the Leungs’ growing
passion for Bible translation and crosscultural missions. Prior to joining the
pastoral staff in 1988, Chan and his wife
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| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
served as missionaries in Europe.
“For many years, our church has
been supporting missionaries [to the
Chinese] and sending people out,” says
Chan. “But last year, our mission program seemed to come to a crossroads.
The Lord led us to believe that the
last hurdle to the gospel . . . is the
unreached people groups.
“We felt that we needed a new missions focus, and that is to adopt people
groups that don’t have the Bible in their
own languages.”
At the time, Sharon was a member
of the missions committee at Burnaby
Christ Church of China.
“The Lord really inspired us about
the direction we should move,” she says.
“The missions committee had been
operating for about 14 years, but all
that time we had been focused on
the Chinese people. We had never
been involved in any cross-cultural missions.”
While VCCC and the Coquitlam
church are now researching unreached
peoples and seeking God’s direction,
the Burnaby Christ Church of China
has already set their sights on a specific
people group. Part of the church’s
annual missions budget has been earmarked to support a Wycliffe literacy
project in South Asia—led by a graduate of Wycliffe Canada’s training
program, the Canada Institute of
Linguistics (CanIL) in Langley, B.C.
A New Vision
The missions banquet that impacted
the Leungs was organized by Vancouver
lawyer Bill Lim, who chairs CanIL’s
board of directors.
“Sharon and Jolland were very much
touched by what they heard at the
meeting,” Lim recalls. “They brought
the news back to their group of churches
and started to get involved, get excited
about [partnership with] Wycliffe. And
because of the wonderful work that
Practising law is Bill Lim’s day job. He’s been
doing it for 24 years in B.C. As immediate pastpresident of the Vancouver Chinese Christian
Business and Professional Association, Lim
knows how to live and act out his faith among
the Chinese business community. But it’s his 27
years of service as the official translator for
his pastors (Mandarin into English) that have
given him a strong affinity for Bible translation
and have led to his subsequent involvement
with Wycliffe. Lim is chairman of the board of
directors for CanIL, where Wycliffe offers its
training program.
Sharon and Jolland did, I invited both
of them to serve on the CanIL board.”
From that platform, the Leungs
eagerly share both the need for Bible
translation worldwide and the many
ways Chinese churches can participate,
through prayer, personal involvement
and financial giving.
“This was a new vision for us,” adds
Jolland. “We saw that there are two
directions for outreach. One is to do
evangelism among the people around
you, and that is what our church has
been doing.
“But now we are realizing there are
also ‘unreached peoples,’ and without
external help, they will never hear the
gospel.”
At a busy intersection in Burnaby, B.C., a core group of staff and
others involved with the Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL)
wait for the traffic lights. CanIL, where Wycliffe offers its training
program (see next page), is also waiting for a green light to fully
proceed with construction of its new facilities.
To speed this along, it’s important to raise awareness of just
how crucial good training is to prepare translators, consultants
and literacy workers to serve indigenous people groups. On this
night, Marlene Evangelista, CanIL director for public relations (far
left), and Bill Lim, chairman of the CanIL board (centre left), helped
coordinate a monolingual demonstration by CanIL representatives
at a missions awareness meeting. Dr. Mike Walrod (centre), CanIL’s
director, used his linguistic skills to quickly begin learning an
unfamiliar language (Mongolian) through basic interaction with
Oyuka Sambalhundev (far right), a linguistics student and Wycliffe
member from Mongolia.
(Below) Serving comes naturally to Jolland
Leung, here acting as the table host at a dinner
gathering in Burnaby. It’s often the case for the
Leungs that sharing a meal is a message—a
message of friendship and deepening relationship
with those newly interested and also those
already involved in missions.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
19
At a busy intersection in Burnaby, B.C., a core group of
staff and others involved with the Canada Institute of
Linguistics (CanIL) wait for the traffic lights. CanIL, where
Wycliffe offers its training program (see next page), is
also waiting for a green light to fully proceed with
construction of its new facilities.
To speed this along, it’s important to raise awareness
of just how crucial good training is to prepare translators,
consultants and literacy workers to serve indigenous people
groups. On this night, Marlene Evangelista, CanIL director
for public relations (far left), and Bill Lim, chairman of the
CanIL board (centre left), helped coordinate a monolingual
demonstration by CanIL representatives at a missions awareness meeting. Dr. Mike Walrod (centre), CanIL’s director, used
his linguistic skills to quickly begin learning an unfamiliar
language (Mongolian) through basic interaction with Oyuka
Sambalhundev (far right), a linguistics student and Wycliffe
member from Mongolia.
A Crucial Need
Close By
The Leungs are especially motivated to talk about
an urgent need nearby—a new building for CanIL,
which offers Wycliffe’s training program.
The institute’s current facility on the campus of
Trinity Western University (TWU) in nearby Langley,
B.C., serves about 100 students per semester, in a
cramped and rundown building that’s ill-equipped
to meet the growing interest in linguistics among
TWU’s students.
Motivated by the 3,000 remaining language
groups globally that still need Bible translation,
CanIL’s board of directors approved a building program two years ago called Beyond Price. Its goal
is to construct a new $4-million facility on TWU’s
campus as soon as possible. (For more details, visit
CanIL’s Web site at www.canil.ca/beyondprice or call
604-513-2129.) Whenever they get the chance, the
Leungs visit Chinese churches and challenge them to
be involved in training young people.
“It’s the Church’s responsibility to carry out the
Lord’s Great Commission,” says Sharon, “but organizations like CanIL are actually helping the Church to
do the work.”
With help from Chinese churches and others,
pledges toward CanIL’s planned facility reached
the million-dollar milestone this past February. The
Leungs are hopeful that many more Chinese churches
will participate, and help equip a new generation of
young people to further translation of God’s Word.
“It’s really up to us to challenge them because
we’re Chinese,” adds Sharon. “We have the resources, and we have the people. The Lord is touching the
hearts of other people too, not just Jolland and me.
“What we do is just sowing and watering, and
it’s up to the Lord to make the seeds grow.
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| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
(Opposite, upper left) Interacting with an inquirer,
Jolland Leung paints a mental picture of CanIL’s
need for new and expanded facilities. The picture
he paints is a working reality (above) for CanIL
staff such as Dr. Keith Snider (centre, at desk),
a professor of linguistics. Snider, in discussion
with one of his students and teaching assistants,
shares his “office” space with another faculty
member on alternating days.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
23
BY DOUG LOCKHART
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE CROUGH
I
In 1978, Peter Wang left his parent’s Vancouver home to study
at the University of Alberta (U of A) in Edmonton. Like many
Chinese young people, he understood the weight of cultural
expectations as he started down the path that would lead,
ideally, to a successful career in medicine. Blessed with a
keen mind, he relished the challenge, applying himself to his
studies with the same enthusiasm that marked his growing
Christian faith.
On campus, Wang soon linked up with other Christians to
study the Scriptures and pray together. Sensing that God was
calling him to missionary service, he gave himself gladly to
leading Bible studies and encouraging his fellow believers to
prepare themselves for future ministry.
“During my second year at university,” Wang recalls with
a smile, “there was a big missions conference at Urbana
(Illinois). I told the other Bible study group members they
needed to go there to find out if God wanted them involved
in missions.”
His friends did go to the high-profile missions event and
God did speak to them—but the message was for Wang.
“They talked about it among themselves on the trip, and
they decided that God was calling me to Bible translation.
“I took it seriously . . . and God helped me grapple with
that [call].”
Sensing God’s Leading
Wang sensed that the Lord was behind his friends’ challenge.
From his youth, he had been the one called on to interpret
the pastors’ sermons from Cantonese into English or vice
versa. In Sunday School and among his Christian friends at
university, he had also demonstrated a gift for teaching from
the Scriptures.
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| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
Dr. Peter Wang’s dramatic career
move two decades ago symbolizes
today’s shifting perspective in
Canada’s Chinese churches.
Even before Wang graduated from the U of A in 1982, he
knew what he had to do. Like another man named Peter who
laid down his fishing nets to follow Jesus, Wang decided to
put Bible translation first and use his medical skills whenever
possible to further that ministry.
In 1983 he married Bernice, whom he had met at the
Vancouver Chinese Alliance Church (VCAC) as a teenager,
and after completing his family practice residency and working briefly, they joined Wycliffe Canada.
Since then, God has led the Wangs into avenues of ministry
they never imagined. In many ways their lives reflect a similar
change of course that’s evident in many Chinese churches
across the country. Where previously, Chinese churches have
focused on reaching other Chinese with the gospel, many are
now beginning to reach out to other nations as well.
Furthermore, many of these churches are recognizing that
they can play a significant role in completing the work of
Bible translation.
First Steps
The Wangs were the first Chinese Canadians to join Wycliffe.
Their commitment took them from Vancouver to Dallas, Tex.,
in 1985 for linguistics and translation studies at SIL’s international headquarters, then on to Mexico for field training.
In 1987, backed by prayer and financial partners from
VCAC and other churches, the couple and their infant daughter Tiffany Rose settled in a remote area of Mindanao, in the
southern Philippines. There they joined SIL staff members
Dick and Betty Elkins to help translate the Scriptures and
promote literacy among the Matigsalug people.
Travelling to speak at a missions conference in Vancouver, Dr. Peter Wang,
seen here beneath Lions Gate Bridge, relishes the chance to visit his
Canadian home. Wang and his family now live in Orlando, Florida, where
he directs strategic planning and information technology initiatives for
Wycliffe U.S.A. These initiatives, carried out with partners both within and
beyond the worldwide network of Wycliffe organizations, significantly
influence how the Bible translation movement adapts to new challenges.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
25
Wang poses with a Matigsalug chieftain and
his wife at Sinuda village, Mindanao, southern
Philippines in 1988. Although having to leave
their work with the Matigsalug people was
an unexpected development, the Wangs are
encouraged that through the ongoing effort of
other colleagues from other missions and from
Wycliffe, dozens of small churches have been
started. The people are eager to learn to read
the newly translated Scripture portions.
Because the Matigsalug lived in rustic conditions, Wang
could have easily spent much of his time treating people with
tropical diseases or other maladies. But he and Bernice were
determined to focus on Bible translation and teaching people
how to read the translated Scriptures.
While Wang was occasionally tempted to use his Westernstyle medical training to help the villagers, it didn’t happen.
“It seemed like God prevented us from doing that,” he
recalls. “The people were animists, and I think the Lord wanted
us to demonstrate the power of prayer so they would see He
cared about them more than the spirits they worshipped did,
and was willing to answer their prayers without the need for
animal sacrifices or medicines from a shaman.”
Courtesy of Peter Wang
Bernice Wang (far right) holds son Timothy
outside a local church in Mindanao in 1989.
All the Wang’s care and medical background
did not prevent malaria-infected mosquitoes
from biting Timothy. Born with an enzyme
deficiency, he could not take common antimalarial drugs containing sulphur. The Wangs
made the difficult decision to leave the area
to which God had surely led them—one not
made by simply referring to a missionary
training manual. But God made no mistake in
first placing them there and preparing them
for enriched future ministry.
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| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
Ironically, God used a medical problem in their own family
to prepare the Wangs for a new direction in ministry. In 1988,
their son Timothy was born with an enzyme deficiency, which
they did not discover for 10 months. Only then did they
learn that the anti-malarial medication they had been giving
to both children could have been fatal to Timothy if it had
contained sulphur. Providentially, they had been giving them
the only one that didn’t contain the ingredient.
Today, the Wangs believe God delayed the occurrence and
discovery of Timothy’s disease to give them some critical field
experience and the Matigsalug people the chance to receive
His Word. The Lord also used these circumstances to redirect
the Wangs into another area of ministry.
Dean Schauer
Courtesy of Peter Wang
“Wherever God is
working, we’re
going to ask
Him, ‘How do
you want us to
get involved?’”
The doctor is in: Wang discusses challenging information technology issues
with other key Wycliffe U.S.A. staff.
Wang helps to diagnose systemic
organizational problems and works
with others to prescribe strategies to
overcome them in order to accelerate
Bible translation.
From Software to Strategy
In 1991, the Wangs took up new assignments in Dallas. There,
Peter immersed himself in developing computer software to
aid in Bible translation. The same year, Bernice gave birth to
the couple’s second son, Trevor.
While in Dallas, Peter also completed studies at the
University of Texas at Arlington, earning an M.A. in
Linguistics in 1992.
Since joining Wycliffe, Wang’s role has changed significantly.
Where initially he applied himself to hands-on translation of
the Scripture, today he serves at Wycliffe’s U.S. headquarters
in Orlando, Fla., as vice president for strategic planning. He
also serves the American organization as a liaison to Wycliffe
International, helping evaluate the “big picture” of translation
efforts worldwide to better coordinate the deployment of
—Dr. Peter Wang
To maintain relationships, Wang
(right) catches up with Pastors Paul
Choy (left) and Matthew Wong
from the Vancouver Chinese Alliance
Church. The result of this bonding
is evident. “Every time Peter visits,
he inspires us to love God’s Word,”
notes Pastor Wong. “It’s also a blessing . . . taking part in sending the
Word to people who still do not
have their own Bible.”
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
27
prayer, personnel and financial resources. While it’s a ministry filled with complex challenges, sometimes it’s as basic as helping Wycliffe missionaries find ways to
work together more effectively. In some respects, he says, his
role isn’t all that different from practising medicine.
“You could say I help diagnose the systemic problems . . .
and determine the prescriptions needed to build stronger,
healthier ministries.”
Wang’s pastors at VCAC recognize the unique gifts he
brings to his leadership role in Wycliffe and how God is using
those gifts to further Bible translation.
“We applaud that,” says Pastor Matthew Wong. “Even
though we don’t always know what Peter does every day, we
recognize that he has leadership qualities, that God has given
him the ability to pull things together. He can plan, he can
think, he can do things well in God’s work.”
At VCAC, it’s clear the Wangs are considered part of the
family. “Peter has been a blessing to us,” adds Wong. “Every
time he visits he inspires us to love God’s Word—and that
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| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
helps our church in many ways.
“It’s also a blessing to think we are helping fulfil the Great
Commission, taking part in sending the Word to people who
still do not have their own Bible.”
Opening the Doors
Much as the Wangs have seen God change the course of their
lives, pastors and elders at VCAC have also been led by the
Lord to move in new directions by opening themselves up to
non-traditional methods and models.
Since its founding in 1968, the church had focused on
reaching out to Vancouver’s Cantonese-speaking Chinese
population, and to their own young people who spoke
English and identified to some degree with Canadian culture.
But about seven years ago, leaders at VCAC saw the need to
adapt to Vancouver’s shifting demographics by reaching out
to the growing numbers of Mandarin-speaking immigrants
from Mainland China.
“We started as a Cantonese-speaking church,” says associate
pastor Paul Choy, “and then we added English-language ministry. We also started the Fraser Lands Church . . . and now we
have a philosophy that we open our doors [to everyone], even
eliminating the word “Chinese” from our [church] sign.
“We want to welcome everyone. We’re trying to open ourselves and welcome other ethnic groups to come, because the
gospel is for all nations.”
“This is the movement of God, I think, across North
America,” adds Peter Wang. “You can see the parallel with
Wycliffe. We used to think, ‘We’re the organization that does
most of the work of Bible translation.’ But now our business
cards identify us as ‘partners in Bible translation.’
“Bible translation is not just a vision for Wycliffe. This is a
vision for the Church. Anybody who wants to get involved in
this work can be, and you don’t have to be in Wycliffe. The
important thing is that God is working . . . and we’re going to
be partners with whomever He has brought together.
“Wherever God is working, we’re going to ask Him, ‘How
do you want us to get involved?’ ”
(Above) Wang launches the missions conference at Burnaby Alliance
Church. The theme is “The Unfinished Task.” (Below) Like father, like
son. Stephen Wang (foreground) greets members of the congregation, as
does his son, Peter (background). For both, the real focus is about giving
honour to their heavenly Father.
(Left) In March 2002, Wang was the speaker for a weekend missions
conference at Burnaby Alliance Church, a sister church of Vancouver
Chinese Alliance. Here Lorraine Yuen, a member of the pastoral staff,
introduces Wang to a young man (centre) who is interested in linguistics.
Wang has long understood that God does not arrange merely chance
meetings. Ten years ago, at another missions event, he was introduced to
a young woman also interested in linguistics and Wycliffe—Janfer Mak
(see story, page 4).
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
29
wa t c h
New Dinner Drama Set in Asia
Asia will be the backdrop for the
newest Wycliffe Associates dinner
theatre drama, beginning this fall.
Sunong: The Right to Machatan
portrays the experiences of a brilliant young Buddhist in Asia and
a Canadian couple that serve as
linguists. It is a fictionalized story
First Translation
Republished
Kenneth and Evelyn Pike on the
field (Oaxaca, Mexico) with their
first child Judith, 1941.
based on true circumstances and
reflects new approaches in Bible
translation.
The drama, which includes a
cultural meal for audiences, starts
September 9 in the western provinces. For details and reservations,
call 1-800-708-2476.
Wycliffe members are helping to multiply mission efforts in Latin America.
They are equipping personnel from Latin missions who want their own
missionaries to have cross-cultural and linguistic training.
Steve and Cathy Marlett coordinated an international team of people
who taught anthropology, cultural empathy, second language acquisition,
phonetics and introductory linguistics to 22 trainer-students from 11
countries. Thanks to the intensive four-week course in Bolivia this past
November, the participants (below) can now teach the courses back in
their own countries.
The training session was held in partnership with COMIBAM, a Latin
American missions mobilization organization. A second similar course is
scheduled with more trainer-students from additional countries expected.
word
from around the world
Bible translation news
Word Alive Wins Awards
Word Alive magazine and staff have received three
“Higher Goals in Christian Journalism” awards for
2001 from the Evangelical Press Association (EPA).
Photographer Dave Crough’s cover image of
Buddhist monks in Cambodia (Fall 2001) won second
place in the “single photo/candid” category. The
same issue received a fourth-place “single theme
section/issue” award for its focus on Bible translation
and literacy in mainland Southeast Asia, by Dave and
Deborah Crough. Word Alive was also given fourth-place recognition for
“publication redesign” by then designer Roy Eyre.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
So opens a prayer among Brazil’s
Apinaye people, (right) before they
read God’s Word publicly each week.
Since the arrival of their New
Testament in 2000, a group of Apinaye
meets on Saturdays and Sundays in
Helping to Train Trainers
The first complete New Testament
translated by members of Wycliffe
Bible Translators has been partially republished. Mark’s Gospel in
the San Miguel El Grande Mixtec
language of Mexico was reprinted
because the New Testament was
out of print.
The Mixtec Scriptures, translated by eminent linguists Kenneth
and Evelyn Pike, were first published in 1951. Original printing
plates for the New Testament were no longer available, so Mark had to
be keyboarded, formatted, newly illustrated, checked and revised. After
50 years, the spelling of words also needed updating due to orthographic
revisions.
30
God. Here we
A Bible “Hello
are to read Your talk
Reader’s on paper. It’s good
that we have it in
Prayer our own language.”
their village school. They take
turns reading God’s Word aloud,
after one of the older men opens
with prayer.
“We had done many bad things
but Your Son Jesus came down
and died to pay for our badness,”
continues the prayer in Apinaye.
“It’s good that You sent Him to us.
Now we are going to read Your
talk on paper. Help us obey it. We
want to follow you. That’s all.”
The Apinaye people number
just over 1,000.
Making Marine
Travel Less
Perilous
Thanks to a new product developed by JAARS, Wycliffe’s technical arm, boat travel for more than 150
Bible translation and literacy teams working on islands in the Pacific and
elsewhere is now safer and less stressful.
The Emergency Rescue and Water Safety Kit (below) contains portable
electronic communications and position indication equipment, as well as
life jackets and survival tools.
Leif Engkvist, a translator in Papua New Guinea, is grateful for the kit.
“It means a lot to travel on open water feeling safe. Trade and banana
boats have drifted for
days, weeks, even
months on the open
seas before help
came.”
With the new
equipment, travelling
in such boats is not as
dangerous, he says.
W
“We have a legend that someday someone with
white skin will drop down from the skies to bring
The challenge and impact
of translating God’s Word
God’s words to us. Finally you have come!”
You may have heard stories like this, but rarely
do they happen. Most of us don’t receive that kind
of response when God sends us to a small ethnic
group to serve in Bible translation.
Take, for instance, our first overwhelming language-learning experience among the Southeast
Asian island people we serve. We stayed with a
host family who were having a peace ceremony
because someone had tried to kill their son. The
whole village camped out in front of the house.
This went on for almost a week, with the killing
of buffalo and other rituals. Most of the time, the
men were intoxicated.
 Many of the people were continually in the
house, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Everyone was
eager to teach us the language. Unfortunately, the
adults were missing most of their teeth so it was
difficult to hear a correct pronunciation of their
words. If we didn’t understand the first time, they
repeated a little louder, thrusting their faces closer.
They all agreed that the first phrase we must learn
was, “Don’t worry, I’m not a headhunter, I’m a
good guy.” This would prevent children from running away in fear of us.
After two weeks, we were sick with malaria, and
parasites were a problem for our children. Physical
things, though difficult, have not been our biggest
problem, however. A major obstacle is that while
a church is already established, the people don’t
know the Lord. They claim to be Christians but
live in fear of the spirit world.
For example, one of our co-translators,
Memis—a 33-year-old youth leader from a different village—came with us to a village where we
had once lived. The next day he said, “My baby
was sick all night. I think someone from the village
we visited cast a spell. The married son of the family we visited has not been able to have children.
Maybe he is jealous.” To these people, a spell is the
first explanation for any problem.
One night we watched our neighbours go out
for the evening. Puzzled, we saw them leave a big
pressure lantern on top of their table and take only
B y J ohn and S ylvia C hristensen ,
with A nne - louise F erverda
a pop can with a candle in it to light the way.
“The bright light of the pressure lantern,” they
later explained, “keeps the evil spirits out of the
house while we are gone.”
It is discouraging that the people are still not
really excited about what we’re doing. All that
often sustains us is sheer obedience to the Lord’s
call. Over and over, we have seen the Lord work
when we were at the end of ourselves.
 Finding a language assistant to work with us
seemed impossible. In desperation, we cried out
to God. Right after we prayed, a lady approached
one of us with a complaint. “My husband is mad
at your husband because he won’t ask him to help
with the work.”
Laird Salkeld
e u r e k a !
Reality Check
We didn’t even know who her husband was!
With praise in our hearts, we said, “Well, we’ll
rectify that!” This man has worked faithfully with
us as an excellent language assistant for more than
a decade.
From a human perspective, we wish we had
more to show for our time and effort. Yet during
this time, we have learned to walk with God in
obedience and look to Him alone for results.
John and Sylvia Christensen are members of Wycliffe U.S.A. who
work in a Bible translation project in Southeast Asia. (About 40
per cent of the New Testament is in the hands of the people with
whom they work.) Anne-Louise Ferverda and her husband Pierre
are U.S.A. members, serving as support workers there. They teach
English, do project funding reporting, and writing.
| Fall 2002 | www.wycliffe.ca
31
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