Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Summer 2014
Kingdom
Friendships
A Canadian church pursues
a more personal missions
relationship to advance
Bible translation and
Scripture in Peru.
Quarter of All Languages Need Translation Started + Translating the Gospel + Meeting at the Crossroads
Summer 2014 Volume 33 Number 2
Foreword
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. Bored to a Realization
Editor: Dwayne Janke
Designer: Cindy Buckshon Dwayne Janke
Senior Staff Writer: Doug Lockhart
Staff Writer: Janet Seever
Staff Photographers: Alan Hood, Natasha Schmale
Word Alive is published four times annually by
Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada, 4316 10 St NE,
Calgary AB T2E 6K3. Copyright 2014 by Wycliffe
Bible Translators of Canada. Permission to reprint
articles and other magazine contents may be
W hile on assignment for Word Alive over the years, I have sat
through my fair share of church gatherings in languages other
than English.
What comes to mind? I remember colourfully dressed Jola-Bayote
women dancing up the aisle in Guinea-Bissau; deaf congregations in
obtained by written request to the editor. A Spain and Kenya singing with their hands in sign language; Sinte (gypsy)
donation of $20 annually is suggested to cover
the cost of printing and mailing the magazine. believers singing zestfully to vibrant music in Germany; an animated and
(Donate online or use the reply form in this issue.) pacing Tetun preacher exhorting fellow believers in Timor, Indonesia.
Printed in Canada by McCallum Printing Group, It is always encouraging to see other believers gathering for events that
Edmonton. use their mother tongue. Admittedly, though, the novelty of these events
Member: The Canadian Church Press, Evangelical wears off after an hour or two, because almost always I have no clue what is
Press Association.
For additional copies: media_resources@wycliffe.ca actually being said or sung. So it was this past September as I sat in a high-
To contact the editor: editor_wam@wycliffe.ca altitude village at an outdoor church gathering. It was conducted in Eastern
For address updates: circulation@wycliffe.ca Apurmac Quechua, spoken by 200,000-plus people in south-central Peru.
I was with 10 fellow Canadians from the Chilliwack Alliance Church in B.C.
(see Deeper Instead of Wider, pg. 6). For about a day and a half, virtually
every waking hour featured preaching, and Bible reading, and worship, and
prayer, all in Eastern Apurmac Quechua. Some sermons lasted three hours!
Later, Chilliwackian Adrian Koppejan contrasted fellow Canadian Christians
with these eager and patient Quechua believers he saw: If the [church]
service is an hour or an hour and 15 minutes, then we are done. They sit there
for the whole day and evening.
Wycliffe serves minority language groups worldwide
by fostering an understanding of Gods Word through
By the rst afternoon, I was getting antsy, tired andto be honest
Bible translation, while nurturing literacy, education bored. Though feeling a tad guilty for this, something nally dawned on me.
and stronger communities. Though I could understand a few words here and there (Amen? from the
preachers and Amen! from the hearers), I was an outsider
Canadian Head Office: 4316 10 St NE, Calgary AB T2E at this church event. The language barrier kept me entirely
6K3. Phone: (403) 250-5411 or toll free 1-800-463-1143,
8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. mountain time. Fax: (403) 250- If the Bible wasnt cut off from comprehending almost everything. Truth
was being shared and celebrated, but it meant absolutely
2623. Email: info@wycliffe.ca. French speakers: Call toll
free 1-877-747-2622 or email francophone@wycliffe.ca
available in my nothing to me.
Cover: Travis Wesley from Chilliwack, B.C., visits mother tongue, I realized something: this is how it is for millions of people
with an Eastern Apurmac Quechua woman reading worldwide who are barred from truly understanding the
her New Testament. Seeing Scriptures used by the I thought, how Bible. For a few days in that Quechua village, I was like
Quechua of Peru was a highlight for the Chilliwack
Alliance Church group, including Travis, visiting a
and why would I one of those who do not have one verse of Gods Word in
their heart language. I couldnt engage with the life-giving
village in the Andes Mountains. (See story, pg. 6.) take any interest message being shared there. If the Bible wasnt available in
Photo by Natasha Schmale.
in its message? my mother tongue, I thought, how and why would I take any
interest in its message? The same is true for Bibleless peoples
around the world. Unless Gods Word is translated into their
mother tongues, they are outsiders to the greatest Book for mankind.
To change this, Wycliffe Canadaand Canadians praying, giving and
In Others Words going with usare partnering with organizations such as AIDIA (the Spanish
acronym for Interdenominational Association for the Holistic Development
The Bible stands, and it will forever of Apurmac). As you can read in this issue, AIDIA Bible translators have
When the world has passed away; nished the New Testament and are forging ahead with the Old. At the same
By inspiration it has been given time, their co-workers are dynamically promoting Quechua literacy and
All its precepts I will obey. Scripture-use among their own people.
Praise God for that! No matter where life-changing Christian truth is being
Lyrics from a song by Haldor Lillenas
(1885-1959), important 20th-century gospel shared from the Bible, no one should have to be bored by tragically failing to
hymn writer and publisher understand, just because of a language barrier.
2 Word Alive Summer 2014 wycliffe.ca
Contents
Features
6 6 Deeper Instead of Wider A church in B.C.
pursues a relationship-based missions partnership with
AIDIA, to advance Bible translation and use in Peru.
18 Departments
2 Foreword Bored to a Realization
By Dwayne Janke
34
Word Alive Summer 2014 wycliffe.ca 3
Watchword
Philippine
If Canadians dont value Gods Word themselves, they wont Sea
see its value for other language groups, he explains. So we
wanted to get a realistic assessment of where Canadians are in Myanmar
(Burma)
Vietnam
Philippines
terms of reading the Bible and allowing it to touch their lives. Laos
Palau
To see the survey results, visit <news.wycliffe.ca>, at the Thailand
end of April. Cambodia
South China
Sea
Source: Wycliffe Global Alliance Source: Statistics Canada (2011 Census of Population)
language.
Wycliffe Canada
instead of
WIDER
Articles by Dwayne Janke | Photographs by Natasha Schmale
Sheila Denis greets a welcoming Quechua woman while on a stroll through the village of Quillabamba
(Key-a-BAHM-bah) in south-central Peru. With her husband Chris, Sheila has helped lead several
groups from Chilliwack Alliance Church in B.C. on visits to the South American country. The encoun-
ters help deepen a direct partnership the church has with AIDIA, a local agency translating Gods Word
and encouraging Scripture use among the 200,000-plus Eastern Apurmac Quechua people.
Opening Eyes
Awareness in the group begins to build quickly in the rst days of
this past falls visit.
Denis starts meeting with the AIDIA director, sorting out
a whole range of ongoing administrative issues related to the
AIDIA-Chilliwack Alliance partnership. Justin Hettinga, Wycliffe
Canadas vice-president of engagement and strategy, also attends
to translate and provide his insights from previous years serving
AIDIA in Peru.
The rest of the team, including Chris wife Sheila, take a day-
long tour through the ministries housed in AIDIAs headquarters.
In the literacy department, they hear of eight-hour bus trips
and multi-hour hikes by AIDIA facilitators before they even reach
an isolated Quechua village to train literacy volunteer teachers.
In the childrens ministry area, the group is told about trying to
meet the huge need to promote usually overlooked ministry to
youngsters by area churches.
Eyes open even wider in the room where ve local pastors are
translating the Old Testament into Eastern Apurmac Quechua.
The complexity of the task becomes apparent as the team
does a careful review of their draft translation in Numbers, via
Skype with Wycliffes David Coombs, the projects translation
consultant working in California.
(Top) In Quillabamba village, retired teacher Erma Vietorisz leads What these people do here is unimaginable, Adrian Koppjan,
a childrens lesson in the local church while adults meet outside. a retired musical organ builder, says after the tour. I had no idea.
(Above) Back in Abancay, church team leaders sit down for lunch I am really impressed when I see the work they do.
with AIDIA director Luis Cervantes and the pastor of Abancay Im excited to be on the trip to see Gods grace and His work
Alliance Church, which is also part of the relationship Chilliwack continuing wherever it is in the worldand we are just part of it.
Alliance has with brethren in Peru. (Opposite) Chris Denis exam-
ines the progress that hammer-swinging David Clow is making, as Big Things for the Kingdom
several of the men create an opening in an outside wall of AIDIA Holly Duke, the churchs missions pastor, is delighted that the
headquarters for a new, more accessible bathroom door.
AIDIA staff dream and want big things for Gods kingdom.
These people are . . . being missional to their own people,
because they recognize the need in their people, she says. Its an
(continued on pg. 15)
people do
here is
unimaginable.
I had no idea.
I am really
impressed
overwhelming project and their dedication is just so humbling. Into the Andes
AIDIA staff dedication is a common characteristic noticed Several days later, the group joins AIDIA staff in two Toyota
by the church group members, including 69-year-old retired mini-buses for the highlight of their stay: a visit to a Quechua
engineer, Dennis Vietorisz, visiting with his wife Erma. village for an outdoor church gathering and New Testament
I cant believe itits amazing! he says, with a voice rising dedication ceremony. The buses bounce along for ve hours to
with emphasis. The work, the effort and the insight they have in the community of Quillabamba (Key-a-BAHM-bah), navigating
what they doits fabulous. through heavy construction on a road that clings to steep Andes
Erma, a 63-year-old retired school teacher, expresses surprise at mountain slopes.
the low literacy rate among the Quechuas and amazement at the Welcomed by local Christians under blue tarpsblocking
childrens ministries effort led by AIDIAs Roci Villegas. a glaring sun at an altitude of 2,900 metresthe visitors are
Of course, because Im a teacher, my heart goes to the kids. served a late 10:30 a.m. breakfast of sweetened, watery lima
What Roci is doing is mind-boggling to me. My heart goes out bean porridge and bread. They then settle into nearly two days
to her, says Erma, struggling with emotion. Sorry, Im going to of sermons and worship, much of which is broadcast live over a
get teared up. nearby FM radio station run by the church. As more Quechuas
While Chilliwack Alliances trips arent work projects per arrive from their farm work, they greet the Canadians as is
seone year, for example, the visiting group served by leading customary by shaking with one hand and tapping a shoulder
a biblical marriage seminar for 50 Quechuason this trip, team with the other.
members roll up sleeves to tackle maintenance tasks listed by After some vibrant singing, it is time for the Chilliwack group
AIDIA director Cervantes. Whatever gaps need to be lled, says to be introduced. Translation is done by Eastern Apurmac
Denis, were willing to do it. Quechua-speaker Irma Phelps, who has for several decades
For several days at the AIDIA headquarters, the Chilliwackians served various Quechua groups in Peru through Wycliffe with
trim the lawn, work in plant beds, reorganize the tool shed, paint her American husband, Conrad.
exterior walls and x a leaky bathtub. Several men led by sledge We are very excited . . . that you are going to receive Gods
hammer-swinging David Clow, who is here without his wife, knock Word in your own language, says Denis, through Irma. It is a
out an exterior wall to make space for a door to a bathroom. light to our path and God wants us to know it personally.
Sitting through sermons in Quechua that last up to three
Its So Good
When it comes time for the Scripture dedication, Cervantes rst
gives an overview of the effort by the AIDIA translation team. Its
not a work we can do in a month, he stresses to the assembled
Quechuas, some of whom are already asking for the Old
Testament. We have to think well, and with much fear we do this
work because its a big responsibility to do a good job.
An open copy of the New Testament, surrounded by owers, For Travis, a highlight was his devotional I started to
is brought forward on a wooden platter. Cervantes explains translated into Quechua. I started to get an actual
that the owers are symbols of what bees need to make honey. emotional connection just realizing that I was
Gods Word is sweet to our hearts like the honey . . . because sharing the Word with them and getting to speak
its in our own words. When we are a church in heaven from all to them in a language which they understand, and
nations, from all languages, from all kinds of people, we Quechua just actually how powerful that was. get an actual
speakers will also be in that big gathering. Coby says it will be difficult to convey to people
After the ceremonial New Testament is given to local pastor, back home all that she has experienced, but she
Jacob Huaman, he prays: Dear Lord, you gave wisdom and was deeply impressed by how hard the Quechuas
knowledge to your children so they can translate this. Bless this work in elds high up mountain slopes. With just
Bible. Help us use it. . . . May it be like good food for our souls. a pick to work the ground. They are old before their emotional
Thank you that you are giving us your Word for every day to time, and thats really hard [to see].
nourish our souls. David was impacted by the breadth of what
Within minutes, 65 copies are sold to Quechua men and AIDIA does. I thought it was just a Bible
women eagerly buying their copies at the front. translation organization. And here theyre teaching
Pastor Holly from Chilliwack is overwhelmed by the scene people how to read and write in their own connection just
and bursts into tears. Its so good, she assures team members language. Theyre teaching people about abuse
concerned about her reaction. Its good. and how wrong it is, and how to raise a family. . . .
It was really a beautiful moment, she explains later, seeing That, to me, is really good to see.
people excited and passionate about having the ability to have
the Word of God themselves. I remember when somebody gave A New Type of Partnership realizing that I
me my rst Bible . . . so to see people being able to have their Whatever their personal memories, everyone on
own Bible was very moving. the trip is convinced that the type of relationship
Beyond usual culture their church has with its Peru partners is the way
More on the Web: shockshair-raising travel, to go, reinforcing their team leaders excitement.
Hear Holly Duke, missions pastor, share country squat toilets, Its really about God bringing a new type of
more of her impressions in an interview
was sharing the
excerpt at <exclusives.wycliffe.ca>.
constantly changing schedules, partnership together, says Denis. Were not just
adobe dirt-walled sleeping going and doingwere going and partnering, and
quartersall the team enabling and helping each other grow, and helping
members carry their own personal impressions from the village. each other develop.
On three trips to Peru helping her husband lead the church In his interpretation of the book of Acts, Denis Word with them
groups, Sheila Denis says she has been touched by the same says, thats always what God intended the Church
thing: the desire that Quechuas have for Christian teaching. It to be. Its not denominational. Its not cultural. Its
was denitely presented to us with the three-hour sermon. They under Christs leadership.
will sit there, she explains. The hunger is there . . . they will go Someday that will be a reality on earth, but
back time and time again. until that point we have to struggle to get there, and getting to
he adds. I think thats really what were trying to
do here.
understand. . . .
VENEZUELA
GUYANA
FRENCH GUIANA
COLOMBIA SURINAME
ECUADOR
South America
BRAZIL
Lima PERU
Cusco
At the core of the AIDIA ministries is the Bible translation effort. With the New BOLIVIA
Testament translated, printed and being distributed among the 200,000-plus
Quechua speakers, the translation team is pressing ahead on the Old Testament. Here,
Bernardino Lancho reviews drafted translation text, with input via Skype, from Wycliffe
consultant David Coombs in California.
CHILE PARAGUAY
. . . While pastoring a
Careful About S-o-o-o Many Things We would often go church, as I prepared
Spanish may be Perus most dominant language, but it is not out into the countryside sermon messages, I began
used much in day-to-day Quechua life, says Cervantes. Normal to teach. Right on the to realize I had committed
communication in the home is in Quechua. According to spot, we would literally
the census, it is estimated that 21.7 per cent of the Apurmac translate from the a lot of errors in the past
population have never been to school and are therefore Spanish Bible to people [using a Spanish Bible].
monolingual Quechua speakers. in Quechua. At the
But those with a very limited grasp of Spanish are much more moment, this didnt seem too hard to us.
numerous than indicated by the official gures. When it comes Then we started learning what was involved in Bible
to using the Bible, the vast majority of Quechuas simply cant translation, recalls Valenzuela. In reality, it was not as easy as we
understand Gods Word well enough in Spanish. Bibles have thought. We realized that you had to be careful about s-o-o-o
been available for years in neighbouring languages such as Cusco many things to make sure what Jesus wanted communicated
Quechua and Ayacucho Quechua, but are not similar enough to was going to be clearly communicated. At that point, we
meet the needs of Eastern Apurmac Quechua speakers. really started valuing the Scriptures in the mother tongue and
In 2006, six Quechua pastors from the three largest evangelical understanding the importance of it.
denominations trained as translators and, headed by Cervantes, The translators acknowledge that it was challenging in
began translation of the New Testament into their mother tongue. the beginning to work together, coming from different
Team member Felipe Valenzuela, an Assemblies of God pastor, denominations and perspectives. But they have persisted, doing
remembers how he and the others preached before working on draft translations and talking through them verse by verse. They
the translation. have drawn on insights from Wycliffes David Coombs, who is the
exegetical consultant on the Bible translation project, working When people receive Christ, they stop drinking; then they
remotely with the team from California. stop beating their wives and children. Their children start going
Little by little, says Valenzuela, we began to gel, and now I to school. And at the same time . . . they suddenly start working
am quite content and happy. their elds like they should be.
Ive learned a lot through it. I was pastoring a church at the Youll observe that when you enter a community where
same time, and as I prepared sermon messages, I began to realize I the majority of the people are Christians. Their elds are green
had committed a lot of errors in the past [using a Spanish Bible]. and lush, and their houses are in better condition. Its an
In April of 2013, the rst of 8,000 printed New Testaments in observable difference.
Eastern Apurmac Quechua became available at a dedication The translation will also help battle the inuence of cults in the
ceremony in Abancay (see Word Alive, Spring 2014). The area that are misleading Quechuas who have a shallow grasp of
Scriptures are serving as a vital, life-changing tool for believers Gods Word.
and pastors alike (see Hugging the Word, on page 30). Currently, the translation team is working hardat a pace
of more than 2,900 verses a yearto translate the entire Old
Understandable and Life-changing Testament and combine it with the existing New Testament by
Cervantes says Gods Word, coming in accurate, natural and clear 2022. Those Scriptures are also sure to penetrate deeply into the
Quechua, will only deepen and expand the impact the gospel minds and hearts of the Quechuas, whose culture shares many
can have among his needy people. traits with that of the Old Testament.
Alcoholism plagues many people in the countryside. Many Miriam Unzeute is early evidence of that. The 24-year-old
husbands verbally and physically abuse their wives and children, nursing student in Abancay is the rst person exposed by the
and hold them back from attending school. team to newly translated Old Testament text. Three or four
Marcelina Saue
In 2006, AIDIA staff began teaching mother tongue literacy in now available in her own Eastern Apurmac Quechua. She would
Saues church and urged her to attend. It was nally the chance even like to learn Spanish, so she can take Gods Word to those
to become literate that she had missed for decades. needing to hear it in that language.
I had a deep desire. I kept saying, Yes, Im going to learn, she I feel great joy and I give thanks to God, says Saue. When I
recalls. I used to ask God: My Father, I want to learn those couldnt read, I felt like I was of no value to anybody. Now that
letters, what they are saying, in order to worship youso I can Ive learned, I feel great joy.
also speak your words, Father. You will teach me. Help me! And what about those documents occasionally needing to be
Like the others in the class of about 15, she began to practise signed at her church? Saue has graduated far beyond pressing
Ma
writing shapes with a pencil. She gradually learned the vowels an inked thumb down on paper.
and consonants in Quechua, recognized how small circles and Now, the humble cheese-seller says proudly, I am able to
sticks worked together to form letters in her mother tongue, and actually sign with my own name.
rceli
how those letters formed words.
At church, she followed along in the hymnbook, associating
what she heard sung with what was written on the pages. So,
na S
little by little, I began to learn to read.
After six months, she was asked do a church service reading of
Scripture (in the neighbouring language of Ayacucho Quechua)
au
in a church service. She did so to the degree she could, before
sharing her testimony.
Marc
e
came to another pivotal point in her life, when her seriously ill
husband had to go into hospital. With money running out and
concerns that her husband might not recover, Saue needed
Gods comfort. She borrowed her friends Ayacucho Quechua
New Testament (which was then the most closely related
translation available to her type of Quechua). Knowing that her
elina
Bible reading was still very limited, Saue prayed: My Father, this
night, I need you to talk to me through your Word. Because who
is there for me to trust? It is you. Now, in your name, I am going
to open this Bible. Now talk to me about what you want. In your
name, I will be able to read. Help me; talk to me.
Sau
Part 9
Lexical Equivalence
By Hart Wiens
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
T his word believes is a key term because of the critical role it plays in
communicating the message of the Bible. In the gospel, belief is the channel
through which salvation by grace comes to people (Ephesians 2:8). The
Greek root is translated in English as believe or faith, depending on the version
and context. This core word occurs 240 times in the New Testament.
The translators challenges are to rst understand the concept in the Greek, and
second, to express it in the language receiving the new translation. Its critical to
go to the source text for key terms, ensuring faithfulness to the original.
There is a problem with our English verb to believe. For those not very familiar
with the gospel, its meaning may be limited to a dictionary-level understanding
of simply accepting something as true. That is belief at the intellectual level. In the
context of the gospel, the original term carried a deeper meaning of acceptance,
not just at the head level, but also in the heart. Whenever the original Greek term
is used in conjunction with the preposition in or into as it is in this verse, it
carries the meaning of faith or condence in a person to the extent of acting on
that faith.
We struggle for the right word to translate key terms such as believe.
Sometimes a language has a unique word that captures the full meaning. The
common word for believe in Kalinga is manuttuwa. It goes back to the word for
truth, which in Kalinga is tuttuwa. When used as a verb, this term is commonly
used to mean believe as well as obey. The Kalinga understand intuitively that
to believe in Jesus means to obey His teaching. This does not make the road to
discipleship any easier for them. However, it does bring their understanding of
the gospel more directly in line with the teachings of our
Lords brother James, who maintains in his letter that faith
without works is dead.
To believe carried Translation is never easy. Often it seems downright
a deeper meaning of impossible to simply and accurately convey some of the
acceptance, not just teachings of the Gospel in other languages. But at other
times we experience the serendipity of nding concepts
at the head level, but in a new language that convey the message about Christ
also in the heart. with a clarity that almost transcends the original. There is
always something to be learned by reading or hearing the
message in a new language.
Natasha Schmale
PM 40062756