Bible trans­la­tion is a de­mand­ing task and needs con­stant prayer sup­port from start to fin­ish. Trans­la­tors have no­ticed, how­ever, that spe­cial dif­fi­cul­ties seem to sur­face when trans­la­tions near com­ple­tion. What fol­lows is a sam­pling of such prob­lems to help you in pray­ing for those in­volved.

The list is not hy­po­thet­i­cal. Every item men­tioned has oc­curred to de­lay com­ple­tion of some translation.

• Pray for the stamina and health of translators, their families and their children.
• Pray that scheduling of furloughs, administrative duties and other urgent tasks will not interfere with progress.
• Pray that responsibilities concerning aging parents, education of children and family duties will not be neglected.
• Pray for peace and guidance for translators having to leave the work due to health or family issues, and for local co-workers having to return to work or school.
• Pray for translations being done in secret. Pray for God to protect the lives of those involved and their families.
• Pray for readers to be available to give community checks on acceptability of the translation.
• Pray for the funding needed to support the translators, pay the expenses, and publish the materials.
• Pray for authorizations and approvals by church authorities and governments where required.
• Pray that local churches will be fully involved and reach consensus on wording, writing and printing.
• Pray that final decisions on use of key biblical terms will be acceptable to all concerned.
• Pray for reconciliation of alphabets and alternate wordings, due to dialect differences.
• Pray for availability of trained consultants so that translation checking and final approvals will not be delayed.
• Pray for literacy workers to promote literacy and so relieve translators to finish the translation. Pray for local enthusiasm for the completion and publication that will urge the translators on.
• Pray against technical failures of computers, storage disks, copiers, printers and service items.
• Pray concerning extreme weather conditions, like hurricanes and earthquakes, and the safety of manuscripts.
• Pray against wars and insurrections that render it impossible to continue the work.
• Pray for accuracy on the part of typesetters, who are often working with a language they do not understand.
• Pray for proofreaders, that they may catch and correct errors that would mar the translation.
• Pray for the mailing and shipping process, that damage or loss in transit, or delays in customs, will not occur.

Here are some more ressources to help you pray.

In the past, we had limited access to information about events that were happening outside of our own community. But with the invention of the internet, social media and mass communication, we’re now able to know what’s happening — anywhere in the world — from our computer, tablet or phone.

Being so connected to events around the world can begin to feel emotionally exhausting. Fear, grief and even anger can quickly fill our hearts as we see stories of violence, hatred and disaster flash across our screens.

As believers, what are we to do when the weight of this sinful world seems to pummel us on all sides? How can we use the news to be a light to the world around us?

Praying through the news is one easy habit that we can all benefit from. It allows us to surrender our worries to God while also intentionally lifting up communities that need to experience his healing and love in tangible ways.

Here are some tips on how to pray through the news:

Pray for the victims.

Whether you’re reading about a hurricane that has ravaged a town, a city that has suffered a mass shooting or a country that is facing high crime levels, stop and pray for those immediately affected by the event.

Pray for the community.

When a significant event happens, the whole local community is impacted as result. Pray that local churches, schools, businesses and more would rally together and support each other, and ask God to make people sensitive to his hand at work in the midst of it all.

Pray for local believers to be Jesus’s hands and feet.

We’re all called to be Jesus’s hands and feet to the world. One way we can do that is by reaching out to our own communities in moments of crisis. Pray that local believers would be equipped and willing to shine God’s light, helping to bring healing and restoration to their community in the days and weeks following an event.

Pray for God to be glorified.

The news is full of stories of hurting, broken people and communities. But we serve a loving God who can redeem any situation and ultimately glorify himself. Pray that God would do just that, and that people would be sensitive to his hand at work — whether they have an intimate relationship with him or learn about him for the very first time.

Pray for God to make us brave.

With access to so much news, we might be tempted to shut out the world’s brokenness and hurt to protect ourselves. But 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT). Pray that God would make us brave and would equip us to shine his light to the world around us in the midst of pain and suffering.

Jesus himself said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT). Nothing is outside of God’s control — even the most heart-wrenching, unimaginable events that we encounter in the news. As believers in Christ, we have the assurance that God has already overcome the world. It may feel like he’s not in control, but he is. And as we pray for his will to be done and his glory to be made known, we can live with the knowledge that he is victorious and will ultimately bring complete healing to this world.

(wycliffe.org)

Responsible use of donations

The Code of Honour Foundation‘s independent quality label attests to the quality of the work carried out and the responsible use of the donations received.

What assurance can I have that Wycliffe is using donations correctly?

Wycliffe has signed the Code of Honour of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance. This quality label commits the signatory to a responsible use of donations received. The implementation of the rules is checked annually.

Are donations to Wycliffe tax deductible?

Unfortunately not. The tax authorities of the Canton of Berne have revoked the charitable status of Wycliffe Switzerland. This revocation was confirmed by the Administrative Court of the Canton of Berne.

Wycliffe Switzerland will of course remain a non-profit organisation.

Will I receive a letter of thanks after each donation?

• Donations for coworkers: all coworkers receive a monthly statement of account with the names, addresses and amounts of donations designated in their favour. Each individual member will personally thank their donors, usually on an annual basis.
• Donations for Wycliffe in general and/or for projects: we would like to thank you for each donation. For donations of CHF 20 or more, we will send you a monthly letter of thanks. If you do not wish to receive a thank-you letter, please let us know briefly.

Legacies

A bequest gives you the opportunity to support someone who has been close to your heart during your lifetime, even after your death. A holographic will is the simplest and most commonly used way of bequeathing a sum of money or an object of value to an institution such as Wycliffe. As the author of the will, you can inform the beneficiary organisation that it will receive a legacy during your lifetime. However, this is not compulsory. It is better to formulate the use of the bequest in general terms to avoid deadlock. Wycliffe Switzerland has produced a brochure to provide more details (available from the secretariat).

If you have any further questions or messages, we will be happy to help.

A bequest allows you to provide for the things that were important to you during your life, even after your death. A holographic will is the simplest and most commonly used form of bequeathing a certain sum of money or an object of value to an institution such as Wycliffe. As the author of the will, you can inform the beneficiary organisation that it will receive a legacy during your lifetime. However, this is not compulsory. It is better to formulate the use of the legacy in a general way to avoid deadlock.

There are several options:

• Bequests with no defined purpose (or “for Wycliffe in general”, or “most urgent needs”) are particularly useful to us. We can commit them where they are most needed at any given time.
• Bequests with a general purpose, e.g. for translation, literacy or work in a particular country, can in principle be allocated according to the designation if projects exist in the areas or countries mentioned.
• Legacies can be established for a specific project. It may be that the project mentioned has been completed by the time the bequest is received. In this case, the bequest will be allocated to a similar project.

A brochure will give you more details (to be ordered here), in German and in French), and if you are interested, you can contact us by e-mail or by telephone on 032 342 02 45. Someone from our Finance Office will be happy to answer your questions.

(graphique: Layerace sur freepik.com)

Serve the Bible translation movement with your skills and experience. Find out about job possibilities

• in French (choose the French version of this page),
• in German (choose the German version of this page)
• or for English go to the Wycliffe UK website.

There are many possibilities to get involved from 2 weeks to a year; discover opportunities

• on mission.ch (in German)
• on mission.ch (in French)
• or on the Wycliffe UK website (in English).