Day 25 - FAQ's

From our poll, here is the other question most voted on by YOU:

What are other jobs that Wycliffe missionaries have besides translators?

One thought that many people have in their minds is that to be a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators you must be a linguistic genius that translates the Bible in a far off place. The reality is that this couldn't be farther from the truth.

In a few of the presentations that we've been a part of, we tried to get people thinking about what other people are needed in order to get the Bible translated into a language. After some awkward moments of silence, the answers eventually started flowing.

So think about it with me. When you think of the Air Force, do you think that everyone in it is a pilot? Of course not! There are thousands of people that support the pilots in order to accomplish their roles. Likewise, there are thousand of people that support translators in order to accomplish their roles.

So...

Translators use computers. Computers have problems. Who fixes the problems?

Wycliffe needs IT people.

Translators have kids. Kids need to learn. Who teaches them?

Wycliffe needs teachers.

Translators need to eat. Eating costs money. How does the money get to them?

Wycliffe needs accountants. (And people to give the money, but that’s another story)

Do you see what I’m saying here? We thought that when we joined an organization called “Wycliffe Bible Translators” we had to be actual translators. Did you know that Wycliffe needs musicians, too? Or dancers? Or storytellers?

We’ll be in a position in Orlando that was never on our radar when we started out. Who knew that Wycliffe needed an Assistant to the President for Special Projects?

They need managers. They need leaders. They need literacy specialists. They need government relations workers. They need pilots. They need mechanics. They need builders.

The list goes on and on.

You name it, there is probably a way to use your skills in supporting the work of Bible Translation.

The fact is, it takes a HUGE, MASSIVE, GARGANTUAN team of people and resources in order to get God’s Word into the hands of every language community in the world, and EACH role is absolutely essential.

For a more complete (but certainly not exhaustive) list of the positions available within Wycliffe alone, go here and explore!

This post has reached the maximum capacity for length, so in the words of my five-year-old nephew, Jack, I’m out.

Trevor