Second to bringing the new year in gathered around our table with my love praying in 2025, it was such a kindness from the Lord for me to begin this year the same way I ended it, among His global Church in the work of making His word accessible to people groups who have yet to have it in their heart language.
From January 6th to 17th, I participated in a Church-Based Bible Translation (CBBT) Training for Trainers program in Abomey-Calavi, Benin. The training was held at the Wycliffe Benin campus and brought together 47 participants from 10 Francophone African nations, including Benin, Togo, Mali, Chad, Senegal, Ivory Coast, DRC, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Gabon.
I facilitated two modules: one that focused on the importance of involving and training the entire community in the translation process and the other on what it means to embody Scripture in a manner that aids translation.
There is such rich theological scholarship on the continent of Africa! It was a humbling honor to be among men and women serving across the most challenging and highly persecuted regions in the world who are so seriously faithful to produce quality translations of Scripture so that the Lord’s disciples can be built up and His Kingdom can advance. As one of my mentors Mbuthia always says, “Bible translation is a ministry of the Church,” so we equip and unlock Her capacity toward that end.
In all of Her local expressions, the Lord’s Bride is beautiful to behold, resilient beyond measure, and steadfast about His mission.
