Eternity in View

Some of the less visible, but more audible, elements of my job are radio interviews. Most of these are via telephone and taped for later editing and airing, but some are live. Either way, the results can be interesting.

Yesterday I phoned into a taped interview with Mission Network News. Over the past 12 years I've done hundreds of interviews with them. They know Wycliffe Associates' ministry well, and after years of interviewing me they likely have a good idea of where I'm going on most topics. The topic yesterday was Bible translation in Sudan.

Sudan is a great topic because it gets a lot of mainstream press coverage. Three decades of civil war, multiple humanitarian crises, occasional visits from movie stars, and this past year... a vote to separate south Sudan from the north. That doesn't happen often! Since the vote for independence last summer, the international press has been covering disputes over borders, oil, and continuing humanitarian crises. Over the past few months and even this week, food shortages in South Sudan are increasing. Naturally this was on the mind of the interviewer as we spoke.

She did a great job painting a word picture to invite listeners to consider the stark contrast between their comfortable lives in suburbia and the harsh realities of the Sudanese Sahara. After painting that picture she asked whether the political instability and increasing food shortages were impacting our Bible translation strategies in South Sudan. It was a fair question.

When I replied that we are seizing this opportunity to increase our support for Bible translation, it was pretty obvious that this was not the answer she expected!

Christian ministry in places like Sudan requires a long-term perspective and commitment. This doesn't mean that this week's news is incorrect or unhelpful—it just isn't compelling. The bigger picture is that South Sudan is experiencing a season of comparative peace and religious freedom unlike any in recent time. This is an opportunity to come alongside local Christians with support and encouragement to fuel and accelerate their vision for Scripture to be understood in every language of their country.

Watching the daily news is a lot like watching the stock market. You can become paralyzed by the threat of the day. The alternative is to step back and take a long-term view, making choices with eternity in view.

That might even sound philosophically appealing, but the real test of our belief is our action. Wycliffe Associates is moving forward in faith to build a training center in South Sudan for Sudanese Christians to learn how to translate the Bible into their own languages. Design and engineering are underway. Site preparation has begun. Materials lists are growing, and we're recruiting volunteers to lend their time and talent by working alongside local craftsman to make this vision a reality—this year. You can be a part of it, or... you can miss out on a tremendous opportunity. www.wycliffeassociates.org