What are you doing today?
In my travels around the world, I have the privilege of meeting missionaries who persevere and in fact, give their lives to reaching the lost peoples of the world. This issue of NTM@work is all about perseverance and sticking to the task.
I get emotional as I walk through a tribal village and hear the missionary fluently speak the language of the people. Hearing God’s Word taught in a language that just a few short years ago was not even written down, let alone spoken by someone from outside the tribe, is beyond incredible. Learning a tribal language doesn’t come easy. It takes sticking it out during the hard times. Many determined NTM missionaries are doing just that.
I recently talked with a missionary who carefully tracked the time it took getting to know a tribal group, learn their language, see a church planted and start on Bible translation. He told me he had spent 8,000 hours. That is equivalent to someone getting a PhD.
Last year, I met an elderly woman who was consistently, faithfully translating the Bible into a tribal language. If she did not do it, it would not get done. Her retirement was pushed aside while her jungle house fell apart around her. Today, we are formatting that Bible in the Siawi language to have it printed. This year, it will be given to the Siawi people. That took persistence. You can check out the Siawi Bible translation video at ntm.org. Listen as Linda shares what it means to get God’s Word into the Siawi language. She told me, with a big grin, “Then, I can retire.”
Not long ago, I was in a dugout canoe with a single missionary when she began to tell me her options. She had a marketing degree and could return home, get a great job and possibly get married. But, she said, “The Uriays need God’s Word in their language.”
Looking steadily into her eyes, I understood the sacrifice she was making. I saw that grit, that determination, that “whatever-ittakes” look in her eyes. You can hear Lisa’s passion for reaching the Uriay people in the video Footsteps at ntm.org.
I am so thankful for missionaries who persevere to make a difference in the lives of people who would not get a chance any other way. Because of that, every day I ask myself, “What am I doing today to bring believers from every tribe, tongue and nation to worship God before His Throne?”
What are you doing today?