Missionary preparer
One of the areas that missionaries have to be prepared for is the daunting task of learning a language and how to translate.
Bob Nyberg, a missionary at the Missionary Training Center for NTM, helps in these areas.
While Bob is not right there with the tribal people, his job of helping to teach principles involved in learning a language and translation is critical to the training people need in order to be successful in going to make disciples.
It’s important that new missionaries understand that translating God’s Word into a tribal language is not straightforward at all and requires hours and hours of time with the help of tribal co-workers in order to accomplish this task.
“Once our missionaries have done an initial rough draft translation then they need to have it checked to see if they are conveying the meaning of the biblical text into the tribal language,” Bob says.
Realizing that the tribal folks they are going to minister to will be a critical part of the team is part of the learning process that goes on at the training center.
Most remote areas where those who have not heard the Good News yet live, are areas where there is mostly farming, hunting and gathering going on day and night to survive. Most tribal folks are not accustomed to sitting for long periods of time going over written material and discussing it.
Learning how to befriend and even convince those who the missionaries are going to reach with the Gospel of the importance of the translation process is a major step in their future ministries.
Building trust and confidence in these relationships is imperative, Bob shares.
You can get training in how to establish a church among an unreached people group. Find out more.