This story originally appeared in the September/October 2018 issue of Mission Frontiers magazine and has been republished with permission.
Janet Vaughan talks about Bible translation everywhere she goes. She shares about it with her Sunday school class and even with her trainer at the gym.
She said: “Everyone I tell is interested, but it’s just a story to them. Being a part of the work of Bible translation reinvigorates your own faith, and it makes you so happy for those receiving God’s Word for the first time.”
Although Janet may sound like a linguist or a missionary, she’s actually a passionate financial partner of Wycliffe.
Several years ago, Janet and her husband, Chip, felt God leading them to make a significant gift through a family fund established by Chip’s parents to support Kingdom work. After prayer, research and counsel from their advisor at Ronald Blue Trust, they began exploring Bible translation. Janet said, “We wanted to get the funds out to do God’s work. And what’s more key than giving God’s Word for each individual language? If people don’t hear the gospel, they don’t know.”
The couple’s first meeting with Wycliffe representative Amanda Fewless also happened to be Amanda’s first visit in her role. Amanda was excited to get to know Chip and Janet — to learn about their family and the things and places they care about most.
“One thing that stood out during that first meeting was their desire to be wise stewards,” Amanda said. “They had not been involved in Bible translation before, and they were asking great questions about it.”
The more the Vaughans prayed and thought it through, the more Chip felt like his parents really would have wanted to support work in Africa.
They began learning more about a translation effort in central Tanzania known at the time as the Dodoma Cluster project, where four related languages were working together in different phases of translation. (Today that original cluster has developed into two focused projects: Mbugwe-Sandawe and Rangi-Burunge.)
Each language was in a different phase of Bible translation, ranging from a people group with no written language yet to a people group that was almost ready to dedicate their New Testament. The cluster project provided the Vaughans with a spectrum of Bible translation needs to which they could contribute.
Chip and Janet reviewed the Dodoma Cluster project materials with their adult children and decided as a family to make a gift to support the work. Chip felt that his parents would be both honored and humbled to play a part in providing Scripture to so many who had never had the chance to hold a Bible in their language.
Amanda kept the Vaughans linked to the project by introducing them to staff working on the translations and forwarding prayer requests and updates from the teams. What began as a financial decision quickly became something more personal.
“You start out giving to help people that don’t have God’s Word,” Janet said. “You forget that in the process, your connection will bring the work to life. It’s not just giving money, it’s so much beyond that. It makes you a participant in the project.”
That’s the moment that Wycliffe is inviting people into: discovering how God is calling you to participate in Bible translation and receive the blessing that comes from obeying that call.
Representatives like Amanda are able to minister to donors by building relationships and finding the way God is leading them to partner in the work — through praying, giving their time and talents and financial investment — and facilitating opportunities for them to be involved.
The Vaughans represent thousands of generous partners — across the United States and around the world — who are supporting Bible translation efforts.
An Unexpected Invitation
A few months after their gift, Amanda surprised the Vaughan family with an invitation to visit the project in Tanzania. Health concerns and scheduling challenges kept the rest of the family home, but Janet eagerly accepted the offer.
In August 2017, Janet and Amanda traveled with a small group to Tanzania to visit the work the Vaughan family had been involved in through their prayers and giving. During the trip, Janet attended the New Testament dedication for the Burunge language.
The sights and sounds of the dedication day are something that Janet will never forget.
“We took a van to the ceremony, and from our van we saw people walking long distances along the road, dressed up for the celebration of their Bible dedication,” Janet recalled. “We heard pastors speak and pray, the choir sang three or four times and there was worship through dancing. Several hundred people were standing the whole time in the hot sun, holding babies in their arms. But they came there for a purpose — walked all that distance, waited all that time — because they so wanted the Bible in their language. You saw the people kiss their Bibles and hold them up to their chests like precious gifts.
“It caused me to treasure my own Scriptures more, and it changed my heart as much as I knew it was going to change their hearts.”
As meaningful as the celebration was, Janet was most moved by the opportunity to see where each of the four languages were in the translation task.
“We were blessed to see the entire process — to go into the translation office and see translators diligently work through a passage of Scripture, then to see a community check where people in a village sat and read the text together and talked about it,” she said.
“We even went out one night when they showed the ‘JESUS’ film. Everything culminated with the Burunge celebration where translation has been accomplished and they were passing out their new Bibles. It was a quick encapsulation of what takes years to happen.”
One of the ways that Wycliffe conveys to financial partners their key role in the task is by connecting them as closely as possible with the work taking place on the field. Wycliffe wants donors to see the true impact of their investment through regular project reports and prayer updates.
After months of supporting the translation teams from the U.S., it felt like a reunion of sorts for Janet to meet those serving in the Dodoma project. She said: “Going over and meeting the missionaries and the [people] that are doing the translation work for their own language fills you up. It was amazing to see the passion, determination and drive the team has for bringing God’s Word to people in their heart language.”
The Work Continues
The original Dodoma Cluster has since split into two projects, and the work Janet witnessed continues to move forward.
In the Mbugwe-Sandawe project, translation teams are advancing toward completing the New Testament in both languages. The Mbugwe team is translating 14 New Testament books and producing nine chronological Bible storybooks for use in churches. The Sandawe team is translating 19 New Testament books.
Recently, 16 Mbugwe Sunday school teachers gathered with the translation team for a workshop on telling Bible stories in their own language. They explored ways to teach, through songs and activities rooted in Scripture. They also received literacy training to strengthen their confidence in reading and sharing God’s Word.
At the end of the workshop, one teacher reflected on the sacrifices in Genesis, Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. He was struck by the realization that, from the very beginning, God’s plan to redeem humanity included the Mbugwe people.
Translation is not only preparing future books. It’s already shaping how Scripture is taught today.
In the Rangi-Burunge project, completed translation is opening up new conversations between people.
While distributing the Rangi New Testament, a member of the local team met with leaders from a religious tradition that often views Christianity negatively. After hearing an audio recording of Genesis in their own language, one leader asked the team to return and teach from the books of Moses and the Gospels!
When someone hears Scripture in a language they can understand, it often softens their resistance to God and sparks their curiosity.
The Rangi team is now working to complete translations of Genesis, Exodus and Psalms 1-12, while drafting much of the remaining Psalms. The Burunge team is completing Joshua, Proverbs, Daniel and Isaiah and drafting Job 1-13. Both teams are producing Scripture calendars, parable books and Sunday school materials to strengthen local churches.
The Burunge dedication was just the beginning of the larger story God is writing for individuals and communities!
A Partnership That Endures
Traveling to Africa together formed a bond between Amanda and Janet. Over the years, they have remained close. “Getting to know Janet, and seeing her use her spiritual gift of giving, has been awesome,” Amanda said. “For her to be willing to pick up from here and go visit the work, it really drove it home. Her spirit of generosity and desire to bless people became very clear on the trip. And she and her family are ultimately giving a gift that will impact those communities forever.”
Chip and Janet want to stay involved with the Dodoma project in the near future. Because of the connections Janet made, the Burunge people are always close to her heart.
She said, “I feel blessed when the team emails us to ask for prayer. And Amanda keeps us updated on what’s happening in the project. I have a heart for Africa, and we’re anxious to be a part of accomplishing what we saw there.
“… Having seen people’s response to God’s Word in their language, I don’t want to jump into something new. We want to see completion in these groups and help put Bibles in their hands. Through Wycliffe, we’re giving so people can receive the completed Scriptures in their heart language.”
