Simon’s Story

By Dustin Moody

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” —Mark 11:25 (NLT)

It had been a long day. My team and I had interviewed, photographed, and filmed an entire team of national translators from a language of eastern Congo, and I was ready to put this day behind me.

As I looked over my notes for this last interview of the day, Simon walked in and began talking with me. He shared about becoming a Bible translator, the significance of God’s Word in his life, and what it was like working with his team. And then he said something that really surprised me. “That all happened before I was traumatized.”

Digging Deeper

Up to this point in the conversation, I hesitated to ask Simon anything about the decade-long civil and tribal war. He had given no indication that he was willing to discuss this dark period in Congo’s history, and none of my previous interviews had used such direct language to describe this turning point in their life. But clearly, there was more to this story.

I asked Simon whether the trauma was something he wanted to talk about, and he said he did. He told me that the war broke out suddenly in his village, catching many people off guard. He was away at a Bible translation seminar at the time and was separated from his family.

Simon shared that he was walking along a road toward his village weeks after the war started and the last time he saw his family. He was desperate to find them. As luck (or God) would have it, he met them coming in his direction.

Immediately his family began sobbing uncontrollably. Simon could not understand whether they were happy to see him or if they were mourning the state of affairs they found themselves in. It took hours for him to calm his wife and daughters, and when he did, he was shocked at what they told him.

“My wife and my oldest daughter were raped by the militia,” Simon said.

Upon hearing this, I was at once stunned and saddened, seeing just a hint of guilt and pain on Simon’s face. No longer was I an interviewer or a journalist or a writer, but a brother in Christ in a conversation that had taken an entirely surprising direction.

“And what happened next?” was all I was able to say.

Finding Forgiveness

Simon told me that it was the worst pain he had ever felt. He said he talked with numerous pastors and church leaders and prayed continually for God to work in the situation. And he said that he was finally able to bring his wife and daughter to a point of reconciliation only through God’s grace.

Throughout this conversation, Simon remained amazingly composed. I assumed he was either in denial about the situation or he had completely come to a place of peace through it.

“Have you been able to reach a point of healing?” I asked.

“As we were going through the trauma healing materials with the pastors, I remembered a verse in the book of Mark that I had translated. It said that if I want to receive forgiveness from God, I must also forgive those who have hurt me. So now my wife and I pray for the soldiers because I have already forgiven them.”

I quickly questioned my own ability to forgive in the face of tragedy and pain, and I marveled at the power of Scripture when people understand it best. People like Simon are the manifestation of Wycliffe’s mission. And in that moment I recognized the transformational power of God’s Word, reaching every language in the world.

With a gift to Wycliffe* through the CFC, you can help someone like Simon experience freedom through God’s Word in their own language.

*Wycliffe is one of many worthy organizations supported by the CFC.