Race to Win

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, NIV).

We must train for the race. While it might feel like the finish line is far away, the goal of starting a translation in all languages that need it by the year 2025 is approaching quickly. In this urgent race for Bible translation, we need to equip Wycliffe workers with the training they need to run toward the prize set before them.

Setting the Pace

When starting out with Wycliffe, workers first attend a training camp held at Wycliffe USA headquarters in Orlando, Florida. New workers spend an intense two weeks learning about Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Bible translation need. Horace Crow, a recent training camp attendee, said that training camp “brought the ultimate goal of Bible translation back into focus.”
 
New Wycliffe workers also learn about building ministry partnerships. One partnership tool is the Prayer Advisory Committee. Tena, who attended training camp with her husband, expressed gratitude for their committee. “I really do not know how to explain the security and the courage they bring.”

Focus on the Goal

To be effective, training must be specific to the work that the missionary will be doing. Language workers, information technology professionals, pilots, teachers and others need training specific to their assigned roles. For example, teachers need training for the unique challenges of working overseas. Wycliffe’s Children’s Education Department (CHED) has been providing this specialized training to teachers for twenty-eight years. At the International CHED orientation, teachers learn about working with missionary kids and working with others from diverse cultures.

Going the Distance

On the field, missionaries need on-going training for refreshment, renewal and growth. Cami Robbins, assistant director of training for the Central Africa Group said, “This kind of ‘just in time’ training is very effective, because as soon as the person returns from the training event, they are able to immediately put it into practice, which helps the training they received to become part of their life.” 
  
One such training course was held in Nairobi, Kenya, on trauma healing, and was attended by several Congolese people and an SIL worker in the Congo. After the training, they developed a trauma-healing manual to help in the war-torn region. Later the manuals were translated into two other languages of the Congo, and used to create other seminars on trauma.

Mama Anne took the trauma-healing seminar in Brazzaville, Congo. After the seminar, Cami Robbins said, “The Lord did a work of healing in her life and helped her to let go of bitterness and pain.” Mama Anne decided that God wanted her to be legally married in a church to the man she had been living with for 18 years. Cami said, “She asked my husband and me to be witnesses at the wedding, because the work of SIL-Congo had a great impact on her life.” Training changes lives.