It’s not completely straightforward expressing everything that takes place through this organization. Wycliffe is a strange beast, made up of members and associates, partners and supporters, each with their own vital part to play in the overall mission.

I guess it’s no secret that Wycliffe is about bible translation, although, I’m not sure as many Christians know about what we do as should. However, what often gets overlooked are the huge benefits to a community who have information in their own language.

Today I was reading a letter from a couple who have just made a visit back to the village they were based in for many years when working on a bible translation project. They were reflecting on the huge changes that having a written language has made to the community. Aside from the growing church, the children are healthy and clean, there’s a school in the village and a sense of pride in the community.

You see, it’s not just important that these remote places have a Bible in their own language. It’s also vital that people can read and understand information provided by the government and aid agencies. Many countries may have an official language such as French or English, but in more remote communities it is only the wealthy and well educated that understand this. People in rural and remote communities will speak whatever the local or tribal language is. This makes it vital to produce good quality information in a language that everyone can understand.

On top of this, children succeed better with an education in the same language as they speak at home. It’s difficult at best to educate anyone in the official language if, as soon as they go home, they start speaking a local language.

I’m sure you get the idea. But just imagine the difference it makes to a community when they can read and understand for themselves that using clean water will improve their health, that AIDS is best prevented by only having one sexual partner or (failing that) by using a condom, or that they have legal rights within their country – believe it or not, some communities did not even realize that they were included in that nation’s constitution.

Next week I’m going on a course called Window on Wycliffe (WOW). It’s supposed to give a good overview of everything that Wycliffe do. Hopefully I’ll be even more clued up afterwards.