Okay, I realize that “Worth Giving To” is an awkward header, but I also realize that in the middle of July, nobody is thinking in terms of charitable giving and the receipts they won’t have at tax time if they neglect the concept of tithing to their local church or giving offerings to worthy ministry organizations.
My wife and I help my mom with some of her giving, which is somewhat strategic. She’s on a number of mailing lists, and frankly, there are some organizations which I am not impressed with at all. I’m tempted to list them here, but I won’t.
However, I am impressed with Wycliffe Bible Translators, both in terms of the nature and quality of the information they send her, and the first-hand reports I see from some of their missionaries. Wycliffe would be at the top of the list if someone asked me for a recommendation for giving to a reputable missions agency.
Some of the translation work they are doing uses new strategies that are rapidly cutting down the time it takes to produce a written form of a language, and involves using the skill of some native speakers who already speak the target language plus an intermediate language. This actually allows for multiple translations to be happening at once! The benefits of having their language in written form obviously has benefits to a tribe beyond learning the Christian message. But it provides calling and motivation for the translators. Historically, much of our English literacy in particular and educational system in general was fostered by the Church.
In a world where the media is focused on hungry people; providing written communication may not seem like a priority, but it’s necessary to the overall, longterm relief and development of a people-group, especially as the world gets smaller and remote tribes become less remote. Their projects are task oriented, so you don’t get the feel-good fuzzies that come from sponsoring a child, but you do get the knowledge that you’re contributing to the advancement of an entire tribe.
For your convenience I’ve linked to Wycliffe’s U.S. office here, and Wycliffe Associates in Canada here.
~Paul Wilkinson
Wycliffe Bible Translators is a cause dear to our hearts. We have a nephew from BC, his wife and 3 small children working with Wycliffe in an undisclosed village in Africa (I think) and the work is indeed tedious and the conditions less than ideal.
Comment by Isabel Newcomb — July 23, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
Thank you for the feedback and for your love of Bible translation. Both Wycliffe USA and Wycliffe Canada try very hard to appropriately and tastefully represent the needs of Bible translation and those still waiting for Scripture in their own language. We are partnering with you in the greatest acceleration of the pace of Bible translation ever witnessed!
Bob Creson
President/CEO
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA
Comment by Bob Creson — July 24, 2008 @ 3:31 pm