USA (MNN) — In March 1987, the United States began an annual celebration of women’s achievements and contributions to American history. This month, Wycliffe USA celebrates women’s essential roles in Bible translation.
“I want to highlight African American women who played a huge role in Bible translation,” Wycliffe USA’s Estella Trostle says.
Josephine Makil, the first African American woman to join Bible translation efforts.
(Photo courtesy of Estella Trostle/Wycliffe USA)
April 19, 2008, marked the first New Testament translation completed with the help of an African American woman – Jacqueline (Jackie) Huggins. Huggins holds a master’s degree in linguistics.
In 1959, “Josephine Makil [became] the first African American woman to join Bible translation, and she was my mentor,” Trostle says.
“She was a literacy specialist with the Gullah Sea Island Creole translation team, and as a widower, she raised three children and served faithfully in Wycliffe for 42 years.”
Following her mentor’s footsteps, Trostle began working in Bible translation 14 years ago with her husband and two sons.
“In 1994, we landed in Papua New Guinea for the first time with a group of college students. We fell in love with the people there [and] moved to Papua New Guinea in 2009,” Trostle says.
“We worked under the Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association; that is, Papua New Guineans who are missionaries to their own country.”
Today, Estella and her husband are field coordinators in PNG. You don’t have to go overseas to be involved in the Bible translation movement. “Anyone can pray [or] give,” Trostle says.
“The needs are still great. There are over 7,000 languages worldwide and over 800 in Papua New Guinea.”
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Header image depicts Josephine Makil, the first African American woman to join Bible translation efforts. (Photo courtesy of Estella Trostle/Wycliffe USA)
