Sam Todd of Wycliffe Associates received a text early on Monday morning. “It came in at 4:18 [am] from our partner in Northeast DRC. It says, ‘Over 600 people have died in this (flooding) because of the rains; 2,500 people are wounded,’” he says.

“Thousands of people have been displaced in the last 48 hours; their lives have been upended.”

The region desperately needs rain, but recent storms brought more than the land could handle. Nearly 200 people lost their lives by Friday.

“You have these intense storms that create flash floods, and it’s coming [during] dry season,” Todd says.

“The ground isn’t ready for it. The people weren’t prepared for it. These floods just come through ferociously and wipe everything away: homes, buildings, people.”

The same part of the country hosts thousands of people displaced by ongoing fighting between the government and rebel forces. Clashes killed more than 150 people in two weeks in April.

(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates)

Wycliffe Associates supports local Bible translation efforts in the DRC. More about that here. “We’ve worked very diligently with local teams to train and equip them to translate in a localized context,” Todd says.

“Our goal is to teach people how to translate accurately and in a way that’s not dependent upon time, place, circumstance, or anyone from the West.”

Use the prompts listed alongside this article to pray for Christians in DRC.

“We’ll mobilize relief and support as we’re able to create an opportunity for God’s people here in the States to rally around [believers] in DRC,” Todd says.

“One of the great ways that the American Church can support people internationally is to know what’s happening. Be connected, be praying for them.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of ZHANQUN CAI/Pexels.

“We receive great expressions of thanksgiving from the folks who are making use of them. I have a couple of friends in Zambia who are making use of these tools,” Wycliffe Associates Interim President/CEO Tim Neu says.

“One of the pastors we trained taught three other language groups how to do Bible translation with these tools. Those three language groups completed their New Testaments, and have already started working on their Old Testament translations.”

See how BTAKs accelerated Bible translation efforts in Indonesia.

Since most translators live in isolated regions with no Internet access, the BTAK comes with a built-in satellite Internet connection. It also provides access to all the Bible translation software a language group needs.

“There are a number of language groups still waiting for kits like these to be made available to them,” Neu says.

Each kit costs $2,500 to produce and deliver to translators in the field. You could help underwrite some of the costs. Or, you could give your time.

“Folks have participated by being mentors. Some of these translation teams just need a person they can reach out to and ask a question; someone a bit more ‘seasoned’ in their understanding of the Scriptures. Others have more ability to give financially,” Neu says.

“As people get involved through mentoring, giving, and prayer, these gifts and sacrifices are being multiplied by those [workers] in the field.”

Header image courtesy of Wycliffe Associates.

“For three generations they’ve had believers, but they haven’t had access to a full Bible in their language. They’ve accepted God’s Word in terms of the salvation story, but they haven’t had access to the Scriptures in the language of their hearts,” Neu says.

(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates)

Bible translation isn’t easy in the archipelago. More than 12,000 remote areas have no Internet access. Humidity and frequent flooding pose a threat to anything in paper form. Enter: Wycliffe Associates’ Bible Translation Acceleration Kits, or BTAKs.

“It’s made up of a set of solar panels and solar equipment, as well as a satellite modem for connectivity. And a computer loaded with all of the Bible translation resources and tools we’ve created for folks in the local community,” Neu says.

Indonesia’s Sawi tribe, which is only reachable by plane or boat, recently received a BTAK from Wycliffe Associates. Today, believers are almost finished translating the Old Testament into their language.

“Without a BTAK, they might still be years away from experiencing God’s Word in its fullness,” Neu says.

“This was once a tribe of cannibals. Generations grew up learning only to kill or be killed in tribal warfare. Today, God’s Word is transforming their hearts.”

By sponsoring a BTAK, you can help Wycliffe Associates equip and train Indonesian believers. Most importantly, pray. “Some of these folks are in very difficult situations,” Neu says.

“[Pray] that God would strengthen, encourage, and that God would just give them the faith to continue doing the work that He’s called them to do.”

Header image courtesy of FMI.

Recent developments affirm the idea. Leaders are “discussing rapid normalization” of relations between Israel and Sudan, once long-time foes. On Thursday, Sudan’s interim government settled with families of the victims of a 2000 attack on the USS Cole. Sudan was accused of providing support to al-Qaida, which claimed responsibility for the attack.

Steps like these may sound like progress, but Wycliffe Associates President Bruce Smith says tribalism is a tough mindset to change in Sudan.

“The complexity of the cultural and linguistic situation reflects how complex it’s going to be to rally that country in a unified direction anytime in the short term.”

Why is Sudan so complicated?

Removing former president Omar al-Bashir is but one piece of a multifaceted puzzle. More than 100 languages reflect Sudan’s diverse people groups and tribes, each carrying its own complexities and challenges. “Within the country, you have lots of different factions that are vying for their own survival and their own place in the nation,” Smith explains.

(Stock photo courtesy of Pixabay)

“The removal of one person who’s at the head makes a significant difference in terms of the direction that everyone is being led,” he continues. “But, once that person is removed, there’s lots of movement going on among power brokers.”

In other words, people who used to be in powerful positions under Bahir’s rule “now find themselves on the outside,” Smith says. And, “people previously on the ‘outside’ now want to [be] on the ‘inside’,” he says.

“We’d love to see it make things easier for Christian witness and ministry to take place in that country. But, it’s pretty early in the process to really know.”

Wycliffe Associates’ main mission is to provide access to God’s Word. As a ministry that’s adapted to the test of persecution in Sudan, that mission has meant introducing portable Bible translation equipment. More about Wycliffe Associates’ work here.

“We really believe that the truth of Scripture is the only light that’s going to dispel the darkness,” Smith says.

“The Bible has the power to change people’s hearts from the inside out, and supersede all of these generations of strife and violence that has gone on between these different tribal groups over the years.”

How to help

Pray God’s Word will change hearts and break down barriers among the Sudanese. Sign up for our daily email to stay “in the know” on these issues and more.

“The political and economic movements that are going on in the world have an impact on the progress of the Gospel. We can see them either as threats or as opportunities,” Smith observes.

“God uses all of these things and redeems them in ways that we often can’t anticipate.”

Repairs and renovations will update the BTA center in Port Moresby; the center supports over 30 new translation projects. Updates to carpentry, plumbing, roofing and painting will be part of the project, and women in the BTA have asked for help in learning to sew curtains for the building. The facilities were constructed by Wycliffe Associates in the early 1990's.

BTA works to translate the Gospel into Papua New Guinea's over 800 native languages. Most of the island's 6 million residents live in rural locations, and the law protects their traditional lifestyle. Hatred created divisions among the tribes, but the BTA is working to translate Scripture into a myriad of languages to bridge the gaps between language groups.

If you'd like to volunteer for the May project, click here.