“Empowering others” has become quite a buzzword in missions circles. Missionaries nowadays are trained not to be the solutions to problems but rather to be catalysts for local solutions and local problem solvers.

I acceded to this orientation during my training mostly in theory. Having recently graduated from linguistics training, I arrived in Africa with all of my newly acquired knowledge, ready to put it into practice. I at least hoped I had something of use to offer my African brothers and sisters.

I spent at least ten years mostly being taught by my African colleagues rather than teaching them.

Fifteen years later, I feel that it would be accurate to say that I spent at least ten of those years mostly being taught by my African colleagues rather than teaching them.

I have had the incredible privilege of journeying with some amazing national translators who have patiently tutored me in their culture and language, evoking my empathy for their struggles (including economic hardship, harsh environmental realities, and limited or no access to the Church’s vast Biblical scholarship) and initiating me into their joys (living in community and simplicity, enjoying the rewards of hard work, and being in nature). In essence, they have shown how much more there is to life than what I learned in graduate school.

This schooling from my African colleagues, rather than fueling my hopes of offering something to them, left me feeling like I have so much more to learn. But in fact it empowered me to then share and teach that which I am able to share and teach. My increased empathy towards them and my sincere delight in their culture and expressions positioned me to do what I had been taught was the best way — empower others.

I submit that there is nothing quite like coming alongside others as they learn something and then watching them succeed. It is my honor to mentor these African Bible translators within the context of what I have learned as they have mentored me. 

There is nothing quite like coming alongside others as they learn and then watching them succeed.

In recent months I have begun mentoring one of these national translators to do exegetical checking and advise local translation teams. We have had incredible conversations about the nitty-gritty aspects of translation, discussing best practices, word choices, and thorny textual issues.

But the part I enjoy the most is witnessing my colleague’s delight as he learns more about the intricacies of language and the powerful messages found in God’s Word. He thinks deeply and encourages me in my faith journey.

In one recent conversation, we were discussing how our own theology can sometimes sway our exegetical decisions. I was urging him to remain diligent in understanding the dangers of inserting erroneous interpretations into the text. Worried that I had made the task seem too daunting, I asked him what he was thinking.

His reply blew me away. He said, “God helped me deal with the incredible weight of this responsibility a long time ago. At that time I was so worried about getting everything just right when I had a dream of a very tall tree that was bending over so far it almost reached the ground. In that dream God reminded me that His Word is that tree. It can bend and sway, but it is firmly rooted in Him and He will not let it break.”

The translator’s words will stick with me for a long time and continue to ground me in that truth whenever I begin to feel overwhelmed by the task of Bible translation and the weight of the responsibility of rendering it accurately and clearly for an entire people group. And as we empower others to live out their God-given potential, may God continue to empower us by His Spirit.