Presbyterian Church in Ireland - Mission Overseas - INDONESIA: Clare Orr joins a 'Wycliffe Engage Team' going to Kalimantan (Borneo)

28th June 2010

Clare Orr, a member of Newtownbreda (St John's) Presbyterian Church, leaves on 2nd July to join a Wycliffe Engage Team going to Indonesia, where they will spend a month with a local Bible translation organisation on the island of Kalimantan.

Almost 7,000 languages are spoken across the globe. Roughly 2,250 of these languages have no part of the Bible in their language. This equates to more than 300 million people. Wycliffe Bible Translators has a vision that, alongside their partners, by 2025 a Bible translation programme will have begun in every remaining language. 

The Bible is an invaluable resource to all Christians, but the work of Wycliffe does not only enable people to read the Bible in their own language. Many of the languages in which Wycliffe is working have not been written down before, meaning a writing system must be created, and people must be taught literacy skills. This written form of the language, alongside adequate literacy skills, then allows people to read and understand healthcare instructions in their own language for the first time.

Clare writes:

"On 2 July I will be travelling to Kalimantan, the Borneo part of Indonesia, with a team of five people. We will spend a month with one of Wycliffe’s partners, a local Bible translation organisation.  Indonesia is a huge country, home to more than 250 million people, where more than 700 languages are spoken. The organisation we are visiting is currently preparing materials for Luke in the Ngaju language.

As well as witnessing the translation work in the local Churches, we may be involved with preparing Sunday School material, helping with workshops for local youth leaders, producing literacy materials, finding ways to best use this new resource, and participating in small group Bible studies."

Clare is just one of many volunteers who this summer will be going overseas short-term with a Wycliffe Engage Team.

Such opportunities enable those who go to gain an understanding of Wycliffe's vital ministry and, in particular, the time and effort it takes to create a 'written' language where one has never existed before and to then translate the Bible into this new 'written' form.

During Assembly week, Clare met with Rev Jerda Djawa (see picture), First Assistant Moderator of the Evangelical Christian Church in Halmhera (GMIH), who was able to give her some useful tips on Indonesian culture and language, as well a helpful list of contacts in the city, in Kalimantan, where the Wycliffe team will be based.

Clare and members of the Engage Team she's going on, ask for prayer for -

• Safety in all travel
• Team unity (due to the volcanic ash problem they've not yet manage to all meet up!)
• Good health for the whole team
• Those in Indonesia who are preparing to receive the team
• Communication – that they will all be able to learn some Indonesian before they go

Wycliffe UK is part of an international family of organisations with around 6,000 members from 60 countries. For more about the family of organisations, take a look at Wycliffe International below.

The work of the Bible Translation in making the Scriptures available in a multitude of languages is strategic in aiding the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ, as well as giving countless thousands the opportunity to own and read a Bible written in their mother tongue. Yet the remaining task is immense.

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