Every time I look around....

Language survey seems to be the topic of every other conversation and presentation around here. I think I need to stop wondering how I can be a part of Wycliffe. Case in point-this email:

Take 59 - 06/24/09: Nigerian Language Survey Training (Public)

“‘I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message’” (John 17:20, NLT).

Four Nigerian interns, including a Lutheran pastor and an Anglican priest, have doubled the size of a language survey team working to determine the need for Bible translation in their country. The newcomers, who supplement four Wycliffe surveyors, have received six weeks of intensive classroom training. Following this training, they were able to complete their first sociolinguistic survey trip, investigating the dialects spoken in their state. Their internship will continue for three years.

There are over 300 Nigerian languages needing assessment, and a typical team might assess six languages in a year. Rather than a small number of teams taking over 50 years to assess all of these languages, efforts can be multiplied by training more Nigerians as language surveyors. Likewise, when local Nigerians get involved, the Nigerian Church feels a greater sense of pride and ownership in their own translation projects.

· Praise God for these four interns and ask Him to bless their work. Pray that more Nigerians and other local people around the world would display an interest in conducting translation-related work.