The Power of Speaking to the Heart

THE CALL: 2023–2024    |    5 MINUTE READ
SHEA BROWN, WGM STAFF WRITER

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 1 John 1:1–4 (NIV)

The way in which we communicate matters. In missions, it matters immensely. Often, the language where missionaries serve is different than their own. For example, many communities are highly oral-reliant rather than being text-reliant; this adds a whole other dynamic to communication.

So, when we’re proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to someone in a different culture, it’s important that we’ve learned their heart language. Several WGM missionaries are helping translate the Word of God into their neighbors’ heart languages and experiencing humility themselves along the way.

Bible translation is just one of many examples of the interpersonal nature of God's communication and how we are created in that image. God took communication so seriously that He sent Jesus as the Word, the embodied communique of God. He knew we needed something that could be passed from generation to generation, so He gave us the textual Word of God. 

The goal is not to be in relationship with the Bible, but the Bible helps us foster a relationship with the God who speaks through His Spirit in biblical text. The biblical text is of inestimable value because it is God's communication to us—inviting us into communication with Him.

Methelyn, a language student in Papua New Guinea

Since November 2021, WGM missionary Luz Maldonado has been part of a Bible translation team that is working on the translation of the New Testament into the Gadsup language. Gadsup is one of the more than 800 languages in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Here’s what Luz has to say about the process:

When we talk about Bible translation, we often think about desk work that only a Bible expert or a linguist can do, but it is important to know that a lot of local people are involved, and it must be a project that belongs to them and that needs support from the local churches.

We firmly believe that the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages is the best way to help people truly believe in Jesus and positively transform their cultures. And it’s the most effective way for speakers to truly understand the depth of God’s message.

Missionaries often come to their ministry locations as experts in various disciplines. Yet, when they start interacting with their host culture, they adopt the posture of humility, or one of a child, to learn from their host culture.

The Guarani-Jopara Institute in Paraguay

Andy Bowen, missionary and area team leader in Paraguay, emphasizes the importance of humility when he teaches the language of Guarani. He says:

There’s this counter current of a sacred language of God and if you want to get close to Him, you must learn that sacred language. I believe that puts God in a box and holds Him at arm’s length.

The truth is that God reaches out and meets you where you are; just imagine being spoken to in your mother language when the Word has always been outside of your language. For missionaries, learning language is a means of conveying truth to others, but it goes deeper than that. It is a demonstration of intimate relationship.

Andy and his wife, Lizet, began the Guarani-Jopara Institute to help missionaries learn the heart language of Paraguay. He disciples them and coaches them to learn language from Paraguayan speakers of Guarani, guiding missionaries to humble themselves before the people to whom they minister.

Kenneth Hopson and Leonard hard at work in The Print Shop in Uganda

Curiously, God often incorporates the gifts of the missionaries to help local communities engage God's Word. Kenneth Hopson, a printer from Texas, now serves as a missionary in Uganda, where he prints portions of the Bible into other languages. In a country with over 40 languages, Kenneth’s ministry, The Print Shop, works to put God’s Word in the hands of people across all of East Africa, sometimes for the very first time.

Once boxes of God’s Word arrive, the people celebrate finally having access to the Word in their mother tongue! In 2014, The Print Shop was planning on shipping two translated books of the Bible to Northern Uganda. Knowing that the books would take three days to arrive, the people planned a huge celebration for their arrival.

Many English speakers take it for granted, having their Bible just sitting on their table, so this overflow of joy is something many are not familiar with. Thankfully, God invites missionaries to help others gain access to God’s Word. 

Sometimes, people are just hungry for God's Word, even if it is not in their mother tongue. They have learned to adapt and can appreciate a trade language study Bible, like one Burundian woman, Fofo.

Missionary Krista Horn giving Florence (Fofo) her new Bibles

Krista Horn, a missionary in Kenya, speaks about her experience sharing the Word with Fofo:

At our community Bible study one night, a good friend expressed interest in my study Bible (which has commentaries, maps, indexes, etc.) and wished she could have one like it. Florence, affectionately known as Fofo, is Burundian, and English is her fourth language. Despite that, she wanted to have an English study Bible because she didn't know if it was possible to get one in any of her other three languages. I didn't anticipate getting my hands on a Kirundi study Bible (which would be in her first language), but I reached out to some missionary friends in West Africa who live in a French-speaking region and asked for advice in getting a French study Bible.

They helped me find one with introductions to each book of the Bible and a few other resources, so I ordered it, and I also ordered an English study Bible. When both Bibles were in my possession, I surprised Fofo with the gift of Scripture. She was ecstatic and shed tears of joy! And she has since been studying her new Bibles and enthusiastically learning more about the Lord.

WGM missionaries are deeply committed to the reality that God wants to be in conversation with all people. Sometimes, local communities need a Bible in their local language, but their language has no written script. WGM missionaries are using oral Bible translation processes that are then digitally recorded to provide an oral Bible to these communities. Such an approach allows them to engage the Scriptures in ways they would typically make other meaningful decisions—orally.

Through Jesus, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit, God is helping WGM missionaries communicate His word in ways that people can hear God's voice! Four times in John 10 it says that “His sheep hear his voice!” We get to help sheep hear the voice of their shepherd!

We have to surrender the gifts God has given us to help fulfill His plan. Missionaries who bring the Word of God into another person’s heart language must exemplify great humility and release their own desires. But it’s not just them—we’re called to do those things, too.

The stories of missionaries may feel distant from our everyday lives, but our call is the same. God commissions us to make disciples of all nations. He wants us to help create a world where no matter what language someone speaks, they can access the Gospel, whether that be written or spoken, in their heart language.

ACTION STEPS

GIVE: Help more people receive the Bible in their heart language by partnering with The Print Shop in Uganda. Learn more about this ministry and how you can be part of it.

GO: Do you have a passion for languages? God could be calling you to join translation work or another ministry connected to heart language. We’d love to chat with you about opportunities to answer that call.

PRAY: Ask God to call more people into the important work of ministering to people in their own language. Pray for missionaries currently in language school, that God will give them the ability to connect with others and use language to develop relationships with those they want to serve. And ask God to keep spreading His Word to new languages, expanding the reach of His truth and hope.

Author bio: Shea Brown is a senior at Indiana Wesleyan University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English and Writing. She lives and works in Marion, Indiana, where she uses her talent of writing to share the Gospel and tell other inspiring stories.