At Urbana, hundreds of missions organizations set up booths where conference-goers could learn more about ones that interested them. I spent time with my friends visiting more booths than I can count, some with names that were familiar and many more that I had never heard of. At the time, I really wasn't sure whether I was called to international missions at all, or to what extent.
A week after returning home from Urbana, I took a plane to France for a semester abroad, and during that time I began corresponding with Wycliffe recruiters from Minnesota. After I returned from France, I was excited to have the chance to meet up with Greg and Mary Pearson, two Wycliffe representatives, for a cup of coffee. We talked about how my areas of study (French and communication) could be useful in an organization like Wycliffe.
One of the things I appreciate about Wycliffe is that it seeks to fulfill an obvious need that is very basic to pursuing faith. They want people to have access to the word of God. This doesn't mean that God can only move in a person's heart after they have read the magic words on a page, but it says in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is God breathed, and it is a tool to be used for teaching ,rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. When someone has access to the scripture in their first language, they have access to that very important tool.
Starting a translation project means working with the local people in the area, learning about the target language, and collaborating to produce a translation of the scriptures that is as true as possible. It is not simply about translating word for word. It is even more important that the main ideas of the gospel stay true as well.
When I returned to Hope the next fall, I felt a growing conviction that I was called to pursue involvement with Wycliffe, and met with another Wycliffe representative, Carole Hoskins, to talk about the next steps I should take. That is when I began to share my calling with my family, friends, my church in Michigan, and my church in Minnesota. It all began feeling much more real. Which was incredibly weird and very exciting at the same time. It was weird because the year before I was not even close to considering international missions, and exciting because I had found a place where my gifts could be applied to an ongoing project that was bearing so much fruit in God's kingdom!
During my final semester at Hope, I applied for an internship with Wycliffe, and shortly after graduation, just about everything was set. I'll be interning with Wycliffe in Cotonou, Benin for 10 months!
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