Write it, Recite it, Send it: Our Mission.

There are so many ways to get our children excited about the work of Bible translation as a way to involve them in ministry and help them understand the importance of the Bible in our lives. While we embarked on this project back in 2014, it is a timeless challenge that you can gather some friends together and embark on too! Simply choose a translation project through Wycliffe and start memorizing!

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 What is poverty?

It’s the question I posed to my kids today.  A few vague responses tentatively whispered from boys lips.  No one really understood.  So I sent the youngest on an errand to bring the dictionary over and my 7.5 year old begged to be the one to look up the word.  Dictionary skills are high on the “want to develop” list for this young guy of mine.

Our children’s dictionary defined it as, “the condition of being poor.”  We took some time to discuss the ramifications of being poor.  We talked of the importance of food and shelter.  We discussed what money could buy…  …and what it couldn’t.

In a hushed voice, I called them close and explained our mission for the month.

This month I have a challenge for you; an opportunity to hide God’s Word in your heart and in the process help end Bible poverty.  Are you in?

Boys and “missions” just go together.  They are stoked.  This month, I’m teaming up with Amanda on her Monthly Mission series with a new challenge!  The idea for this challenge was birthed this last fall when I finally got to meet Amanda in person!  We share a love for God’s Word and are just a tad bit obsessed with bringing our kids into the grand adventure of walking out this relationship with Jesus in fun ways.

 

So this month, we’re inviting our kids to step up and help #EndBiblePoverty!  The Word of God is food for our souls.  It strengthens and sustains us.  And there are millions out there who don’t have access to it.  There are entire groups of people who don’t even have the option to read these life-giving words because there isn’t a Bible in their language.

This month, we want to make a difference.  And we invite your family to join us.  Together we can help our children invest in eternity in a beautiful way as they feast on God’s Word and in turn raise money for the important work that Wycliffe Bible Translators is doing to help speed up the rate of Bible translation.

Want to join in?  Here are 8 easy steps to get you started!

Step 1: Pick a Passage.

Amanda and I are having our kids memorize Psalm 119:9-16.  These 8 verses powerfully communicate the benefit is staying in the Word and our prayer for our children.  You can memorize along with us or pick your own passage.

Step 2: Set the Parameters.

The idea is that we sponsor them x many dollars per verse memorized.  For our family, we’ve settled on $2/verse.  They will work hard this month to memorize this passage and then recite it in it’s entirety for us.

If you want to take this challenge a step further, your children can approach grandparents or other important adults in their life and see if anyone else would like to sponsor them.  The boys are hopeful to amplify their fundraising efforts this way!  If they all meet their goal and the grandparents are on board, we have the potential to raise $144!   Amanda and I have set up a dedicated page with Wycliffe Bible Translators for this Mission.  Our goal is to raise $1,000 towards the Bible translation efforts in the Tagasa Region {southeast Asia}.  That’s where all of you come into play!  We can’t meet this goal alone…

Step 3: Start the Dialogue

This is a great opportunity to have rich dialogue with your kids.  My kids can usually only handle a question or two at a time.  We are pretty flexible and open-ended here.  Questions to discuss could include:

• What is poverty?
• Why is the Bible so important?  Why would people refer to not having access to a Bible as a form of poverty? {Great video on why Bible Translation is so important}  What is the effect of this kind of poverty?}
• How does Bible translation work?  I love these videos that showcase the need for Bible translation.  {Video: how technology is helping to accelerate the rate of translation.}
• Pull out a couple of translations and talk about the process of translation.  You could even discuss “word-for-word” vs “thought for thought” translation.
• Our challenge will be funding translation work in the Tagasa Cluster (an area in Southeast Asia). We printed off information on our region to keep it handy for discussion!  We also found this area on our globe!

• Encourage your kids to imagine what it would be like to read and hear the Bible read in their own language for the first time.  I cried when I saw this video of Chinese believers receiving Bibles for the first time.  Watch it as a family.

Here’s another powerful video:

Step 4: Read it.

Once you have your passage chosen.  Read it.  Read for context.  All memory work starts with reading, listening and then repeating.

Step 5: Write it.

As you are discussing how Bible translation works, have them write the passage out.  We made booklets so that we could write out the passage on one side, illustrate it on the other and then use our books to practice.  {We’re kind of fond of “making books” by folding paper and then sewing down the middle.  The same thing could be accomplished with a stapler.}  For my kindergarten son, I wrote out the verse and simply let him illustrate each verse.  This is also a wonderful opportunity to discuss the meaning and how it applies to our lives.  Amanda is sharing some great coloring sheets too that you can use for your pre-writers or those little boys like mine who find lots of writing a bit taxing.

Step 6: Say it.

Work on memorizing your verses.  Remind them that the ultimate goal is not getting done the fastest, but getting those Words down deep into our hearts for long-term impact! 

Here are a few ways to help with this.

• Tape a copy of the passage to the dashboard in your car.  Use your driving time to work with your kids on their verses. {This is how we tackle our AWANA verses.}
• Tape a copy on the bathroom mirror.  Review before you brush your teeth.
• Act out the verse.
• March and recite.  There is incredible power with linking motion to memory!
• Try this adorable “feather game” challenge from Our Family for His Glory!

When they are ready, make it a big deal.

Step 7: SEND it!

Once they’ve met their goal and recited their passage to you, grandparents, etc go as a family to the special Monthly Mission page we have set up.  You can make your donation there and together we can see how much we can raise!

Step 8: Share!

Use the hashtags #EndBiblePoverty and #MonthlyMission and share your progress with this project on social media!  If you blog about it, share your link!

If your family is going to take this mission on, let us know.  My kids would be so excited to hear about it!

 

Be sure to check out Amanda’s post on the #EndBiblePoverty Monthly Mission!

Related: Read Thru the Bible as a Family {Free Printable}