Wycliffe Orientation and Training

Our first week consisted of an orientation to Wycliffe Bible Translators in a week-long program called TOTAL it Up, with TOTAL standing for a "Taste of Translation and Linguistics." During this week, I got to meet Priska, who would be my teammate for the summer, as well as the 6 other interns who would be remaining in Dallas. We were also joined by a number of other individuals who were looking into Wycliffe as a possibility for future ministry.

The TOTAL it Up crew.

The Choctaw/Dallas interns and leaders.

(From left to right: Priska, me, Emery, Andrew, Olivia, Ryan, Dayton, Del, Jean, Victoria.

Del and Jean are our dedicated internship coordinators--we're very thankful for their work!)

During the following week, Priska and I were able to attend a course, Arts for a Better Future (ABF), on how to encourage people to use their cultural arts to glorify God. Joining us for the week were a few representatives from the Choctaw Bible Translation Committee (CBTC): Elijah Ben (Choctaw translator), Pam Smith (Choctaw CBTC board member), and Laura Christel Horlings (SIL exegete assigned to the Choctaw Bible translation project). It was great to have that time getting to know them before beginning our work with the CBTC in Mississippi!

Our table during one of the ABF sessions. 

(At our table, from left to right: Priska, Laura Christel [holding her son, Kinsley], Pam, me, Dayton, Del. Photo by Jean Archer.)

During several of the ABF sessions, we were encouraged to think through how some of the Choctaw art forms could be used to build God's kingdom, strengthening believers and glorifying God. It was a fun time to talk with Pam, Elijah, and Laura Christel about Choctaw culture. 

As with many Native American groups, direct questions about beliefs and customs are not necessarily welcomed by the Choctaw people. However, Pam and Elijah were very gracious and allowed us to ask a boatload of questions that week, as we worked through the ABF curriculum. We spoke about Choctaw dancing and beading, songs and drumming, traditional clothing and family gatherings. Landing on Choctaw storytelling, Pam and Elijah thought that a revival of that art could deeply encourage believers. Together, we made plans to promote the telling of Bible stories in a Choctaw form, praying that the use of this art would cause Choctaw believers to grow in Christ in a way that embraces their cultural heritage. We may even get to see some of this take shape while we are working with the CBTC this summer!

Pam presenting our group's storytelling ideas at ABF. 

(Photo by Jean Archer.)

Regarding another meaningful part of the Arts for a Better Future week, every morning we opened with a short time of worshipping God in a way that allowed us to tangibly express our thoughts and prayers through various art forms. It was a great exercise for me, since I have rarely connected creativity and worship in my own life. I have seen others do it with excellence! But it was a challenge (of the most encouraging, rewarding sort) for me to create as a way of worship.

One of our most simple yet meaningful worship/prayer exercises involved a circle of cardboard, a tangle of ribbons, and a collection of tacks, clips, tape, etc. We had been told to think and pray about what God was doing in and through us at present. Then we were to choose ribbons (which symbolized us) and attach them to the circle (God) in some way that represented His current work in our lives. Some ribbons dangled away from the circle, yet remained firmly attached to it. Others curved away from the circle but returned to it, securely clipped at both ends. Some were a mess of knots, shreds, tangles, zig-zags--yet they were still held tightly to the circle. Still others weaved their way between and around various other ribbons, tacked to the circle wherever they met.

The results of our ribbon activity. 

(Photo by Priska Lamera.)

Through a straightforward activity using inconsequential bits of plastic and fabric, people revealed struggles and joys that were difficult for them to put into words. To anyone else walking into the room, it would have looked like a muddle of colorful scraps. Yet to those who had created it, the tangle held great meaning and beauty.

Our Creator's intentional involvement is evident in the midst of life's messiness, and I was reminded to take note of His beautiful work in the lives of His people and in the world at large.