‘Where are you from?’ A child asked me. I had arrived in Mayoyao in the rice terrace region of the Philippines only the day before. ‘Australia,’ I replied. I chatted with a group of local children. I asked them to teach me some words in Mayoyao. They found it hilarious that I had trouble pronouncing […]

‘Where are you from?’ A child asked me. I had arrived in Mayoyao in the rice terrace region of the Philippines only the day before.

‘Australia,’ I replied. I chatted with a group of local children. I asked them to teach me some words in Mayoyao. They found it hilarious that I had trouble pronouncing some sound combinations. From then on I had children greeting me by name, eager to teach me more of their language at any opportunity.

I have always enjoyed words and stories. When I started to learn Japanese at school a whole new world opened up, so different from anything I’d encountered previously in my white, English-speaking context in South Australia. This began my lifelong love of languages, and joy in learning other languages.

At university I joined the AFES group (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students). Geoff and Aileen Morrow from Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia visited us one week and I heard for the first time how many languages there are in the world (approximately 7000) and that the whole Bible is available in so few of those languages (about 500). What would it be like to be Christians and not be able to read Genesis or Psalms or John in a language that we could understand?

I joined Geoff and Aileen on a short trip to the Philippines to see various aspects of the work of Bible translation. By the end of that trip I felt that God wanted me to use my skill and interest in languages in Bible translation, so that people could hear and understand his Word in their languages.

I joined Wycliffe Australia and hoped to make use of my Spanish skills by joining a project in a Spanish-speaking area. God closed that door at the end of 2017, and opened the door for me to join SIL Australia (SILA) in Kangaroo Ground, Victoria. SILA provides training in linguistics, translation, literacy, anthropology and other aspects of coming alongside a community in a Bible translation project.

Each year I teach people how to learn languages in our summer intensive, and I love seeing people experience success in beginning to learn a new language from people who speak it. As we remember at Pentecost each year, God delights in communicating with people in languages they can understand.

Our students come from many different backgrounds. Some are involved in cross-cultural ministry here in Australia, with communities already in their churches or groups they are looking to reach with the gospel. Others plan to move to serve God in translation, literacy, medical work or other activities among people who use a variety of languages. Others come who are already working to bring God’s Word to language communities in their own countries.

SILA is part of the SIL Global Community, a group of organisations longing to see people flourishing in community using the languages they value most. Languages matter because people matter, created in the image of a God who yearns for relationship with them, with us.

If you would like to consider the opportunity to donate to Sharna Steinert, who is serving as Language Learning Subject Coordinator for SIL Australia, you are invited to go to Sharna Steinert at Wycliffe Australia