We (Shanta Dawson and I) had a chance to sit down with a couple of our missionaries, Andy and Mary Ellen, the other day. So we did a little “round table” discussion concerning their Scripture translation work in Central Asia. Here is what we talked about. 

Give us a brief overview of your work.

We’ve been in Central Asia from 2007 to April of 2009. Our work has centered in translating the Scriptures into one of the local languages. The New Testament was published a while ago, but it is in need of revision. One of my (Andy’s) specific tasks was to go over all the spellings of names in the New Testament, checking them for consistency. More recently I helped a national colleague make a new translation of Galatians and Philippians. We hope to have the whole Bible done in 3-4 years. The greatest challenge then will be publishing and distributing the Scriptures. These are “closed” countries that don’t welcome the idea of their people freely possessing Bibles. The church here is small—only a few thousand in a land of millions. 

How many people groups in Central Asia have their own Scriptures?

Most of the major ones have at least some part of the Scriptures. The Soviets taught the people literacy, so most can read. But there are smaller ethnic groups living without access to any Scripture in their own languages. 

The issue sometimes comes up as to why spend all the energy to translate the Scriptures into each language. Wouldn’t it be easier in bilingual areas to just use a Bible that would be understood, even if it isn’t one’s primary language?

The problem is this—trying to read the Scriptures in a language that isn’t native keeps it at a distance. It is like many of us trying to read the King James version. You may get the “big picture”, but you miss out on so much. In Central Asia, most of the folks read Russian, but they associate Russia with oppression and domination. They aren’t real interested in the God of the oppressors. They could read a Russian Bible, but it wouldn’t be the best. 

What is the biggest obstacle to the spread of the Gospel in Central Asia?

Mostly a cultural one. The people here are “devoutly nominal” adherents of Islam. What I mean is that they strongly identify themselves as “Muslims” and that label means something to them, but they don’t necessarily practice the main tenets of their faith.  

How does your work help reach what we call the “unreached peoples” (those who have no church)?

While Russian Orthodoxy is present in Central Asia, these churches for the most part aren’t evangelistic and sometimes oppose evangelical Christians. Due to restrictive government policies, in many places much of the evangelical church is “underground”—it doesn’t operate with great openness. Individuals who convert to the evangelical faith are often treated very poorly and can find themselves ostracized. 
 

What is your own family life like in Central Asia?

Much like here in the States, only a little more isolated. It is city life, and that has its ups and downs. Language is a bit of a barrier. Utilities are interesting—power outages fairly common. The whole city is on a centralized hot water system that is shut down for a month every year. Shopping for all kinds of things can be done in open-air markets, where bargaining is the norm. 

Where have you seen the hand of God in a powerful way in your ministry?

It wasn’t long ago that a door was shut for work we were doing in another country. But as that door shut, a door opened in the country where we have been. And God has used this situation in many, many great ways. We don’t know how long we can stay, the door could shut tomorrow. But as long as God allows us, we will pursue the calling of bringing the Word of God to people who don’t have it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 3:46 am and is filed under God sightings.