40_days_and_40

Bible translators join Eastern Africa IMB missionaries
in region's second grueling '40 Days, 40 Nights' orientation

BRACKENHURST, Tigoni, Kenya-Thirty-five missionaries and missionary children-over half of them from Wycliffe Bible translators-recently completed the second "40 Days, 40 Nights" intensive field orientation in the IMB's proposed Central, Eastern and Southern Africa Region. The six-week program is designed to prepare new missionaries to live, work, and serve with different cultures and peoples on the African mission field.

As in its first year, this year's program provided participants with an orientation to rural and urban living in the region, including an extended stay in the African bush and a week's stay in the home of a Kenyan villager. However, based on participant comments and growth in the program, directors Jack and Judi Sprayberry of New Mexico made several key changes. This year's participants received more hands-on training, had more staff members available to them, and benefited from larger, safari-style tents. However, according to the Sprayberrys the cooperation with Wycliffe, who themselves carried out a similar training program for many years, was the largest-and perhaps most beneficial-change in the program.

"Our partnership with Wycliffe began in 2002," explained Jack Sprayberry. "They know the value of cross-cultural exposure, and they provided quality instruction for the program. Most of them have attended required Wycliffe orientation safaris themselves, so they respect the program and appreciate a chance to work with us, contributing knowledge of anthropology and medicine, and additional staff members."

Unlike the IMB participants, Wycliffe personnel came from a variety of countries, including the Netherlands, Ireland and Great Britain, as well as the U.S. Jack noted the value of interacting with missionaries from other countries and with a focus differing from that of IMB missionaries.

"Because they are translation experts, they bring a fresh focus to our Baptist teachings. Their input gives us new value and respect to the importance of the written Word in every language. Not only does it have new missionaries working together with other Christian organizations but the cross cultural interaction among participants were blessed learning experiences for all."

"The Wycliffe folks were a blessing to us at camp," commented program participant Jonnie Brawley, a Texas native who with his wife Juanita will be working as an ISC volunteer among the Baganda people of Western Uganda. "They were encouraged that the IMB was planting churches in areas where they were working on translating the scriptures. The IMB personnel in turn were encouraged to hear about the work that Wycliffe was doing in spreading the Word of God," he said.

"It was amazing how God called people from all over the world, from vast differences in background and experiences and ages, to all be united here in Africa to share the good news of Jesus Christ either through church planting or Bible translation," Brawley continued. Fellow participants and Florida natives Bob and Bobbi Brown agreed.

"I think it was great, and I hope it continues," said Bobbi. The Browns will be serving as ISC volunteers among in Tororo, Uganda. Knowing that the Bible has just been published in the language of their target people group, the Japadhola, made the interaction with Wycliffe even more meaningful to her, Bobbi Brown said.

As part of the program, participants received training in anthropology, CPR and First Aid, spiritual warfare, ethnomusicology, chronological Bible storying, water purification, solar energy, and cooking over an open fire. Ample opportunity for hands-on participation was also given, as participants chopped firewood, washed dishes, road in crowded mini-buses, spent day in a village buying fruit and vegetables at the market, bought meat from local butcheries and ate in roadside cafés.

Also included was an introduction to some of the major religions in the region, including African traditional religions, Islam, and Hinduism. This year's training included a day's session at a Muslim resource center and a visit to a mosque.

As directors, Jack Sprayberry said that the most frequent comment he and his wife hear from the participants is that they understand the African people better, a comment echoed by Jonnie Brawley.

"40/40 helped us to better understand the culture of Africans," said Jonnie. "It gave us a close up experience with the ways nationals live and work."

Bob Brown noted the real need that Westerners have for the kind of training the program offers. "There is a dramatic difference between the U.S. and Africa," Brown said, "and I think people need to be aware they'll face things that will test their patience and force them to deal with ambiguity."

"The need for new missionaries coming from Western world culture to learn empathy and better adjust to this culture is of growing importance in successful and permanent mission careers," said Jack, noting that various other agencies have inquired about the program's cost and availability. "New missionaries come into 40/40 apprehensive and uncertain about the test before them. We see them transform into confident, informed servants, ready to plunge into whatever eastern Africa offers."

Cross-cultural food encounters were among the challenging items Africa had to offer 40/40 participants during their stay in the African bush. "Once Jonnie ate a piece of a raw goat kidney," Juanita Brawley recalled. She noted that while "the Maasai tribesmen who helped slaughter the goats would pop a whole kidney in their mouth and chew it up with happy expressions on their faces," Jonnie wouldn't personally recommend it to others. Juanita noted that most of the food was not this extreme, and sometimes the campers were allowed to spice meals up a bit, which made them more enjoyable. Juanita even supervised the cooking of a Mexican dinner one evening, which was well received by all of the campers.

With the merger of the IMB's former Eastern and Southern Africa regions, missionaries from southern Africa will be joining in the program's next sessions, scheduled for January and July of next year. Their inclusion will mean an even broader exposure to the variety of missionary personnel God is calling to eastern and southern Africa. For Jonnie Brawley, that's one of the key benefits of the program.

"40/40 is a good opportunity to see how other people really are. It is a stressful environment, and if anyone was faking their calling or purpose in missions, then it would have been evident," he explained. "I'm glad to say that everyone stuck it out, and I believe grew stronger as a result of their experiences. Everyone at some point during the training shared their testimony of when they had received Christ and how God had called them into missions. I was encouraged to know that I had such great people on my team in African missions."

Please pray for these new missionaries as they travel to their new homes and begin to follow God's Plan for their new lives and ministries.