Sankaran, Lele, Kpelee, Kuranko, Peul, Baga, Manya, Kono, Manyo, and Konya. These words probably don't do a whole for you. Chances are you may have even allowed your eyes to dart past these words in a blur of unconsciousness. These ten words are the names of ten specific people groups in Guinea West Africa who are begging for someone to come to their villages to create literacy programs so that they may learn how to read the scriptures. In addition to literacy programs, these people groups are also asking for evangelists to come to their villages to explain the teachings of Jesus. The sad part of the story is that I don't have any idea right now, who will go to them.
Right now I am working on a project for Urbana 2006 ( http://www.urbana.org/_today.cfm) to list the needs of the various branches within Pioneer Bible Translators. As I was typing the various locations where translation work is needed my heart broke because the 308 million people I have been talking about in presentation after presentation were no longer nameless. They took on flesh and conjured up thoughts about people with real names, real needs and an ever more desire to know more about the carvings of God they have heard so much about.
Sometimes as I do the mundane activities of administration I miss the forest for the trees. As an administrator, I often find myself bogged down with lists of people I need to call, projects that need more attention and strategies for recruiting the next generation of missionaries. God has revealed to me today a glimpse of his desire to see these wonderful people come into a relationship with their Heavenly Father.
May God bless our efforts to complete the task Christ has given us.
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