Thank you so much for praying with us for the ongoing safety of our students and staff in Israel. We are deeply grateful that God has answered your faithful prayers in a time of immense stress.

We are thankful that the Lord has provided protection during the ongoing war in the Middle East. We do not take this for granted. It means that our biblical language students are continuing their important studies for the growth of the kingdom of God.

We also recognise that the best way we can serve our students in the future is by opening regional training hubs in strategic locations around the world. We are very excited that the Lord has already opened the way for local training initiatives in four nations around the globe. Hallelujah, and thank you for your prayers.

Today our entire global staff joins together in fasting in prayer as we seek God for this next season of provision. We invite you to continue praying with us because your prayers are powerful and greatly needed. Here are three primary ways we ask you to pray in this season.

1. For our biblical language students and teachers in Jerusalem 

In two weeks, a new group of student translators from 10 countries—Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, and South Korea—will join us in Jerusalem. They’ll immerse themselves in biblical culture and language, becoming fluent in Hebrew to translate the Bible for their communities. Meanwhile, our master’s students are already here, continuing their studies and field trips to experience the Hebrew Bible come alive for translation.

Please pray for protection over the students and instructors awaiting visas and flights for the Jerusalem programs, and for courage in their journey. Also, pray for peace of heart and mind for the entire team as they trust in God’s Spirit to guide and protect them each day. Please join us in praying for everyone affected by the ongoing war, and for peace and restoration to come swiftly.

2. For our emerging local training initiatives 

We recently shared with you that our hybrid Hebrew Extension Learning Program (HELP) has already launched in four nations in the past months. We’re so grateful to our local partners for leading the way: Harvest Mission Ethiopia, Wycliffe Benin, Wycliffe South Africa (in Mozambique) and a strategic partner in Indonesia. With them, we want to equip local churches to translate Scripture independently, directly from the original language of the Bible into their own. This means that indigenous partner churches and organizations can grow locally operated training in biblical languages for faster and deeper discipleship in their communities.

Indonesia has the largest number of Bible-less languages in the world, and the leaders we are partnering with to train in biblical languages are going to change that. In Benin, graduates from our Jerusalem program have returned home to lead the local training, creating opportunities to mentor new teachers and multiply the number of translators. 36 leaders from across West Africa participated in the first course, and this number will continue to grow to sustain the Church throughout the region with biblical language expertise.

We’re committed to support and enhance these four local programs and start more with strategic partners dedicated to Bible translation. 14 other agencies have already expressed interest in this hybrid program. However, with limited resources, we will need to prioritize locations that have the greatest need.

Please ask the Lord to help us embed these new programs quickly and effectively. We urgently need more funding to continue and expand this work as demand for this training is so high. Please join us in asking the Lord to provide for our needs and partnerships for multiplication and long-term Bible translation impact.

3. For growth and development of our training & teachers 

Amidst great growth and demand from around the world for more training, please pray for wisdom as we adapt materials for teaching in oral cultures. Also, please pray for the provision of biblical language teachers to meet the increasing demand for localized training and translation.

Indeed, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Thank you for interceding with us and responding to this invitation to support our global translators through prayer. Because of the prayers of many and the power of God, they will continue their journey as God opens pathways to share His Word worldwide.