GOING TOGETHER = GROWING TOGETHER

Hi kids! 

We have been watching rather a lot of rugby in my house recently. I wonder if your house is the same? My family and I love watching the Springboks play and have been really happy at all the games they have won recently. As I write this, they are the World champions, having won the last 2 Rugby World Cups and are also at the top of the rugby table.

I love the motto that the Springboks use: STRONGER TOGETHER. And you can see when you watch them that it really is true. It is so cool to see our champions put their arms around each other and push in the scrum; moving big, muscly men from another country backwards and away from the ball. 

If one Springbok tried to do a scrum by himself, he would get totally squashed by the other team. He would be no good at all. It’s when the team works together that they are strong. TOGETHER they are STRONGER!

At the start of a rugby game, they sing the national anthem and the cameraman slowly moves along the lined-up team, so we get a chance to see who is playing that day and what they look like. What a mixed group they are! Some are short and some are really tall. Some have huge muscles and some look much smaller. Some have dark-brown skin; some have light-brown skin, and some have pale skin. Some have brown eyes, and some have blue or green eyes. But, TOGETHER they are STRONGER! 

They all come from different places too and they grew up under different circumstances. Some had rich families; others grew up in poor families. Some had many brothers and sisters; others were the only child in their homes. Fancy schools, poor schools. Big cities, isolated farms. Because they are all so different they have learnt different skills and ways to play rugby. They can all share their experience and methods and learn from each other. This helps them play better rugby. It’s another way that TOGETHER they are STRONGER!

I have explained to you before about what Wycliffe South Africa does. They help to translate the Bible into different languages so that people can have a Bible to read that is in a language that they understand. Lots of people do not understand English and so they can’t read one of our Bibles. They won’t know about Jesus and how much He loves them if they don’t have a Bible translated into their own language. It is hard work for the people at Wycliffe and can be tough to work out the best way to do this.

A few weeks ago, the people from Wycliffe South Africa went to a Global Gathering. People that do Bible translation from all over the world met together. There were people from 60 different countries!!! Some were faraway countries like Australia, Brazil and Japan. Other people came from countries near to us like Botswana and Zimbabwe. Just like the rugby team, they all looked a bit different from each other, but TOGETHER they are STRONGER! They all came from different places and different circumstances. They all had different skills and different ways to do Bible translation. They could all share their experiences and methods and learn from each other. TOGETHER they are STRONGER! If the people from Wycliffe South Africa just worked by themselves and didn’t have anything to do with any other Bible translators, they would not do such a good job. Just like a rugby player who tried to do a scrum by himself, they would not be very strong. They need each other!  TOGETHER they are STRONGER at Bible translation.

Challenge for you: 

Every day for this whole week, pray for the people all over the world who are translating the Bible so that everyone can know that Jesus loves them. Pray that they will work together and be strong so that they can do a good job. 

Love from Aunty Gill