A team of Canadians interested in experiencing how God’s Word transforms lives and communities. Serving language projects and local churches through Scripture Engagement activities. 

A three-week trip to the Himba community (Namibia) and the Kaaps community (Cape Town, South Africa), starting and ending in Johannesburg, South Africa. Trip includes nine pre-travel discipleship and training meetings, field experience and debrief.

Goals

1. Celebrate with, and serve two very different languages in two different contexts, and experience how the Word of God in their own languages is transforming lives. 
2. Complete pre-field and on-field training to give a strong foundation and preparation for missions involvement. .
3. Learn and practice prayer walks in strategic areas of South Africa and Namibia. Experience the importance of prayer for global missions. 
4. Work together as a team to encourage, serve, and support the local church, community, and translation team through Scripture Engagement activities.
5. Interpersonal skills, communication, and leadership abilities are developed and used for the benefit of the team and those we serve.  Cultivate a learning posture; learning from others is a way of serving them.
6. Debrief and reflect on your own skills and interests, and consider “the next faithful step” of how to use them in cross cultural service.

Participants

The Ideal participant is:

• Someone seriously considering or open to considering a future serving in missions
• Someone who values Scripture and recognizes the need for all peoples to have access to it in the language that’s best for them
• Someone who values personal growth, and is willing to learn both as an individual and on a team.
• Someone who desires to follow the Lord’s leading, recognizing it may not always be easy or comfortable
• Someone who values community, willing to work together on a team, contributing their own personal gifts/skills to serve others; able to follow trip leaders and hosts with respect
• Canadian Citizen and aged 18+
• Mostly students, but anyone is welcome

Interested people will apply through the online registration form. Interviews will be conducted and references checked. Each approved member of the team will be notified and will pay a deposit, and agree to the pre-field, field and debrief plans. Applications due November 30, 2024. Screening process and notification of acceptance completed by December 13, 2024. A $200 deposit is due December 18, 2024.  

First team meeting will be December 18, 2024 on Zoom.

Bi-weekly zoom calls from January - April (9 total) for Missions Discipleship and pre-field training (all approx. 2 hours each time).  

After the trip, trip coordinators Rachel and Mary Ellen will connect and follow up with you and debrief your experience.

Culture & Context

• Variety of contexts: Three cities, air and road journeys, rural and urban centres
• Prayer walks through the streets
• Visit the marketplaces
• Experience cultural expression through song,dance and performance.
• Taste the food
• Meet translation teams, their families and communities.
• Visit a local home
• Attend three local church services (in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and rural Namibia)

Budget & Fundraising

The cost of the trip is $3,700 CAD plus airfare (approx. $2000). Flights will be purchased from Toronto to Johannesburg; participants are required to pay for their own transportation to Toronto, not included in the cost of the trip.  Price includes all accommodation, food, flights, rental cars, and tourism activities. Participants may choose to bring additional pocket money for purchasing souvenirs. 

An essential part of the experience will be to raise a support network who can contribute through prayer and funding. A few sessions on fundraising will be provided. 

Wycliffe Canada trip leaders are committed to supporting you in your fundraising efforts by providing resources and coaching. Trip participants are required to provide 50 names of people and/or churches in their networks of contacts who could be invited to partner financially in support of this trip.  As a team, we will spend time reflecting on the biblical principles and philosophy behind fundraising. There is great value in developing a support network, for the purpose of prayer, encouragement, accountability, and financial partnership.

Housing

This will vary from hotels to guest lodges to Airbnbs to Himba huts. In some cases, king-sized beds will need to be shared or couches will need to be used, but in most cases everyone will have their own bed.

*Schedule is subject to change

Kaaps Team

This team has been working since September 2022 on the book of Psalms. They are using the multi-model approach of Psalms that Sing that results in an oral, written, and performance translation of each psalm. They have also been highly involved in the community and in different churches through productions and performances. They share dramatic readings, drama, monologues, and many incredible songs with the Kaaps people. Many songs are played on radio, used in worship, shared on social media, and done in a public performance setting. 

To date, they have completed 43 psalms with 11 more planned by the end of 2024.

https://www.wycliffe.org.za/kaaps

https://www.psalmsthatsing.org/pilot-languages/kaaps

Watch videos of Kaaps performances here.

This team is in their 3rd phase of Bible Translation, which is due to be completed at the end of 2024. In previous phases, they have completed 83 oral narratives from across Scripture, translations of Genesis, Mark, Romans, and the Christmas stories of Luke, translation of The Greatest Gift booklet, and recordings of Christian songs by choirs in 3 churches. They are currently working on the oral Bible translation of Luke, Acts, Hebrews, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, and will have the LUMO film for Luke dubbed with their oral translation.

https://www.wycliffe.org.za/himba