On an Island Without the Bible

Bethany DuVal suzanne.pearson • Jan 13, 2020

Imagine this: You’re on an island, and you can only keep a few Bible verses. The rest will be wiped from your memory. Which verses do you choose?

Give it just a little thought, and the question quickly becomes complicated.

You could use up all the verses on explaining Gospel. But what about God’s character? What pleases God? How does He think of you? How should you relate to others in light of Christ?

Even if you had years to choose, you would agonize over what you were missing.

But you might understand a little of what Simson Dowansiba felt.

Simson longed to follow God, but only a few Bible verses had ever been translated into his language. And following God was a new concept to everyone else in his tribe, too.

Just a few years before, they didn’t know there was a God to follow.

Missionaries Broke the Tribe’s Isolation

Simson grew up in the mountains of Irian Jaya , now Papua , Indonesia. Other nations vied for control of the island, but with no roads inland, local tribes maintained their control of the mountains.

It was a blessing and a curse.

Simson’s tribe, the Hatam, preserved their culture. And yet, they had many problems — and no differing perspectives to help them solve them.

The tribes were constantly at war. Husbands treated their wives as slaves. No one trusted anyone. And instead of God, they worshiped spirits in trees, mountains, rivers and animals.

But when Simson was a small boy, two TEAM missionary couples dared to enter Simson’s mountain community. They said there was an afterlife and a God of love. The message amazed the Hatam.

Simson’s parents were among the first people to believe. Many more followed, including Simson.

Verses on Index Cards Weren’t Enough

The missionaries started church services and Bible classes, but the Hatam people were hungry for more. Now that they had found God, they wanted to know Him intimately.

As he learned the language, TEAM missionary Dick Griffiths started translating Bible verses into Hatam and handing them out on index cards.

TEAM missionaries Dick and Char Griffiths worked in tandem to bring Scripture to the Hatam. Dick led a Bible translation team, and Char taught people how to read the new translation.

The Hatam people devoured these small snippets of God’s word.

“When they had memorized [the verses], they would teach other people,” Simson says. “Whether in their homes, in front of their houses, in the streets, in their gardens, they would teach each other about these Hatam verses which they had memorized.”

It was a good start, but Simson and his tribe wanted more. They soaked up the missionaries’ Bible lessons, trying to learn as much as they could about the parts of Scripture that hadn’t been translated.

The missionaries started sending tribesmen away to Bible school so the people could have more teachers. Simson was one of them.

After graduation, Dick Griffiths invited Simson to work on the project of his life: a Hatam Bible translation.

Bible Translation Transformed the Tribe

Dick had been learning the Hatam language, but he needed native speakers to ensure his accuracy.

“I didn’t understand the process, I didn’t know exactly how to assist with the correction,” Simson says. But the other members of the committee explained how to read the passages and choose the best words.

After Dick translated a passage, he would distribute copies to the committee members, and they would read over it for the next three or four days. Then the committee would suggest word changes or restructure sentences.

When the team encountered complex verses, they met with linguistic consultants who knew Hebrew, Greek and English.

As new sections of the Bible were released, Dick’s wife, Charlotte, began teaching literacy classes so people could read Scripture for themselves.

Simson saw a clear change in his community, especially among the women. They began teaching Bible classes, leading their children in devotionals and teaching Sunday school classes.

“That opened up a whole new world of women being able to serve … in their families, in their churches and so on,” Simson says.

But translating the Bible can easily take a missionary’s entire career — or longer. By the time Dick Griffiths was ready to retire, the team had translated the New Testament. But they still had 25 percent of the Old Testament left.

Dick needed a local man to continue in his place. He chose Simson.

Simson knew he wasn’t the most qualified. The other men just had too many responsibilities to take on the immense role. “But I believed that God had chosen me to carry on this role, so He will give me the wisdom and the strength to carry on this ministry,” Simson says.

Most qualified or not, Simson knew he had to finish the job.

‘Because I Could Read it for Myself’

During those final years of translation, Simson felt God’s leading in a special way.

“I feel that the Holy Spirit would actually give me words that were suited for that translation in Hatam,” Simson says.

Simson has watched the Hatam-language Bible transform his tribe. A desire to read the Bible has led to an emphasis on education, and the truth of God’s word has transformed relationships.

In 2008, Simson and the translation committee finished the Hatam Bible translation a TEAM missionary had begun. The first time he held a printed copy in his hands, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

“The difference between memorizing a verse with holding the Bible in one’s own hand is a very big difference,” Simson says. “Because I could read it for myself and contemplate and understand it, then carry it out and teach other people as well.”

Through God’s word, the Hatam have changed from a violent, fearful people to a community of peace, love and generosity.

Since Indonesia took ownership of Papua, the Hatam Bible has played an integral role in preserving Hatam culture. And the desire to read the Bible has led to an emphasis on education that has opened doors for Hatam people to serve in government offices.

But for Simson Dowansiba, the importance of the Hatam Bible translation goes far beyond the Hatam tribe.

Papua is home to 249 languages. Only two of them have full Bible translations.

“When I preach,” Simson says, “I always tell my people that we have a greater responsibility to read God’s word and serve God — because we have been given a complete Bible in our language.”

As the Hatam study God’s word, they are sending missionaries of their own to unreached tribes. One day, they pray that every tribe and tongue will know His word for themselves.

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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