Celebrating Legacies of Faith

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4)

DIU has its origins as a training school for linguists and language developers under the umbrella of SIL. For decades, students and faculty came from all over the world to teach and study the intricacies of languages and cultures by sharing of their experience and fieldwork. A daughter organization of SIL, JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Radio Services), provided aviation and technological services for language work in remote locations. This past week, Tonia and I were privileged to visit the JAARS campus for their 75^th anniversary and to attend a commissioning of their new president, Steve Russell. Much of the celebration occurred around the JAARS airfield where Helio Courier aircraft, helicopters and even a DC-3 jet were on the tarmac for viewing. Several former JAARS pilots shared of their early days of flying into jungle locations where newly forged airstrips or rivers were their only options for a “safe” landing. Friday evening premiered the documentary movie, Whatever it takes: the first 75 years of JAARS. This journey through the lives of early pioneers has many lessons for us today: lessons not only of meeting insurmountable challenges but also seeing challenges as opportunities for new ways of serving others through a mighty faith in God.

Coming back to Dallas, Tonia and I reflected on the many men and women who have gone before us, some of whom we have come to know personally in our own DIU classrooms. These are people who not only applied their skills and talents to do amazing things, but they also created new practices for providing literacy and development of languages. Moreover, they advocated for the many experts represented among Indigenous cultures around the world. These are incredible role models for whom we are very thankful!

Paz,

Scott

AL5398 with the President

Dr. Scott Berthiaume will be teaching AL5398 Current Issues in Translation this fall. This seminar exposes the student to some of the most current and critical themes relevant to Bible Translation including Orality, Scripture Engagement, Consulting, Key Terms and Biblical Exegesis, and Translation Theory. The student will learn to contextualize and critique such issues through personal interaction and interviews with experienced translators. Registration and attendance to the Bible Translation Conference 2023 is required as part of this course. Conference fee is waived.

Book Giveaway

We’re giving away TWO FREE copies of DIU professor Paul Kroeger’s Phrase Structure and Grammatical Relations in Tagalog. His comprehensive study explores the structure of sentences and the syntax of grammatical relations in Tagalog, a language spoken in the Philippines. Enter to win the contest here!