Our family loves to sit and listen to our elders – whether this be family members or others God has brought across our path. We soak up their wisdom and experience. From farming and homesteading knowledge, to experiences of pastors, missionaries and others working for the Lord. Sometimes what we glean is practical how-to information, other times it is further reaching, illustrations of God’s truths. Add in a dash of adventure, and all of us can listen for hours.
When we cannot listen directly, reading (or hearing) a book about the experience is the next best thing. Lately, our family has been enjoying the book, Seed Sowers: Gospel-Planting Adventures by Gwen Toliver. Seed Sowers tells stories of 21 missionaries (or missionary families) and adventures surrounding their work in Bible translation. If you thought Bible translation was boring work, you’re in for a surprise!
Through the twenty-one chapters, we have followed both tense moments and joyous breakthroughs right with the men and women who experienced them. The stories are all based on the numerous interviews conducted by the author with the missionaries themselves. These interviews were conducted over the course of a few years. The results, combined with Gwen’s gift for writing, are the full-of-adventure pages of Seed Sowers.
Many of the adventures in Seed Sowers happened throughout Central and South America, making this great to accompany a study of these countries. We love including missionary stories in our geography studies. Reading first hand accounts of the people and places we are learning about is one of our favorites ways of learning. I have been reading this aloud for us all, but my older daughters could read this on their own.
Through these adventures, we see not only the love God has for all people, but the love these men and women have for those they live among and learn from. Within the pages beyond the main chapters, we have learned about Bible translation and the need for more working in this area. We have learned what “heart language” means and why it is important to have so many Bible translations. I have also felt drawn to missionaries, but never felt led to the mission field myself. Perhaps this type of support work is where my love for missionaries and their work will be used.
We also learned that communication is not limited to spoken words, but other noises as well. The story shared by George Cowan of the Mazatec people can be heard on the Seed Sowers website. It is truly amazing! My children often play that they are speaking their own language amongst each other (now this includes whistling as well). I remember doing the same with my sister when we were young. We never actually understood what each other was saying, but it was fun pretending.
Through the book, Seed Sowers: Gospel-Planting Adventures by Gwen Toliver ($12.50 print softcover, hardback and e-book versions also available), we have been transported across miles. Seed Sowers is the website of the Toliver family who are serving with Wycliffe Associates, a ministry involved in Bible translation. Being involved in missions work is much more than being the one to go and serve as a missionary. My eyes have been opened in the past few years what kind of support (not just financial) is needed for the work of spreading the Gospel.
