Ministry: Bibles International

Sending Church: First Baptist Church—Stryker, Ohio

When Bethany’s dad started pastoring a small church plant, Bethany recognized there was much to be done and few people to do it. It was only natural for her as a pastor’s kid to pitch in. At first her mindset was, “This needs to be done, so I’ll do it.” But in time, she began to see that God had given her specific talents to meet her church’s needs. Bethany no longer saw the work as just tasks to be completed; she had a special role to build up His church.

One day a missionary family presented at her church, and their words stuck with Bethany. Soon she was telling everyone, “That’s what I’m going to do.” Her childhood missions interest did not fade but only grew. During high school, Bethany’s dad helped her analyze her gifts and talents and encouraged her to investigate various ministries. With Bethany’s love of language, culture, and grammar, Bible translation drew her attention.

Her dad told her about Baptist Mid-Missions, so at age 15 Bethany visited BMM’s Bible translation society, Bibles International (BI). She saw two things clearly: her talents could be used in translation, and there is a significant need for this work. Out of the world’s 7,378 language groups, only 717 have a complete Bible.

Bethany’s college years were tightly focused on her goal as she earned a bachelor’s in Bible translation and a master’s in ministry studies. As part of Bethany’s preparation, she completed an internship in a Creative Access Nation. As she shadowed the translators, she grasped much of what they were doing. Her penchant for details fit well with the nature of their work. This was the way God would use her to build up His church.

As Bethany prepares to serve as a full-time Bible translator, she counsels anyone considering ministry: Limit the distractions in your life. Even if you have to turn off your phone or limit social media and music, make sure there’s time to pursue what is important and eternal. Don’t just attend church; get involved. Everyone has a gift they can use. If more got involved, we could see a lot more impact on our communities and even the world.