TRAIL OF JOY

REDEEMING HISTORY’S TEARS, CREATING ETERNITY’S CHEERS

We invite you to take a fresh “God’s eye view" on the state of the nations in the context of the Great Commission. As you do, please prayerfully consider how joining us as a Partner with Answers could generate significant new momentum.  

In the natural, particularly through the lens of the media, today’s world appears to be a divided, hope-destroying mess. Taking an Isaiah 40:31 moment and shifting our focus to Revelation 21:24-26, we see from God’s eternal kingdom perspective: the nations have glory.  As children of Abraham, we all as Bible-believing saints have a role to play and an inheritance to take hold of in generating this glory of the nations. (Romans 4:13-18)

In creation, the diversity of flora, fauna, fungi reflect the glory of God, so too the rich variety of families, people groups, and languages among the nations reflect His Glory, and even more so because we are made in His image!

We, the Church get to generate Glory for God and the Nations through our calling to disciple all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20). To be a disciple we must all continue in God’s word (John 8:31). To continue in God’s word works best in our heart language. Of the 7,100 living languages on earth today, less than 90% have a full Bible, and over 2,000 do not have even one verse.  All this makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the millions in these language groups to become disciples.  

Here in the USA today, there is a total Native American Indian population of approx. 6.79 million, with 574 Federally recognized distinct tribes. The large majority of these are included amongst the ranks of the world’s people groups that do not have a full Bible.  In English, there are literally hundreds of completed translations and versions – to whom much is given much is expected.

We, the Smith family; myself - Phil, Shona my wife of 35 years, and our two adult children Esther and Caleb, are originally from New Zealand.  We began our involvement with Bible translation in 2007 through our partnership with Wycliffe NZ. We moved to the US in 2012 following two of us being drawn from 19 million applicants worldwide in the US Diversity Visa Lottery. This enabled all four of us to become citizens.

Since arriving, God spoke through our son Caleb, and we founded Megamorphic Church, the name encompasses the spiritual equivalent of Metamorphosis - namely the transformation that occurs through being Church in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). God provided for us to purchase a home in Hermitage, Nashville, literally a few minutes drive from The Hermitage - the estate of former President Andrew Jackson, the very man primarily responsible for the “Trail of Tears”. God has put it on our hearts to take the M out of Hermitage (a house of hermits), and apply Megamorphic transformation to generate a Heritage of a Trail of Joy. 

This Trail of Joy campaign is an opportunity to adopt a "Zaccheus repentant attitude’’ and not only empower all these people groups to create a full version of the greatest treasure, the Bible in their heart language, but in doing so greatly enrich the glory of each and every one of these people groups as well as the USA as a whole.

We have been praying over the vicinity of the Hermitage each Sunday for over a year now. It was during these times of prayer that this Trail of Joy vision came to us. Interestingly, the first door God has opened for us in our aspirations to contribute to getting full versions of His word to the native American people, is with Cherokee, North Carolina - Cherokee are one of the very tribes most impacted by the Trail of Tears. At this point, there is only a New Testament in the Cherokee language, which was put together around 1970. Completion of a full version through translating the Old Testament is long overdue! 

Generally, Bible translation projects involve the following factors:

  • Identify specific living languages and related people groups

  • Initiate contact and build relationship with relevant communities

  • Investigate Bible translation possibilities

  • Introduce literacy and other benefits

  • Implement specific trail of joy Bible translation based development projects   

Projects such as these take years and require significant sustained partnership. We are looking for Churches, like-minded entities, and individuals to partner with us to love on the people of Cherokee. Contributions can include:

  • Prayer 

  • Financial

  • In-kind (including help for local food banks)

  • Volunteer in person

  • Simply attending the S.H.O.W.

Please complete the form below to register interest and pass this onto everyone and anyone you can.

Gratefully,

Phil Smith (Megamorphic Church President)