Essentially Translatable

Did you know? The number one reason missionaries leave the field is the lack of quality education for their children.  

In this episode of Essentially Translatable, we welcome Deanne Gochanour, Lutheran Bible Translators missionary to Ethiopia. She teaches Bible and assists in the athletics department at Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa. Bingham serves missionary, local, and other expatriate students from KG1 (pre-K) through grade 12. By teaching at Bingham Academy, Deanne helps keep missionaries on the field by providing quality education for missionary kids. 

Educating children of missionaries requires its own unique approach. The term “third culture kids” (TCK) refers to people raised in a culture other than their parents' or the culture of their country of nationality and also live in a different environment during a significant part of their child development years. 

Deanne elaborates on her experience supporting TCKs, including creating the space for open expression of struggles, joys, and challenges. 

Dive into this episode to learn more about missionary service as an educator and the unique experience of TCKs. 

In this episode of Essentially Translatable, Ali Federwitz, Member Care Coordinator for Lutheran Bible Translators, joins the hosts to discuss the subject of trauma. We often refer to traumatic events that occur, but trauma is what we experience as a result of the event. There are “big T” traumas that are easier to recognize, but for many of us, especially missionaries and their families, there are “little T” traumas that can often go unnoticed.

 As a blogger for A Life Overseas explains, “Trauma results from any event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening, and that has lasting negative impacts on a person's mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.” Knowing that – we can all see that we have experienced multiple traumas throughout life.

 Dive into this episode to understand how to recognize trauma in your own life, but also understand the ways in which trauma can be processed – in good ways and bad.

Finally, let’s acknowledge that avoidance carries repercussions. Tune in to learn how member care and self-care are critical means toward applying healing to our life stories.

Resources mentioned include:

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What is EMDR? https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

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Book: The Grief Tower: A Practical Guide to Processing Grief with Third Culture Kids by Lauren Wells - https://www.amazon.com/Grief-Tower-Practical-Processing-Culture-ebook/dp/B08TRWY12R

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Podcast Archive: Sabbath Rest https://lbt.org/sabbath-rest/

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Podcast Archive: Healthy Approaches to Transition https://lbt.org/healthy-approaches-to-transition/

In this episode of the Essentially Translatable podcast, CEO Rich Rudowske and Emily Wilson

interview Dr. John Chesnut, the President and CEO of Wycliffe USA. They discuss the partnership

between Lutheran Bible Translators and Wycliffe Bible Translators, which has spanned over

several decades. They also touch on illumiNations, a collective impact alliance, that bands

together the efforts of 11 organizations. Chesnut shares insights into his background

and the importance of embracing multiple ways of working in the global Bible

translation movement.

Tune in to learn more about the mission and impact partnerships between translation agencies.

In this episode of the Essentially Translatable Podcast, Rich Rudowske and Emily Wilson interview Amy Formella, a Lutheran Bible Transators' missionary to Sierra Leone. Amy shares about her background, and current work with the Mende and Themne language communities and the importance of Bible translation in their lives.

Translators face a unique set of challenges that go beyond the scope of their work. Balancing personal and community responsibilities, managing health issues, and ensuring travel safety are just a few of the obstacles they encounter. Despite these challenges, translators persevere in their mission to translate the Bible, drawing on their resilience, wisdom, and determination to continue serving the Mende and Themne people.

Tune in to hear more about Amy's experiences as a missionary and the journey that brought her to where she is today.

In this episode of the Essentially Translatable Podcast, Emily Wilson interviews Sarah Esala, Lutheran Bible Translators’ regional director for Southern & East Africa + Pacific. Sarah shares her experiences and insights from her recent visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG), discussing the exponential effect of partnerships and excitement for Bible translation ministry within the PNG language communities. Sarah places emphasis on the trust that can be built through in-person interactions and stresses the importance of local training, continuing education, and community-drive Bible translation.

Tune in to hear about the Holy Spirit's work in this region and the unity among different languages.

In this episode, we talk to Rev. Dr. Ryan Tinetti about the curse of knowledge, a cognitive bias that makes it difficult to communicate effectively. We discuss how the curse of knowledge can affect our understanding of the Bible, our relationships with others, and our ability to share our faith. We also offer some tips for overcoming the curse of knowledge and communicating more effectively.

Listen to the episode now and learn how to overcome the curse of knowledge and communicate more effectively!

Louisa Lehenbauer, the Director for the Concordia Mission Institute (CMI), shares her background as a missionary kid and her journey to her current role. Louisa also talks about the importance of the CMI Summer Conference and the sense of community it provides for the missionary community.

Join us for an insightful conversation on engaging with humans across cultures, breaking down barriers, and the purposeful planning that went into this year’s CMI.

Michelle Thompson discusses emotional intelligence (aka EQ) and its importance in ministry and international contexts. Emotional intelligence is composed of four components: self-awareness, self-control, social awareness, and relationship management. Technical competence is not enough in ministry - being able to relate with people is crucial. Michelle shares effective methods for becoming more self-aware and developing your emotional intelligence, which can lead to positive changes in relationships and overall well-being.

Michelle serves as Director of the Executive Coaching and Consulting program in the Townsend Institute at Concordia University in Irvine, California.

Listen in as Michelle unpacks emotional intelligence and key methods for improving your own.

The partnerships of Lutheran Bible Translators connect on the international, national, and local levels as we serve alongside 131 language communities. Director for Field Programs Paul Federwitz shares his passion for investing in these partnerships to build capacity and establish self-sustainability for each language community.

Listen in as Paul casts his vision for expanding capacity for the Bible translation movement.

Listen in as we continue our series featuring the new leadership at Lutheran Bible Translators. In this episode, we feature Angela Tayloe, the Director of Operations and Chief Financial Officer.

Angela is tasked with overseeing the financial integrity of the organization, including navigating the various government regulations around the world. Listen in for a discussion focused on the unique aspects of nonprofit ministry and the importance of financial transparency.