“This BELT project... I believe is going to transform the Congo.”
About Our Seminars
Dr. Bettina Gottschlich-Modibale, SIL Host
For more than twenty years, BELT has assisted Scripture Engagement endeavors around the world. The desire of BELT is to see God’s Kingdom expanded on earth through the transformation of individuals, families, churches, and communities by the Word and Spirit of God. Our hosts make it possible to run contextualized outreaches and facilitate connection with principal leaders. We value partnerships with those who love Him and welcome your inquiries.
Peter Evans of SIL, host of BELT’s pilot project in 1995, shares the impact the seminars are still having amongst the Barai. “The BELT courses were eye opening to the people that attended each of them, and their spiritual horizons were expanded greatly. From the first course, many were impacted and turning over their lives to Jesus.
The outreaches used during the course started a trend of the Barai going out on mission outreaches to distant Barai villages and beyond to other language areas. One man has now set up a church planting mission group and has been planting churches for years.
Using the vernacular Scriptures during the course presentations meant that young people’s literacy skills improved tremendously. Today there is still a strong work going on with Vernacular Scripture being used in the churches, and with early morning devotional meetings. There is also continued interest in, and effort towards, the Old Testament translation.” Peter Evans (2018)
To learn more about BELT seminars and the logistics of running a course, click to download our BELT Information Packet.
““It was such a delight … to have the enthusiastic BELT team come in and teach so clearly from the newly printed New Testament… Revival is sweeping through the Barai area…. Praise be to God.”
Peter Evans, SIL Host
FAQs
What have been some long-term results of the seminars?
Click here to read benefits of BELT.
If we’d like to host a BELT team, how do we proceed?
See the BELT Information Packet and then Contact us.
How can my YWAM base or school get involved?
Join a BELT outreach team. Have BELT organize an exposure outreach for your base. Begin a BELT ministry at your location.
Can short-term courses like the BELT courses be effective?
BELT only accepts invitations from local entities and national committees. In this way, seminars are more likely to meet a community’s expressed felt needs. In partnering with long-term workers and their efforts, along with their expertise and relationships, short-term teams’ effectiveness is enhanced. Dr. Wayne Dye, International Anthropology Consultant, WBT, shares: “I personally believe that… we (can) normally expect better results with systematic discipling and Bible teaching than without them… The most important personal factor is the full involvement of the translator team themselves.”
Can a short-term team learn how to behave cross-culturally and be able to adequately communicate in a cross-cultural situation?
Most BELT teachers come with cross-cultural experience and all will receive BELT cross-cultural training beforehand. We rely on our hosts to provide orientation to the host culture, including cultural values, customs, protocols, beliefs, spiritual condition, needs, worldview and language.
Can influential relationships with participants be developed through short- term courses?
From Peter Evans, Bible translator, WBT: “If the relationships of the SIL team have been good, I believe the BELT team members can “piggyback” on these relationships. I noticed that the BELT members had a wonderful ability to get close to and develop relationships with participants. I believe this stems from the discipleship training that YWAMers receive in their courses… And then, because the team returned twice more, they were able to build on and cement these relationships even more. Our people just loved them coming each time because of the wonderful relationships formed.”
How can the problem of not knowing the language be overcome?
From Peter Evans, Bible translator, WBT: “The team presented the material in English and we had interpreters to “turn the talk”. Mostly we used the national translators who had worked through the New Testament, so these men already had a good working knowledge of the material being presented. Some BELT members went over the message with the interpreter ahead of time, to familiarize him with the main points being presented. The team members constantly consulted with me on how the back translation read, so that they could use sentences and phrases in English as they came out in the translation. I sat at the back of the room, monitoring the interpretations, assisting if a point had not been made clearly in the language. I also gave lots of feed-back to the team members after presentations. The team used handouts, with the main points of each session in diglot form, both the VL and English. Discussion groups were used a lot. In some cases, participants gathered in small groups in the afternoons to go over the teaching, clarifying and asking questions. At other times, the teaching was done by means of small groups, with good leaders who could lead discussions of questions given. Drama was often used. A good drama, well scripted, acted by the participants using the language, often made the point being taught without anything further having to be said. In the later courses, the national translators themselves presented some of the topics, especially the revision ones.”