Mark Gillmore: Hello once again.

I’m Mark Gilmore here with our Go Mission podcast.

And it’s a privilege for me to sit here today with Matthew Patnod of Worldview Ministries, a Bible translation work that has partnered with the Lord in some really awesome gospel advance through Bible translation.

And as I have gotten to know Brother Matthew here, he’s got an incredible story.

And he has just a unique love for languages and a skill in them.

And as we get started here, I just want to ask you, Brother Matthew, how did you find out that you love languages?

Matthew Patenaude: Well, my folks went to China as missionaries when I was 12, and I think learning another language in that way as a child and having two languages then just broadened my mind to the fact that languages were a real interesting thing to me.

And when I was 16, we lived in Harby in China, and I was wandering the halls of—I’m a bookworm, to say the least.

And so I was in the main university library there, And I saw this book with a topic called linguistics.

And so I borrowed that book and I started digging in that.

And I said, this is just awesome.

I was interested in Russian as well.

I studied Russian for five years but had no one to practice with.

So I don’t speak it today.

But I studied Russian.

I studied some Japanese.

And just figured out there was a world of language out there that was just waiting to be discovered.

And just I’ve loved it ever since.

Mark Gillmore: So you were a teenager.

I know we’ve got a whole bunch of teenagers listening here.

Some of them might be discovering that they like languages as well.

How could you encourage them in that discovery?

Matthew Patenaude: Well, in our modern world of technology, there are so many ways to learn languages.

Some languages are easier to get to than others.

But if you want to learn Chinese, there are so many apps to learn.

There are so many online programs. just there’s a wide open opportunity now to learn language and in fact to practice with native speakers there are apps that you can open up and and say you want to practice and it actually connects with a native speaker in that language that’s happens to be up the same time you are and you can practice directly with them and then there’s duolingo there’s memorize there’s all sorts of things like that each app each app and program kind of has its own strengths and weaknesses.

You can’t just use one.

But the tools out there are amazing now to learn a language,

Mark Gillmore: for God’s glory, of course.

Yeah, yeah.

And sometimes it’s to reach your friend, your neighbor down the street.

People are traveling the world.

I would think that that’s probably where a young person might first be exposed to another language, just by someone moving into their neighborhood or their school.

And that can be intimidating when someone’s speaking another language, they have a different accent.

And how could kids take that moment to learn a language or to maybe bridge into another life?

Yeah, that’s a really important one.

I think God is bringing

Matthew Patenaude: the mission field to us as Americans.

There’s so many people from around the world in our own neighborhoods.

And that is changing our society and outlook of people.

But it’s such an open door.

And even as a young person, find a way to meet those young people, find a way to learn their language.

And it’s absolutely worth it because just the door opens up not only for you to serve the Lord in that way.

That’s first and foremost.

But man, the Lord will bless you with just an experience like no other.

Mark Gillmore: Yeah.

Now, can you think of a tip?

You obviously had to do that when you were in China.

And what, you know, how did, was there any cool thing you did to just help you learn that language alongside of other Chinese speakers?

What mindset or what did you do?

You write down lists or you draw pictures or what, how did you?

Matthew Patenaude: Well, my situation was a little bit unique for Chinese.

I had a Chinese teacher who was an older lady who spoke absolutely no English.

And I was in her home for eight hours out of every week. and then I practice with kids out on the street and everything.

So the Lord might not give you that opportunity.

Total immersion, you would call that, right?

Oh, yes, that was total immersion.

And the Lord might not give you that opportunity, but take the opportunities you can.

Families that are visiting from other countries often just speak their own language in their home.

Find a way to get into their home and spend time there and say, hey, talk to me in your language.

Let me learn from you, you know?

And they’d be happy to do that.

They’re not going to be cruel or mean to you.

You know, they’re absolutely going to enjoy that you want to learn their language and this white face sitting there and just bring joy to their hearts too.

Mark Gillmore: So try to, instead of always having them on your terms, try to get into their comfort zone, into their home.

Absolutely.

And stumble around where they’re comfortable.

Oh, yeah.

That actually will build a relationship.

Oh, absolutely.

And you’ll learn it the quickest and maybe open up a heart for the gospel.

Yeah, absolutely.

That’s good.

Now, you’re part of worldview ministry as you think of the need for a Bible translation around the world.

Could you just give us like a big picture view of the need?

Matthew Patenaude: Some numbers as far as statistics, 7,300 languages around the world.

Only 700 or so of those have the whole Bible. 1,500 or more have the New Testament and 1,200 more have maybe a book of the Bible.

And that’s 3,800 languages without a single portion of God’s Word remaining.

And the top 50 of those, I think, have 80 million speakers each.

These are large groups of people that need the gospel.

And to put that in a human perspective, if you think of what you know from God’s Word, Imagine having to learn another language just to hear about David and Goliath and Israel crossing the Red Sea, and more importantly, of course, the work of Jesus Christ on the cross on our behalf.

And to have to learn a language as hard as that is in order to find, hear truth, that’s just a terribly sad thing.

You think about all these people around the world, and some of them even come into our doorstep, right? people that don’t have God’s Word.

I know the Rohingya are here, others, and God’s bringing them right to our doorstep sometimes.

But we need to get God’s Word to them.

Mark Gillmore: They’re precious souls that need to hear.

And really, is not this a fundamental responsibility in the Great Commission?

It is.

How can you bring the Gospel without bringing the Word of God in their language?

Right.

And just thinking about, you mentioned over 700 have a full Bible, and I believe I saw that that roughly would be 75% of the world would be in that group of languages.

Right, right.

That’s another 25% then that doesn’t have a complete Bible.

That’s 2 billion people.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

That’s a big need.

Matthew Patenaude: Yes, absolutely.

Mark Gillmore: And then another, I think, another 10%, so moving up to 85% of the world, would include the New Testament.

But just to have the New Testament is not being finished with our job either.

Matthew Patenaude: No, no, yeah, exactly.

It’s not.

And sometimes if you only have the New Testament, these people are not being grounded in, they don’t have an understanding of the very foundational things that are in Genesis. seeing God’s working through history and through mankind’s lives and his unfolding of his plan for the ages that occurs in the Old Testament.

We need the whole thing.

Everyone does.

Mark Gillmore: Yeah, Genesis is so a huge foundation.

Then you take the Psalms.

If you don’t have the Psalms, the Proverbs and other parts of Scripture,

Matthew Patenaude: how can you think of how the Psalms touches your heart when you read it and every emotion that you’ve felt and cried out to the Lord for is right there in the Psalms.

To not have that, it’s just…

Mark Gillmore: Have you had the privilege of being there at a moment where maybe a Bible’s presented in a new language or some access to the Word of God out of a heart language, and you’ve just seen the difference it makes?

Matthew Patenaude: Oh, absolutely.

We went to the dedication of the Running Quarry New Testament when it was completed, which is almost a couple years the whole Bible will be out.

Praise the Lord for that.

Mark Gillmore: What country is that in?

Matthew Patenaude: Uganda.

And so we went to that, and over 400 people from the Renukuri area, speaking area, and they showed up that day.

And we started handing out these New Testaments, and this was the first time they were able to accurately read God’s Word in their language.

And they sat there, and you could see tears on people’s faces, and they just broke out as a congregation singing, spontaneous.

No one was leading them.

They just started singing and praising the Lord.

And you could see those tears.

You could see the joy on their faces, their hands raised in praise to the Lord.

It was just something else to be there for that.

And I’ve seen some other times, too.

And just to see even the hope, like the Mahdi team also in Uganda, just to see their excitement about, hey, the Lord is going to give us God’s Word in our language, too.

So the team was actually there in that dedication for the Renew and Corey project.

And, oh, man, they were so excited, and they were just fired up and just so excited to have that hope that God’s Word would be available in their language.

Mark Gillmore: That joy, that spontaneous praising, that’s the Holy Spirit in their hearts just exploding with the joy.

No question.

What a privilege.

Do you think it’s worth for young people to ask the Lord, does God want me to be part of that?

Matthew Patenaude: It is worth everything you can go through, every ounce of effort that you can put into it.

You know, some people struggle with doubts when they get older.

Have I done anything real in my life?

Have I done anything that is worthwhile?

You know, as a Bible translator, I have no doubt about that.

Wow.

You know, I can’t imagine a point in my life saying, have I actually done anything?

Oh, God has allowed me to be part of something of absolutely eternal value.

No question of that.

And that is just an amazing thing.

And any young person, I want to encourage them, encourage you out there as young people, absolutely.

If God would have you do that, that is an amazing opportunity.

Mark Gillmore: You know, you might reach a key person, and that’s all part of it as well.

But the person you reach is going to die.

Yes.

But your Bible, it’s going to go on generations in its presence in that people and in that region.

And what an incredible privilege of investment.

So there may be young people who are thinking, you know, what should I do now?

What steps could I take to prepare?

Or if I were to, you know, what kind of preparation would be involved to become a Bible translator?

Matthew Patenaude: Well, you need first and foremost because Bible translation has two aspects to it.

There is a mental scholastic aspect to that.

But first and foremost, it is a spiritual endeavor.

And when you’re working, it’s a difficult task.

And sometimes you just need the Holy Spirit to guide you in your choices.

You cannot be a good Bible translator without walking with the Lord.

And that is first and foremost your responsibility.

As a young person, you need to make sure.

Don’t just tell yourself, oh, that’s cool, I could be a Bible translator.

Say, I want to be a Bible translator, but I know that I have to first have a heart for God’s Word.

So you need to be walking with the Lord.

You need to know God’s Word.

And then if the Lord allows you to go in that direction, you need to learn the biblical languages and learn them well.

You need to apply yourself to some linguistic studies and do everything you can there.

Don’t be in too big of a hurry.

Put the education you need in the forefront of your mind because eventually you need every tool you can.

Now, of course, at some point you have to get to the work, but look at it first as a long-term goal and study God’s Word, study the languages, study linguistics, and then ask the Lord to direct you to a place where you can get plugged in and help nationals translate the Word of God into their language.

Mark Gillmore: As you just described that process, what comes to my mind is one of your newest team members who is now on the ground and beginning work over in Asia.

And as I just watched him, I could see that kind of serious dedication to the process of preparation.

And I know young people, we want things to kind of happen fast.

But you do have to slow down and say, with the investment I’m making, the preparation is going to take a time.

And then when I get into the work, that’s also going to be a day-in, day-out grind in many ways.

Matthew Patenaude: It is, yes.

Absolutely.

Mark Gillmore: So don’t become a person who likes shortcuts even the way you’re living now.

Matthew Patenaude: Be disciplined.

Be disciplined.

As a young person being disciplined, it sets you out.

I mean, it just sets you apart.

As a person, but of course most of all, that discipline is necessary.

It’s a necessary tool for God to use in your life to accomplish His purposes in you.

Mark Gillmore: Well, I trust that as we’ve just shared the testimony and the privilege that Brother Matthew Patton has of being involved in the Bible translation work, that out across our listeners, the Holy Spirit’s touching a heart, maybe several of you.

Amen.

There can be, this is another angle of the Go Mission, of Great Commission work.

Sometimes it’s a little bit maybe overlooked and seen almost in a unique special class or special case, but it shouldn’t be.

This is an urgent need in our world today, And we’re praying that God will stir some hearts through this podcast.

Remember, the only way to stay at peace in a world of turmoil and uncertainty is to stay on mission with Jesus in his Go Mission.

Guest Speaker: Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Thee Generation Podcast.

If you have an issue you need help with, we have a resource that can help you.

The Battle Plan for Victory is an online resource designed to help young people deal with personal sin issues through the Word of God, and ultimately, to find victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.

To view the Battle Plan, please visit thegeneration.org.

Guest Speaker: slash victory.