Ervin & Coleen Starwalt
Ervin & coleen starwalt
About Us
Wycliffe Members with SIL Translation and SIL Nigeria
| Ervin & Coleen Starwalt Members Wycliffe Bible Translators
We're Ervin & Coleen Starwalt — Wycliffe missionaries serving with SIL International Translation Resources and SIL Nigeria. Our passion is to help translators get the tools they need to translate the Bible accurately into the languages they value most. Resources include translation software tools, translation notes and summaries of books of the Bible. But they also include the development of an alphabet that reflects all the sounds spoken in the translators' language as well as learning how to write words correctly. Our training as linguists and Greek specialists position us to respond to these needs. We believe God loves all people and wants everyone to know Him and love Him. The Incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ, is the greatest gift the Father has given us to know Him. For through Jesus, we have life. The Bible, the written testimony of God's dealings with man from the creation of the world, is perhaps His second greatest gift to us. For within its pages we learn of the Father's love, of His grief over our sinful state, and His plan to save us from sin and death. It is a great privilege to be a part of the Bible translation movement which seeks to help all people have access to the Bible in the languages they value most. |
What is Wycliffe & Our Roles
Wycliffe is a Bible translation organization. Wycliffe exists because there are languages with no Bible translated in them. We believe that the Bible is God's Word to us — something that everyone should be able to understand in a language and format that clearly speaks to their hearts.
We joined Wycliffe because we want to see all people understand God's written word in the languages they value most. We are highly trained in linguistics and Biblical languages for the jobs we do as Wycliffe missionaries.
Ervin's expertise as a scholar of New Testament Greek will be put to use in the Translation Resources department of SIL International, one of Wycliffe's ministry partners. He will be directing a team of researchers who study the big ideas of a New Testament book and the relationship between those big ideas, down to the level of how sentences are connected. Identifying the big ideas and how they are connected in the Greek helps translation consultants as they guide translators and check their work for accuracy.
Coleen's expertise in the sounds of languages is being put to use as an SIL Linguistics Consultant as she helps translation teams develop or improve the written form of their languages. Coleen also helps supervise some of the linguistics personnel for SIL in Nigeria. She also mentors and coaches (Nigerian and American) leaders in personal and spiritual areas of growth.
We joined Wycliffe because we want to see all people understand God's written word in the languages they value most. We are highly trained in linguistics and Biblical languages for the jobs we do as Wycliffe missionaries.
Ervin's expertise as a scholar of New Testament Greek will be put to use in the Translation Resources department of SIL International, one of Wycliffe's ministry partners. He will be directing a team of researchers who study the big ideas of a New Testament book and the relationship between those big ideas, down to the level of how sentences are connected. Identifying the big ideas and how they are connected in the Greek helps translation consultants as they guide translators and check their work for accuracy.
Coleen's expertise in the sounds of languages is being put to use as an SIL Linguistics Consultant as she helps translation teams develop or improve the written form of their languages. Coleen also helps supervise some of the linguistics personnel for SIL in Nigeria. She also mentors and coaches (Nigerian and American) leaders in personal and spiritual areas of growth.
Why is the Bible so important that we believe everyone needs it in their own language?
People's lives are often greatly impacted when they get Scripture in their own language. People are transformed as they discover Jesus Christ and enter into a right relationship with God. How much more when the Bible speaks the truth of God in their own language. Thank God that 700 of the 7,000+ languages spoken or signed in the world today have a full Bible and that some 1,600 languages have access to the New Testament or at least some Scripture portions in their language. However, 1,800 or more languages still need to have a Bible translation project started in them. Wycliffe is committed to helping speakers of these remaining languages get the Bible for themselves.
Full Funded Timeline
Here are the dates and goals for Ervin to start his translation job
September, 2021
September, 2021
Start of Change of Assignment - 80% funded
Ervin
Decide on ministry budget and procure a PD coach
Early October 2021
Early October 2021
Preliminaries to Partnership Development
Ervin and Coleen
Get a prayer response card printed, first meeting with new PD coach, pray over current partner list, send prayer response card to current partners
November
November
Contact 10 potential new partners
Ervin
Ervin works with his sister to expand our network, follows up with emails and phone call
End November 2021
End November 2021
90% towards Fully Funded
We are trusting God that we will have 90% of our ministry budget funded or promises of funding by the end of November
November - March
November - March
Set up Zoom Calls with our current partners
Ervin and Coleen
Now that our current financial partners have our prayer response cards, we will be scheduling Zoom visits with as many of our partners as we can between Thanksgiving and Christmas to share more about Ervin's new assignment and to catch up with our friends, especially those far away, whom we haven't seen in several years.
March 2022
March 2022
Partnership Meetings
Ervin & Coleen
Advocates host a meeting in their home where we share our ministry and extend the opportunity for attendees to join us in Bible translation
April 2022
April 2022
Fully Funded
Ervin
With only $128/month in new commitments to go, we anticipate we will be fully funded this month and Ervin will begin his new assignment
Beyond Ministry?
Coleen's mom has lived with us for over five years now. Most mornings will find them in a nearby park where Mom can walk comfortably and at a good clip with her walker. She normally just uses a cane. Our home is on 1/3 of an acre. Though North Texas weather isn't very hospitable, Coleen does enjoy coaxing a few vegetables out of the garden. Ervin is a true academic, though. In his spare time he reads and reads and well, reads. His hobby reading is on cultural anlaysis. He, too, though, takes walks.
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