4 Things I've learned as an interpreter for mission trips

Hello, my name is Edher, in 2011 I did quit my job and began to work as an interpreter for missions trips. In the beginning the most exciting thing about it was to travel, but later I learned that there were important things happening around me in those trips. My desire to do ministry began through those trips, as well my desire to encourage others to serve God in their local church.

I want to share with you 4 things that I’ve learned through those mission trips, when I was serving as an interpreter. 

1. The need for sound doctrine: Many of the places were sites that I would pick for vacation, which also had names hard to pronounce, even for me being Peruvian. There were established churches in those places with passionate people who didn’t have sound doctrine. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t preach the Gospel, but it lacked solid food in their churches which makes it hard for them to discern what is good or bad within different theological systems. 

During that stage of my life, I also was growing in my desire to learn more and I began to read reformed theology authors such as Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, John Calvin and more. Then I realized that you cannot teach things by just giving books but we also need to model it through our lives. Sound doctrine is important to keep growing spiritually and to walk wisely before God and men.

2. Love for the local church: In most of the places, the aim of our work was to help the local church or the missionary who is trying to plant a church. The help to the local church is a testimony to the members of that church of the importance to be committed in serving God and serving others. So much of the lack of commitment is because of a poor view of the local church and biblical membership.

Then I realized that to build up the local church is as important as tor grow individually in our spiritual lives. So much of our growth will be through our involvement in a local church, God will use it to make us more like Christ. Because the spiritual growth of a church is the result of fellowship among brothers and sisters in their individual spiritual state. If I see other people from others churches coming to commit to my church, then I should be involved in the growth of the local church as much as they are. 

3. The importance of diversity: In those trips I met quite a few foreign missionaries who came to help Peruvian local churches on a full time basis. Many of them came from a context where they were the majority, ethnically speaking, but now they are minorities assembling where most people are very different. 

Navigate daily situation within a context where you are completely different culturally is hard, you feel people don’t understand you. But this is an opportunity for our churches to learn to understand and relate with our family in Christ. We must find our identity in Christ in such way that have more in common with others because of Him who saved us. And even if we don’t fully understand each other we are being intentional in knowing and trying to comprehend one another so we can love others better. Pursue unity in diversity is important when we have a brother or sister from other country and from other cultural context within our own country.

4. The important of contextualization: The emphasis in many of trips was to be sensible of the local culture. Honestly, most of the times I didn’t care about it until I realize the importance of it, when I saw how some things weren’t easily understood for people which made perfect sense to me. Because of our different worldview that shapes who we are, is important for us to be understood when share the Gospel and biblical doctrines.

Although sometimes missionaries would exaggerate a little bit in the emphasis of contextualization, we can’t ignore the importance of it, if we truly want to be a blessing to the body of Christ wherever we are. We must be aware of the cultural constructions within the minds of people so our message is clear and understood. This is not to undermine the sufficiency of Scripture but to see the importance of the Scriptures being understood. To be clear in order to teach, we must translate our theology culturally so its understood biblically. Culture shouldn’t make us change the Gospel, but the Gospel must transform the culture of individual without denying their basis identity but denying their sin.

We must learn as believers, people, and professionals in whatever we do. This is why is good to be aware of where we are and what is going on around us. The Lord teaches us in 2 Tim 3:16-17 that the Scriptures are sufficient to instruct and prepare us for every good work, whenever we serve the local church we can see this in a practical way. This is what I’ve learned as an interpreter, I hope this be a blessing to you.

Soli Deo Gloria