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What We’ll Cover

Dr. Rich Rudowske and Dr. Tilahun Mendedo are the CEO and Associate Executive Director of Lutheran Bible Translators. Rich’s passion for the written Word of God took root when, as a small child, his parents gifted him an NIV Bible. Tilahun’s life was changed at the age of 15 when a German missionary gave him the greatest treasure of all – a Bible in his own Ethiopian language. 

They each have an extensive background in Bible translation and a great passion for seeing the Word of God printed in every person’s mother tongue through the work of Lutheran Bible Translators and other translation organizations worldwide. LBT has some particularly unique strategies blending entrepreneurship with translation in projects that fund themselves. They will share their personal stories, how God led them into Bible Translation, and about some incredible momentum happening today. 

Major topics include:

• Tilahun’s gripping backstory of being surrounded by death and struggling for a will to live, but finding life and hope through meeting Christ in the Word
• Rich’s inspiring journey from the world of finance into the call of God, bringing his wife and five children with him
• The history of LBT and how their unique approach to Bible Translation evolved
• What is a “ministry entrepreneur” and how do these self-funded missions work to expand the Kingdom and engage local communities in Bible translation?
• The profound spiritual impact of hearing the Word of God in your mother tongue
• How Bible translation and language development improves quality of life as a whole
• The story of how God miraculously provided for their pilot project, the Helge Center, to be built during the pandemic lockdowns 
• An update on the incredible leaps happening now in the Bible translation world and the great need that still exists 
• How you can get invested, financially and through prayer, in this eternal endeavor

Quotes to Remember

• Tilahun – “Bible translation isn’t something that I talk about, it’s something that I am because I am the result of Bible translation.”
• Tilahun – “What I need is just something that makes a difference. If I could be anything that would make a difference to millions, then here I am.”
• Rich – “As many different folks there are with that mission drive, there are as many different stories and details of how they go about getting it done. But the common denominator is the drive to know that there’s a better future for their people or for the neighboring people around them and the drive to put pieces together to make to happen.”
• Tilahun – “When you see the Word of God in your mother tongue, it means God is speaking to you. God has come all the way down to your language and is talking to you!”
• Tilahun – “Bible translation is tough, hard, and full of struggles, but at the end of the day, it’s worth dying for. It’s a noble cause. There is nothing better than connecting the Incarnated Word to this generation and the generations to come.”
• Rich – “We’re at an unprecedented level of understanding where those needs may be, and an unprecedented level of both collaboration and innovation in reaching out to those language communities.”
• Rich – “The number one strategy is prayer – lifting the need for Bible translation in hard to reach people groups before the Lord, asking him to give us wisdom collectively on how to move forward and be wise.”
• Rich – “Even now, data shows us that it’s not possible to meet the goals that we have in the next nine years. But data also shows us that we’ve closed the gap by about 100 years in the last five years. The last bit of it is going to be more difficult, but what looks impossible to us is not impossible to God.”
• Tilahun – “It’s every Christian’s responsibility to make sure his fellow humankind, who was created in the image of God and for whom Christ Himself died, has Christ in written form.”
• Tilahun – “Every person who supports Bible translation through prayers, funding, or advocacy is impacting the whole person.”
• Tilahun – “Don’t forget, we are here only for a time. Don’t take for granted that this is the world for you. We are here for a purpose and that purpose is designed by God so that we can live out that purpose and deliver it for generations to come.”

Links from the Show

• Lutheran Bible Translators
• Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)
• SIL International (see our interview with Executive Director, Michel Kenmogne)
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Bible References from the Show

Revelation 7:9 | Every Tribe, Nation, and Tongue

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

1 Timothy 2:3-4 | God Desires All to be Saved

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

We Want to Hear from You!

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.