As the son of Bible translators, I’ve grown up immersed in Bible translation work and culture. When I became an adult and decided to join the effort, I imagined myself walking the same pioneering path as my parents before me. I have so far devoted 30 years of my professional life to the mission to bring scripture to all people in their language.

But something remarkable is unfolding in Bible translation right now, and instead of just my parents’ path, I see a beautiful convergence of paths. On the one hand, there are decades of foundational work by a family of Bible translation organizations—linguistic research, cultivated relationships and the patient labor of translation itself. This represents years of faithful service and accumulated expertise. It’s the work my parents loved and devoted their time, talent and lives to. It’s the work I have loved as well.