Ervin & Coleen Starwalt
Wycliffe Bible Translators Inc — VV4P+QQX, Jos 930103, Plateau, Nigeria
We're Ervin & Coleen Starwalt — Wycliffe missionaries.
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 in Jesus, we have life eternal. 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 of His plan to save us from sin and death and to bring us into the everlasting joy of being His children forever. 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.
Ervin (MDIV, STM, PhD) is a Greek specialist whose teaching and research skills has helped to make the structure and meaning of the NT Greek source texts more accessible to translators all over the world. For most of his career with Wycliffe, he has taught NT Greek exegesis and the structure of NT Greek texts. Now he is focusing on developing and teaching books of the NT in adult education classes at two of our supporting churches in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He is currently teaching the letter to the Hebrews, which he says is by far the most challenging of the books of the NT that he has taught.
Previously Coleen (MA, PhD) served in Togo, West Africa as a linguist-translator before pursuing an advanced degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. There she met Ervin also working on his advanced degree in the same department. Married in 2006, the Starwalts went to Nigeria to train Nigerians in Bible translation and linguistics principles so they could partner fully in the development of their languages and in Bible translation. Now largely working remotely from Texas. Coleen continues to travel to Nigeria a couple times a year to work more closely with her colleagues in Jos. As a linguistics consultant she supports Bible translation teams in Nigeria by helping them solve problems with their alphabets. As a mentor, she comes alongside less experienced linguists to help them increase and improve their skill sets to better serve Nigeria's language communities. She also mentors a number of SIL Nigeria's leaders in their professional and personal growth goals. As SIL Nigeria's Training and Mentoring Coordinator she also overseas SIL's efforts to train and mentor colleagues as they pursue growing professionally, spiritually and personally.
Would you pray for us?
- We'd like to resume traveling to Africa together to teach at one or more of SIL's training schools. Ervin has a number of health concerns that need to be addressed before we can do so.- For more partners to support us in our ministry. We want to do more ministry, but are hindered financially.
