Not Alone

Translating in remote communities can be isolating—but Bishop Lydia Mamakwa reminds her fellow translators that they are never alone in their work for God

Some translators with Indigenous Initiatives live in isolated parts of Canada, where transportation challenges and long winters make travel outside their communities difficult. For the Anihshininiimowin team of Kingfisher Lake in Northern Ontario, travel is no simple task. At times, the physical isolation can feel like spiritual isolation, too. 

“Some of us are in remote communities, and we sometimes feel very alone [working for God], “ shares Bishop Lydia Mamakwa, a member of the Anihshininiimowin translation team. 

But a translation workshop in Calgary this past September reminded Bishop Lydia and other translators that they are not alone. Indigenous translation teams gathered from across Canada, and on the first morning of the workshop, Bishop Lydia shared a devotion with the group. It began in 1 Kings 19, a passage of Scripture that might have seemed surprising at first, as it describes the prophet Elijah calling out to God as Jezebel tries to kill him. 

“I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too,” cried Elijah. 

Bishop Lydia went on to explain that God passed by Elijah on the mountain, showed him His presence and answered Elijah with instructions on what to do next. Then, God comforted Elijah, saying “I still reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

In other words, Elijah was not alone in his work for God. 

“When this workshop was happening,” Bishop Lydia continued, “I felt like God was saying ‘I do have other people for you to work with.’”

She then encouraged her fellow translators with a reminder of why their work is so important. 

“When we were younger, we saw our grandparents reading the prayer books, and we were taught the importance of prayer and doing devotions. To this day, we have that because of how we were taught and trained. God speaks to us through His Word; He breathes it out. Only God can help us and see us through this [translation] work we do. So we give our all to Him and commit ourselves to Him.”

Story by Ruth Richert