Water safety training keeps Bible translators safe
Jael, Boniface, and Samwel—members of the Suba Bible translation team on Kenya’s Mfangano Island in Lake Victoria—recently faced their fears of deep water.
This team travels to other islands and the mainland to test their Scripture portions with other Suba speakers; it’s imperative that they possess water safety skills. Several local church members had recently died while traveling for a mission trip. “Most of them didn’t have life jackets, or they didn’t wear them at the right time,” Samwel said.
Students from Gethsemane Gardens Christian Centre, who had learned water safety from the JAARS Maritime team, passed on their knowledge and skills to the Suba translation team.
They explained the importance of wearing life jackets and how to use the lights, mirrors, and throwable cushions in the survival bags that JAARS provided through our Maritime Solutions.
The team was nervous when it was time to practice their skills in deep water. “The moment you get [over] much water, you get scared because you might capsize and land in the water,” Jael said. But realizing that their life jackets held them up, they were encouraged and knew they could now be safe, even when traveling into deep water.
Realizing that their life jackets held them up, they knew they could now be safe.
